The Sheikah Slate (Sheikah Stone in the Japanese dialogue) is the main key item in The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. It’s similar in design to the Wii U Gamepad or Nintendo Switch. This is used to activate towers to add to your map, open up shrines, and catalog various items around Hyrule.
The Sheika Slate is equipped with six powers called Runes. These ancient powers and abilities must be used throughout Link’s adventure to solve puzzles. Each Rune will unlock automatically early on in the main quest line. The Runes can then be upgraded at the Hatano Tech Lab on the southeast side of the map.
| Rune | Description | Upgrade Materials | Upgrade Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remote Bomb | Round and cube bombs that can be detonated from a distance. Use them to damage enemies or destroy objects. | Ancient Shaft x3 | Increases bomb blast radius and reduces cooldown period before another bomb can be used. |
| Magnesis | Grab metallic objects and set them someplace else. The weight of the object does not matter. | – | – |
| Stasis | Stop time on objects for a few seconds. While the object is in stasis, it can be struck with a weapon, forcing it to move in the direction it was being hit. | Ancient Core x3 | Can time-stop evil creatures in addition to objects. |
| Cryonis | Create stationary pillars of ice in pools of water, no matter the current. Ice pillars can be grabbed and climbed on. | – | – |
| Camera | Take a picture and save it in the album. This is also tied to the Hyrule Compendium. Taking a picture of an object that’s listed in the Compendium will automatically register it.
The Camera has a zoom function, and also can mark objects on the map. The album can hold a max of 48 pictures. |
Ancient Screws x3 | Track down any item using the Sheikah Sensor that has been registered in the Hyrule Compendium. |
| Sensor | Locates the nearest Shrine. The signal will increase when Link is walking in the direction of the shrine. | 3 Sunshrooms. Speak with Symin, the lab assistant. | Allows the Sheikah sensor to target materials and creatures from the Hyrule Compendium instead of shrines. |
| Amiibo | Place an amiibo on the controller to receive in-game rewards. | – | – |