Sheikah Slate
Games | ||
Location | ||
Uses | Runes |
The Sheikah Slate is a Key Item found in Breath of the Wild. It is one of the first items Link comes across after waking in the Shrine of Resurrection and is one of his most powerful tools.
With the Sheikah Slate, Link is able to activate Sheikah technology, most notably the Sheikah Towers and the Shrines of Trials, enabling them as travel points across Hyrule. It also has many built-in tools, such as control of Runes, a map of Hyrule, the Hyrule Compendium, and the scope.
Aside from its usefulness, Link's possession of the Sheikah Slate is also seen as a sign by many of the long-lived residents of Hyrule that Link is, if not the Champion himself, then a descendant of the Champion, and, as such, should be helped. His use of Sheikah technology often convinces others to assist Link with his quest to defeat Calamity Ganon.
Functions
Runes
- Main article: Rune
A key function of the Sheikah Slate is the ability to use runes. In total there are five runes that Link must enable on the Slate. (The sixth rune, the amiibo Rune, is turned on by the player.) The first four are enabled by completing the four shrines on the Great Plateau with the last being enabled at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab by Purah.
The runes include:
- Remote Bomb: A bomb that can be detonated remotely.
- Magnesis: Manipulate metallic objects using magnetism.
- Stasis: Stop the flow of time for an object.
- Cryonis: Create a pillar of ice from a water surface.
- Camera: Instantly render a visible image into a picture.
- amiibo: Use an amiibo to summon something useful.
Map
The Sheikah Slate also contains a map of Hyrule. Initially, the map is blank of everything except the outlines of tower regions. Link must visit the Sheikah Towers scattered around Hyrule, activating them and receiving that section of the map. Once he has distilled the map into his Slate, Link can view the features of that area.
Regions, subregions, and most landmarks are added onto the map automatically. However, some landmarks must be visited before they are added to the map. Additionally, Sheikah Towers and shrines must be activated before they will appear on the map. Once they have been activated, Link may then use the Sheikah Slate to travel to that tower or shrine. Settlements, villages, and Stables must also be visited before their locations will be added to the map. Once Link has registered a Horse at a stable, he may also use the map to track the location of any horse he is traveling with. Additionally, the locations of any discovered Koroks are marked on the map for reference.
Link also has the ability to set stamps and pins on the map. Stamps are markers visible only when looking at the map. There are nine different designs to choose from, and they can be used to indicate the location of enemies, weapons, cook pots, potential Korok locations, or anything else of note to be remembered. Up to 100 stamps may be placed on the map. Pins function similarly to stamps, but are also visible to Link when he views the landscape through the slate's scope. Pins are ideal for marking travel destinations as they help provide directional guidance for Link without use of the map. Unlike stamps, only five pins are available to use.
With the Expansion Pass, Hero's Path Mode was added to the map. Turning on this mode shows the path of Link's past travels.
Hyrule Compendium
- Main article: Hyrule Compendium
The Hyrule Compendium is a catalog of information about the creatures, monsters, materials, equipment, and treasures found throughout Hyrule. By using the Camera Rune to take pictures of these items, Link adds information about that item to the compendium, describing the item, its most common locations, and any recoverable materials or properties of the item.
In addition to recording information about the photographed item, the compendium also allows Link to target that item with the Sheikah Sensor once it's been activated. When an item is targeted with the Sheikah Sensor, the slate will start beeping when Link nears that item, the beeping growing more frequent the closer he is to it.
Scope
The scope on the Sheikah Slate allows Link to view long distances. If Link has any pins on the map and they are not obscured by the landscape, Link will be able to see their glow through the scope, providing direction to the pinned location. If Link sees something through the scope worth investigating, he may set a pin with the scope instead of having to return to the map.