[Top 5] Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Best Flying Machines (Early To Late Game)

Updated:

08 Nov 2023

Top 5 Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Best Flying Machines

Flying Machines are the most important and versatile creations you can make in Tears of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Hyrule in this game has never been bigger, it features three expansive layers, The Sky Islands, The Surface, and The Depths. There is so much to explore, and you won’t be able to do it all by foot. Especially when you're exploring The Sky Islands. This is where the Flying Machines come in, created by attaching Zonai Devices with Ultrahand, these are often the fastest and most reliable methods of travel. In this article, we’ll be covering the five best Flying Machines. Hold on to your tunics, we’re heading towards the sky!

Number 5: The Flying Wing

Freebird.

Starting off our list with one you may already be familiar with. This Flying Machine uses the Wing Device as its base. You can find the Wing as early as the Great Sky Island, which is the game’s tutorial area, this makes The Flying Wing the perfect starter Flying Machine. This machine is a reliable method of traversing The Sky Islands, and it is controlled by Link’s positioning on the Machine. Getting from one island to another will be much easier with this machine at your side.

One key aspect to note about The Flying Wing is that it functions essentially as a glider. This means it has no actual upward propulsion. This is why this machine is best used in the early game when you need a way to get from one Sky Island to another. It is best to position this machine on the edge of the island that you want to leave, then place Link on top of the machine and strike the fans to power the machine on. The fans will boost the machine off of the edge and into the sky.

The best advice for controlling this machine is to place Link towards the back end of the machine when you want to travel long distances, and if you want to move faster towards an island that is a bit below you, have Link stand towards the front of the machine. I hope this machine is helpful to you when you are starting out in The Sky Islands!

Here’s what you’ll need to construct this machine:

1 Wing Zonai Device
1 Cart Zonai Device (Attached to the bottom of the center of the Wing.)
2 Fan Zonai Devices (Attached at the left and right edges of the Wing’s “Arms” and positioned so the air flow is blowing towards the tail of the Wing.)

Number 4: Zonai Floating Platform Flying Machine

Now I see why the devs always refer to Hyrule as being "Open-Air."

When you’re exploring Tears of the Kingdom’s Sky Islands, you’ll notice that many of them have these strange floating platforms with dragon heads on their sides. They almost look like intricate cages. These little platforms are littered among the islands to help ease your exploration. They usually have a few rockets and soldier constructs riding on top of them, so make sure you’re ready to put the constructs down once you come close to one of these.

Normally, the main use for these platforms is to attach the rockets to their side, and boost yourself towards your next goal. Though, using them like that misses out on their full potential to become Flying Machines. The Zonai Platform Flying Machine is great for early to mid-game exploration. Things like Shrine Quests and Sky View Tower Completion are made much easier by using these machines. You can attach Shrine Crystals and follow the green light to promptly deliver them to their location, or just head over the top of any Shrines or Towers you still need to complete, and dive off of your machine.

It’s important to make sure that the Fans you attach to this flying machine are at the far corners of the back side of the platform. That makes it so that you are able to maneuver around easier and pull off sharper turns. Zonai batteries are a great addition to this Flying Machine as they will make it so that you can stay airborne longer. Also, remember how I said that these platforms usually come with a few rockets? Well, once you have your Fan and Steering Stick Devices in place and ready, attach some rockets to the side of your machine for a head start boost in whatever direction you need to travel in!

Here are the parts you’ll need to create this machine:

1 Floating Zonai Platform (Found around Sky Islands.)
2 Zonai Fan Devices (Placed at the corners of the back end of the platform and positioned so that the air is flowing behind Link and the Steering Stick.)
1 Steering Stick (Placed towards the front and center of the platform.)

Number 3: The Laser Beam Flying Machine

Hyrule really needs some air regulation rules, this one looks dangerous!

One of the main benefits of being in the sky is that you don’t have to worry about the dangers on the ground below. There may come an occasion where a swarm of enemies surrounds an objective you need to reach. That’s where something like this Laser Beam Flying Machine comes into play. This machine excels at upwards propulsion, so this is going to keep you protected from high above all of the chaos caused by monsters.

Construct Heads are Zonai Devices that act as seekers, so whenever you come into range of an enemy, the construct heads will aim right at the enemy. So in the case of this Flying Machine, the Beam Emitters placed atop the Construct Heads are going to target and fire a laser beam at any enemies in range. With the triangle shape of this machine, three laser beams will be fired and focused at your enemies, this means that a large amount of damage can be dealt very quickly. This is all from the safety of the sky!

One big tip I have for piloting this machine is to be mindful of your battery consumption. There’s a lot going on with this machine, so it consumes battery faster than most machines you come across. If you need to, you can stop and land the machine to recharge, just make sure you do it away from enemies. You can also add batteries but these will change the weight distribution and cause uneven and slowed flight, so make sure you’re prepared for that if you choose to add any batteries to this machine.

Here’s what you’ll need to gather up for this Flying Machine:

1 Steering Stick Zonai Device (Positioned in the center.)
3 Fan Zonai Devices (One fan at the front of the Steering Stick, and the other two at the back sides of the Steering Stick.)
3 Construct Head Zonai Devices (Positioned on top of each Fan and on their sides with the eyeballs faced down towards the ground.)
3 Beam Emitter Zonai Devices (Positioned at the top of each Construct Head and so that the horn of the Emitters are down towards the ground.)

Number 2: Four Fan Flying Machine

I always wanted a quad.

As you begin to reach the later points of this massive game, you’ll find that there are a lot of quests I like to call “Towing Quests.” These are sometimes Shrine Quests where you must carry a Shrine Crystal to its pedestal in order to enter the full Shrine, or they could also be those mini Korok Quests where you need to reunite a Korok that has been separated from its friend. It’s not very practical to try to carry these kinds of things with Ultrahand, especially not when you need to scale a mountain or Sky Islands to reach your destination. So, why not build yourself a Four Fan Flying Machine?

This Machine features four Zonai Fans and uses a large square wooden plank as its base, which makes it very spacious and allows for you to carry items (or Koroks) as your cargo! The angle of the back two fans is what allows for forward momentum, and the front two fans allow for upwards momentum. This Flying Machine is an excellent addition to your aerial arsenal.

You’ll want to remember to have your steering stick positioned at the front end of this machine, this will make it so that the weight distribution is even. This is especially important when you are carrying something at the back end. Other than that, just remember to attach whatever it is that you want to transport with ultrahand, that way it won’t slide off on the way to your destination!

To build your Four Fan Flying Machine you’ll need:

1 Square Wooden Plank (Found at the Hudson Construction material outposts all over Hyrule.)
4 Fan Zonai Devices (Position the front two so that the airflow is directly downwards, and have the back two positioned so that they are at an angle that provides forward momentum.)
1 Steering Stick Zonai Device (Positioned at the front end of the machine.)

Number 1: The Hover Bike

"And this bird you cannot change."

If you saw this one coming, congratulations, you were exactly right! The Hover Bike is a fan favorite Flying Machine that has made the rounds all over social media, and for very good reason. It’s especially good as a machine used in the late game, as it makes finding Shrines and Light Roots incredibly efficient. If you’re a speedrunner or doing any sort of a challenge run, getting your hands on a Hover Bike will greatly improve your completion time. It’s the fastest traversal method in the game, and it's incredibly simple to create. You only need a total of three parts, and you’re set. Once you have one perfectly built, don’t forget to save your creation as a favorite in the AutoBuild ability menu!

The hardest part about these machines is putting them together properly, you need to be very precise with your angles. You’ll want to attach the Fans to the Steering Stick after you already have them angled, and both fans should be angled to the same tilt degree. As long as you can get it put together the right way once, you’re golden. Just save that perfect Hover Bike to your AutoBuild favorites list so you won’t have to manually build it again!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 Steering Stick Zonai Device (Positioned between the two fans.)
2 Fan Zonai Devices (Attached at an angle at the front and back of the Steering Stick.)

With that, you know five of the best Flying Machines in Tears of the Kingdom!

Spread your wings and fly now!

Whether you’re just starting off your adventures in Hyrule, or finishing up a final few quests, there’s a machine here that you can use to make your time more fun. I hope you are all able to take one of the machines we talked about here today and adapt that into your playstyles. Have fun out there in the skies!