BotW Sheikah Slate Runes and Upgrades: Remote Bomb+, Stasis+, Sensor+

The Sheikah Slate’s abilities are called runes. All four core runes are on the Great Plateau; the Camera and the Sheikah Sensor come after you leave it. Only three runes can be upgraded, and each upgrade happens once.

Which runes are there, and where do you get them?

For the Great Plateau route and shrine order, see the beginner tips.

How do the four core runes work?

Magnesis only grabs metal. The game’s own tips add two uses: swinging or dropping heavy metal objects on enemies, and fishing metal chests out of water. The metal-cube Korok puzzles are solved with it too.

Remote Bombs come round or cube-shaped; use whichever suits the ground. After a blast there is a short wait before you can place another.

Stasis lets you hit a frozen object repeatedly to build up force. The game’s tip suggests freezing a bomb barrel, knocking it away and letting it explode where it lands. The basic version works on objects, not monsters.

Cryonis only works on water. Use it on an existing pillar to break it.

How do you get the Camera and the Sheikah Sensor?

100 years ago, the Sheikah Slate held only three runes: the Camera, the Hyrule Compendium and the album. When Link wakes up, all three are broken. The main quest Locked Mementos sends you to Hateno Village:

1. Find Purah in Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. She cannot repair the slate while the Guidance Stone is dormant.
2. Carry the blue flame from the ancient furnace in Hateno Village and light the furnace on the lab’s outer wall.
3. Have Purah repair the slate, then take her picture with the Camera to finish this step.

The Sheikah Sensor is added when you activate a Sheikah Tower after leaving the Great Plateau; it can be toggled from the map screen. If you still lack it when Purah repairs the slate, she restores it too.

What does Purah need for each upgrade?

Talk to Purah in the lab to start the side quest Slated for Upgrades. She trades upgrades for ancient parts and charges no rupees:

You do not need all nine parts at once; upgrade whichever rune you have parts for. The quest ends after all three. Purah admits she never got around to Cryonis or Magnesis, so those two have no upgraded form.

Where do ancient parts come from?

In Purah’s words: defeat Guardians and they drop parts. If you are not ready to fight them, she points to a pile of broken Guardians on the hill west of Telta Lake where parts can be picked up. Drops per Guardian type and the best farming spots are in the ancient materials guide.

What changes after the upgrades?

Stasis+ is the big one: freeze a monster, then attack or escape. Reportedly the stronger the enemy, the shorter the freeze, so a Lynel stops only briefly.

Sheikah Sensor+ works together with the Camera:

1. Photograph the thing you want so it is registered in the Hyrule Compendium.
2. On the map, choose Sheikah Sensor, then Hyrule Compendium, pick the picture and set it as the target.
3. The sensor now tracks that target; set the Sheikah Sensor to OFF on the map to stop.

Symin, Purah’s assistant, follows up with the side quest Sunshroom Sensing: photograph the sunshrooms behind the lab and bring him three, a practice run at tracking materials.

Remote Bomb+ hits harder and recharges faster, so fights and rock-breaking go quicker.

Can Robbie in Akkala upgrade runes?

No. Purah asks you to share ancient parts with Robbie too, which leads to the side quest Robbie’s Research: light the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab furnace with blue flame and the ancient oven will trade ancient parts plus rupees for ancient gear. That is weapons and armor, not rune upgrades. Prices are in the ancient materials guide.

Which runes did the DLC add?

Full DLC details are in the DLC guide and the Champions’ Ballad walkthrough; amiibo drops are in amiibo rewards. Tears of the Kingdom uses a different system, covered in Purah Pad upgrades.