The Sheikah Slate is a recurring Item in The Legend of Zelda series.[1][name reference needed]
Location and Uses[]
The Sheikah Slate is a multipurpose tablet bearing the Crest of the Sheikah.[1] It was named by Purah, since its original name remains undiscovered[2]. Link obtains it shortly after being awakened by a disembodied voice in the Shrine of Resurrection. Though Link has no recollection of seeing it before, he finds it familiar.[1] He must first use it to get out of the Shrine of Resurrection.[3] The Sheikah Slate was made specifically for the chosen hero.[4]
The Sheikah Slate can be used to access the Map of Hyrule Kingdom, which displays the current Temperature and time, and any Pin and Stamp placed. It also grants access to any of the many Ancient Shrines and Sheikah Towers located across Hyrule Kingdom. Link must activate the Sheikah Towers to extract the local Map to the Sheikah Slate.[5][6] Link can use the Sheikah Slate as a Scope when the R Stick is clicked down.[7] In addition to providing a closer view, the Scope ability provides a first-person view from which Link can set Pins.
The Sheikah Slate is able to receive Runes, a form of information that bestows the device a number of different abilities. They serve as a replacement for traditional items such as Bombs. These Runes can be obtained and installed onto the Sheikah Slate at the four initial Ancient Shrines found atop the Great Plateau.
The Camera Rune, the Album, and the Hyrule Compendium features are unavailable at the beginning, as they are encrypted in Sheikah text.[8] They are restored when the tablet is brought to Purah at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab. Included in the Camera's Album are 12 Pictures which were taken by Princess Zelda a century prior. Upon completion of the Main Quest, "EX The Champions' Ballad", Monk Maz Koshia gifts Link the Master Cycle Zero Rune.
Before the second Great Calamity, Princess Zelda, Impa, Robbie and Purah went on a research expedition.[9] The Sheikah Slate was unearthed by Princess Zelda and Purah.[10] Purah then named it 'the Sheikah Slate'.[2] The Sheikah Slate was then used to activate the Divine Beasts.[10] While there are no records of where the Sheikah Slate was originally discovered, the mechanism accepting the Sheikah Slate in the Shrine of Resurrection consists of only a pedestal, thus presenting a strong argument that it was discovered there.[11]
Other Appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
The Sheikah Slate makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as part of Link's Champion Tunic outfit and his Tunic of the Wild. It is mostly only used to summon out a round Remote Bomb and to detonate it.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity[]
The Sheikah Slate first appears in the Scenario, "The Battle of Hyrule Field", in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, when Impa drops it after being chased by a horde of Bokoblins. The Sheikah Slate then awakens the Diminutive Guardian that was on the field lying dormant, and activated a Sheikah Tower in the middle of the battlefield.
The Sheikah Slate is mostly used in battles to use Sheikah Runes such as Cryonis or Magnesis, and the Sheikah Sensor can also be used to find out where objects needed to complete side quests could be found. In addition, Princess Zelda, from the start up until halfway through the Scenario, "Each Step Like Thunder", primarily uses the Sheikah Slate to compensate for her lack of sealing power during this time to take part in various battles.
The Sheikah Slate has several important roles, such as getting information from the memory of the Diminutive Guardian, and activating the Sheikah Towers all over Hyrule, helping them to gain full knowledge of the land, such as monster outposts and the Yiga Clan Hideout.
Trivia[]
- In shape, the Sheikah Slate resembles a Nintendo Switch or a Wii U GamePad, referencing the consoles on which Breath of the Wild was released. According to Eiji Aonuma, it was designed to resemble a Wii U GamePad.[citation needed]
- In the demo version of the game, used at E3 2016, the Sheikah Slate featured a health sensor that was built into the first-person scope ability. When pointed at a mob for 1 second it revealed their number of hit points.[12] A similar ability was added to the Champion's Tunic in the final release.
- Link is able to make images of himself at any time, as long as he has the Camera Rune. Bizarrely, he does not hold the Sheikah Slate in any manner, instead it seems to hover mid-air, which appears to be gameplay convenience, rather than an actual ability of the Sheikah Slate.
Nomenclature[]
 Names in other regions  | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
 | Japanese | シーカーストーン (Shīkā Sutōn) | Seeker Stone |
 | FrenchEU | Tablette sheikah | |
 | Italian | Tavoletta Sheikah | |
 | SpanishEU | Piedra sheikah | |
| This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference. | |||
Gallery[]
Sheikah Slate symbol from Breath of the Wild
Link using the Sheikah Slate from Breath of the Wild
Link holding the Sheikah Slate from Breath of the Wild
The Sheikah Slate on a Guidance Stone from Breath of the Wild
Link using the Sheikah Slate scope from Breath of the Wild
Concept art of the Sheikah Slate from Breath of the Wild
Concept art of the Sheikah Slate from Breath of the Wild
Link carrying the Sheikah Slate in his Champion's Tunic outfit from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Sheikah Slate icon from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Sheikah Slate
A mysterious tablet with a glowing center. You've never seen this device before, and yet...there's something familiar about it." — Inventory (Breath of the Wild) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 The stone relic we discovered has been named. We are calling it the Sheikah Slate. We have not found any mention of a name for this object in the records we have unearthed so far... Nevertheless, Purah insisted we call it the Sheikah Slate, as the relic is a slate made by the Sheikah tribe. Feels a bit on the nose to me, but it was not a fight I thought I could win. — Zelda's Research Notes (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way." — Zelda (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 402
- ↑ "Distilling local information..." — N/A (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Regional map extracted." — N/A (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "Did you know about the scope on your Sheikah Slate?" — Old Man (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ "The Sheikah Slate data has been damaged" — N/A (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ Impa introduced me to Purah and Robbie, other respected members of her tribe. Tomorrow I embark on an excavation with them. — Zelda's Research Notes, page 1 (Breath of the Wild)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 374
- ↑ Creating a Champion, Dark Horse Books, pg. 375
- ↑ Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Exploration Gameplay - Nintendo E3 2016, YouTube, published June 14, 2016, retrieved February 25, 2021.