Each Energy Well upgrade in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom costs 100 Crystallized Charges at a Crystal Refinery. One Well fills one third of a battery slot, so three upgrades create one complete slot.
Link starts with three Wells already installed. The green battery holds eight slots, or 24 Wells. After filling it, further upgrades turn the same segments blue and let each segment discharge twice. The absolute maximum is 48 Wells.
Do not mix up the three resources
- Zonaite is raw ore found mainly in the Depths.
- Crystallized Charges are the currency accepted by Crystal Refineries.
- Energy Wells are the permanent battery upgrades bought in sets of one.
A regular Crystallized Charge costs three Zonaite at a Forge Construct. A Large Crystallized Charge represents 20 regular charges and costs three Large Zonaite. Huge Crystallized Charges are worth 100 charges, exactly enough for one Well, and come from selected fights and chests rather than a normal purchase.
Zonai Charges are different consumables. They restore power to the existing battery but never increase its capacity. Carrying a stack of them does not replace the refinery upgrade process.
Use either Crystal Refinery
One refinery sits near Nachoyah Shrine on the Great Sky Island. The other is between Lookout Landing and the Hyrule Castle Town Ruins. A Steward Construct at either location performs the same trade, so use the one closest to your current route.
Forge Constructs are commonly found at Abandoned Mines in the Depths, with another in the Mining Cave on the Great Sky Island. Activate dormant Depths constructs with Link’s Right Arm before trying to trade.
Calculate the cost before mining
A full green battery contains 24 Wells. Because Link begins with three, reaching the end of the green tier requires 21 new Wells, or 2,100 Crystallized Charges. Reaching the 48-Well maximum from the starting state requires 45 new Wells, or 4,500 charges.
If every regular charge were bought at three Zonaite and no reward charges were used, those remaining upgrades would represent 6,300 Zonaite for the green tier or 13,500 Zonaite for the absolute maximum. Huge Crystallized Charges reduce that mining requirement by one Well each.
Plan an efficient Depths route
Collect Zonaite from deposits while opening Lightroots and visiting Abandoned Mines. Complete Master Kohga encounters and check large Zonai-style chests for Huge Crystallized Charges. Regional Phenomena boss rematches in the Depths can also award a Huge charge on the first victory against each boss.
Convert ore when passing a Forge Construct, then visit a refinery whenever your total reaches 100. Waiting for 300 charges lets you buy an entire battery slot at once, but there is no price discount for a larger trade.
Prioritize upgrades by build
Early Wells have the same price as late Wells, so there is no hidden efficiency breakpoint. Buy capacity when your preferred vehicles run out of energy before completing their job. Short ground carts can work with the starting cell and spare Zonai Charges, while long flights and sustained combat devices benefit more from permanent capacity.
Autobuild does not change battery capacity. A saved design may reduce construction time, but every powered component still draws from the Energy Cell. Test a vehicle near a safe landing area after each full slot so you can judge whether the next 300-charge block is worth another Depths route.
After the battery is full
At 48 Wells, the refineries stop expanding capacity and offer Zonai devices for Crystallized Charges. The reported rates are three charges for one device or 30 for a Big Battery, with limited stock that refreshes at midnight in game.
If a refinery refuses an upgrade, check that you brought Crystallized Charges rather than Zonai Charges or unprocessed Zonaite. The trade always costs 100 per Well, including the blue tier.
