Summary
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomand its predecessor,Breath of the Wild, have had an undeniable impact on the gaming industry and theLegend of Zeldafranchise alike. Both games have taken the nearly 40-year-old series to unimaginable heights, while simultaneously heightening expectations of gaming across the board. Despite their high praise and success, however, they have both had one stubborn feature that players have been unable to ignore:Zelda’s weapon durability.
Weapon durability inBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomhas been one of their most controversial features, as it eventually leads to almost every weapon breaking and becoming permanently unusable. Thankfully, with the news thatTears of the Kingdomwill most likely not be receiving a direct sequel, the feature that fans have grown to abhor so much may finally face the reaper, especially if Nintendo chooses to revert the series to its original formula.
The Legend of Zelda May Finally Bid Weapon Durability an Overdue Farewell
Weapon Durability in Zelda Has Served Its Purpose
Despite being one ofBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom’s most controversial mechanics, weapon durability has served a purpose that simply cannot be ignored. Because of weapons having durability inBotWandTotK, players are encouraged to be in constant pursuit of more weapons. This was made especially useful inTotKwith the introduction ofthe Fuse ability, allowing players to fuse their weapons and itemsand upgrade them in the process. However, while this certainly helped to quiet players' complaints, it has not silenced them by any means.
Tears of the Kingdommade it possible to repair weapons, which was a welcome change to the franchise. Still, many players have stated that the process of repairing them is rather inconvenient, leading them to deem it not worth the effort. If there were a simpler way of repairing weapons — like paying a visit to a local blacksmith, for instance — perhapsBotWandTotK’s durability mechanics wouldn’t garner such heavy criticism. Unfortunately, Nintendo chose not to do away with or simplify what was one ofBreath of the Wild’s most hated mechanics, resulting in even more discontented sighs from the gaming community.
There Is Little Room for Weapon Durability in Future Zelda Titles
In light of the backlash such a simple feature has received, along with its rather counterproductive nature, it’s time forThe Legend of Zeldato move on without weapon durability as a mechanic. Despite adding to the realism ofZelda’s new era,Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom’s weapon durabilityinevitably results in more frustration than fun, especially when it comes to some of each game’s best weapons. As a result, players hoard their best weapons rather than using them, as they are unsure when they might need those weapons most.
Eventhe Master Sword, which is supposed to be Link’s most powerful weapon, has a type of durability mechanic that causes it to eventually lose its power and require time to recharge before it can be used again. ClassicZeldatitles have included this mechanic with the Master Sword, but it has only ever lost a special ability and has never become unusable for some time. At the very least, the Master Sword should have been able to evade the durability mechanic, though the argument could be made that players wouldn’t use other weapons if the Master Sword was available at all times.
BarringThe Legend of Zeldareturning to its original formula, or something similar to it, it will be made abundantly clear that weapon durability has served its purpose and is no longer needed. Players can at least hold onto the hope that Nintendo will forego the divisive mechanic in future titles, especially with the news thatTears of the Kingdommost likely won’t be receiving a direct sequel.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
WHERE TO PLAY
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the sequel to the beloved open-world adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This installment once again sees Link and Zelda battling to protect Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. This new adventure takes place in the same land of Hyrule as Breath of the Wild but sees something called the Upheaval, which allows link to travel to Sky Islands, as well as deep into the Depths beneath Hyrule. Players can use special abilities to fuse together weapons, and build items to help them progress through the release.
