Like so many others, my biggest hang up with Breath of the Wild has been the weapon degradation system—that, and the fact that even with very poor health, my grandma can likely sprint for longer than Link can. Recently, I’ve gone back to the game in an attempt to give it a second chance, doing everything in my power not to give up because I’m constantly having to chuck my useless, broken weapons at things. I have absolutely nothing original to add to the discussion on why I can’t stand the weapon degradation system in BotW. I’m sure you’ve heard it all before—maybe with the exception of pointing out the fact that I’m certain anyone could whack someone with a branch more times than Link does before it breaks.

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But despite how much I can’t stand it, I can honestly still wrap my head around the argument for why it’s a good feature, in a way. More times than I can count, I’ve read arguments about how weapons breaking is both more realistic, and it adds a layer of strategy to the game. I can’t necessarily deny either of those things, which is why I wouldn’t say I’m opposed to a weapon degradation system in BotW 2. But it seems that most people are of the mind that we can either have weapon degradation like we do in BotW or we can get rid of it. Why must these be the only two options?

If we’re talking about what’s most realistic, having a way to make weapon repairs would be more sensible than either of these two options. Okay, sure, tree branches might snap in half and become utterly useless. But swords and other weapons? They start to dull over time. They need maintenance. In BotW 2, I would love to see weapon repair introduced, because it honestly doesn’t make sense that it’s not included already. Considering BotW is a massive, open-world game, it would make all the sense in the world for the player to have to collect resources from different areas to use for weapon repairs (or maybe even weapon creation).

Breakage-1
via Unwinnable
https://unwinnable.com/2017/04/27/weapon-durability-in-breath-of-the-wild/

I get the temptation to say, “Let’s do away with weapon degradation altogether,” because in BotW, it’s just straight up annoying. But just because BotW isn’t getting it right doesn’t mean the entire idea is trash. While constantly having to throw weapons away when they break in BotW is insufferable, finding resources and having to fix up my weapons when I return to town would be tolerable. Is it “more fun” to not have to deal with any of this at all? I’m sure for some it would be, because people want different experiences out of games. But to keep to the integrity of BotW, finding a compromise in the second game seems to be the best route.

In a way, it would be cool not to have to worry about whether my weapon is going to get too worn down or break. At least, that’s what I’m tempted to say upon first thought. But I have to admit that including a weapon degradation system does add a layer of strategy to BotW, and I think the second game could suffer from simplicity if they were to do away with it entirely. There’s a clear, logical fix to this problem so that the game both appeals to a wider audience and stays true to the feel of the first game, and I’m hoping to see this become a reality in BotW 2.

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