When one talks about some of the most ingenious and memorable gaming experiences of all time, then it must be said that The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is one of the first games that comes to mind. It's easy to see why this the case — after all, few other open-world adventure games have managed to create a title that is just so reactive, nonlinear, and connected. The mere fact that a direct sequel is coming out for the first time in the franchise's history should be more than enough to indicate just how popular Breath of the Wild has become.
The sheer popularity of Breath Of The Wild has led to players making this game fully playable on PC — a feat that was generally thought to be impossible for the longest time. With this development, it was just a matter of time before mods would become a staple of this title. Gamers have gone above and beyond the call of duty to craft realistic mods that enhance the overall experience, as well.
Keeping this in mind, here are 10 of the most realistic Breath Of The Wild mods available right now.
Updated April 30th, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is easily one of the greatest video games of all time. The mechanics featured in this seminal open-world title are truly groundbreaking, with players still trying their hardest to tweak the system in order to allow for a more realistic, challenging, and fleshed-out experience. The following mods have done wonders in that regard.
15 Better Armor
A lot of the armor sets in Breath of the Wild might be quite unique and fun to use in their own right, but there's no denying the fact that the constant act of switching out armors over and over again to enjoy different benefits can be quite annoying at times.
Thankfully with the Better Armors mod, Link's equipment ends up being overhauled significantly, with most of his armor being kitted out with new and improved features.
14 Crafting Project
People who hate losing weapons in Breath of the Wild and wanted a crafting mechanic to remake some of their most beloved pieces of equipment can now accomplish exactly that with the Crafting Project mod.
The quality of this mod should definitely be commended, with players gaining access to a whole host of crafting materials that adds an additional layer of depth to the game's mechanics.
13 No Pause In Combat
Players looking for a genuinely realistic and hardcore experience in combat need not look any further than the No Pause in Combat mod, which accomplishes exactly what it sounds like.
This simple mod adds a sense of urgency in combat when Link finds himself in a sticky situation, with his combat skills being the only path to victory in the bulk of encounters in the game.
12 Breath Of The Wild: Second Wind
Easily the most fleshed-out mod on this list by a country mile, the sheer wealth of content that Second Wind adds to Breath of the Wild is nothing to be scoffed at.
Players can now explore new regions, interact with original characters, and experiment with the tweaked gameplay that this series introduces.
11 Korok Random Dialogue
While finding Korok Seeds in the world of Hyrule can be an engaging activity in and of itself, reading the same canned responses from the Korok's over and over again can be quite mind-numbing after a point.
Thankfully, with the Korok Random Dialogue mod, a breath of fresh air is added to these discoveries. All Koroks now have unique lines of their own, which is a valuable — albeit somewhat muted — addition to the game.
10 Removal Of Cel Shading & Fog
The cel-shaded look of Breath Of The Wild is one of its most recognizable design choices, with the entire world of Hyrule having that much more life to it with the integration of this visual enhancement.
Some modders have managed to remove this cel-shaded look altogether — along with the removal of fog — to make the visual style a bit less fantastical and way more grounded in reality. While most people might prefer the cel-shading over a look that might be classified as bland, it's still a welcome difference nevertheless.
9 Battle-Scarred Link
Before going into a coma for a century, Link was supposed to be a battle-hardened warrior who was incapacitated by a Guardian Laser to the face. This fact is referenced time and time again, with Robbie even asking Link to show a battle-scarred body...when he doesn't have so much as a single scar.
This mod fixes things by actually scarring up Link's body and removing this small yet annoying narrative inconsistency.
8 Gate Check Removal After Naboris
Speaking of narrative inconsistencies, it must be said that having to disguise yourself to enter Gerudo Town even after removing Vah Naboris' threat is quite annoying, and not rewarding in the slightest.
With this mod, the player's achievements will actually be acknowledged, allowing Link to enter the town as a man — or a voe, to be more exact.
7 Improved Range For Bows
For the most part, the bows in Breath Of The Wild are incredibly powerful and can be a massive help in most precarious combat scenarios, allowing Link to maintain a distance while raining down powerful shots on his enemies.
However, long-range attacks with the bow — something that should definitely be the norm — are harder to pull off in Breath Of The Wild, simply because bows have an abysmal range. This mod attempts to fix this problem and make bows a legit sniping option...as they should be.
6 No Unnamed Yiga
The Yiga Clan is one of the most entertaining yet irritating factions in Breath Of The Wild, constantly serving as a thorn in Link's side as he strives to save Hyrule. However, even villains can be human, and this mod attempts to humanize the members of the Yiga Clan with the simplest of changes.
Basically, instead of having a general moniker, each member of the Yiga Clan has a name depending on their gender. It's a minor change but does make sense in the grand scheme of things
5 No Shield Damage From Surfing
To think that shields would take as much damage from being surfed on as they would from bearing the brunt of a weapon's force is quite ridiculous. This mod identifies the problem and rectifies it in the simplest manner possible.
Basically, this mod negates any damage caused by shield surfing, allowing players to surf to their heart's content without having to worry about something as trivial as using the worst shield to surf.
4 No Guardian Respawns
The concept of the Blood Moon might be an interesting way to integrate gameplay balancing mechanics with the story, but this logic shouldn't apply to mechanized enemies like Guardians.
Thankfully, a mod fixes this narrative inconsistency by removing Guardian respawns altogether. While this might make sense from a logical point of view, we don't recommend that you do the same since you'll need the Guardian parts for several purchases and upgrades, including the best armor in the entire game.
3 Survival Of The Wild
Breath Of The Wild has some minor survival elements, but nothing too hardcore that might deter fans from enjoying the game. However, Survival Of The Wild aims to change this by overhauling the entire experience altogether.
This mod adds several things and features to the game, with the most notable additions easily being a hunger system. Players need to manage Link's physical well-being at regular intervals if they don't wish to end up weak further down the line.
2 End Game
The End Game mod is a natural evolution of both the Always Fight Blights and Ganon Rebalance mods, allowing for the final showdown against Ganon to actually be of some merit instead of devolving into a one-sided beatdown that most people have complained about.
With this mod, Link always faces the four Blight bosses before Ganon, regardless of whether the player has completed their respective Divine Beasts or not. It also makes the AI of both Calamity and Beast Ganon more aggressive, leading to a very challenging boss fight indeed.
1 Hyrule Rebalance
Out of all the mods on this list, Hyrule Rebalance is easily the most expansive and popular. The sheer number of alterations and additions present in this mod is impressive.
From minor quality-of-life changes to the rehauling of several gameplay mechanics, Hyrule Rebalance is the perfect way to kickstart another playthrough of Breath Of The Wild.