Weapon Durability in Breath of the Wild
Welcome to our Tears of the Kingdom – Weapon Durability Guide!
In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Nintendo introduced players to a new (and sometimes controversial) mechanic: Weapon Durability. In previous entries in the series weapons Link collected were static. Each had their specific power stats, maybe some kind of elemental affinity, and could be used to bash enemies repeatedly without much thought until you looted a more powerful sword out of a crate.
However, in Breath of the Wild this was changed dramatically: now all weapons had a certain level of durability. And anytime you used it to hit an enemy, it would wear the weapon down. The more you continued to use that weapon, the more the durability would decrease. Until ultimately, the weapon would break.
All weapons in the game were like this – even the vaunted Master Sword required a cool-down after use. It was a massive change to how weapons worked in the series, and one that some players loved and others found very frustraing.
Weapon Durability in Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo has apparently made note of at least some of the criticisms when it comes to weapon durability. They’re not getting rid of the concept entirely, however, so expect it to still be an important part of the game.
For Tears of the Kingdom the developers are introducing a new ability for Link: Fuse. This ability allows Link to literally fuse objects found out in the world to either his shield or sword. When Link takes the opportunity to fuse his weapon to an object, it will often boost not just the weapon’s power, but also make it more durable.
As seen in the Gameplay Demonstration video from Nintendo, Link is able to fuse his very weak Tree Branch weapon to a nearby boulder. In response, the boulder shrinks and attaches itself to the top of the stick – becoming an impromptu club. Much more powerful than the branch alone and it will last longer.
But it does still degrade, so the weapon durability mechanic is still a part of the gameplay that players will have to deal with. In addition, it’s also important to note that once items are fused, they cannot be separated. The fusing is permanent and once the durability of the fused item runs out the item will break. There is no repairing fused items.
Repair in Tears of the Kingdom
In Breath of the Wild, some weapons could be repaired after their durability had been completely worn down. This obviously would not apply to the low-level, ‘found object’ weapons like the tree branches, but in the game Rusty weapons and Champion weapons could be taken to a blacksmith and their full durability restored in exchange for
Repair Costs
- To Be Added!
Weapon Durability Tips and Tricks
Aside from the improvements which can be added to weapons, there are other ways to help make Link’s weapons last as long as possible. The following tips are based on the gameplay mechanics found in Breath of the Wild. At this time, we have no reason to believe that they won’t work just as well in Tears of the Kingdom!
Keep Low Level Weapons
Some gamers may be in-game hoarders, with inventory bags so full they could start their own mercantile. But most tend to clear out their inventory as soon as possible, to make room for all that sweet, sweet loot they hope to find next.
Try to temper that impulse in Tears of the Kingdom – you don’t want to keep every low level weapon you find, but be sure to have a basic axe or hammer on hand. You’ll want to be able to avoid using your best weapons against low level enemies, since their durability decreases just the same.
Sneakstrike
Embrace your inner assassin! If you can pull it off, going into stealth, sneaking up behind a powerful enemy and felling them with a single powerful blow can be a great way to minimize the wear and tear on your weapons.
We’ll be adding any additional new tips which can be found in Tears of the Kingdom once the game has officially released on May 12, 2023!
Looking for more Tears of the Kingdom?
Thank you for reading our Tears of the Kingdom – Weapon Durability Guide! We’ll provide the latest news and create guides for the Tears of the Kingdom in the future. Additionally, be sure to check out our website for the latest guides on other games. Come watch me play ESO/Destiny 2/Redfall on Twitch to ask questions or visit my YouTube channel!
