All signs indicate thatThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2will be very similar to its predecessor. For one thing, Nintendo has indicated that it uses the same map as the previous game, meaning fans will probably explore a lot of familiar places. Link also has a curious new arm inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2that seems to give him powers similar to his Shiekah Slate abilities. With these core features making a return, there’s little doubt thatBreath of the Wild 2will reuse Link’s ability to collect his own weapons and adopt all kinds of different fighting styles.
However,Breath of the Wild 2promises to bring major changes to the firstBotW’s Hyrule with new floating islands, and Link’s enchanted arm seemingly offers some brand new abilities. Nintendo is building on these core aspects ofBotW,which means it should build onBotW’s weapon system too. There’s a ton of weapon types that haven’t made an appearance in this family ofZeldagames yet; Nintendo should bring these weapons into the new game while introducing creative new takes on familiar weapon categories.Breath of the Wild 2is a perfect opportunity to give Link a broader arsenal than ever.
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Building on Breath of the Wild’s Innovations
Breath of the WildadvancedThe Legend of Zelda’s combat system by leaps and bounds. Previous entries likeOcarina of Timeoffered Linksome alternatives to the Master Sword, but nothing compares toBotW,which actively encourages players to seek out their own equipment. Between greatswords, spears, clubs, magic rods, and more,BotWofferedZeldafans more ways to fight as Link than ever. It’s extremely satisfying to collect rare and powerful weapons, then switch to just the right weapon for the occasion whenever Link finds a new enemy.
Still, there are some shortcomings toBreath of the Wild 2’s weapon system, aside fromBotW’s controversial durability numbers. To a certain extent, there’s actually only a very limited number of fighting styles available to Link, in spite of all the weapons he can find. Many clubs and one-handed swords feel pretty similar, as do two-handed swords and heavier bludgeons, while spears form a unique but pretty basic category.Breath of the Wild 2has a lot of weapons built into it, but the ways they’re used aren’t very distinct from one another.
Breath of the Wild 2should change that. Not only should it introduce new weapons, but it should add wholly new categories of weapons that introduce Link to new ways of fighting. The firstBotWonly covered some of the most basic martial weapons out there, meaning there are many more niche categories that could come into play in theBotWsequel. If Nintendo builds even more melee and ranged weapons intoBreath of the Wild 2,thenZeldacombat could feel more diverse and engagingthan ever.
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Potential New Weapons in Breath of the Wild 2
Link’s bread and butter has always been melee weapons, and there’s plenty of room to build moremelee equipment intoBreath of the Wild 2.Aside from making axes more prevalent,BotW2could introduce new categories like flails and whips. Flails could fill a valuable niche between one-handed and two-handed bludgeons, having more range than a mace but less damage than two-handed options. Whips would offer a long-range rival to spears while focusing on fast, low damage attacks, compared to a spear’s slow but deadly strikes. Nintendo has only scratched the surface of melee weapons.
There’s room for more ranged weapon options inBreath of the Wildtoo. AlthoughThe Legend of Zeldagamesalmost always give Link a bow, it’d be nice to let Link try on a new weapon. For instance, crossbows could crop up inBreath of the Wild 2,offering a slower ranged weapon than a normal bow that packs a greater punch. Crossbows could use arrows just like normal bows, but there’s plenty of other ways thatBotW2could give Link ranged options. Slings could offer a particularly fast ranged option, while packs of throwing axes or throwing knives could shake things up too.
Aside from martial weapons, it’d be nice to see Link get some more arcane options inBreath of the Wild 2.Wizzrobes drop magic rods that Link can use inBotW,but there’s not a ton of options. It’d be great to find more rod types inBotW2,whether they’re aggressive options or more utilitarian rods with buffs or healing spells. Nintendo could even consider introducing staves which could double as spellcasting tools and polearm-style weapons.Link’s mysterious new armmight give him some magical options, but it shouldn’t be his only magical resource.
Optimism for Breath of the Wild 2’s Combat
Thankfully some early signs suggestBreath of the Wild 2’s combat is getting experimental.The E3 2021BotW2trailersuggests Link might be able to find and wield some kind of flamethrower, incinerating any monster that stands in his way. It’s not clear if this is an ability from Link’s arm or a found weapon, but it certainly sounds more like a piece of equipment than an innate ability. If a flamethrower is the standard for new weapons inBotW2,thenZeldafans should expect some major changes to the weapon system. Nintendo might already have plans to rebuildBotW’s weapon catalog from the bottom up, vastly enhancing the options available to the next game’s players.
Although the flamethrower is a good sign, Nintendo has to be sure to expand the basics ofBreath of the Wild’s weapons. Basic new categories like flails and crossbow are just as valuable as the occasional extravagant weapon; flamethrowers probably aren’t the new combat baseline inBreath of the Wild 2,so Link’s more common tools deserve improvements too. More basic weapon types mean more ways to fight each ofBreath of the Wild 2’s enemies, giving players new heights of freedom to find their favorite playstyles and the most optimal approach to every adversary. Link has already learned so many fighting styles inBreath of the Wild; hopefully, he keeps learning in the sequel.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases in 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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