Daily Debate: Has Fuse Changed Your Perspective On The Weapon Durability Systems In Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom?
Posted on May 28 2023 by Sean Gadus
Weapon durability has been a key topic of discussion for both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. While Skyward Sword introduced some durability and degradation with its shields, Breath of the Wild took the idea of breakable items to an entirely new level. In the 2017 game, every sword, shield, and bow would break after a certain amount of use. Breakable weapons were a point of contention for many fans who did not like losing the powerful weapons they acquired throughout the adventure. Tears of the Kingdom make adjustments to the weapon system by introducing a new game mechanic called Fuse. Fuse is one of the core abilities of Tears of the Kingdom, and the mechanic allows the player to combine items or weapons with materials from throughout the world. Fusing two items changes the strength, durability, and properties of the base item.
The weapon durability system was a key part of Breath of the Wild, and many fans were curious about how Tears of the Kingdom would change or adjust the system. With this in mind, did Fuse changed your perspective on the weapon durability systems?
Overall, I believe that Fuse has made a positive impact on the weapons systems seen in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Through my first playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom, I found myself much less frustrated by breakable weapons. While I often ran out of weapons slots during Tears of the Kingdom, I did not have to discard as many weapons like I did in Breath of the Wild. Instead of dropping weapons that did not fit into my inventory, I could simply combine lesser weapons with Fuse to at least get some value out of them. Additionally, as I got further into the game, I was able to use some of the monster parts and other powerful items to make almost any weapon formidable. Even if I had a weak item like a traveler’s sword, I could use my available resources (like a Blue Moblin Horn) to power up the sword and increase the item’s durability. One of my issues with Breath of the Wild was that it could take to time to find suitable replacements for powerful weapons when they broke, but Fuse helped address that issue. In Tears of the Kingdom, I found it easier to create strong weapons, and it is easier to replace these weapons when they eventually break.
What do you think? Has Fuse changed your perspective on the weapon durability systems used in the past two Zelda titles? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Sean Gadus is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. His first Zelda game was Ocarina of Time, and he loves all of the 3D Zelda games from 1998-2011. He is currently replaying the narrative ghost story Oxenfree, and taking his first stab at playing Dark Souls. He wants to help build a kinder, more compassionate world. You can check out his other written work at The-Artifice.com.
