Daily Debate: Should Link Have to Use the Master Sword to Defeat Ganondorf in Tears of the Kingdom?

If one thing’s clear about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it’s that the Master Sword will be central to the game’s story. Time and again, trailers and marketing have shown the Sword that Seals the Darkness ceasing to be much of a sword at all. Although yet to be confirmed, it seems there’s a good chance part of Link’s quest will be collecting various Tears to restore the blade. If that’s so, it would be incredibly disappointing for Ganondorf to be slain with a spear, hammer, or tree branch — anything short of the Master Sword itself. What’s the point of embarking on a harrowing journey, risking life and limb, if the very thing you risk your life for is ultimately meaningless?

One criticism I’ve long held for Breath of the Wild is that the Master Sword is essentially useless. Sure, it replenishes its energy after a while, and powers up around Malice, but it doesn’t do much more than that, besides looking cool. And no, the Trial of the Sword doesn’t count, because this is about the sword’s place in the base game, in content available to anyone who simply purchases game. Weapons that are stronger than the Master Sword’s measly 30 base damage are plentiful, even before acquiring the weapon after meeting the minimum of 40 completed Shrines. At times, it felt more useful for mining ore or cutting wood than for fighting Ganon’s forces.

All of that said, however, I can see some nuance in not needing it to slay Calamity Ganon. He was, after all, bound to his Guardian parts. In terms of Dark Beast Ganon, the game was clear that only Zelda’s power through the Bow of Light could fell the beast in combat (I have words about that battle’s execution, but that’s a topic for another day). Obviously, the stakes are much higher this time around. Even excluding what’s sure to be a plethora of details we don’t know, the fact Ganondorf is back in a corporeal form, with all his intelligence and powers of darkness unknown, it’s unlikely that a mere weapon off the ground could beat him.

Now, I’m not at all against other weapons being capable of damaging Ganondorf throughout what I hope are multiple phases of his battle, but when it comes to the final fight, it can only be the Master Sword. Anything else would be a betrayal of the game. In other words, I’m hoping for a balance of freedom and limitations, something I hope Tears of the Kingdom delivers in general over its prequel, where it was sorely lacking.

Oh, and it would be a great test of ability to force the player to rely on the Master Sword, rather than other, possibly stronger weapons they’ve grown accustomed to.

What do you think? Should the player have to use the Master Sword to deliver the finishing blow to Ganondorf, or whatever Tears of the Kingdom’s big bad is? Let us know in the comments below!

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