Cfrock
Keep it strong
While I can't say I've ever felt as though Link's moveset was restrictive, I did like that they expanded it in BotW, particularly with climbing. Stamina can restrict that, but it was upgradable which I think is not only a fair mechanic but a preferable one to just not having a stamina mechanic at all. One of the core aspects of an adventure is the feeling of progression, and progression doesn't just apply to the story but to the character and player, too. The Link you control at the end of the adventure should always be a more fully-formed and capable hero than the one at the start. Upgradable stamina fits this perfectly. Link starts off with creaky bones and lungs the size of a tic-tac, but as he makes progress on his adventure he becomes more physically fit. He can run further, climb longer, do more special moves in combat. It's reflective of his journey and development as a character, but also a way to keep the player engaged as they can access, or break, more of the game the more they play.
Koji Igarashi, the lead designer of Symphony of the Night, once said that he wasn't thinking of Metroid when he made it, he was thinking of Zelda, and that 'Metroidvania' should really be 'Zeldavania'. What he was referring to was that gradual development over the course of play, of getting new weapons, items, and abilities and being able to explore more and more of the world as a result. Obviously, that does apply to Metroid, too, but the point is that the same kind of progression shouldn't be ignored in Zelda. BotW's stamina works within that philosophy and so I think it's a good addition to the game. Stamina didn't work in SS because it was fixed. You had to use potions to do anything with it, so it was never part of a sense of progression. It was just a restriction. In BotW, it becomes part of yours and Link's development over the course of the game and thus feeds into the sense of progression and adventure. It develops into something you feel good about over time, rather than always being a hindrance like in SS.
I do think some expansion to Link's actual moveset would be good, though. One thing I love doing in games that let me is slide along the ground. I'm thinking of the likes of Dishonored 2 or Apex Legends that let you sprint into a long slide to close distance with enemies without being totally exposed to attack, or slip into small openings to find secrets or evade pursuers. It also just feels really fun and satisfying to do it, especially when you string them together with other movement skills. I reckon BotW Link would be able to do this, and it plays with weather effects, too, since he could slide further or faster in rain and on ice. I know he has shield surfing, which is good, but a standard slide would open his options more when he doesn't have a shield or when a shield surf would simply be a bit excessive to cover, say, a short distance. I've always felt as thoguh Link could do with a wall jump, like Mario or Samus. Admittedly, I just really love wall jumps, they feel so awesome to do, but, again, BotW Link seems like he'd be capable of doing so and it'd make exploring tighter canyons more open and enjoyable.
New moves like those would be great for Link to have, but I wouldn't want him to have them right from the off. Again, progression is important. If Link can't climb more than ten feet at the start before his arms go numb then how can he be expected to kick off the wall and grab another one? His physical abilities should expand as his physical capability to perform them does. How this would be done, I don't know. Maybe new abilities unlock once your stamina gauge is upgraded to a minimum amount. Maybe they unlock after a set amount of time doing a pre-requisite action, like you've been actively climbing for a total of two hours, you can now wall jump. I don't know. One option is to tie Link's abilities to items, like @Castle talked about.
Double Clawshots can let Link move in a manner not dissimilar to wall jumps. The Spinner isn't a million miles away from a slide. While I do think it would be nice to have Link be capable of certain physical actions innately, items that can influence his movement is another good idea. I've spoken in other threads about how I think the Gust Bellows in SS was underutilised and could be a game changing item with some tweaks, namely elemental abilities. If it could spray ice the way it sprays air, then Link could freeze the ground ahead of him and slide on it like Iceman of comic book fame. I once talked about the idea of OoS's magnetic gloves making a return and enabling Link to climb metal surfaces. I've always loved how TP let you walk on walls with the Iron Boots, but that kind of thing could be used more. Using items to expand Link's moveset doesn't exactly make him more agile, but if we take agility to mean his ability to move in ways that require skill, items can serve the same purpose, and often have in most games. The Roc's Feather might be the purest example of that, simply letting him jump.
Overall, I'd say yes, Link should be more agile in the next game. Give him new innate abilities that he can learn or develop over the course of the game, and also use items to give him new options for moving around. Walking gets the job done, but sprinting, sliding, jumping, rolling, side-stepping, climbing, and riding get it done, too, while being more fun.
EDIT:
I forgot to mention
Koji Igarashi, the lead designer of Symphony of the Night, once said that he wasn't thinking of Metroid when he made it, he was thinking of Zelda, and that 'Metroidvania' should really be 'Zeldavania'. What he was referring to was that gradual development over the course of play, of getting new weapons, items, and abilities and being able to explore more and more of the world as a result. Obviously, that does apply to Metroid, too, but the point is that the same kind of progression shouldn't be ignored in Zelda. BotW's stamina works within that philosophy and so I think it's a good addition to the game. Stamina didn't work in SS because it was fixed. You had to use potions to do anything with it, so it was never part of a sense of progression. It was just a restriction. In BotW, it becomes part of yours and Link's development over the course of the game and thus feeds into the sense of progression and adventure. It develops into something you feel good about over time, rather than always being a hindrance like in SS.
I do think some expansion to Link's actual moveset would be good, though. One thing I love doing in games that let me is slide along the ground. I'm thinking of the likes of Dishonored 2 or Apex Legends that let you sprint into a long slide to close distance with enemies without being totally exposed to attack, or slip into small openings to find secrets or evade pursuers. It also just feels really fun and satisfying to do it, especially when you string them together with other movement skills. I reckon BotW Link would be able to do this, and it plays with weather effects, too, since he could slide further or faster in rain and on ice. I know he has shield surfing, which is good, but a standard slide would open his options more when he doesn't have a shield or when a shield surf would simply be a bit excessive to cover, say, a short distance. I've always felt as thoguh Link could do with a wall jump, like Mario or Samus. Admittedly, I just really love wall jumps, they feel so awesome to do, but, again, BotW Link seems like he'd be capable of doing so and it'd make exploring tighter canyons more open and enjoyable.
New moves like those would be great for Link to have, but I wouldn't want him to have them right from the off. Again, progression is important. If Link can't climb more than ten feet at the start before his arms go numb then how can he be expected to kick off the wall and grab another one? His physical abilities should expand as his physical capability to perform them does. How this would be done, I don't know. Maybe new abilities unlock once your stamina gauge is upgraded to a minimum amount. Maybe they unlock after a set amount of time doing a pre-requisite action, like you've been actively climbing for a total of two hours, you can now wall jump. I don't know. One option is to tie Link's abilities to items, like @Castle talked about.
Double Clawshots can let Link move in a manner not dissimilar to wall jumps. The Spinner isn't a million miles away from a slide. While I do think it would be nice to have Link be capable of certain physical actions innately, items that can influence his movement is another good idea. I've spoken in other threads about how I think the Gust Bellows in SS was underutilised and could be a game changing item with some tweaks, namely elemental abilities. If it could spray ice the way it sprays air, then Link could freeze the ground ahead of him and slide on it like Iceman of comic book fame. I once talked about the idea of OoS's magnetic gloves making a return and enabling Link to climb metal surfaces. I've always loved how TP let you walk on walls with the Iron Boots, but that kind of thing could be used more. Using items to expand Link's moveset doesn't exactly make him more agile, but if we take agility to mean his ability to move in ways that require skill, items can serve the same purpose, and often have in most games. The Roc's Feather might be the purest example of that, simply letting him jump.
Overall, I'd say yes, Link should be more agile in the next game. Give him new innate abilities that he can learn or develop over the course of the game, and also use items to give him new options for moving around. Walking gets the job done, but sprinting, sliding, jumping, rolling, side-stepping, climbing, and riding get it done, too, while being more fun.
EDIT:
I forgot to mention
IT IS I, KING RHOAM EMPHYSEMATOUS HYRULE
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