Zelda Breath of the Wild - Wii U vs. Switch

[marlowe221]

Is it just me or do weapons break way too fast?

It's really my only complaint about the game so far. Sure, you can always pick up more from enemies/chests, but that just makes it seem kinda pointless for them to break as fast as they do.

Personally, I think Minecraft strikes a good balance on item durability/breaking.

Otherwise, I'm having a blast. I just made it to Kakariko village and spoke to Impa. And tamed my first horse shortly before that.

Weapon durability is based off of weapon composition. A metal weapon lasts more than a wood which lasts more than a bone. Get Korok seeds and expand your inventory and it will be even less of an issue. At no point have I gone into a fight and been screwed because I always carried more than one weapon. I knew not to waste my good weapons on trash mobs and fought smart, not hard. You can easily take down a group of blue or even black bokoblins with using your environment. Start fires. Use your bombs wisely and use big heavy weapons when near cliff sides to knock them far down.

This is where I say that having previous zelda experience can be a detriment for some. If you approach this like a traditional zelda game you will come across a lot more difficulty.

Yeah, I've expanded my inventory already and it does help some. And no, I haven't been screwed by it in a fight - half the time I finish a fight with a weapon I picked up from a defeated enemy anyway and using the environment in combat is fun. I also find myself playing Link as an sneaky archer a lot of the time and that is pretty cool in its own way as well.

But I don't think weapon durability is terribly well implemented in this game. It's just an annoyance more than anything else. The fact that weapons are so plentiful in the world, to me, simply enhances the effect of it being an annoyance because it essentially makes the weapon's short durability not matter very much.

It would be one thing if weapons lasted longer but were much harder to come by - then breaking a weapon is a big deal. It could change how you approach the game. But currently, it doesn't matter if my weapon breaks halfway through a fight; the bad guys are going to drop three more. All that leaves you with is more inventory management in a game where there is already lots of inventory management to be done because crafting (which I like).

Generally speaking, I don't really like weapon durability in most games. But there are some games where it does make sense - Breath of the Wild is definitely one of them (Minecraft is another good example where it makes sense). But if it's not done well, all it really does is serve to annoy the player for little in return.

The general idea of BoTW seems to be that I am out in the wilderness and have to provide for myself while I am out on this adventure - and I really like that premise a lot! I think it's very well done in the game overall. But personally, the weapon durability system (as currently implemented) isn't adding to that sense for me.

[Sarge]

It would be great if Nintendo actually adjusted the breakage in a patch. One of the advantages of the modern era, I suppose (to go with all the negatives).

[BogusMeatFactory]

Crappy weapons are everywhere. Good weapons are hard to find. I still don't see how weapons breaking is a problem because from my experience, I leave a fight with groups of enemies with at the MOST 2 weapons breaking leaving me with 6 to 8 weapons in my inventory.

[marlowe221]

Crappy weapons are everywhere. Good weapons are hard to find. I still don't see how weapons breaking is a problem because from my experience, I leave a fight with groups of enemies with at the MOST 2 weapons breaking leaving me with 6 to 8 weapons in my inventory.

Right.

So, that being the case, what is the point of them breaking at all? If that's how the system works, why have weapon durability at all?

[MrPopo]

I think making them break as frequently as they do is a way to encourage you to keep picking up new stuff and trying out new weapons. If they turned it down a lot then it would be that much more devastating when you lost a really good weapon; as it stands it teaches you that everything is ephemeral.

Similarly, the fact that you need to do all 120 shrines to get the classic clothes means that you are forced to try out the other gear. Since the environmental protection can be gained with cooking there are a lot of people that would stick with a classic Link look.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Crappy weapons are everywhere. Good weapons are hard to find. I still don't see how weapons breaking is a problem because from my experience, I leave a fight with groups of enemies with at the MOST 2 weapons breaking leaving me with 6 to 8 weapons in my inventory.

Right.

So, that being the case, what is the point of them breaking at all? If that's how the system works, why have weapon durability at all?

Because there are a variety of weapons and tactics that are situational and force you to approach the fight in different ways. A spear plays differently than a sword, which plays differently than a wand which plays differently from a club which plays differently from a bat which plays differently from boomerang which plays differently from a. throwing spear which plays differently from bombs which plays differently from using the magnet which plays differently from bows which plays differently from fire.

[marlowe221]

Because there are a variety of weapons and tactics that are situational and force you to approach the fight in different ways. A spear plays differently than a sword, which plays differently than a wand which plays differently from a club which plays differently from a bat which plays differently from boomerang which plays differently from a. throwing spear which plays differently from bombs which plays differently from using the magnet which plays differently from bows which plays differently from fire.

Yeah, variety is a good thing - no disagreement there. But what does that have to do with the speed with which items break? Couldn't I experience the variety if all the weapons lasted twice as long as they do now, for example?

I think making them break as frequently as they do is a way to encourage you to keep picking up new stuff and trying out new weapons. If they turned it down a lot then it would be that much more devastating when you lost a really good weapon; as it stands it teaches you that everything is ephemeral.

Similarly, the fact that you need to do all 120 shrines to get the classic clothes means that you are forced to try out the other gear. Since the environmental protection can be gained with cooking there are a lot of people that would stick with a classic Link look.

I hear what you're saying about the clothes/armor and cooking system - I very much like that part of the game.

But as far as picking up new weapons all the time goes, I'm NOT picking up new weapons all the time - I'm picking up the same 5-6 weapons over and over again so far. Maybe there's some randomness to what weapons enemies are carrying or something?

Once I've picked up a club for the first time and figured out how to fight with it, picking it up the 18th time isn't doing anything for me.

[isiolia]

Because there are a variety of weapons and tactics that are situational and force you to approach the fight in different ways. A spear plays differently than a sword, which plays differently than a wand which plays differently from a club which plays differently from a bat which plays differently from boomerang which plays differently from a. throwing spear which plays differently from bombs which plays differently from using the magnet which plays differently from bows which plays differently from fire.

True, but the same could be said of the Souls games that folks see some influence from, but in those, it's largely up to the player to experiment and determine what suits them (or the situation) best.

To me, the game design angle here seems more to be not just force players to use other weapons, but also to strongly encourage them to look for other approaches. It just seems to be balanced in a way that quickly turns into micro-management that isn't very seamless or fun, at least for some of us.

[marlowe221]

True, but the same could be said of the Souls games that folks see some influence from, but in those, it's largely up to the player to experiment and determine what suits them (or the situation) best.

To me, the game design angle here seems more to be not just force players to use other weapons, but also to strongly encourage them to look for other approaches. It just seems to be balanced in a way that quickly turns into micro-management that isn't very seamless or fun, at least for some of us.

Exactly. I get what Nintendo is going for with this game, and I am all for it. I applaud it. I love it! I am having a blast playing the game overall.

But there is already a lot of inventory management in this game due to the nature of the item gathering/cooking/crafting system. Causing there to be MORE inventory micromanagement might not be the best thing. Because every time I am in the inventory screen, every time I pause the game via the d-pad to change weapons/bows/arrows/sheikah slate super powers, it takes me out of the beautiful, immersive, and interactive world that Nintendo created for this game. I don't WANT to be taken out of it - or at least, as little as possible.

If you ask someone "Hey, what's the best part of Breath of the Wild?" No one is going to say, "My favorite part is inventory management!"

What I want to do is explore the world, play with the physics, solve puzzles in the shrines, and enjoy the wonderful sound design. Deciding whether to use my Rusty Sword or my Traveller's Sword, or my Soldier's Sword isn't really much fun. Deciding whether I want to poke with a spear or slash with a sword isn't really an interesting decision 95% of the time.

There's only one weapon that anyone playing a Zelda game gives a shit about anyway.

[prfsnl_gmr]

There's only one weapon that anyone playing a Zelda game gives a shit about anyway.

The mop!