You’re standing on a rain-slicked cliff in the Akkala Highlands, staring down a Silver Lynel. You’ve got the timing down. You’ve cooked the "Mighty" simmered fruit. But then, crack. Your Royal Broadsword shatters into glowing blue dust. Most games would call this a failure of design. In any other RPG, a breaking sword feels like a penalty, a tax on your progress that forces you back to a menu or a blacksmith. But weapons in Zelda Breath of the Wild aren't just tools; they’re a consumable resource, much like arrows or stamina-restoring mushrooms.
It’s been years since Link first woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection, yet the debate over durability remains as heated as a Magma Rock.
People hate it. They really do. There’s a specific kind of "hoarding anxiety" that kicks in when you find a Great Flameblade and refuse to use it because it’s "too good to waste." Honestly, though? That’s exactly what Nintendo wanted. By making everything fragile, the game forces you to actually engage with the world rather than just finding one "Best Sword" and ignoring the rest of the sandbox for eighty hours.
The Fragility Loop: Why Everything Breaks
The core mechanic governing weapons in Zelda Breath of the Wild is a hidden stat called Durability. Every item has a set number of hits it can take before it disappears forever. A simple Tree Branch might only last four swings, while the high-tier Savage Lynel Crusher can take around 35 hits.
It sounds punishing. It feels punishing when you lose a weapon you spent twenty minutes hunting for. However, this creates a constant "scavenger" gameplay loop. You start a fight with a Royal Claymore, it breaks, you grab the enemy's Lizal Fork, and suddenly your combat style has to shift from slow, heavy swings to rapid-fire stabs.
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Hidden Stats and the "Sparkle" Factor
If you open your inventory right now, you might notice some weapons have a little star or "sparkle" icon in the top right corner. That’s the game’s way of telling you the weapon is at full durability. The moment you hit a tree, a rock, or a Bokoblin’s face, that sparkle vanishes.
There’s also a hidden mechanic most people miss: the "Critical Hit" on breakage. When a weapon reaches its final point of durability, the game displays the message "Your weapon is badly damaged." The very next hit deals double damage. It’s a literal last hurrah. Expert players often save these "final hits" for specific moments, intentionally throwing a nearly-broken weapon at a Hinox’s eye to maximize that 2x multiplier.
Not All Steel is Created Equal
When talking about weapons in Zelda Breath of the Wild, we have to categorize them by how they actually feel in Link's hands. You’ve got three main types: one-handed swords, two-handed heavy hitters, and spears.
One-handed weapons are the gold standard for safety. You can keep your Shield raised while attacking. It’s the "safe" way to play. Spears offer incredible reach, keeping you away from a Guardian’s rotating blades, but they have the lowest damage-per-hit. Then you have the heavy weapons. These are for the risk-takers. The spin-to-win mechanic (holding down the attack button) is objectively the fastest way to melt a boss’s health bar, but it leaves your back wide open.
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The Elemental Edge
Beyond just raw damage numbers, the elemental variants change the rules of the game.
- Flame weapons: These aren't just for fighting. If you're in the frozen peaks of the Hebra Mountains, just having a Great Flameblade equipped on your back provides Level 1 cold resistance. It keeps you warm. No food required.
- Frost weapons: These are arguably the most "broken" in terms of utility. Hitting an enemy with ice freezes them solid. The next hit on a frozen enemy deals triple damage.
- Thunder weapons: Great for disarming. A shock proc forces enemies to drop whatever they’re holding. You can literally steal a Moblin's weapon mid-fight, leaving him to throw rocks at you in frustration.
The Master Sword Exception
The Master Sword is the only "permanent" piece among the weapons in Zelda Breath of the Wild, but even it follows the rules of the world. It doesn't break, but it "runs out of energy." When it hits zero durability, it enters a 10-minute cooldown period where it sits in your inventory, unusable.
Base power? A measly 30. It feels weak compared to a Royal Guard’s Sword. But when you’re near Malice—think Guardians, Blight Ganons, or inside Hyrule Castle—the blade glows with holy light and its power jumps to 60. Its durability also skyrockets in this state.
If you have the Trial of the Sword DLC, completing those grueling floors upgrades the sword permanently to its 60-power "awakened" state. At that point, the Master Sword becomes your primary tool for everything from slaying dragons to, let’s be honest, chopping down trees for wood because you’re too lazy to find an axe.
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Where to Find the Best Gear (Without Farming Lynels)
You don't always have to pick a fight with a centaur-demon to get good gear. Some of the best weapons in Zelda Breath of the Wild are just sitting in the world, waiting for a Blood Moon to respawn them.
- The Great Flameblade at the Ancient Tree Stump: North of the Great Plateau, there’s a massive stump in the middle of a lake. A Great Flameblade respawns there every Blood Moon. It’s guarded by some annoying enemies, but it’s a free high-tier weapon.
- The Royal Claymore on top of Woodland Tower: If you warp to the Woodland Tower and climb to the very top of the stone skull structure on its roof, there’s a Royal Claymore stuck in the "eye." It’s one of the easiest 52-damage weapons to get early on.
- Gerudo Scimitars: In the Gerudo desert, look for the Moonlight Scimitar. It has high durability and looks incredible.
The "Durability Up" and "Attack Up" Lottery
Every time you pick up a weapon from a chest or a downed high-level enemy, there’s a chance it has a modifier. These are color-coded: blue/white is a low-tier buff, and yellow is high-tier.
"Attack Up +20" is the one everyone wants. It turns a standard Savage Lynel Crusher into a 100-damage monster. But "Long Throw"? Honestly, it's trash. Unless you’re specifically trying to snipe a Keese with a broadsword, it’s a wasted slot. The real "pro" stat is "Durability Up +." It’s less flashy than a big damage number, but in a game where your gear is constantly vanishing, having a sword that lasts 50% longer is a godsend.
Breaking the Hoarding Habit
The biggest mistake players make with weapons in Zelda Breath of the Wild is saving the good stuff for "later." There is no later. By the time you reach Ganon, you'll be swimming in high-end gear.
The game’s hidden "Scaling System" ensures this. As you kill more enemies, the world "levels up." Red Bokoblins become Blue, then Black, then Silver. As the enemies get tougher, the weapons they carry get better. If you use your best sword now to kill a Lynel, you’ll get an even better sword from its corpse. It’s a self-sustaining cycle of violence and upgrades.
Actionable Steps for Mastering Your Arsenal
- Farm the Coliseum: Once you’ve freed all four Divine Beasts, the enemies in the Coliseum Ruins (just north of the Great Plateau) carry elemental blades. It's a one-stop shop for fire, ice, and thunder gear.
- Use your environment: Don't waste sword durability on low-level ChuChus or Keese. Use bombs. Remote bombs are infinite and save your precious steel for enemies that actually matter.
- The Octorok Polish: If you find a Rusty Broadsword, don't throw it away. Find a Rock Octorok in the Eldin region. When it starts its vacuum-breath attack, drop the rusty weapon. It will suck it up, spit it out, and return it to you as a clean, high-tier Traveler’s, Knight’s, or even Royal weapon.
- Organize your inventory by "Work" and "War": Keep a couple of slots for "utility" items—an iron sledgehammer for ore deposits, a woodcutter’s axe for trees, and a fire weapon for lighting torches. Use your high-damage slots only for actual combat.
The durability system isn't there to stop you from having fun. It’s there to make sure you never stop exploring. Every broken sword is just an excuse to go find something new. Stop worrying about the "Breaking" sound effect and start treating the world like the giant toy box it is.