For a series that is often associated with the equipment upgrades that players receive throughout each game’s quest, the return of weapon durability inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomhas been a concern for those that were not fans of the breakable equipment inBreath of the Wild. The recent final hands-on preview afforded to members of games media confirms that not only is weapon durability back (albeit in a slightly altered way), the critical Zonai Charges necessary for Link’s Ultrahand ability are one-time use items that Link pulls from a gatcha machine. Detractors of controversial changes to theZeldaformula made inBreath of the Wildhave a new bone to pick withTears of the Kingdom’s mechanics.
Weapons inBreath of the Wildwere relegated to temporary-use items that degraded in durability with each combat encounter. This system is of course counter to what fans have come to expect from aLegend of Zeldagame, with even theZeldaseries' mainstay weapon, the Master Sword, requiring a cooldown period after use. TheUltrahand ability inTears of the Kingdomis one of the game’s primary tools for manipulating its impressive sandbox, and while weapon durability may have been improved, players who were not a fan of breakable equipment inBotWnow have a new worst enemy.
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Tears of the Kingdom’s Primary Abilities Are Built Around One-Time Use Gear
One of the primary draws forTears of the Kingdomis the impressive sandbox that Nintendo have created for players to traverse as Link. Several of the game’s recent showcases have even focused on the two primary abilities that dramatically change the way players interact with this sandbox - the Fuse and Ultrahand abilities.Fuse allows Link to improve itemsby fusing them together in innovative (and sometimes hilarious) combinations, while the Ultrahand ability is essential for creating technologically advanced vehicles using artifacts from the Zonai civilization. However, use of both abilities is predicated around degradable or one-time use equipment.
The recent hands-on preview of the game confirmed that once an item has been fused, it cannot be “de-fused” or improved in any way, indicating that the fuse process is permanent. Once an item has been fused, it is destroyed after its durability depletes and cannot be salvaged. Similarly, theZonai charges necessary for vehicle constructioninTears of the Kingdom’s sandbox are pulled at random from what is essentially a giant gatcha machine. The random nature of the different artifacts (batteries, fans, rockets, and other items) seems to be implemented to encourage experimentation, but will be a frustration for players who held concerns about the game’s item durability.
A Bold New Course for Legend of Zelda
IfBreath of the Wildrepresented a dipping ofZelda’s toes into a pool,Tears of the Kingdommay be diving in head first by committing to the new open-world nature of the recent series entries.Zeldapurists may not be happy about the new direction for the series, lamenting the loss of staples such as key items and sprawling dungeons (although reports from hands-on previous may indicateTears of the Kingdomfeatures a return to formregarding dungeons). ThoughBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomare most certainlyZeldagames and maintain the gold standard of quality synonymous with the series, they are vastly different from what has come before.
The truth is that gaming has changed significantly from the times in which many ofZelda’s series mainstays were established. In attracting a new generation of fans loyal to Link and Princess Zelda, Nintendo are shaking upthe establishedLegend of Zeldaformulain ways that are more reflective of current gaming trends. It appears that weapon durability and open-world sandboxes are new pillars of theZeldaformula moving forward, and longtime fans have just a short wait before being able to determine if they’re a bridge too far.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomreleases Jul 20, 2025, for Nintendo Switch.
