The Legend of Zelda’s debut on the newest Nintendo platform, the Nintendo Switch 2, has been a fairly quiet one. At launch, the only noteworthy releases inThe Legend of Zeldafranchise were Switch 2 Editions of the franchise’s wildly acclaimed Switch games,The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In the near future, the onlyZeldagame on the horizon isHyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the third entry in the spin-off franchise that combinesThe Legend of ZeldaandDynasty Warriors.
Of course,Zeldafans are not starved for content with the franchise, asTears of the Kingdomis only two years old, and thenewest mainline entry,The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, was released just last year. These recent releases may indicate that the next mainline entry inThe Legend of Zeldafranchise may still be a few years away. Still, the next game has one major area to improve upon from the franchise’s recent Switch titles.
The Legend Of Zelda On Switch 2 Has Room To Improve On BotW and TotK’s Master Sword
The Legend Of Zelda’s Master Sword Has Been Nerfed As Of Late
WhenThe Legend of Zeldais ready to go on the Switch 2, it needs to take a good look at the Master Sword. This sword is naturally Link’s signature weapon, and much of the franchise’s marketing and lore centers around it. InBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, the Master Sword was notably optional, only being acquired by completing specific in-game quests, and its importance was also heavily downplayed inEchoes of Wisdom.
Despite being the franchise’s iconic weapon, theMaster Sword was noticeably nerfed inZelda’s two 3D Switch entries. Its base attack stat is 30, and even though that number can increase when it enters its Awakened state, its maximum attack stat is still lower than several weapons in both titles. Furthermore, the Master Sword is beholden to the two games’ weapon durability system; while the sword itself doesn’t break, it does need to recharge between uses.
The Master Sword’s Importance To The Legend Of Zelda Should Be Noted
The Switch 2’s first majorZeldagameshould take the time to make the Master Sword a more powerful weapon. It has helped Link destroy evil forces time and time again, to the point where its nicknames include the Blade of Evil’s Bane and the Sword that Seals the Darkness. As a pivotal piece ofZelda’s lore ever since its first appearance inThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Nintendo should increase the Master Sword’s damage output when the nextZeldagame is ready to go.
While this could apply to more than just the Master Sword, the nextZeldagame should also remove the durability system from the item. Weapon durability at large has been one of the biggest sticking points ofBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, so much so that the Switch 2 re-releases of these titles added a limited weapon repair item throughthe Zelda Notes feature on the Nintendo Switch app. While it was an interesting feature, the nextZeldagame should ditch weapon durability entirely, especially with the Master Sword.
WhenThe Legend of Zeldais ready to go on the Switch 2, it needs to take a good look at the Master Sword.
The Next Legend Of Zelda Could Give The Master Sword Greater Story Focus
One other thing thatthe nextZeldagame on the Switch 2can do is give the Master Sword an even greater story focus than it already has. Nintendo did a fantastic job integrating the Master Sword into the story ofTears of the Kingdom, but it’s rather odd that this sequence could be skipped entirely because the Master Sword is optional. Considering the weapon’s importance toZeldaas a whole, the next game should make the Master Sword a mandatory item once again.
The Legend of Zeldahas seen the Blade of Evil’s Bane nerfed and downplayed across the last few titles. As the franchise’s most iconic weapon, it seems the weapon’s acquiescence to more experimental elements of new games has downplayed its importance to the series. When the nextZeldagame arrives on the Switch 2, it should do everything to remind players of what made it so special in the first place.
