How Weapon Durability Works in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The controversial mechanic is back with a few important changes.
Love it or hate it, weapon durability is back in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This time around, weapon durability works a little differently than in Breath of the Wild, thanks to the new Fuse mechanic. This allows players to create new weapons with various abilities, along with — in some cases — increased durability. However, the main functionality remains the same: Eventually, your weapon will break. In this guide, we’ll explain just how durability works and how to increase the duration of a particular weapon in Tears of the Kingdom.
Weapon Durability, Explained
Nearly every weapon in Tears of the Kingdom will break eventually after enough use.
Nearly all weapons in Tears of the Kingdom will break after enough use, but the bond you share with your friends will not.
Weapons all have different durability levels, with some breaking after just a handful of swings, while others last a lot longer. The main idea from a design standpoint is to encourage players to experiment with various weapons and Fuse them with other items to make new armaments.
If a weapon breaks, there’s no way to repair it, unfortunately. You can check the durability of a weapon by looking at it within your inventory. If it glows red, it means the weapon doesn’t have much durability left and will break soon.
How to Increase Weapon Durability
Fusing weapons will oftentimes extend their durability.
The new Fusing ability allows Link to combine items and weapons, which impacts the durability. In many cases, Fusing a weapon and an item can improve the weapon’s overall durability — but not always. For instance, Fusing a decaying weapon with an item will oftentimes result in lower durability.
However, Fusing with a Diamond (and other resources) will increase the durability, so it’s important to keep that in mind as you collect items throughout Hyrule. It’s almost always recommended to Fuse your weapon with something else to ensure you get the most out of it. Certain items will also grant a weapon with increased damage.
One thing to note is that you can visit Pelison in Tarrey Town to save items you previously Fused. For instance, if you Fused a sword with a Diamond, Pelison will un-Fuse those items to give you back the material you used. It costs 20 Rupees but is well worth it so you can keep using materials to Fuse with. Alternatively, you can un-Fuse from the menu to retrieve the base weapon, but doing so will destroy the material used.
If you’re tired of Fusing and dealing with durability, you might want to unlock the Master Sword. While this weapon still has limited uses, it does recharge, allowing you to continuously utilize it (so long as you’re willing to wait). Earning this legendary weapon is a lengthy process, but well worth it to help alleviate some frustrations of the weapon durability mechanic.
“It's dangerous to go alone!” Check out more of Inverse’s Tears of the Kingdom coverage:
- THE INVERSE REVIEW: Tears of the Kingdom Is the Best Nintendo Switch Game Ever Made
- Tears of the Kingdom’s Best New Mechanic Could Change the Series Forever
- Why Zelda Speedrunners Plan to Take It Slow With Tears of the Kingdom
- Tears of the Kingdom Doubles Down on Breath of the Wild’s Best Inspiration
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