Legends and mythology are full of weapons which possess immense power or prestige. Arthurian legend has Excalibur, the sword King Arthur drew from a stone and used to prove his sovereignty over Britain; Norse mythology has Mjolnir, a hammer wielded by the God of Thunder that was recently popularized byMarvel Comics’Thor; and Greek mythology is full of tools used by various Gods, from Zeus' Thunderbolt to Poseidon’s Trident. For fans of video games, the Master Sword from Nintendo’sLegend of Zeldais up there with the most iconic mythological weapons, but its place in the upcoming Switch titleBreath of the Wild 2is currently nebulous.
Known as the Blade of Evil’s Bane, the Master Sword is a weapon which has appeared throughout theLegend of Zeldaseries since 1991’sA Link to the Pastwhere it was locked in the Lost Words by the three Pendants of Virtue: Courage, Wisdom, and Power. It almost always acts as a power buff for Link, but in different titles, it serves other important roles. InOcarina of Time, drawing and returning the Master Sword at the Temple of Time allows Link to travel between the future and past. InSkyward Sword, the AI spirit within the blade — Fi — guides Link as he gathers materials to unlock its true power.
RELATED:Mario Maker 2 Update Adds Zelda’s Link and Master Sword
The originalBreath of the Wildarguably gave the Master Sword less import than any other game preceding it. While constant reference is made to the history of the sword, particularly Link’s use of it leading up to his 100-year slumber, players can skip over the process of unlocking the Master Sword and save Zelda without it. Though Nintendo’s 2020 fiscal year earnings call seemed to confirmBreath of the Wild 2is still a long way away, it’s worth wondering how the sequel will handle the Blade of Evil’s Bane being an optional pickup.
Is the Master Sword Quest Canon in Breath of the Wild?
Going purely by the events ofBreath of the Wild, it is unclear whether Link canonically receives his most famous weapon. The game allows players to immediately storm Hyrule Castle after receiving the paraglider, regardless of whether they’d entered a single Divine Beast.Unlocking the Master Swordrequires players to navigate a specific path through the Lost Woods so they can reach the home of the Korok. There, the sword sleeps buried in a stone pedestal like Excalibur, and it can only be freed if Link has earned 13 or more hearts by collecting Spirit Orbs from Shrines.
Though the Master Sword is a powerful tool players likely want to add to their arsenal, it’s not strictly necessary. It’s a one-handed blade that alone has a base strength of 30 andadheres to the same durability systemas every other weapon. What makes the Master Sword special is that its power doubles in the “presence of evil” — Guardians, Calamity Ganon, and so on. It will also automatically regenerate in Link’s inventory after breaking, and it keeps the series hallmark of firing energy beams when Link has full health.
With all that being said, even ifBreath of the Wildkeeps the Master Sword quest’s canonicity vague, theE3 2019 trailer forBreath of the Wild 2is much more explicit. Multiple scenes throughout the minute-long video depict Link from behind as he travels with Zelda, and in each of those shots, the blue-purple hilt of the Master Sword is clearly visible strapped to his back. So Link will have the Blade of Evil’s Bane in the upcoming Nintendo Switch title, but that still leaves plenty of questions as to how the game will handle its presence.
To Wield, or Not To Wield
The first questionBreath of the Wild 2needs to answer is how exactly Link got the Master Sword if every player theoretically had a different experience leading up to it. If the first game’s Master Sword quest is canon, this may leave players who avoided the Lost Woods out of the loop. However if it’s explained away as something Link received between the events ofBreath of the Wildand its sequel, the first game’s quest might be rendered moot. The same could be said if the E3 2019 trailer occurs later in the adventure so Link can unlock the Master Sword within the early hours of the game.
RELATED:Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is Huge for Future Zelda Nintendo Switch Games
Regardless of when Link receives the Master Sword inBreath of the Wild 2’s place on the Zelda Timeline, the implication that he might have it for an entire adventure is troubling from a game design point of view. The Master Sword almost always serves as a beacon of Link’s growing strength as he works through herculean tasks, so starting with it may make Link feel stagnant as a character. Worse than that, the nature of the Master Sword inBreath of the Wild’s engine might make it so Link is an overpowered force from the get-go.
The most blatant answer to this problem would be Link losing the Master Sword during his early encounters with Ganondorf underneath Hyrule, that way he would instead have to rely on learning the new power of the glowing green hieroglyphs seen inBreath of the Wild 2’s trailer. As cliched as the idea sounds, it has worked wonders for another Nintendo property:Metroid Prime.
InMetroid Prime 1, the game starts with Samus Aran making her way through the Frigate Orpheon with all of the power suit upgrades from the original NESMetroid. After defeating the Parasite Queen boss, Samus loses all of those upgrades and has to spend the rest of the game collecting them again. What worked so well about this concept was that it presented players with the experience of being fully powered so they are further incentivized to return to that original state by playing the game. IfBreath of the Wild 2pulled the rug out from under players in a similar way, it would make for a good push to journey through theopen-world Hyrule mapagain.
Most fans ofThe Legend of Zelda, and ofBreath of the Wildin particular, are likely not as concerned with the fate of the Master Sword as much as they are with thepotential for fan-favorite characters to return. After all, the Master Sword did feel like something of an afterthought when it could be entirely skipped over. However, that’s what makesBreath of the Wild 2a perfect platform to elevate Link’s eons-old weapon into something special once again by showing how integral it has become since being an optional tool in the first game.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2is in development.
MORE:Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Should Let Link Form Relationships, Date
