The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild offers its upcoming sequel a strong base to build upon. Nintendo has confirmed that the sequel will reuse the previous map of Hyrule, although some major changes are clearly on the way, thanks to the latest trailer. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 also has the benefit of the first game's combat, where Link got to wield just about any weapon he could find, rather than focusing on the Master Sword alone. Further, the first game offers the sequel an engaging stable of enemies that blend Zelda tradition with BotW's new lore.
While BotW2 should strive to improve itself in all departments, the enemy design may offer some of the most fertile soil. Breath of the Wild's enemies came in a lot of shapes and sizes, allowing them to flesh out the open world nicely, but ultimately there were only a handful of actual enemy types. The sequel will bring in some new enemy designs, based on the trailers, but it'll likely stick to many of the enemy types from the first game for continuity's sake. To keep constant battles with Moblins, Bokoblins, and Lizalfos interesting, BotW2 needs to take the first game's enemy variants further.
Breath of the Wild's Enemies are a Good Start
Breath of the Wild used two main techniques in its enemy design. For one, it had a rather small number of enemies, but it had a lot of variants for each named enemy. For instance, as players explored Hyrule, they'd gradually see Blue, Black, and Silver Bokoblins of increasing strength and stamina, rather than just battling Red Bokoblins forever. For another, Breath of the Wild's list of weapons kept enemies diverse. Each humanoid foe had its own list of weapons that it could appear with, which diversified their fighting styles.
For the most part, Nintendo's two-layered approach to enemy design worked. Variants of enemies meant that players mostly knew what to expect from a newly-colored foe, but they could still pack surprises, especially when it came to variants of Lizalfos with elemental powers. Weapons also kept combat a little more interesting while providing Link with meaningful loot to earn from nearly every enemy. These simple but nuanced foes, weapon-free monsters like Chuchus, and the more complicated, demanding Guardians ultimately offered lots of different possible combat experiences for adventurers exploring the post-apocalyptic ruins of Hyrule.
However, Breath of the Wild 2 can't just do the same things as the first game. Weaker and stronger Bokoblin variants may give some variety, but ultimately, they're all just Bokoblins that mostly behave the same. The same is true even for elemental Lizalfos or Chuchu variants. Aside from their elemental properties, fighting each of these enemies was mostly the same experience. Most monsters also had fairly small weapon pools, meaning it didn't take long to see each armament setup for each monster. Breath of the Wild 2's combat will feel boring if it just makes minor additions to the first game's variant designs, enemy behavior, and equipment; Nintendo needs to broaden BotW's horizons aggressively.
How Breath of the Wild 2 Can Improve Enemies
Bolder enemy variants would be a major boon to BotW2. Rather than variants simply having better stats or showcasing the game's elemental damage types, BotW2 should add enemies with a wide variety of abilities. For instance, some Moblins could spawn with heavy armor that protects them from certain angles, or some Wizzrobes could focus on buffing and healing other monsters instead of dealing damage. The second Breath of the Wild trailer features some Bokoblins with horns, as well as a Stone Talus with a Bokoblin structure on it, both of which inspire hope for creative enemy variants.
Beyond enemy variants, subtle changes to enemy behavior could mean a lot for BotW2. For example, Bokoblins generally all throw themselves at Link in the same aggressive way, but the sequel could add a couple different personalities to randomly assign to Bokoblins. Some might be aggressive as usual, while others might focus on keeping their distance and evading Link. Slightly more unpredictable behavior could make each battle feel more engaging without demanding that Zelda fans completely relearn the combat system.
More surprises in Breath of the Wild's enemy equipment would also go a long way. Assigning specific weapon types to specific enemies is practical, but a few breaks in the pattern could make for memorable encounters. For instance, fighting a group of Bokoblins carrying Lizal weapons instead of Boko or Hylian weapons would be interesting both as a change of pace in combat and as a bit of environmental storytelling. If Breath of the Wild 2's combat is anything like the first game, equipment is crucial to giving nearly every fight its personality, so the more Nintendo can interchange enemy equipment without causing problems with the game's balance, the better.
Breath of the Wild's New Combat Frontier
Breath of the Wild 2 already has some good lore reasons for major changes in combat. Just as Link will have to explore Hyrule's sky islands creatively, players can probably expect that Breath of the Wild 2's enemies will adapt to the new terrain with weapon changes and skills. Ganondorf's implied resurrection and the new surge of Malice could also justify major mutations in Hyrule's monsters, resulting in new powers and physical traits that give them an edge in terrorizing Hyrule for a second time. Nintendo would be wise to draw as much inspiration from these circumstances as it can.
Breath of the Wild fans will probably have to wait for quite a while before they get a closer look at any major innovations in combat, but Nintendo's few sneak peeks at the game still offer hope. Aside from the aforementioned Bokoblin and Talus variants, the Breath of the Wild trailers have implied that some totally new enemies are on the way, including a strange new robotic figure. Link also seems to have new weapons to look forward to. Nintendo doesn't seem to be leaving combat exactly where it was, but the fact remains that Breath of the Wild 2's combat needs to push the envelope, rather than relying on a few additions. Systemic changes and major new features will serve the game best.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 releases in early 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
