Highlights

  • The Legend of Zelda series reinvents itself with recent titles, altering the role of the iconic Master Sword in gameplay and combat.
  • Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom see Link acquiring weapons across the map, overshadowing the Master Sword's strength.
  • The next Zelda title could benefit from adapting Skyward Sword's approach to the Master Sword, making it the strongest weapon once again.

The Legend of Zelda is among the most legendary franchises in gaming history. Despite a nearly 40-year history, the series continues to set the bar for the action-adventure genre across all platforms. While The Legend of Zelda series has seen players transported to different regions, universes, times, and overarching timelines, one item has maintained its place at the very heart of nearly every narrative: the Master Sword. In many titles, the Master Sword's acquisition is a shift in both narrative and gameplay, as its legendary nature is reinforced by its relevance in combat. However, recent titles have treated the item as more of a narrative device, relegating it to a background role in combat.

The Legend of Zelda series is a collection of adventures that feature a legendary swordsman, Link, as he attempts to rescue or assist Princess Zelda of Hyrule. While the majority of titles take place in disconnected eras, the franchise boasts a complex and highly unique timeline, that sees each title connected across time. What makes the series particularly compelling is how the timeline has branched over the decades, following the release of its greatest title The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. How the Master Sword is perceived and represented in gameplay is also different between many entries, for better or for worse.

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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Can You Fight Ganondorf Without the Master Sword?

The Master Sword is a one-of-a-kind weapon in the Legend of Zelda series, but do you really need it to defeat Ganondorf in Tears of the Kingdom?

Recent Zelda Titles Altered The Master Sword's Strength

The Legend of Zelda's most recent titles, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, reinvented much of the Zelda series' classic formula for a new generation, including a completely new approach to weapons and combat. Unlike many of the franchise's previous titles in which Link acquired a series of progressively stronger weapons and items, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom see Link find, purchase, refine, or combine weapons found strewn across the map, each boasting unique stats and clearly defined levels of strength and durability. Included among these weapons was the ever-legendary Master Sword.

Its legendary strength didn't quite translate to open-world combat, though. The Legend of Zelda’s newest titles see the Master Sword again placed at the heart of defeating a legendary evil, but a surprising amount of relatively basic weapons overshadow the weapon's strength and durability. When first acquired, the Master Sword boasts 30 strength, but this strength can be permanently doubled by completing the Trial of the Sword. Even so, various weapons, such as those dropped by Lynels, high-level Guardians, and various amiibos outclass the weapon in strength, durability, or both.

The Next Zelda Title Would Benefit from Adapting Skyward Sword's Approach to the Master Sword

Following the overwhelming success of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, it would make sense for future titles to adapt their strongest elements. That said, the next Zelda title would benefit from returning combat relevance to the Master Sword. Luckily, another title, Skyward Sword, provides the perfect blueprint to do so, as its narrative reveals the creation of the Master Sword itself.

As Link journeyed between land and sky, he was tasked with forging the Master Sword into the legendary weapon fans had utilized in nearly every title since 1991’s A Link to the Past .

In Skyward Sword, Link finds the Goddess Sword early on, before journeying across the surface world and bathing it in three sacred flames. This process forges the Goddess Sword into the Master Sword, creating a weapon capable of banishing the great evil that plagues Hyrule.

The next Zelda title could follow a similar pattern, refining the legendary weapon into a new and improved form, across various altars or sacred elements. The weapon could then be re-introduced as the title’s strongest hand-held weapon. The Legend of Zelda’s next title is likely years away, but fans have already begun to speculate what its narrative could entail. While the title could go in any number of directions, the complete and formidable Master Sword of legend is due to return.