When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released in 2017 it greatly improved the combat system established in past 3D Zelda games. The new system was far more dynamic allowing for a much greater range of actions that made fighting enemies in Breath of the Wild an absolute joy.
Now with a sequel on the horizon in the form of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it is worth considering just how such a system might be improved. Building on a well-established game mechanic is more difficult than some might think, as one small change can completely throw off the entire system. Nonetheless, Tears of the Kingdom can make some improvements to Breath of the Wild's combat that will make the game even more fun to play.
7 Let Enemies Take Fall Damage
This scenario will be familiar to plenty of Breath of the Wild players. Link manages to sneak up on an enemy and knock them off of a large structure or building, only for them to get back up like they didn't just fall several stories. While enemies will die if dropped from a high enough distance, there isn't really any any fall damage for enemies in Breath of the Wild.
Tears of the Kingdom should definitely correct this omission. After all, if Link can take damage from falling from a great height, then why shouldn't the enemies? Doing so would also deepen the combat as it incentivizes players to find ways to knock enemies off of high places.
6 More Varied Enemies
It is no secret that Breath of the Wild was lacking in enemy variety compared to other entries in the series. Most enemies took the form of some type of humanoid wielding a weapon. This makes sense as it ensures that players can always scavenge weapons from fallen foes, but it did mean that a lot of combat encounters ended up feeling similar.
This is one area where Tears of the Kingdom can improve. By having a greater variety of enemies that require different strategies to defeat, it would greatly vary the combat and make it more engaging.
5 More Counter Moves
In Breath of the Wild, one of the most important moves that Link can preform is the flurry rush. By dodging at just the right moment, it is possible to unleash a barrage of blows against an opponent. The problem is that it quickly becomes the player's only real solution to counter tougher enemies. The flurry blow definitely looses its luster when used constantly.
Adding some additional counter moves would not be a bad idea. Such moves could potentially act as an alternative to a flurry rush. Perhaps they might trade off sheer damage for other things like knocking an opponent over or pushing them away.
4 Make Weapons More Durable
One of the most common complaints against Breath of the Wild was the limited durability of its weapons, which caused them to constantly break. From a design standpoint, implementing this was the right decision as it encouraged players to keep constantly looking for new weapons and equipment.
Nonetheless, it could still be very annoying to have weapons break every few minutes, and it discouraged players from using their best equipment. It would perhaps be too rash to suggest that the mechanic should be discarded altogether, but it would cut down on the annoyance if the overall durability of most weapons could be increased. Alternatively, perhaps some weapons wouldn't actually break, but would instead lose their sharpness and become less effective until they can be repaired.
3 More Combat Applications For The Sheikah Slate
One of the great things about the combat from Breath of the Wild is how it could be used in conjunction with the various abilities of the Sheikah slate. Link could freeze enemies with stasis, use magnesis to throw metal items at them, or simply throw bombs.
That being, said there is definitely room for improvement. It would be great to see the combat applications for the Sheikah slate fleshed out even more, giving players even more options when fighting enemies. Perhaps runes could the mimic the functionality of items like bombchus, or the gustbellows.
2 Make Bombs More Powerful
It was always fun to see a group of enemies huddled close together, chuck a bomb into their midst, and send them scattering. However, it was then disappointing to see how little damage bombs actually did in Breath of the Wild. This could be remedied by setting off exploding red barrels, which did significantly more damage, but those are not always available.
While it is understandable that the developers did not want to make bombs too powerful and devalue sword combat, it also didn't make much sense that a bomb to the face seemed to do less damage than being whacked with a big stick.
1 Give Link The Ability To Fight Unarmed
It was always frustrating when Link broke his last weapon in Breath of the Wild. Doing so meant that the player was rendered completely defenseless and would have no choice but to run away. This is meant to encourage the player to be prepared, and not engage in combat unless it is necessary.
However, there are times when enemies manage to surprise or otherwise corner Link. For instances like this, it would be useful if Link possessed some basic ability to defend himself while unarmed. Obviously, an unarmed strike should do less damage than even the weakest weapon, and should only be used as an absolute last resort. Still, adding such a feature into the sequel would be incredibly useful for players.