The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's divisive weapon durability is getting a workaround, but it's locked to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition app
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom were a massive departure for the series in loads of ways. They were the first open-world Zeldas, the first that properly let you tackle the game in any order, and maybe most controversially, the first games with degradable weapons that could break. The Nintendo Switch 2 Editions now seem to let people repair equipment, but only via the new mobile app function.
In case you somehow missed the next-gen console-handheld's reveal, Nintendo is making dedicated Switch 2 versions of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, and letting people pay for an upgrade pack that unlocks access to tech improvements and Zelda Notes, which is included in the Nintendo App.
The Zelda Notes app adds a heap of extra features to the two beloved games - like achievements, a GPS map that directs you to secrets, and the ability to share contraptions in Tears of the Kingdom - though you'll have to stare at a second screen to use them (welcome back, Wii U).
YouTuber Zeltik noticed one other pretty huge feature in Zelda Notes, however. (Good spot, VGC.) The app basically contains a daily bonus, too, which gifts you random boons like health recovery or an extra item. Most interestingly, one of the daily bonuses seen in the slot-machine-like wheel was 'Equipment Repair.'
Weapon decay and durability has long been one of the more divisive parts of two otherwise universally loved games. I'm a fan since it actually forces you to keep exploring, poke at the corners of the map, and scrappily experiment with every tool at your disposal. Introducing weapon repair could probably mess up the game's steady balance, but there's only a chance you'll be able to repair anything once every 24 hours anyway.
Nintendo clears up online confusion, confirms physical Switch 2 Edition games come with the original game and next-gen upgrade on the same card
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