Elden Ring made me appreciate Zelda’s weapon degradation

digitaltrends.com:

Talk to anyone about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and the topic of weapon degradation is sure to come up. Any weapon Link picks up in the game will break after a number of uses, forcing players to constantly switch their tools up. The controversial feature has been a point of contention since the game launched in 2017, acting as a single blemish on an otherwise beloved game.

I’ve always been neutral on the topic, but after playing Elden Ring, I’ve come to appreciate the clumsy intentions behind the system. Weapons don’t break in Elden Ring (I would have filed a class-action lawsuit if they did), but switching up gear is still crucial. Anyone who simply sticks to their starting weapon is going to find the adventure much harder than it needs to be.

Trust me, I should know. After being too stubborn to change my trusty lance initially, I finally understood why Breath of the Wild was so eager to take my toys away.

When you choose a character class in Elden Ring, you’re given a default starting loadout. As a Prophet, mine included a lance and a finger seal for spellcasting. As I gained my sea legs during the game’s opening hours, my playing style was built around that midrange combat style. I learned how much space I needed to keep between myself and enemies, putting me in a comfortable headspace for an otherwise uncomfortable game.

Not long into the game, I discovered my first smithing stones. These precious items are used to upgrade weapons, and they can be a little tricky to find at first. Naturally, I used some to level up my lance quickly. Doing so immediately compounded my fear of parting with my sharp companion. Was I really going to drop a weapon I felt I had a good grasp on after spending valuable resources