Zeldafans have spent years looking forward to the release of a new game, and whileThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildwas meant to get a sequel this year, that’s no longer the case. Nintendo had committed to a 2022 release date for the game for quite some time, but now it says the sequel won’t release until spring 2023. That’s not a tremendous delay for the sequel toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, since it was already aiming for a late 2022 release. Still, after so much time spent waiting for the game, a delay is a serious disappointment.
The delay announcement wasn’t a total loss forZeldafans, however.The Legend of Zeldaproducer Eiji Aonuma deliveredBreath of the Wild 2’s delay announcementalongside a tiny bit of new footage. In this clip, fans can see Link pulling a heavily damaged Master Sword off his back and holding it up to some kind of golden light. The significance of this scene isn’t entirely clear, but it strongly implies that the Master Sword is at the heart ofBreath of the Wild 2’s plot. The upcomingZeldagame may take notes fromSkyward SwordandBreath of the WildDLC by structuring its plot around the remaking of the Master Sword.
RELATED:Why Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2’s Delay is a Good Thing
The Master Sword’s Status
Fans have known for some time that all is not well for the Master Sword. In the E3 2021 trailer forBreath of the Wild 2,there’s a brief sequence in whicha wave of Maliceovertakes the Master Sword, strongly suggesting that the weapon had been damaged. Fans now know the extent of the damage. In the newBreath of the Wildclip, fans can see that the sword’s blade has blackened and decayed, almost as if the sword has started to rot. About half of the blade is missing, and the remainder has lost much of its edge, meaning that Link’s signature weapon looks completely useless right now.
It looks like the Master Sword isn’t entirely drained of power, however. Fans might notice that, as Link pulls the Master Sword off his back, the blade glows faintly with a blue light, suggesting that some of its magical power remains. The cutscene doesn’t clarify why Link draws the Master Sword here, but he may mean to absorb the ball of golden light in front of him. Notably, there’s a glowing yellow mark on the back ofLink’s newly enchanted right arm, which implies that the arm has helped him look for this yellow orb. Link may spend the game searching ancient places for energy that’ll rejuvenate the Master Sword, much like a previous incarnation has done before.
Replicating Skyward Sword’s Master Sword Quest
Long before theBreath of the Wildsequel, Nintendo produced aZeldagame about empowering the Master Sword:Skyward Sword.For much of the game, Link has to seek out specific holy flames to bathe the Goddess Sword in, each of which transforms the Sword into a stronger form that approaches the final Master Sword. Link may be doing something very similar inBreath of the Wild 2.If the power of the gods can miraculously transform the Master Sword over time, then surely the gods can repair the broken blade too.Breath of the Wild’s Link may find himself plunging the Master Sword into fonts of holy energy toempower the Master Swordjust like his predecessor.
Link may have familiar guidance in his new Master Sword quest as well.Zeldafans have been wondering ifthe Master Sword spirit Fiwill return toThe Legend of Zeldasoon, thanks toBreath of the Wild’s Zelda mentioning a voice within the sword, as well as a certainBreath of the WildDLC sound effect that hearkens back to Fi. This spirit was indispensable as a guide in Link’s journey to forge the Master Sword inSkyward Sword; she could repeat that role inBreath of the Wild,especially since it looks like her life depends on it. The blue glow surrounding the Master Sword in the final trailer may imply that there’s enough power remaining for Link to summon Fi for help in repairing the sword.
RELATED:A Legend of Zelda 2D Dungeon Maker May Work Well as a Mobile Game
Breath of the Wild’s Master Sword Tempering
It should be noted thatBreath of the Wildhas already dabbled in empowering the Master Sword. Fans that boughtBreath of the Wild’s Master Trials DLCcould partake in the Trial of the Sword, a series of combat challenges meant to test Link’s worthiness of the sword. When players completed the Trial of the Sword, seven Sheikah monks permanently empower the Master Sword.Breath of the Wild’s monks usually only distribute the goddess Hylia’s power through Spirit Orbs, but the Trial of the Sword implies that some monks are sufficiently connected to Hylia to change the Master Sword by hand.
The Trial of the Sword sets a precedent for altering the Master Sword withinBreath of the Wild’s Hyrule and suggests how it’ll be repaired: Hylia’s power, rather than that of otherZeldagoddesses.Skyward Swordfeatured red, blue, and green Sacred Flames connected to Din, Nayru, and Farore that empowered the Goddess Sword, but these gods have little place inBreath of the Wild.The golden light’s color implies Hylia will be responsible for repairing the sword, rather than the other trio of goddesses.Hylia has a very direct impactonBreath of the Wildthrough Goddess Statues and the Sheikah monks that serve her, so it wouldn’t be so strange if Link is looking for tangible pieces of Hylia’s power inBreath of the Wild’s sequel in order to restore the Master Sword.
Breath of the Wild 2’s Plot is Getting Clearer
Whatever route Link takes to fix the Master Sword inBreath of the Wild 2,it certainly looks like that’s his main objective. The Master Sword is historically instrumental in sealing Ganon away from Hyrule. IfBreath of the Wild 2is all aboutGanon’s return from the dead, then Link may not be able to put an end to Ganon’s reign of terror until the Master Sword is whole and hale again. Fans may have already gone on a similar journey inSkyward Sword,but as long as Nintendo leveragesBreath of the Wild’s landscape, characters, and lore in unique ways, it can make the new game’s Master Sword quest feel like the first of its kind.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases in spring 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Breath of the Wild’s Influence Is Still Felt Five Years Later
