[zdgvaulk] Good weapons in BOTW

We list some good weapons in Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.  The main criterion of "good" is attack power, but we also include weapons with special features (e.g., elemental) or which work well in selected special situations.  This list is of course subjective.  The motivation is to simplify the task of choosing which weapons to keep and which to throw away with limited inventory space.  In general, don't throw away these good weapons.

Inspired by the observation that the royal broadsword and lizal tri-boomerang are similar in attack power despite looking very different.

The weapon statistics are given as attack * durability = product, where the product signifies the total amount of use you get out of the weapon.  Numbers in parentheses are for special situations.  For ancient and guardian weapons, the first number in parentheses is with 1.8 multiplier of ancient proficiency, and the second number is with an additional 1.5 (for ancient weapons) or 1.3 (for guardian weapons) multiplier when used against guardians.  (Side note: All guardian weapons, even low level ones from Minor Tests of Strength, can take out a guardian stalker leg in one strike.  In comparison, the master sword, despite its full power against guardians, requires two hits per leg.)  For dragonbone weapons, the number in parentheses is with the 1.8 multiplier for the "bone attack up" set bonus.  The special situations of the master sword are described elsewhere by others.

Mining weapons, except the drillshaft, have a special bonus against all talus except luminous. Both of these exceptions feel like game bugs.

We give baseline statistics only; later in the game you will start receiving lots of modifiers (which again makes difficult the question of whether one weapon is better than another).

One-handed weapons

• master sword 30(60) * 40(188) = 1200(11280)
• scimitar of the seven 32 * 60 = 1920
• royal broadsword 36 * 36 = 1296
• royal guard's sword 48 * 14 = 672
• ancient short sword 40(72)(108) * 54 = 2160(3888)(5832)
• dragonbone boko club 24(43) * 18 = 432(774)
• lizal tri-boomerang 36 * 27 = 972
• guardian sword++ 40(72)(93) * 32 = 1280(2304)(2976)
• savage lynel sword 58 * 41 = 2378
• demon carver 40 * 25 = 1000
• spring-loaded hammer 1 * 80 = 80.  It takes 4 hits unleash its special knockback ability, so durability is effectively 20.
• meteor rod 10 * 32 = 320
• blizzard rod 10 * 32 = 320
• thunderstorm rod 10 * 32 = 320
• flameblade 24 * 36 = 864
• frostblade 20 * 30 = 600
• thunderblade 22 * 36 = 792

Two-handed weapons (heavy weapons)

• iron sledgehammer 12(48) * 40 = 480(1920).  4x against most talus, mine ore in 1 hit.
• royal claymore 52 * 40 = 2080
• stone smasher 42(84) * 40 = 1680(3360).  2x against most talus, mine ore in 1 hit.
• boulder breaker 60(120) * 60 = 3600(7200).  2x against most talus, mine ore in 1 hit.
• edge of duality 50 * 35 = 1750
• ancient bladesaw 55(99)(148) * 50 = 2750(4950)(7400)
• royal guard's claymore 72 * 15 = 1080
• dragonbone moblin club 45(81) * 24 = 1080(1944)
• ancient battle axe++ 60(108)(140) * 25 = 1500(2700)(3500)
• savage lynel crusher 78 * 35 = 2730
• double axe 18 * 52 = 936.  Nice durability, chop trees in 1 hit.
• windcleaver 40 * 25 = 1000.  Ranged attack.
• korok leaf 1 * 25 = 25.  Knockback.
• great flameblade 34 * 50 = 1700
• great frostblade 30 * 40 = 1200
• great thunderblade 32 * 50 = 1600

Spears (polearms)

• royal halberd 26 * 50 = 1300
• lightscale trident 22 * 70 = 1540
• ancient spear 30(54)(81) * 50 = 1500(2700)(4050)
• royal guard's spear 32 * 15 = 480
• dragonbone moblin spear 15(27) * 25 = 375(675)
• guardian spear++ 20(36)(46) * 35 = 700(1260)(1610)
• forked lizal spear 18 * 28 = 504
• savage lynel spear 30 * 45 = 1350
• drillshaft 14 * 50 = 700. Nice durability, mine ore in 1 hit, but disappointingly no bonus against talus.
• flamespear 24 * 50 = 1200
• frostspear 20 * 40 = 800
• thunderspear 22 * 50 = 1100

Bows

Statistics given as attack * durability = product @ range.

• royal bow 38 * 60 = 2280 @ 20
• great eagle bow 28x3 * 60 = 5040 @ 40
• golden bow 14 * 60 = 840 @ 40.  Zoom
• ancient bow 44(79)(118) * 120 = 5280(9480)(14160) @ 50
• royal guard's bow 50 * 20 = 1000 @ 30
• dragonbone boko bow 24(43) * 30 = 720(1290) @ 20
• steel lizal bow 36 * 50 = 1800 @ 20
• savage lynel bow 32x3 * 45 = 4320 @ 20

Shields

Statistics given as defense * durability = product.  Caveat: both of these values are complicated, and their product is not really the best statistic for conveying the total usefulness of the shield.

• hylian shield 90 * 800 = 72000
• royal shield 55 * 29 = 1595
• daybreaker 48 * 60 = 2880
• ancient shield 70 * 32 = 2240
• royal guard's shield 70 * 14 = 980
• forest dweller's shield 30 * 18 = 540.  Collect arrows that stick to it.
• guardian shield++ 42 * 20 = 840
• savage lynel shield 62 * 20 = 1240
• radiant shield 35 * 26 = 910. Low surfing friction.

Some nice references

• https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/6rqipn/breath_of_the_wild_14_page_info_dump/
• https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Weapons_in_Breath_of_the_Wild
• https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Bows_in_Breath_of_the_Wild
• https://zelda.gamepedia.com/Shields_in_Breath_of_the_Wild
• shields: youtube

Discussion

Challenging way to play the game: avoid using some or all of these good weapons.

What are the best renewable weapons that don't require combat to acquire?  This is a little bit of a fuzzy question in cases in which you have to first fight through or avoid many enemies to get the weapon for free.  What weapons are (subjectively) relatively easy and convenient to get for their attack power?  The champions' weapons require combat to first acquire, but later acquisitions are relatively easy.  The distance from the nearest fast travel point matters.

After acquiring the champions' weapons, consider playing the rest of the game using only those weapons, reforging them as necessary.  Perhaps also add some subset of torch, Korok leaf, weapons from the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, Master Sword, Hylian shield, and elemental weapons.

Another similar variation: no weapons from enemies.  It might be tricky to distinguish between a weapon which belongs to an enemy versus one which which is just lying around near an enemy.  All other sources OK, including all treasure chests, including (or not including) treasure chests unlocked by clearing an enemy camp.  Do trees count as enemies, i.e., are tree branches and Korok leaves from trees you destroy weapons from enemies?  (If a tree becomes destroyed by natural causes, dropping weapons, is it still your fault because you caused the chunk to load by being there?  This is reminiscent of the Zen koan about the effects of a tree falling in a forest.)

Among all the farming tools, there's a bit of a missed opportunity in not providing a scythe which is especially effective at cutting grass (to pair with axes which are effective on trees).  Maybe it would auto-collect anything discovered in the grass.  I guess we'll just have to continue to use the Master Sword instead.

Guardian farming has a bootstrap problem: the best items for fighting guardians are weapons and armor purchased at the Akkala Tech Lab.  However, purchasing those items requires providing guardian parts, i.e., having successfully fought guardians already.  What weapons therefore should one use to initially fight guardians?  We compare attack power of bone weapons (with 1.8 Bone Attack Up multiplier from Radiant Set upgraded twice), guardian weapons (without Ancient Proficiency, but with 1.3 multiplier against guardians), and a select few other weapons.  We don't include royal guard's weapons because they are too rare to use for lots of guardian farming.

dragonbone boko club 43, guardian sword++ 52, savage lynel sword 58, master sword 60

dragonbone moblin club 81, ancient battle axe++ 78, savage lynel crusher 78

dragonbone moblin spear 27, guardian spear++ 26, savage lynel spear 30, royal halberd 26

The damages are well balanced within each weapon type.  (But durability varies considerably.)

It might be possible to have a good supply of dragonbone weapons without needing to win in combat: steal while sleeping, or force enemies to drop with shock.

Each of these can be enhanced with attack food.

The lower tier guardian weapons could be best used for knocking off guardian stalker legs, or for tests of strength, which could be a dilemma if you have limited supply.  Spears are effective against legs when terrain puts the hitbox of a leg beyond the reach of shorter weapons.  The Master Sword does not become full strength in test of strength shrines because those guardians have not been corrupted by malice.

Late in the game when good replacement weapons are plentiful, consider a strategy of always using your best weapons first (not saving them).  Then, you will less frequently have to make difficult decisions about what weapon to throw out when your inventory is full.

A "Beautiful BOTW Weapon Management" challenge: Play through the game, as a performance (similar to how a speedrun is a performance), in a way such that you neither ever run out of weapons nor ever have too many.  The latter is if you are faced with a situation of having to throw away a good weapon in your inventory, or having to leave behind a good weapon because your inventory is full.  (You are allowed to leave a weapon in a treasure chest if your inventory is full because you can come back for it later.)  Doing this requires careful planning, but make it look like a natural playthrough: you are not ever going out of your way to get weapons or to avoid weapons.  Your actions (especially combat) should look efficient, not unnecessarily wasting weapons.  These requirements are of course subjective.  The artistic goal is to make it look like you are always getting (then having) the right weapon right when you need it.

Enemies that don't drop weapons after defeating them: overworld guardian (not shrine), talus, ore, keese, chuchu, octorok, pebblit, wildlife, grass, tree (ignoring Korok leaf).  These might be good for using up excess weapons.

Dropping a number of fire weapons next to ice will melt it without using durability or resources.

Although this list of good weapons is already impressively long, the game could have been made more interesting by making even more normally weak weapons strong in special situations.