Summary
- Rauru tells Ganondorf that it would be a swordsman to kill him in Tears of the Kingdom.
- Because of this information, Ganondorf degrades all bladed weapons in Hyrule.
- Ganondorf could not have foreseen his defeat by the Master Sword, which he destroys at the beginning of the game.
An easy-to-miss detail in other versions of Ganondorf. However, Tears of the Kingdom adds some interesting new narrative elements to the smaller details of his plan.
These new parts of Ganondorf’s plan to conquer Hyrule also result in meaningful mechanical changes for Tears of the Kingdom’s gameplay. One of these mechanical changes is Tears of the Kingdom’s degraded weapons. It is difficult for Link to find a nice weapon in the game, and most of them are hidden in the Depths, seemingly kept in good condition by the ghosts of Hyrule soldiers. Ganondorf’s magic seems to have degraded most of the weapons in Hyrule. If theories surrounding this are to be believed, he did this intentionally as part of his master plan.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Review - Building Excellence
Tears of the Kingdom takes Legend of Zelda into mostly familiar ground, but it remains an excellent, must-play title with plenty of innovation.
Ganondorf Degraded Bladed Weapons Due To Rauru’s Prophecy
Ganondorf Was Told A Swordsman Would Defeat Him
It's a bit confusing as to why Ganondorf’s magic degraded Hyrule’s bladed weapons but not its shields. Although this was clearly a decision made by the developers for gameplay purposes, it does initially seem strange from a story perspective that Ganondorf’s magic wouldn’t have the same effect on all metal objects. However, the story offers a possible explanation as to why Ganondorf would only focus on weapons and not armor. In Hyrule’s distant past, before Ganondorf is sealed under Hyrule Castle, King Rauru tells Ganondorf that the latter would be defeated by a swordsman.
Since Ganondorf knew it would be a swordsman, and likely a sword, that would do him in, he focused mainly on degrading the types of weapons a swordsman would use. Ganondorf likely didn’t think it necessary to take away all of Link’s possible tools, just the ones that would be capable of defeating Ganondorf personally. Tears of the Kingdom actually proves that Ganondorf was right to think this when it comes time for the final battle against him.
Non-bladed weapons are not decayed by Ganondorf in Tears of the Kingdom.
Ganondorf Can Only Be Defeated With The Master Sword In Tears Of The Kingdom
The Game Gives The Player The Sword During The Final Battle
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom proves Ganondorf right by showing that only the Master Sword can defeat him. When it comes time to fight Ganondorf in his Demon Dragon form, players are forced to use the legendary sword to finish him off. The game makes this very clear when players attempt to fight Ganondorf without it. Even if players make it all the way through Ganondorf’s first two phases without having acquired the Master Sword, Zelda as the Light Dragon will simply give the sword to them before the final stage. There is no option to defeat Ganondorf another way.
The Master Sword is often referred to by other titles, such as The Blade of Evil's Bane and The Sword that Seals the Darkness, specifically because it's often the only tool effective against Ganondorf/Ganon.
This shows that Ganondorf was right to focus primarily on bladed weapons when casting his spell. If anything, he could have been even more specific and honed in on the Master Sword. That said, Ganondorf may not have wanted to rule out the possibility of another sword like it existing, and simply destroyed all of Hyrule’s swords. Still, if this detail was a deliberate choice by the designers, it was a very clever one. It not only gives in-story motivation for Ganondorf’s actions, but it also signals to the players what they need to defeat him.
Ganondorf Is Always Defeated By The Master Sword
This Is Only True Of Ganondorf In His Gerudo Form
It isn’t just Tears of the Kingdom that requires players to defeat Ganondorf with the Master Sword. In fact, in every game where Ganondorf appears in his Gerudo form, players are forced to defeat him with it. In Ocarina of Time, players can use the Biggoron Sword to weaken Ganondorf after he has turned into Ganon, but they can only defeat him with the Master Sword. Both The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess end with Gerudo Ganondorf getting run through by the Master Sword. However, this pattern is broken when Ganondorf doesn’t appear in his humanoid form.
In several games, including the original The Legend of Zelda and Breath of the Wild, players only encounter Ganondorf as Ganon. In some of these appearances, players have to finish off Ganon with a Light Arrow instead of the Master Sword. It’s hard to say if this is some hard-and-fast rule in Zelda lore, or simply a strange coincidence that Ganondorf always falls to the sword if he appears as his Gerudo form in part of a game. Regardless, Ganondorf was clever to try and destroy all the swords in Tears of the Kingdom, as they are typically his downfall.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
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- Top Critic Avg: 96/100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- May 12, 2023
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the anticipated follow-up to Breath of the Wild, released in 2017. A rare occurrence in Zelda titles, Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel instead of loosely connected. In Tears of the Kingdom, Link will take to the skies and learn about a mysterious kingdom in the clouds.
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
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