10 Best Games with Weapon Durability

Weapon durability. It’s, somewhat ironically, a well-worn point of conversation by now. I’m not here to debate the merits of it though, but instead, to celebrate the best implementations of it. From magical worlds to ones much closer to home. From oceans full of life to lands that belong to the dead. Here are some of the best games (not ranked in any particular order) that are home to weapons with a limited lifespan and why they work so well.

10. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Encouraging Experimentation

One of the great things about weapon degradation is that it requires you to evolve as you play the game. There’s no one reliable way to keep attacking so you have to stay nimble and, in the best cases, actually get you to engage with the game's mechanics in a more interesting way. And when it comes to experimentation there’s only one place to start. Let’s get this one out of the way, shall we? 

Yes, snapping a branch in two after a couple of bashes of a Bokoblin can be a minor frustration at the beginning of Breath of the Wild, but from that point onwards a lot of this masterpiece’s magic would be lost. The experimentation that the many breakable weapons of Hyrule encourage is half of what makes this Zelda so much fun - that drive to find a new exciting way to take down whatever enemy faces you next as you juggle between the items in your inventory and those scattered around the battlefield.

There is no one set way to finish Breath of the Wild, from the order you take down its Divine Beasts, to the way you choose to defeat every other tiny enemy. And with Tears of the Kingdom set to only enhance that feeling of experimentation further with its new Fuse and Ultra Hand abilities, weapon durability is set to be an essential, and arguably less contentious issue this time around. If weapon degradation was removed from these recent Zelda games, that impetus to put your own unique spin on the adventure would largely disappear with it. Especially if you’re a weirdo like me who defeated Ganon for the time without even finding the legendary Master Sword.

9. Minecraft - Survival Instincts

Much like Breath of the Wild, many games like starting you out with a chunk of tree in your hands. While the construction side of survival games can encourage a similar level of experimentation as Zelda, they’re much more linear when it comes to weapon and tool progression. Whether it be Valheim or Rust, survival games rarely let you settle into a comfy favorite weapon, with some using a lack of durability as a means to progress. After all, what better way to force you to get better than to have your tools start to suck? This is a staple of many, but landing at number 9 here, is Minecraft.

Making your way from humble wood all the way through diamond and beyond is a path that all players will take if they dig far enough down. Crafting is obviously at the core of Minecraft, and the small dopamine hit that comes with each new creation is key to the journey.

That drive to find enough materials to progress through the layers that make up Minecraft’s world and eventually get that all-conquering Netherite sword with a meaty 2,032 hits to its name is central to the gameplay loop that has made it one of the biggest-selling games of all time.