The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s new approach to Link’s equipment was a breath of fresh air for the franchise. Although it had its imperfections - many fans have expressed their concerns about the universally low durability of the game’s weapons - giving Link the ability to collect his own armor and weapons was a great way to distinguishThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildfrom its predecessors. Not only did the many weapons and armors give players lots of options on how to approach combat, but they also made Link more stylish than ever. After decades of green tunics, putting different clothes on Link on a whim is the perfect change of pace.
Odds seem good thattheBreath of the Wildsequelwill bring back the previous game’s armor system, even introducing some new gear for Link to use. If that’s the case, Nintendo should take a shot at integrating a classic feature of loot-focused games: transmogrification. Allowing Link to change the appearance of his armor, and perhaps even certain weapons, would be a perfect way to follow up onBreath of the Wild’s steps toward customization. Nintendo isn’t short on ways to justify transmogrification in terms of lore either, so there’s really nothing in the way of this valuable change.
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The Case for Transmog in Breath of the Wild 2
Transmog has been a valued mechanic in the game industry for a long time.RPGs likeWorld of WarcraftandDiablomake use of it, as do looter-shooters such asDestiny 2.In games like these, armor is a crucial part of the player character’s appearance, so the ability to transform armor’s appearance in various ways give players much more liberty to express themselves and stand out from the crowd. Transmog is most common in multiplayer games, butAssassin’s Creed: Valhallaand other singleplayer affairs have integrated transmog systems, which meansBreath of the Wildcould do the same.
Breath of the Wildcould definitely get some use out of transmog. While every set of armor has its uses, they’re not all equally exciting to look at. For instance, the Flamebreaker Set ismandatory attire for visiting Goron City, but not everyone finds this chunky fireproof armor particularly fashionable. Having the option to transmog the Flamebreaker Set into the Royal Guard Set or any other look of Link’s would make traveling to the less temperate corners of Hyrule a little more fun. If Link can change armor for practical reasons inBreath of the Wild,then he ought to be able to change for aesthetic reasons, too.
Admittedly,Breath of the Wilddid already introduce some customization options, although these don’t go nearly as far as a full transmog system.At the Kochi Dye Shop, players can adjust the colors of Link’s gear, but not every armor can be dyed, and the dye often only affects certain details of the armor. In other words, players are pretty restricted in customizing Link’s appearance, but Nintendo has already expressed interest in customizing armor inBreath of the Wild.If it was willing to experiment with dye before, then maybe it’ll go further and add full transmog mechanics inBreath of the Wild 2.
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Integrating Transmog into Breath of the Wild
Nintendo can opt for a pretty simple transmog system inBreath of the Wild 2while still giving players vastly more freedom in customizing Link’s look. For instance, although fans probably couldn’t customize individual segments and fine details of a suit of armor, Nintendo could easily give them tools to simply swap the entire appearance of a piece of armor for another armor’s look. If every piece of armor found is something new that fans cantransmogrify Link’s best equipmentinto, then there’s one more reason to collect every bit of armor possible.
WithinBreath of the Wild’s lore, there’s certainly ways that Nintendo can justify a transmog system. For instance, maybe Link can get a special piece of technology from the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab that imitates the appearance of certain armors. Alternatively, there’s magical options for changing Link’s appearance. Hestu,the Korok for whom Link gathers Korok Seeds, is famously capable of modifying Link’s equipment pouches, so it stands to reason that Hestu could help Link transmog his armor too. Maybe players will have a wholly new reason to visit Hestu inBreath of the Wild 2.
Admittedly, it would feel a little uneven if Link can transmog his armor but not customize his weapons, but Nintendo could still give fans an option in this department.The ever-present Master Swordcould give fans a way to further tweak Link’s appearance. Although it probably couldn’t imitate spears and other two-handed weapons, the Master Sword could feasibly be reskinned to look like any of Link’s one-handed weapons, from a Thunderblade to a Boko Club. Between this and an armor transmog system,Breath of the Wild 2could be an even more stylish game than the famously fashion-centricTri-Force Heroes.
The Legend of Zelda’s New Direction
As valuable as a transmog system would be inBreath of the Wild 2,it seems a little unlikely that it’s a priority feature for Nintendo. AlthoughBreath of the Wildestablished itself as a major point of change forThe Legend of Zelda,one wonders if Nintendo wants to keep aggressively changing the franchise. It’s possible thatBreath of the Wild 2will only make modest changes toBreath of the Wild’s established ideas, rather than trying to addeven more drastic changes to theZeldaformula. If that’s the case, then there’s probably no hope for armor transmog.
Even if transmog doesn’t make it intoBreath of the Wild 2,though, there could be more customization options in the game. If Link can still collect new sets of armor, then odds are good that new armor sets will join the game. Nintendo could introduce multiple pieces of armor with the same function, giving fans options on how to make Link look when they need a specific function out of his outfit. It wouldn’t be the same as a proper transmog system, but it would be a step in the right direction. For now, all eyes are on 2022 fornewBreath of the Wild 2information. Transmog’s place in the game may be uncertain now, but the wait for regularBotW2updates is seemingly drawing to a close.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases in 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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