There’s no question aboutThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildbeing an unorthodox game. It broke tons ofZeldaconventions.Zelda: Breath of the Wildfeatured dozens of melee and ranged weapons, remarkable new powers that Link could wield, and a level of open-world freedom unprecedented inThe Legend of Zelda.The litany of risky changes that Nintendo made paid off, though.Breath of the Wildbecame one of the most acclaimedZeldatitles in the franchise’s history thanks to its bold changes. However, it didn’t just give up some traditional mechanics to get there—it also skipped some significant parts ofZeldalore.
In mostZeldagames, the Master Sword plays a central role. The artifact almost always becomes Link’s weapon of choice and plays some part in defeating or magically sealing whatever evil force threatens theZeldaworld. There’s a much more powerful artifact that didn’t play a role inBreath of the Wild,though: the Triforce. This symbol of divine power not only gives its wielder incredible power, but it binds several ofThe Legend of Zelda’s central characters together. Since all three of those characters seem to still be at the heart ofBreath of the Wildand its upcoming sequel,Nintendo ought to restore the Triforceto its traditional place of importance inBreath of the Wild 2.
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The Legend of Zelda’s Triforce Traditions
Anyone who’s played a traditionalZeldagame probably knows about the usual distribution of the three pieces of the mysterious Triforce. Link carries the Triforce of Courage, Zelda protects the Triforce of Wisdom, andGanon lays claim to the Triforce of Power. When these three golden pieces are united, they create a divine artifact that can grant any wish. Even when Ganon isn’t the main antagonist of aZeldagame, it often focuses on a struggle for control over the completed Triforce and the practically limitless power that it can bestow upon the wielder.
Interestingly,Breath of the Wildopted for a totally different type of plot. Rather than focusing on Ganon or a similar powerful being trying to take control of the Triforce,Breath of the Wild’s antagonist is Calamity Ganon. The Calamity is a more primal and eldritch antagonist than most depictions of Ganon. Its relentless attack on Hyrule is very different from many of Ganondorf’s elaborate schemes to control Hyrule and gain the Triforce ingames likeOcarina of Time.It’s not a surprise that Nintendo didn’t put the Triforce inBreath of the Wildbecause Nintendo wrote a plot that didn’t really need the Triforce.
Even so, the Triforce clearly isn’t lost to history inBreath of the Wild,since the image of the Triforce appears in various places inBreath of the Wild.Clearly, the concept of the Triforce isn’t lost to time, even though the game takes place manythousands of years after previousZeldagames. If the people of Hyrule remember the symbol of the Triforce, then do they know what’s become of the Triforce itself? Questions like these prove that Nintendo has plenty of reason to revive this crucialZeldaartifact inBreath of the Wild 2.
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The Triforce Could Define Breath of the Wild 2
There’s a lot of reasons thatBreath of the Wild 2could be the right time to bring back the Triforce. For one thing, the whole Triforce symbol appeared on Zelda’s hand inthe battle with Calamity Ganon. It’s unclear what that implies, but it could mean that Zelda carries the entire Triforce but simply doesn’t have total control over it. That’d be a pretty major change inZeldalore and its traditional divisions of the Triforce. If that’s what Nintendo has in mind, then there’s room for a rich storyline about Zelda’s journey to protect and master the Triforce inBreath of the Wild 2.
The potential return of Ganondorf is also a good reason to bring back the Triforce. Although Ganon often wants the artifact, his Gerudo form in Ganondorf is usually particularly relentless and cunning when it comes to hunting down the Triforce. Therefore,Breath of the Wild 2would benefit from bringing back Ganondorf’s coveted prize as a motivation for his attacks on Hyrule from beyond the grave.Zelda might be in Ganondorf’s clutches again, which would particularly make sense if Ganondorf knows that Zelda is hiding the Triforce from him.
However, another Ganondorf theory also encourages the Triforce’s revival. ManyBreath of the Wild 2theorists foresee a Ganondorf redemption arc, crediting him for stopping Calamity Ganon the first time.If Ganondorf is allied with Link and Zelda, then it’d make sense if his share of the Triforce is now permanently united with Link’s and Zelda’s, resulting in a whole Triforce in Zelda’s possession. Link and Ganondorf might be working together inBreath of the Wild 2to find Zelda and protect her and the unified Triforce from whatever dark force is really responsible for Calamity Ganon.
The Triforce’s Last Stand
Breath of the Wild 2could have one more reason to involve the Triforce. SomeZeldafans believeBotW 2marks the end of theZeldatimeline. If Nintendo intends to break theZeldacycle with theBotWsequel, then it’d make sense for the Triforce to reappear—and to be destroyed. The only way that the endless generations of struggle over this divine artifact can end is if there’s no more Triforce to fight over. Ganondorf theoretically breaking free from his destiny asthe demon king Demise’s heircould also mean a permanent end to generations of war over the Triforce. Maybe Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf will realize that the only way to protect the Triforce from Demise is to destroy it.
If Nintendo does intend toend theZeldatimelinein theBreath of the Wildsequel, then such a dramatic end would make sense. As central as the Triforce is toThe Legend of Zelda’s world, it’s also a rather frightening thing, considering the godlike power that it bestows on anyone who can put its pieces together. At the very least, the Triforce’s historic importance begs for it to make a proper appearance inBreath of the Wild 2.Even if it isn’t destroyed, it may be the only thing that can stop whatever force is literally upheaving Hyrule piece by piece.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2releases for Nintendo Switch in 2022.
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