Breath of the Wild Weapon Durability: Repair, Rust and Bonuses

Every weapon in Breath of the Wild wears out. This page covers what cannot be fixed, the two exceptions, what to do with rusty gear, the bonuses that raise a weapon’s numbers, and which weapons last longest. Numbers come from the full weapon list.

Can you repair weapons?

No. Game8’s repair guide puts it plainly: there is no way to repair a weapon, and once one starts flashing red and the game warns that it is badly damaged, it will soon break. Throw it at an enemy for one last hit.

Two weapons are exceptions:

• The Master Sword never breaks for good. Zelda Dungeon notes that when its durability runs out the blade turns black and cannot be used for 10 real-time minutes while it recharges, and it never leaves your inventory. See the Master Sword guide.
• The Bow of Light cannot break. Zelda Dungeon notes it has a nominal durability of 100 but is only available in the final battle with Dark Beast Ganon.

What do you do with rusty weapons?

Rusty weapons and shields (Rusty Broadsword, Rusty Claymore, Rusty Halberd, Rusty Shield) are weak, but a Rock Octorok can renew them. Game8: Rock Octoroks live around Death Mountain; drop the rusty item near one — do not throw it — and it sucks it in and spits out a new item. Zelda Dungeon adds that the new item is the clean Hylian equivalent, and that a higher World Level makes a Knight’s or Royal version more likely than a Traveler’s or Soldier’s. Stand back: the item comes out fast enough to hit you.

What are weapon bonuses?

Some weapons, bows and shields carry a bonus. Zelda Dungeon notes that bonuses appear on equipment found as the World Level rises, in two grades — white, and a stronger yellow — shown by the icon colour in the inventory:

Source: Zelda Dungeon’s Weapon Bonus page; the bonus names are the game’s own.

Which weapons last longest?

Most durable one-handed weapons, two-handed weapons and spears:

Most durable bows and shields:

The Hylian Shield’s 800 durability is far above every other shield. Zelda Dungeon notes that if it does break, Granté in Tarrey Town sells a new one for 3,000 rupees once the side quest From the Ground Up is complete — without bonuses — and that Link can only hold one at a time.

Sources

• Repair and Rock Octoroks: Game8 Weapon Repair Guide; Zelda Dungeon Rock Octorok.
• Master Sword, Bow of Light, Hylian Shield: Zelda Dungeon Master Sword, Breath of the Wild Bows, Hylian Shield.
• Bonuses: Zelda Dungeon Weapon Bonus; names from the game text.
• Durability numbers: the game’s weapon parameters, checked against Game8 and Zelda Dungeon (see all weapons).

Tears of the Kingdom handles this differently — see its durability page.