More so than any other game in the series, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is absolutely littered with items. This is in part because of BOTW's controversial durability system, where melee weapons, bows, and shields break after enough use. Link has to constantly find new items to replace broken ones, which can be a major setback at the beginning of the game when options are limited. Adding to the potential frustration, bad weapons are among the most commonly found, including the ineffective and fragile rusty weapons and shields.

Luckily, Breath of the Wild includes a strange method for removing the rust. All players have to do is find a Rock Octorok, wait for it to start inhaling in preparation for launching a boulder at Link, and throw a weapon into its mouth. The Rock Octorok will swallow the weapon, mull over its unwanted meal for a moment, and then spit it back at Link. The returned weapon will be free of rust, randomly assigned to the Traveler's, Soldier's, Knight's, or Royal category.

Related: The Real Problem With Zelda: Breath Of The Wild’s Weapon Durability

This is also possible with rusty shields, but since Breath of the Wild's shields can't be thrown, players will have to approach the Rock Octorok and drop them on the ground in front of where the creature will pop out. Similar to the weapons, a rusty shield will return a Traveler's, Soldier's, Knight's, or Royal Shield after being deposited in the Octorok.

Only Rock Octoroks Can Repair Breath Of The Wild's Rusty Items

Zelda Breath Of The Wild Hyrule World Overlook

This trick is handy for bringing utility to nearly useless items, but it's not widely accessible, since only one type of Octorok can clean rust. The other types - Forest, Sky, Snow, Treasure, and Water - don't have any helpful properties for weapons. Rock Octoroks are most commonly found in volcanic and mountainous regions, such as on the way to Breath of the Wild's Goron City on Death Mountain or on the plateaus of the Gerudo Highlands.

Using Rock Octoroks to repair rusty items isn't without its dangers; getting hit by the fixed weapon on its way out of the Octorok will do damage, so the slim chance of getting something like a Royal Claymore back could be deadly. Though perhaps not as fun as teaching a Lizalfos to play soccer, Octorok repair is just one way players can manipulate Breath of the Wild's enemies, contributing to the deep interactivity that makes the game so celebrated. Its rusty items appear to be useless, but taking advantage of the Rock Octoroks' unexpected talent can net some valuable assets.

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