The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has the opportunity to improve on Breath of the Wild, the game for which it's a sequel, and in order to do so, Nintendo could take some cues from Elden Ring and FromSoftware's other games and add a greater variety of armor. Armor options are traditionally limited in Zelda games, most of which only include a few sets if any options at all, but it might be time for that to change.
The shift to an open-world style for Zelda games like BOTW and TOTK gives Nintendo an opportunity to add more choices of armor and weapons for Link throughout the map. Some players are already hoping to see new weapons in Tears of the Kingdom, and a new variety of weapons could make the inclusion of armor with different stats more useful so that players can tailor combat to suit their own style. More armor and weapon options could also give Zelda its own version of Fashion Souls, where players spend time in games like Elden Ring gathering various equipment items to put together outfits.
Expanding Gear Options Could Add A New Dynamic To Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
While Breath of the Wild has increased the amount of armor that Link can wear compared to previous games, Tears of the Kingdom can continue that trend by including more armor with added differences in bonus effects for those that aren't purely for style purposes. Players may have already seen Link's new arm in TOTK trailers, and that change could lead to different weapons that Link can use, especially since the Master Sword seems to be broken after BOTW. Until it can be repaired, players will likely have to rely on other weapons, and different bonuses like increased attack speed or increased damage could create more versatile armor and weapon combinations.
Breath of the Wild already includes armor sets that have bonuses such as increased swim speed, heat resistance, and damage reduction. Now, Tears of the Kingdom could add more effects that let players create unique builds that supplement their play style. Plus, Fashion Souls shows that there are players who enjoy putting together stylish outfits for purely aesthetic purposes, and more options could make collecting them a fun side activity.
The Great Fairies who appear in Zelda across many titles, and some blessings that they give in older games are included as armor set benefits in BOTW. However, adapting a more traditional stat system could add more layers to combat in Tears of the Kingdom, which would necessitate the inclusion of more armor and weapon varieties. Of the elements from Elden Ring that Nintendo could consider implementing for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, more armor might be a good option.