Monday, 23 September 2013

The Legend of Zelda's Best Weapons

Every hero's got their shtick-- a certain mode of dispensing justice that sets him or her apart from all the other heroes out there. The Belmonts have a whip. Leon S. Kennedy keeps a shotgun handy. Mario jumps on people's heads. Sonic's got the whole speed thing.

As for the Hero of Time himself, he's got a big, bad arsenal of evil-eradicating weapons at his Hylian fingertips. With every new adventure his arsenal grows a little bigger, but with so many choices, how are you supposed to figure out which of these items are worth their weight in rupees?

Lucky for you, IGN has you covered. In fact, we've taken it upon ourselves to narrow down all of Link's many items into this handy list of the best of the best. While they're not all weapons in a traditional sense, all they needed to qualify for this list was to be an instrument for banishing evil that Link wields in at least one of the games in the series. Being completely badass didn't hurt either.

That said, here are IGN's picks for the 15  16 best weapons in the Legend of Zelda.

List updated and expanded on September 23, 2013.

#16: Beetle

First and Most Notable Appearance: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

What it Does: Pick up items, drop bombs, hit switches, and plenty more...

Why it's Cool: The Beetle is so much fun to use because it makes genuinely excellent use of of the Nintendo Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus. Steering it through the air is as simple as subtly tilting your controller.  Plus, it is one of the most versatile weapons introduced in a Zelda game yet. Out of reach heart container? Use the Beetle to nab it! Pesky enemy bothering you? The Hook Beetle upgrade will let you drop bombs onto them from above. Yet another Beetle upgrade will let you slice through spiderweb barriers. It combines some of the most helpful uses of the hookshot, boomerang, bow, and more and combines them into one awesome new item.

#15: Bow

First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda

Most Notable Appearance: Ocarina of Time

What it Does: Freezes, burns, electrocutes, and stabs evil things

Why it's Cool: Because it can freeze, burn, electrocute and stab things! How's that for a multi-faceted weapon? Robin Hood may be the vastly more famous wearer of green and wielder of bow, but that doesn't stop Link from trying his hand at archery. While there have been many incarnations of the bow over the years, none are quite as memorable as the Fairy Bow in Ocarina of Time. Like its dumbed-down, crooked-shooting follow-up in Wind Waker, the Fairy Bow could be imbued with the powers of fire, ice, or light to wreak total havoc on evil-doers everywhere. So why is it cool? Because burning Moblins alive, freezing Tektites (read: giant, one-eyed, four-legged spider monsters), and exploding Deku Scrubs in a blast of blinding light rarely gets old.

#14: Minish Cap

First Appearance: Minish Cap

Most Notable Appearance: Minish Cap

What it Does: Shrinks you down to the size of a toadstool

Why it's Cool: Honey, I shrunk Link! You know all those random tree stumps in A Link to the Past's overworld that seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever? Well, apparently, they were used centuries before by a different Link. No joke. When ye olde Link stood on one of these bad boys and did a funny jig while wearing this likeable (but altogether grouchy) talking hat named Ezlo (also known as the Minish Cap), he would shrink to an impossibly small size. Although Link shriveling until even a tiny, green Chu-Ch, becomes a giant boss could be viewed as a downgrade, in this case it totally isn't. Using the Minish Cap's special abilities allows our hylian hero to reach all kinds of new areas he couldn't before, as well as talk to cows (don't ask).

#13: Magic Rod

First Appearance: The Legend of Zelda

Most Notable Appearance: Link's Awakening

What it Does: Burns/explodes/melts enemies' faces

Why it's Cool: Are you out of arrows? Is your magic meter running a little low? Worry not! All you need is this handy, dandy Magic Rod. Unlike the Fire Rod, which totally sucks because it drains up your hard-earned magic, this baby is the gift that just keeps on giving. Wizrobes in your basement? A taste of their own medicine ought to teach them who's boss. Octorocks in your tub? A little face-melting action and they're as good as gone! Whatever your needs, the Magic Rod's got you covered. It may be less versatile then the Bow, but when "winning" is an item's main function, you can't really go wrong.

#12: Mirror Shield

First Appearance: A Link to the Past

Most Notable Appearance: The Wind Waker, Minish Cap

What it Does: Prevents untimely death and reflects light

Why it's Cool: Think fast! Deadly laser in your face! What do you do? Well, if you have a mirror shield, what you do is take said laser and send it flying right back to the no-good ruffian who shot it at you in the first place. The Mirror Shield is all about two things: action and reaction. Action: Deku Scrub shoots a seed at Link. Reaction: Link blocks the seed with his mirror shield. Result: Deku Scrub bites the big one. Lesson: Don't mess with Link.

#11: Gust Jar

First Appearance: The Minish Cap

Most Notable Appearance: The Minish Cap

What it Does: It sucks (literally)

Why it's Cool: Alright, folks. We've tried our very hardest, but we simply could not finish this list without including an item that totally sucks. And when we say the gust jar sucks, we mean it sucks. Hard. Luckily, it sucks up rupees, hearts, and just about anything else Link might want to get his mitts on. Really, despite it sucking harder than any other item in the whole series, the gust jar is actually quite useful. Even so, this may be the suckiest item of all time. But hey, that's why we love it.


Source : ign[dot]com

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