While it might feel like the millions playing Tears of the Kingdom have already discovered everything there is to know about the game, new information keeps on coming and, if BOTW is anything to go by, will for months. However, discoveries are starting to lean more towards what's under the new Zelda game's hood, including the discovery that the weapons you're using might not be as effective as they seem.
Posted on the Tears of the Kingdom subreddit by fallen_corpse, who gives credit to Echo_BotW for the discovery, is an explainer on why the sequel's spears might not be the best weapons in all of Hyrule after all. The speed at which you can attack with a spear combined with the flat damage bonuses applied when fused with other items makes them seem like the best option, but it isn't that simple.
It looks like there are damage modifiers behind the scenes depending on the type of weapon you're using. While a light weapon will remain exactly as it appears in the game (30 damage being 30 damage), bonuses applied to heavy weapons when fused with other things are actually five percent stronger than listed, whereas spears take a somewhat hefty 25 percent hit.
Fallen_corpse suggests battling against a red bokoblin to put this theory to the test and see it for yourselves. With 25 HP, a light weapon that can do 25 damage should take out the enemy with one hit. However, a heavy weapon will only need a damage rating of 24, while a spear will need to have a damage rating of at least 34 if you want to eliminate the bokoblin with a single strike.
The reveal has sparked a discussion as to why Nintendo would hide this information from the player. The consensus appears to be that listing different damage numbers and modifiers when finding materials and creating weapons would confuse a lot of players. While many of you are out there making podracers and launching Link into the sky at the speed of sound, most Tears of the Kingdom players are casual ones. A barrage of numbers every time they pick what weapon to use may well put them off playing.
It may also explain why the sequel doesn't appear to include armor that reveals how much health your enemies have left. That ability would quickly reveal the modifiers Nintendo has applied, sparking confusion and likely upsetting a few players when they discover spears aren't quite as good as they thought. Well, with thousands of players already investing hundreds of hours each into the game, those modifiers have been discovered without the help of armor that would have given the game away a little faster.