Weapon degradation is back in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, now with a story-related reason to exist. Following the Upheaval, all the weapons across Hyrule decayed, leaving them in a weakened state. This is reflected in their appearance, with black spots dotting the surface of most swords.
Every now and again, however, you'll come across a weapon with a special effect or passive ability. These weapons are slightly stronger, perform better under certain circumstances, or offer some kind of advantage in battle. These specialties will be noted in the game's weapon descriptions by teal text. Want to try and find a weapon with a special effect that's your style? There's a little bit of everything for you to explore.
10 Knight's Claymore
Claymores are hefty, two-handed weapons which require you to be ready to compensate for slower, but stronger attacks. With the risk posed by leaving yourself open between swings, it makes sense that one special effect you could find on a Claymore would be Desperate Strength, which yields stronger attacks when you're down to your last heart. It's a risky strategy, especially in the thick of a fight, but if you time it right and dodge, you can still come out on top. Maybe keep some fairies on hand to revive yourself if you miss a hit, though.
9 Knight's Broadsword
The broadsword is a common weapon, available all over Hyrule. They're the perfect weapon for Link, who is known for his sword skills and often referred to as the Swordsman. If you're lucky, you'll pick up one of these common swords with Improved Flurry Rush — a powerful rush attack after pulling off a perfect dodge. Getting a rush attack can turn the tides of a battle, especially against a stronger opponent. While the broadsword isn't the strongest weapon, it can still do an amazing amount of damage with Flurry Rush.
8 Knight's Halberd
The collection of knight weaponry is solid, and the spear is no exception. Its base attack is only four, but it's light, fast, and easy to handle. It's also the only weapon capable of Quick Charge, which allows you to charge up your special attack faster. It's a small thing, but a vital time saver in a fight where every second counts. You don't want to be in the middle of charging an attack just to be interrupted by a hit from the enemy. Charge up and get your attack out quick, before the enemy knows what's happened.
7 Royal Guards' Weapons
The series of Royal Guard weapons are the only ones capable of a very special ability — Breaking Point. Breaking Point increases the amount of damage a weapon can do when it gets closer to breaking. The fragility of weapons adds its own unique challenge to the game, and it's helpful to have an ability that also takes advantage of that, especially if you're the type of player who doesn't pay attention and just keeps going until the weapon breaks. Breaking Point may only be helpful for a short amount of time, but it's a great ability.
6 Eightfold Blade
If you're a sneaky fighter, you'll enjoy the special effect on Eightfold Blades. These swords are favored by the Yiga Clan, replacing the Vicious Sickle from Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity. Fittingly for the assassin group, the special effect that most commonly comes with Eightfold Blades is a more powerful sneak strike.
The base attack on an Eightfold Blade is fairly low, which makes it worth using for a sneak attack to get that boost. Sneak attacks are rare in a game that has a lot of "run in screaming" tactics, but rewarding a player for using them is good incentive for getting more creative.
5 Eightfold Longblade
This variant on the Eightfold Blade comes with its own special effect — Wind Razor. It cleaves the wind and creates a vacuum, knocking back your enemies and doing some damage in the process. Be prepared for the Longblade to handle a lot like the Claymore, with large arcs and slower attacks. The Longblade can be unwieldy, so having that buffer between you and the enemy can be extremely helpful.
The good thing about Wind Razor is that you don't have to do anything special to activate the ability - it happens automatically, so you can focus on fighting.
4 Strong Zonaite Spears
Zonaite weapons are a new addition to the game. You'll most likely find them in shrines or on the Sky Islands, and can get them from Soldier Constructs. The common special effect you'll find on Zonaite spears is Zonaite powered — attack power increases when you attach a Zonaite device, like an emitter. Spears are light and fairly easy to fight with, but not necessarily the strongest weapon, which makes having that boost from the Zonaite device a plus. Even better if you attach an emitter and get a secondary effect like a fire blast.
3 Sturdy Long Stick
Sticks are at the bottom of the strength tier list. They're an early game weapon, and the first thing to be replaced in a full inventory. The Fuse ability makes them a little more useful in Tears of the Kingdom, but not necessarily worth keeping if you can find something stronger.
But in a world full of decayed weapons, finding something with a high durability is about the same as finding gold. And sticks are the most likely to have Extra Durability due to coming directly from trees.
2 Zora Spear
You'll most likely find a Zora Spear in the Zora Kingdom, a place surrounded by water, which makes Water Warrior a perfect ability — the spear is stronger when wet. This is also handy in the rain, which you'll find a lot of in Hyrule. Zora Spears aren't much to brag about on their own, so it's best to save that particular weapon for when you'll be able to take full advantage of the special effect. It's an especially good effect to have for the Water Temple, where you make constant use of Sidon's special power.
1 Cobble Crusher
Breaking rocks is quickly becoming the new throwing pots in Zelda. There are rocks all over Hyrule full of rock salt, flint, and fancy ores that you can sell for those sweet, sweet rupees. There are also rock walls blocking off areas.
You're a bit harder pressed to find bombs in Tears of the Kingdom — remote bombs are gone, and the only explosive left is the bomb flower, which can often be found in caves and the Depths. To save yourself some trouble, find a Cobble Crusher with Demolisher. This will allow you to easily break through rocks and rock walls without wasting your precious resources.