With most of the titles in the Legend of Zelda series falling into the action-adventure genre, many of the games excel at making sure there are plenty of stakes and intrigue to their stories to keep players invested throughout. Even though not much about it is known so far, Breath of the Wild 2 seems to be following its predecessor in terms of focusing on all sorts of new dangers and mysteries that threaten what little of Hyrule remains even as it explores the open-world RPG front. When Nintendo announced that BotW2 has been pushed back to Spring 2023, the update also showcased new footage showing more of Link's strange right arm while also revealing to fans that the Master Sword is rather damaged as well.

Seeing the Blade of Evil's Bane in such a state has shocked many fans, yet due to the fact that Breath of the Wild 2 is still a fair deal away, those same players can only theorize as to just what has happened to the blade until more information is revealed. The same could be said for the state of Link's arm, even though the current trailers for BotW2 have possibly already shown key details to what put him in that situation. What information has been shared is causing quite a buzz with fans as they try to figure out just what the next Zelda game seems to be leading up to.

RELATED: Breath Of The Wild: 8 NPCs With The Saddest Lives

The Mystery of What Happened to the Master Sword

breath-of-the-wild-2-master-sword-from-update-trailer

While the news about Breath of the Wild 2's delay has made some fans upset, Nintendo has made sure to reward players for understanding that the game needs more time by showing off what appears to be a cutscene of Link talking to an unknown ball of light. Link takes out the Master Sword, which is falling apart due to some strange substance tainting the blade. It almost looks as if the weapon is being corrupted in some way, as it shines with its power except for the areas covered in a green residue that seems to be withering the sword away, leaving holes behind.

While it's no secret that what happened to the Master Sword is important to the overall plot of the game, the state that the weapon is in ends up being a great reason as to why players can't start the game with it in their arsenal. Without it, Link is forced to use other equipment as the player goes on a journey to restore the powerful blade to its former glory. However, the Master Sword isn't the only thing that doesn't look as great as it should, as it shares some interesting similarities with Link's right arm.

breath-of-the-wild-2-links-arm-with-magic

In Breath of the Wild 2, Link's arm appears almost stone-like as some event has led it to take on a gray shade. It's also protected by some sort of metallic armor sleeve. Similar to the Master Sword, the appendage might be decaying in some way if it isn't dead altogether. While it's not known why Link keeps his arm in the metal sleeve, it seems to react to magic in what trailers have been released. One of these magic elements seems to deal with the ball of light Link shows the damaged weapon to. This light could either be some sort of restorative power coming from Link's arm or perhaps a new fairy companion like Navi from Ocarina of Time.

This strange light most likely has to do with whatever is happening with Link, as the core on the back of his damaged hand can be seen glowing the same color as the orb. Interestingly, this light shines a bright gold, when previous trailers have shown Link having his arm being attacked or changed by red and green magic in other trailers. It isn't known what these different magical energies do to him just yet. There are also implications that Link's arm, or the metal surrounding it, seems to act like the Sheikah Slate due to how he's seen wielding stronger versions of previous abilities, as well as brand-new ones.

RELATED: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Mod Makes Beast Ganon Boss a Custom Skin

Link preparing to draw the damaged Master Sword in a cutscene from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

The substance that's making the Master Sword deteriorate and the troubling state that Link's arm is in seem rather different, but they also have intriguing parallels. Both of them seem to be eroding in similar ways, but the Master Sword is breaking away into holes as Link sports some curious angular markings that match his new metallic armor. Considering there's also a decayed Ganondorf who may be the villain in Breath of the Wild 2 and a similar disembodied hand keeping him in check that's also just skin and bones, the theme tying everything together in BotW2 might have to do about restoring things that are dying, or that might already be dead.

There's a chance that whatever happened to Link's arm has rendered it unusable, and the metallic pieces protecting it works as a sort of supportive prosthetic, making it so that Link can use his hand. Due to the fact that Link's arm glows with a green light similar to the arm seen on Ganondorf's chest, some fans have theorized that Breath of the Wild 2 deals with a cycle of Link traveling through time to seal Ganondorf away, losing his arm in the process. There are tons of potential ideas as to what's going on, which means players can spend the time filling in the blanks themselves until the game arrives.

Sequels that took place where the first game left off tend to struggle to find a way to explain the lack of abilities players had from the end of the first title. Breath of the Wild 2 taking advantage of the fact that players have to start from the beginning again to include a broken Master Sword into the game's plot is a great approach to this problem. However, there may be a chance that this plot element will fall into a pitfall that many other titles with this issue deal with. If the game doesn't handle the plot involving Link's iconic sword with enough care, it may come off to many players as rather forced and simply there to explain why fans can't use it from the start of the game.

As intriguing as these game trailers are, almost all of it is subject to change, considering Breath of the Wild 2 is still in development. Fans are forming theories on what is happening to Link and the Master Sword from very little information available, which means that there's a strong chance that some things being speculated about could be anywhere from a little off base to completely wrong. Despite that, however, speculating about what's happening with Link, the Master Sword, his magical arm, and all of Hyrule is a great way to help fans through the extended wait. As spring 2023 grows closer, Nintendo is sure to reveal more information in trailers and updates, which might give fans more clues to think about until the game is in their hands.

Breath of the Wild 2 will release in spring 2023 for Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Why Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 Won't Be at the Nintendo 'E3' Direct