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[I collect VHS tapes]

I picked up an OLED Switch and BoTW around Thanksgiving. At some point during my initial play through, I decided I was having enough fun to make me want to eventually 100% the game. As a result, I stopped trying to find all the shrines and korok seeds and decided to save it for my Master Mode play through.

I recently started my Master Mode play through and honestly I'm considering going back to normal. Nintendo seemed to have taken an extremely lazy approach to making the game more difficult. In doing so, Master Mode just makes the game more tedious. Specifically, the monsters self healing seems to actually limit how you go about killing monsters instead of making it more engaging and interesting. It seems like you have to play hyper aggressively to prevent the monsters from healing, which removes a lot of the creativity I was allowed when they didn't self heal. It becomes even more tedious when you take into consideration the weapon durability. I actually enjoyed the weapon durability during my initial play through as I thought it forced me to actually think about when to use what weapons where and made me have to use a wide range of weapons. It also makes it always exciting to pick up new items. In Master Mode though, a decent sized group of monsters can burn through pretty much all your weapons if you don't kill each monster in the most direct, aggresive manner possible.

I'm still on the fence as to whether I'll eventually 100% this on Normal vs Master Mode. I'm still slightly learning towards Master Mode since it does had some new sorta fun things like flying platforms and Gold Lynels. And honestly the normal mode is just too damn easy towards the end game. Really seemed like a missed opportunity by Nintendo make Master Mode really something special given how great the game is.

Curious what mode everyone preferred.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Zelda is an established franchise for Nintendo but it isn't due to difficulty, when you look at Zelda its about temples, you think about saving the princess and nothing in Zelda is "easy". Twilight Princess I believe did open world in 2006 and had a difficult ceiling.

 

[Robb]

Normal for me. Tried master mode for a bit, but I agree that it just made the game more tedious.

While it’s a fun challenge/diversion to fight the enemies from time to time I ultimately don’t play the game to fight monsters. I want to explore the world at my own pace, solve puzzles and take everything in.

A better way to increase the challenge of the game, to me, would have been to remix the puzzles in the shrines or something like that.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Normal for me. Tried master mode for a bit, but I agree that it just made the game more tedious.

While it’s a fun challenge/diversion to fight the enemies from time to time I ultimately don’t play the game to fight monsters. I want to explore the world at my own pace, solve puzzles and take everything in.

A better way to increase the challenge of the game, to me, would have been to remix the puzzles in the shrines or something like that.

I agree. They could have also made it so you start with like 1 food inventory slot and had to use korok seeds to increase it.

 

[Chukhopops]

I loved Master Mode because it forces you to use the environment more, to create space so you can focus on one enemy at a time. Normal becomes too easy after maybe 1/3 of the game while MM starts maybe a little too hard but remains challenging.

Some mechanics which are a little pointless on Normal (like sneakstrike, stealth buff food) become necessary to clean camps or kill spotters.

Durability also becomes less of an issue once you reach silver / gold enemies since they use strong weapons with modifiers. It’s definitely more balanced around the middle to late game.

 

[Ezquimacore]

Master mode is amazing tbh, the great plateau becomes a real challenge and you learn to use other aspects of the game like drowning bokoblins, using korok leaf, using bombs etc. Then after that, when you're in Hyrule and the loot becomes more important. The game gives you all the tools to be amazing, you just need to use a bit of creativity.

 

[Boss Man]

Had the exact same experience. Wanted to revisit what might be my favorite game ever but Master Mode did not feel balanced for what the BOTW experience is meant to be.

Maybe it would be a welcome change of pace if you were going to replay it immediately after beating the game.

 

[Jsisto]

Loved master mode. I immediately started master mode after my initial playthrough and made that my 100 percent run. Only issue I had with it was for me, the master sword dlc quest line was damn near impossible....gave up and never got the fully powered master sword.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Normal, as master mode seemed under developed and badly designed.

 

[AJUMP23]

I play normal mode.

 

[GymWolf]

If master mode only make the mongoloid enemies more tanky\damaging, then go with normal, you are gonna avoid combat after a while anyway since you have all to lose and nothing to gain.

 

[lastmessiah]

I've never heard of Master Mode, how do you enable it? Don't see the option anywhere.

 

[kunonabi]

Pretty much all the DLC is half-baked and poorly designed so yeah master mode didn't interest me much especially after how bloody miserable it was to 100% the base game. BotW's complete inability to provide worthwhile incentives and rewards for anything doesn't help matters.

 

[Hugare]

This game has so many baffling design choices ...

You are right about Master Mode, OP.

There are people out there that enjoyed the heck out of Bubsy 3D, I'm sure, but that doesnt mean that it was a good game. That's what I think about Master Mode. Feels like work, imo.

Go Normal Mode and dont look back

 

[Chronos24]

Im in the minority here I guess but I prefer master mode. Normal was fine but then it just became 'too' easy. That being said, master mode at the start and even about half way through has been incredibly challenging but I'm enjoying it more than normal mode. Everything I've done in master mode feels like I really earned it. It's also challenging me to be much more creative in how to defeat enemies or complete tasks.

 

[kingpotato]

It seems like you have to play hyper aggressively to prevent the monsters from healing, which removes a lot of the creativity I was allowed when they didn't self heal.

I feel the opposite is true, you can't just whack any enemy with whatever you have on hand. You need to think about the encounter, how to divide the mobs, use all your powers and manage weapons throughout each fight. Your right that it is not a risk free sandbox in master mode.

I've never heard of Master Mode, how do you enable it? Don't see the option anywhere.

It's DLC.

 

[daveonezero]

I played a few dozen hours of regular and then bought the expansion. And then started master mode after figuring out some combat.

Mastermode for me. I think the platforms and modifiers on weapons balance out really well when you focus on stealth, cooking and exploration.

I loved the beginning, late game and end game feel to mastermode.

It really made cooking and other mechanics more meaningful.

I loved Master Mode because it forces you to use the environment more, to create space so you can focus on one enemy at a time. Normal becomes too easy after maybe 1/3 of the game while MM starts maybe a little too hard but remains challenging.

Some mechanics which are a little pointless on Normal (like sneakstrike, stealth buff food) become necessary to clean camps or kill spotters.

Durability also becomes less of an issue once you reach silver / gold enemies since they use strong weapons with modifiers. It’s definitely more balanced around the middle to late game.

Exactly. Basically it starts out as avoiding combat or picking battles very carefully. Gathering materials and upgrades. Things like hilnox or lineal are almost a death sentence.

Then mid game you are going pretty well and slowly start to gear up and pick some harder battles

The end game you basically have all the arrows, food and weapons you could need and can play it like an action game.

 

[GasTheWeebs]

Master, easy games are boring. And Nintendo games are very easy by default.

Thank's god Fromsoftware rose the bar and influenced other studies to add a harder mode, otherwise we would be smashing de counter button to beat the game like Assassins.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I wish I could say master mode but the water boss regenerating health made me stop playing.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

I wish I could say master mode but the water boss regenerating health made me stop playing.

Thunderblight ganon seems like he would be a bitch with regenerating health

Can you just wait until you get ancient arrows and destroy them? No idea how much damage ancient arrows does to them.

 

[KingGhidorah]

Normal mode all the way

I'm not playing BOTW for the combat, the fun is in exploration and puzzles, it's a puzzle RPG

 

[Mister Wolf]

Thunderblight ganon seems like he would be a bitch with regenerating health

Can you just wait until you get ancient arrows and destroy them? No idea how much damage ancient arrows does to them.

I didn't have the gear I needed to get the job done.

 

[Kenpachii]

Trick to master mode is to get majora's mask so u can skip through huge packs of monsters and actually do the content.

I personally found normal more fun, master mode just feels badly tuned.

 

[DGrayson]

Just when I finally got used to and accepted weapons breaking, they added master mode where enemies regain health and take more damage and break more of your good gear. No thanks.