History Main / BreakableWeapons

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', all weapons (and armor) degrade slowly with use. Certain enemy abilities cause durability damage on your items, and some weapons allow you to use a powerful special attack at the cost of rapidly degrading the weapon's condition. Fortunately everything can be repaired relatively easily aside from the frail and unrepairable Crystal items. One notable exception is the Dragon Tooth hammer which will never break. This is because the Dragon Tooth is literally the tooth of one of the everlasting dragons, whose bones and scales are indestructible even if they themselves could be slain.

* As with many other recent AfterTheEnd SurvivalHorror games ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' has melee weapons that break after a certain number of hits. At least here though it's [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as most of the things your using as weapons are made of wood or rusting metal. Not to mention that [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge Joel]] doesn't go easy on them.

** In ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword]]'', Lyn's Legendary Weapon, the Mani Katti, has its uses restored between the two times when you get to use her, or a new Mani Katti will be given to Lyn altogether if you manage to break it in the first part. Arguably an example showing that even broken weapons can still be fixed (either that or Lyn just reproduced the Mani Katti somehow)...
*** Since the game's main story, which is part of the prequel canon for ''Sword of Seals'', starts with Eliwood in Chapter 11, and it's been some time between Lyn's 10th chapter and Eliwood's 11th chapter, it's assumed that it didn't literally break in Lyn's little story mode, even if the player did so while playing through that section.

** One could go so far as to say this series is renowned for this trope along with [[FinalDeath Permanent character deaths]] and a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters very large cast]].

* In the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series weapons become duller the more they are used. However, one can buy an item (or gather them from the environment) and resharpen the weapon back to it's original form during hunts. Also, when the weapon loses all its sharpness, it is still usable, albeit very weak. Rather bizarrely, you also have to sharpen blunt weaponry to the same effect.

** There is also equipment referred to under a blanket term as Barrows Equipment. There exists some incredibly powerful melee, ranged and magic equipment that belonged to immensely powerful warriors of days gone by, and you can go graverobbing to get your hands on some. They're the best weapons in the game...Usually. However, after about 15 hours of combat, they break, and require you to pay through the nose to repair. The PVP equipment released rather recently takes this a step further - Powerful to the point of bordering on being a GameBreaker, but they're rare, expensive, and once used for an hour in combat, it's LostForever. Jagex then took it to the ultimate extreme with the Hand Cannon. It's an uncommon weapon with annoying-to-get ammo, but under the right conditions, it can hit right up to 60 HP (and in a game where the maximum HP is 99, this is a big deal). However, seeing what trope we're in here, it should be obvious what it's issue is - Due to the [[SarcasmMode brilliant dwarven craftsmanship]], it can violently, and without warning, explode in your face. The 16 damage to your health will heal. The sheer fury of the weapon you were having so much fun destroying people with being suddenly LostForever will stay with you far, far longer...

* Several equippable items in ''VideoGame/PandorasTower'', from the main weapon chosen to the add-on items that enable various different attributes, to even normal collectibles destined to be used for ItemCrafting, are susceptible to being broken by extremely strong attacks. However, it's possible to repair them all by paying a small price apiece to Mavda in the Observatory.

* Weapons, armor, and shields in ''VideoGame/OneWayHeroics'' have durability, which decreases with usage. You can replenish it with Scrolls of Repair, or by using Quality Whetstones on weapons and Shield Repair Kits on shields. A Scroll of Juryrigging can fix everything in a jiffy, but it makes durability deplete faster for the affected equipment.

* In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', you can find the Glass Hammer. It provides a significant weapon damage increase, but it warns you that it has a random chance of breaking when used.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' featured the Giant's Knife, a powerful sword which broke after only a few swings -- though the hilt interestingly retained its great strength even when broken, taking only a considerable decrease in range. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' featured the Razor Sword, an upgrade to Link's usual weapon which blunted back down to its original form after a hundred swings. Both games featured a SideQuest to render these upgraded forms permanent.
** A variation also appears in ''Ocarina of Time'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', where wooden shields are destroyed if set on fire. As an added bonus, the Ordon Shield in ''Twilight Princess'' is LostForever. You can buy an infinite number of replacement Wooden Shields, which work just as well, but they don't have the same coat of arms as the Ordon Shield has. In addition, Ocarina of Time's Deku Sticks could be used to hit enemies with, but the stick would break on impact... rather reasonable.
*** Incidentally, there's a glitch in the game that involves using a Deku Stick in a jumping attack from a ledge which nets you a shorter, but unbreakable stick that you can swing around until you pull out another item. Useful in the early game when the sticks do considerably more damage than the tiny Kokiri Sword.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' gives us breakable shields with their own health meters lowered by improperly deflected attacks and for the wood shield being set on fire. A damaged shield can be repaired by [[GadgeteerGenius Gondo]] or using a special potion that's poured on the shield, and the Divine Shield [[RegeneratingHealth fixes itself over time]], but a broken shield is gone entirely. Gondo can also [[ItemCrafting upgrade]] your shields to make them more durable. [[spoiler:The [[InfinityPlusOneSword Hylian Shield]] you can only win in a BossRush is indestructible.]] The sword isn't easily destroyed, being of [[ForgedByTheGods divine origin]], but the shields can be destroyed if subject to too much abuse. This forces the player to time their shield bashes well so as to keep the shield meter up. [[spoiler:Ghirahim's {{BFS}} in the final fight against him is also breakable when attacked in the same spot several times from the right angle. Better do it quick though, or he'll just magically repair it.]]
* ''PuzzlePirates'', a pirate-based {{MMORPG}} for the PC, features this trope. Everything you can obtain (with the exception of currency, trinkets, ships, pets and some promotional items) wears out over time and turns into dust.
** Except for clothes, which turn into unattractive "rags". You can still wear them--no nudity allowed, even the cartoon variety--but they don't look good.

** The game's sequel was a bit nicer, having all weapons unbreakable unless a certain Sealstone was used, which also boosts their attack power by 300%. Odd, somehow in the time between the beginning of the two games, the ability for Normals to make unbreakables was lost.
*** [[ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume Covenant of the Plume]] does away with this entirely, though it makes sense - it's only humans using human weapons, and many of them are soldiers or mercenaries who would know how to maintain their weapons between battles.

** However it is justified with the Crossbows and the bombs since they are ammo based weapons anyway.

** Don't forget the Glass Gauntlets! (Er, Shards of Fate.)

* In the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series weapons become duller the more they are used. However, one can buy an item (or gather them from the environment) and resharpen the weapon back to it's original form during hunts. Also, when the weapon loses all its sharpness, it is still usable, albeit very weak.
** Rather bizarrely, you also have to sharpen blunt weaponry to the same effect.
* Early editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' had optional rules where a player who makes a very unfortunate attack roll could break his own weapon, or suffer some other similar calamity, at the referee's discretion. With 3rd Edition rules, players can specifically attack an opponent's weapon or shield in an attempt to break ("sunder") it, just like any other object or material.

* ''KingdomOfLoathing'' has a few breakable items, mostly due to them being of flimsy make, like the Palm-Frond Whip. Usually they have an advantage to offset their fragility; the whip, for example, deals a ridiculous amount of bonus damage when it hits.
** Another example is the weapon and pieces of armor making up the Antique Arms and Armor outfit, each of which has a random chance of being destroyed during combat, with the offset being that all of the items are some of the most powerful in the game.
* From the page quote, ''VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins'' and also ''SilentHill4''. The golf clubs snapping after a few hits was particularly irritating.
** Then there's ''SilentHillDownpour''. All melee weapons break after a certain number of uses, and there's one scripted event where the axe you're carrying ''always'' breaks and you have to find another. Thankfully, melee weapons are quite literally everywhere.

* The weapons in ''FarCry 2'' degrade over time, losing effectiveness. Eventually, they'll start jamming more and more often, and will [[ShurFineGuns blow up altogether]] if the player continues using them. Luckily, weapons purchased from the gun stores are always brand-new, and you get an infinite supply of replacements for any gun you've purchased before. Guns picked up from enemies, on the other hand, tend to be rather old and beat-up; it's better just to snag their ammo.
** The guns themselves are ridiculously bad, however. There is no way a dart rifle (with no propellant fouling) explodes after 15 shots. The actual ridiculing [[http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/Far_Cry_2 can be found at IMFDB]].

* Partially done in the PS2 ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' game ''ChaosBleeds''. A shovel, for example, will eventually snap (including if you bash it against a wall enough times), but since vamps are weak to wood, you can just pick up the handle and keep using it until it snaps again and makes a standard-sized stake, which you can then keep using until it is completely worn away. Metal weapons like swords never break, though.

** Vehicles will take damage to a certain point before exploding in a [[EveryCarIsAPinto fiery ball of death]] for all passengers or nearbystanders, but will not be reduced in performance or capacity for destruction. Damage is even received by running into too many other players, which makes sense, as [[OneManArmy Spartans]] are essentially [[PoweredArmor walking tanks]] with [[DeflectorShields shields]].
*** Partially averted in Halo: Reach since the UNSC Scorpion tank and the Covenant Wraith can both have their main cannons shot off with enough damage, causing them to be completely useless.

* In ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', certain moves with the polearm will cause Ezio to break it.
*** That doesn't stop Ezio from ramming both halves into the Enemy after a suprised look at the weapon pieces in his hands.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', all weapons (and armor) degrade slowly with use. Certain enemy abilities cause durability damage on your items, and some weapons allow you to use a powerful special attack at the cost of rapidly degrading the weapon's condition. Fortunately everything can be repaired relatively easily aside from the frail and unrepairable Crystal items.
** One notable exception is the Dragon Tooth hammer which will never break. This is because the Dragon Tooth is literally the tooth of one of the everlasting dragons, whose bones and scales are indestructible even if they themselves could be slain.

* In ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', you can find the Glass Hammer. It provides a significant weapon damage increase, but it warns you that it has a random chance of breaking when used.

On many occasions, the game forces weapons to break to keep players focused on the style of combat the developers intended; for example, it's quite common for weapons in a BeatEmUp to break (or run out of ammunition) so that the player must focus on barehanded combat. Another reason, often used in {{MMORPG}}s, is to act as a MoneySink forcing players to spend some of their money on repairs, especially for that InfinityPlusOneSword. Or it could be just a nod towards realism, though in most games the speed of degradation is preposterously high.

* ''SpaceRangers'' has a similar example in that all equipment wears out if used (so you repair bot will not wear out if your hull doesn't need repair, and weapons don't wear out if you don't fire). Also, if something is broken enough, it starts malfunctioning -- for example, the fuel tank starts leaking, making you waste fuel, and sufficiently damaged engine will slow you down to a crawl.

* In ''{{Forumwarz}}'', using broken items causes a temporary maximum health decrease. Fortunately they are reparable- for a price.

* In Westwood's ''VideoGame/{{Nox}}'' almost EVERYTHING that can be equipped, is breakable, whether on the player's character, NPC's and enemies. Each time the character gets into city, he should visit a smith and fix his worn-out armor and weapons. If he won't, they may break in the thick of fray. Even clothes have their HPs, so it is possible to strip someone naked.

** Melee weapons can break when struck with optional rules. There are even rules for ''how'' they break and whether or not the remains are useful (like the difficulty in using a broken-off axe head as a weapon).

* Webcomic example: In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', various gaming abstractions are a part of real life, including WeaponOfChoice, called a STRIFE SPECIBUS. If something happens to an item in the specibus while a character is wielding it that significantly alters it, the STRIFE SPECIBUS changes so that that character can only use it in that form unless the item is repaired. Specific examples include:
** When John fights his first imp in the medium, he accidentally destroys the [[DropTheHammer sledgehammer]] he'd been using, turning his HAMMERKIND ABSTRATUS into a HANDLEKIND ABSTRATUS until he repaired it post-fight.
** Dave's battle with his brother shattered his [[strike:cheap piece of shit]] [[KatanasAreJustBetter trusty katana]], since then, he's been permanently stuck with the 1/2 BLADEKIND ABSTRATUS, although one weapon, Caledscratch, uses time-travelling powers to revert itself to pre-broken state at times. He's also forced to break any swords he comes across in order to actually equip them.
** Equius is too STRONG to wield a bow, even though he desperately wants to, he has both a BOWKIND ABSTRATUS (for the off-chance he actually successfully fires an arrow) and 1/2BOWKIND ABSTRATUS (so he can wield the ones that break), though he usually sticks to [[GoodOldFisticuffs his FISTKIND ABSTRATUS]].
* In ''JadeEmpire'', your character's personal weapons are UnbreakableWeapons, but you can also pick up legs from broken tables and other improvised weapons, which break after a certain number of uses.
* In ''JaggedAlliance 2'', guns, armor, tools, and even ''glowsticks'' degrade. This is realistic, to a certain point, as guns will jam or misfire when degraded, and armor will not be as protective. However, it is incredibly aggravating to loot opponents' bodies and find guns that they have apparently left in a stagnant pool of hydrochloric acid for a month, which still fire perfectly for them! Fortunately, the {{MagicTool}}boxes needed to restore them to full condition are reasonably common loot and not that expensive to buy.

* Weapons in ''GodHand'' are good for about ten swings before they just fall out of your hands and [[EverythingFades vanish]]. Gameplay-wise this appears to be justified considering how much damage they can deal, and not having them break instantly would unbalance the game's NintendoHard nature.
* The player can pick up numerous melee weapons in ''MarvelUltimateAlliance''. They break after a few swings, but are more damaging than the default weapons which is quite a feat considering the base weapons include Thor's Mjolnir, Wolverine's adamantium claws, and Cap's unbreakable shield.

* Tabletop RPG example: the ''d20 Apocalypse'' book, for running post-apocalyptic games with the ''d20 Modern'' game system, strongly recommends that [[GameMaster Game Masters]] have pre-apocalypse weapons and equipment break when the player using them rolls a natural 1 (a "critical failure") on the attack roll or skill check. Mainly justified in that most of this stuff has been lying around without any kind of maintenance and probably exposed to the elements for a few centuries.

* ''DeadIsland'' features this, with edged weapons like machetes degrading much faster than a baseball bat or sledgehammer. It's possible to repair weapons at a workbench but this price increases exponentially if you use customized weapons.
* Weapons in ''DeadRising'' tend not to last very long, largely because one of the game's main features is the fact you're in a shopping mall stuffed ''full '' of potential weapons, so the breakages encourage you to grab something new on a regular basis.

* ''7.62 High Caliber'' has two different stats for weapons: Wear and Dirt. Both accumulate as the weapon is used, with Dirt rising faster (representing [[CaptainObvious dirt]], grime, carbon buildup, and other such byproducts of firing or careless use in a dirty environment). Dirt can be eliminated with a few seconds and a cleaning kit, while Wear can't be fixed without a weapon repair kit that can only be used when the gun breaks entirely. In both cases, a worn out or dirty weapon causes a higher chance for a jam (requiring a second for the merc to fix his weapon, which may take multiple tries).

* The GameBoy ''[[VideoGame/MakaiToshiSaGa SaGa]]'' titles (released in North America as "''[[Franchise/FinalFantasy Final Fantasy: Legend]]''" games) had this too, for ''all'' performable actions: shields, spellbooks, weapons, etc. The only one that did not have this was ''SaGa3'' which played like a traditional Final Fantasy game.
** In the Remake the weapons have durability also, but the [[spoiler: Mystic Swords]] can be recharged
** ''Unlimited SaGa'' has breakable weapons as well, but you can repair them in one type of shop.
*** In the remake of RomancingSaGa the weapons durability only dropped if you used weapon techniques in which you were far too underleveled to use, you could increase it's durability by tempering it, but then you can only use another material or the same material to repair it in addition to the initial fee. You could even reduce the durability to increase attack power.
**** Actually Weapon Durability plays a large role in leveling up a weapon, you first need to find harmonic material (Will be red text when you choose to smith it to a weapon) then you have to use techs. The more powerful attacks and weapon durability cost, levels it up faster, or you could use Blunt Strike many times in battle (Blunt Strike does no damage and has a chance to inflict Paralysis) and the same thing will happen.
* In ''{{Minecraft}}'' all the tools are breakable, the durability varying from fragile (wood, gold) to extremely resistant (diamond). However you can repair tools by combining two damaged ones, or you can just [[ItemCrafting make new ones]].

* ''SagaFrontier2'' has this. Each weapon is good for so many hits (except for rare/special weapons) and you must repair them at certain shops to continue reusing them. This is because the game universe allows people to use magic...as long as they're using "natural" weapons. As a result, the weapons are made of things like wood and stone. In fact, [[spoiler: one main character is unable to use magic at all, and as a result discovers the incredible offensive properties of ''steel'', which does not allow magic use, but absolutely destroys an army armed with natural weapons and magic.]]

** you can also make an anvil with which you may repair any tools by combining the item in question with the material used to make it. Given that it would take more iron to repair a low-on-durability iron sword than it would to make a new one, as well as the anvil having a random chance of breaking slightly every time you use it until it breaks completely, you'd best save the anvil for your enchanted gear.

** One could go so far as to say this series is renowned for this trope along with [[DeadForReal Permanent character deaths]] and a [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters very large cast]].

** Spell books are also afflicted. Even worse, if you miss with a spell or staff, it still loses durability. Weapons don't.

** In the games in the series that feature shapeshifters, they usually manifest their power through a stone with a certain number of uses. Said stones are usually in incredibly scarce supply and once they're broken, that character can't fight until you find a replacement.

* In ''VideoGame/{{STALKER}}: Shadows of Chernobyl'' all conventional firearms wear out from prolonged use, although they never break completely. The lower the weapon's durability, the more likely it is to jam, necessitating a lengthy reload (not a happy prospect in the middle of a firefight). Weapons with a durability of less than 30% become practically unusable.
** Some weapons also wear out ridiculously quickly. Fortunately, many mods reduce the rate of weapon degradation.
** Mercifully, in the prequel ''Clear Sky'' there are characters who will repair your stuff. And there are mods that add this into ''Shadow of Chernobyl''.
** Armor also degrades as it protects you from attacks and the environment, with the amount of protection provided decreasing proportionately with state. Interestingly, some attacks (shotguns in particular) are very bad at penetrating armor but good at ''damaging'' armor.

** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon]]'' has an item that when held in one's inventory nullifies weapon degradation. Also, one can buy character specific weapons like the Rapier and Wing Spear from some shops. Also, two used weapons of the same type can be combined into a single, more durable weapon between battles. There's also a single repair item, and Falchion itself, once you get it, is indestructible. (Amusingly you get the Falchion as part of the main character Chrom's starting equipment in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening,'' and yes, it's still indestructible.)

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}} 2]]'' had weapons that did not degrade at all normally, but a CriticalFailure had the potential to destroy a weapon, making it disappear completely. This was one of the many reasons that made the '[[BornUnlucky Jinxed]]' trait so unpopular.

* In ''JaggedAlliance 2'', guns, armor, tools, and even ''glowsticks'' degrade. This is realistic, to a certain point, as guns will jam or misfire when degraded, and armor will not be as protective. However, it is incredibly aggravating to loot opponents' bodies and find guns that they have apparently left in a stagnant pool of hydrochloric acid for a month, which still fire perfectly for them!

** Melee weapons can break when struck with optional rules.

* ''VideoGame/{{Einhander}}'' has two ways for your Gunpods to break- either by running out of ammo, or letting them take too much damage from wall/enemy collision and enemy attacks.

** Further expanded upon in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', where loading your guns with poor quality 'Surplus' ammo or over-charging your EnergyWeapons causes them to deteriorate even faster. You can put together [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Weapon_repair_kit toolboxes]] which can be used to fix stuff without needing a spare to break down for parts. New Vegas also introduces the "Maintain" threshold, a condition value of about 80% where weapon degradation doesn't affect performance (fire rate, accuracy, damage) until the condition level drops below it. The game also makes it possible to repair items to 100% regardless of your repair skill as was the case in ''Fallout 3''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}} 2]]'' had unbreakable weapons, but a CriticalFailure had the potential to destroy a weapon, making it disappear completely. This was one of the many reasons that made the '[[BornUnlucky Jinxed]]' trait so unpopular.

** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' had weapons that did less damage and jammed more frequently when damaged (heavily damaged weapons also had a chance of jamming when reloaded). They could be repaired by NPC for usurious fees, or, unusually, by scavenging parts from other weapons. If you've got two beat up 10mm pistols, you take take apart one and end up with a single 10mm in better condition (which makes a small bit of sense with firearms if the individual parts of the guns are in different conditions -- one has a better barrel, say -- but it makes no sense that you can combine two [[BatterUp baseball bats]] and end up with one in good condition). You could also [[BlastingItOutOfTheirHands shoot your ENEMIES' weapons]] and render them unusable by damaging them enough, causing your enemies to drop them. They could still be repaired or used for pieces, though they cost a huge amount to repair and don't repair other items much. Also, armor provides less damage resistance if it's in poor condition, [[StatSticks but it won't lose any of the bonuses it gives you.]]

* ''SuperSmashBros'' has multiple weapons that can be picked up that eventually cease to function. Some won't work anymore, but can still be thrown, while others simply. However, it isn't based on how many times the item is used, but how many times it's been dropped. The hammer occasionally loses its head when you use it, making the handle completely useless, although the head can be thrown a few times with devastating results. Containers, which release additional items when damaged, basically count as breakable weapons since they can be broken open on enemies.

** DeadRising also has a unique power-up system based around this trope. Instead of repairing the durability of these ubiquitous and disposable weapons, the player can collect books that multiply the durability whatever weapon is discussed in the book (e.g., a book about construction increases the durability of 2x4s, ladders, etc.). These books can be kept indefinitely at the tradeoff of taking up inventory space that could be used for weapons. If one has multiple books in one's inventory, the effect of the books is multiplied for whatever weapons are affected by both books; one of the game's best weapons, the small chainsaw, is affected by three of these easily found books, effectively making it the DiscOneNuke.

*** That doesn't stop Ezio from ramming both halfes into the Enemy after a suprised look at the weapon pieces in his hands.