There's no question about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being an unorthodox game. It broke tons of Zelda conventions. Zelda: Breath of the Wild featured dozens of melee and ranged weapons, remarkable new powers that Link could wield, and a level of open-world freedom unprecedented in The Legend of Zelda. The litany of risky changes that Nintendo made paid off, though. Breath of the Wild became one of the most acclaimed Zelda titles in the franchise's history thanks to its bold changes. However, it didn't just give up some traditional mechanics to get there—it also skipped some significant parts of Zelda lore.
In most Zelda games, the Master Sword plays a central role. The artifact almost always becomes Link's weapon of choice and plays some part in defeating or magically sealing whatever evil force threatens the Zelda world. There's a much more powerful artifact that didn't play a role in Breath of the Wild, though: the Triforce. This symbol of divine power not only gives its wielder incredible power, but it binds several of The Legend of Zelda's central characters together. Since all three of those characters seem to still be at the heart of Breath of the Wild and its upcoming sequel, Nintendo ought to restore the Triforce to its traditional place of importance in Breath of the Wild 2.
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Anyone who's played a traditional Zelda game probably knows about the usual distribution of the three pieces of the mysterious Triforce. Link carries the Triforce of Courage, Zelda protects the Triforce of Wisdom, and Ganon lays claim to the Triforce of Power. When these three golden pieces are united, they create a divine artifact that can grant any wish. Even when Ganon isn't the main antagonist of a Zelda game, it often focuses on a struggle for control over the completed Triforce and the practically limitless power that it can bestow upon the wielder.
Interestingly, Breath of the Wild opted for a totally different type of plot. Rather than focusing on Ganon or a similar powerful being trying to take control of the Triforce, Breath of the Wild's antagonist is Calamity Ganon. The Calamity is a more primal and eldritch antagonist than most depictions of Ganon. Its relentless attack on Hyrule is very different from many of Ganondorf's elaborate schemes to control Hyrule and gain the Triforce in games like Ocarina of Time. It's not a surprise that Nintendo didn't put the Triforce in Breath of the Wild because Nintendo wrote a plot that didn't really need the Triforce.
Even so, the Triforce clearly isn't lost to history in Breath of the Wild, since the image of the Triforce appears in various places in Breath of the Wild. Clearly, the concept of the Triforce isn't lost to time, even though the game takes place many thousands of years after previous Zelda games. If the people of Hyrule remember the symbol of the Triforce, then do they know what's become of the Triforce itself? Questions like these prove that Nintendo has plenty of reason to revive this crucial Zelda artifact in Breath of the Wild 2.
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There's a lot of reasons that Breath of the Wild 2 could be the right time to bring back the Triforce. For one thing, the whole Triforce symbol appeared on Zelda's hand in the battle with Calamity Ganon. It's unclear what that implies, but it could mean that Zelda carries the entire Triforce but simply doesn't have total control over it. That'd be a pretty major change in Zelda lore and its traditional divisions of the Triforce. If that's what Nintendo has in mind, then there's room for a rich storyline about Zelda's journey to protect and master the Triforce in Breath of the Wild 2.
The potential return of Ganondorf is also a good reason to bring back the Triforce. Although Ganon often wants the artifact, his Gerudo form in Ganondorf is usually particularly relentless and cunning when it comes to hunting down the Triforce. Therefore, Breath of the Wild 2 would benefit from bringing back Ganondorf's coveted prize as a motivation for his attacks on Hyrule from beyond the grave. Zelda might be in Ganondorf's clutches again, which would particularly make sense if Ganondorf knows that Zelda is hiding the Triforce from him.
However, another Ganondorf theory also encourages the Triforce's revival. Many Breath of the Wild 2 theorists foresee a Ganondorf redemption arc, crediting him for stopping Calamity Ganon the first time. If Ganondorf is allied with Link and Zelda, then it'd make sense if his share of the Triforce is now permanently united with Link's and Zelda's, resulting in a whole Triforce in Zelda's possession. Link and Ganondorf might be working together in Breath of the Wild 2 to find Zelda and protect her and the unified Triforce from whatever dark force is really responsible for Calamity Ganon.
Breath of the Wild 2 could have one more reason to involve the Triforce. Some Zelda fans believe BotW 2 marks the end of the Zelda timeline. If Nintendo intends to break the Zelda cycle with the BotW sequel, then it'd make sense for the Triforce to reappear—and to be destroyed. The only way that the endless generations of struggle over this divine artifact can end is if there's no more Triforce to fight over. Ganondorf theoretically breaking free from his destiny as the demon king Demise's heir could also mean a permanent end to generations of war over the Triforce. Maybe Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf will realize that the only way to protect the Triforce from Demise is to destroy it.
If Nintendo does intend to end the Zelda timeline in the Breath of the Wild sequel, then such a dramatic end would make sense. As central as the Triforce is to The Legend of Zelda's world, it's also a rather frightening thing, considering the godlike power that it bestows on anyone who can put its pieces together. At the very least, the Triforce's historic importance begs for it to make a proper appearance in Breath of the Wild 2. Even if it isn't destroyed, it may be the only thing that can stop whatever force is literally upheaving Hyrule piece by piece.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 releases for Nintendo Switch in 2022.
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