Zelda Botw 160 Update Top ›

Years ago, an anonymous user posted a sprawling, passionate essay arguing that a certain game (Xenoblade Chronicles) was not just good, but a "genuine masterpiece." To prove it, they claimed to have compiled a "Top 160 list of things that make it a masterpiece."

However, the post was a cliffhanger. The user listed a few points, promised to post the full 160, and then vanished.

This sparked a years-long inside joke and "mystery" in the gaming community. Users would joke about "finding the missing 160 list," analyzing the syntax of the original post, or creating fake "Top 160" lists for other games like Breath of the Wild.

The second part of the keyword "160 update top" refers to the holy grail: 160 frames per second.

The native game logic is locked to 30fps. When you double that to 60fps, physics glitches occur (ragdolls flying, arrows curving wrong). At 120fps or 160fps, the game engine usually breaks. zelda botw 160 update top

But in 2024, the community has cracked the code, thanks to the "FPS++" mod and the "Dynamic FPS" suite.

The most popular total conversion mod for 1.6.0 is Second Wind. It adds:

To achieve the "top" performance, follow this checklist for Cemu 2.0+ with BOTW v1.6.0:

Result: Buttery smooth 160fps exploration of Hyurle, provided you have a 160Hz+ monitor. The difference between 30fps and 160fps is staggering—archery becomes a dream, parrying Guardian lasers feels effortless, and shield-surfing down Hebra Mountain is hypnotic. Years ago, an anonymous user posted a sprawling,

If your request was literal regarding a "160 update" (likely referring to firmware or patch versioning like 1.60 or 1.6.0) and ranking the game at the "Top", here is an essay on BotW's patch history and standing.

Subject: The Final Polish — Why BotW Remains Top Tier Post-Update

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game defined by its physics engine. Unlike previous Zelda titles which relied on scripted events, BotW relies on chemistry and physics. The "Update" history of the game (through version 1.0.0 to roughly 1.6.0 and beyond for DLC) tells a fascinating story of a developer learning to manage chaos.

The "Secret of the Seasons" Update One of the most interesting changes in the game's life cycle came with updates that altered how the game handled DLC content and physics interactions. Early versions of the game allowed for a glitch known as the "Windbombs" or specific momentum glitches. While Nintendo is notorious for patching glitches (often referred to as "fun police" by speedrunners), they surprisingly left many physics exploits intact for a long time. Workarounds:

The "Top" aspect of the game's legacy regarding updates is that BotW did not need patches to be good; it needed patches to be stable. The game launched with a notoriously unstable frame rate on the Wii U and Switch. The "Update" narrative here is one of optimization. Version 1.1.0 and 1.2.0 smoothed out the framerate in the Korok Forest and during heavy combat.

Why It Remains "Top" Even years after release, Breath of the Wild sits at the top of "Best Games of All Time" lists (often cited in Top 160 lists on aggregator sites like OpenCritic). The reason the updates stopped mattering is that the core engine—the chemistry engine—was perfect from day one.

An interesting essay topic would be: Did the updates make the game worse? Many speedrunners actually prefer older versions (like 1.0) because the lack of patches allows for "wrong warps" and physics glitches that break the game in spectacular ways. This creates a dichotomy:

Note: The latest official version for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U/Switch) is 1.6.0. This update was released in 2019/2020 primarily to support the Master Cycle Zero DLC and The Champion's Ballad.