8 "Useless" Video Game Items That Were Secretly GAME-BREAKERS

We've all picked up an item in a video game and immediately thought to ourselves, "Nah, won't be using that." Sometimes an object just screams out in neon-lit signage, "I am absolutely useless," and players won't give them a second thought afterwards.

But game developers generally know what they're doing, and items are typically placed in the game world with intention, well aware how players are going to respond to an object that seemingly has little practical use.

Yet every so often these pointless trinkets and weapons end up having a supremely vital and unexpected utility, to the extent that it effectively breaks the prevailing gameplay loop.

Perhaps they allow you to exploit your way through a tough boss fight, render yourself functionally immortal, or deal a phenomenal amount of damage far in excess of what the game probably wants you to.

Whatever the reason, these eight seemingly useless video game items all proved to be anything but. With smart, unconventional use, each was in fact able to snap the game over its knee in one way or another…

In the case of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time's Broken Giant's Knife, the clue's pretty much in the name.

Players who purchase the Giant's Knife from Medigoron's shop will soon enough discover that the blade breaks off after only eight hits - or just one hit against a solid wall, even.

While the Broken Giant's Knife can still be used in a pinch, it only deals out a pitiful 25% of its original damage, seemingly rendering it basically useless, right?

Wrong.

While battling the Dark Link mini-boss in the game's dreaded Water Temple, you can save yourself a challenging battle by just... whipping out the Broken Giant's Knife and hacking away at him.

Y'see, while Dark Link will typically jump onto your sword and deliver a devastating attack in return, he's unable to do that with the broken sword, because there's of course nothing for him to jump onto.

This leaves you free to relentlessly slice Dark Link to ribbons with little pushback until he finally goes down for the count.

Sure, it's a cheap and cheesy way to win the fight, but considering the battle takes place within the game's most infamous and controversial area, can anybody really be blamed for taking a shortcut? If you went this route, you did nothing wrong.