With the various expected parallels between Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild, the most obvious case of such is the regional Champion powers turning into the Sage Avatars. While the Sages have an additional member compared to the four Champions, the general idea behind the powers presented is similar. Beyond the elemental similarities, however, there's a clear division between the execution of both.
Unlike the Champion powers, the Sages are almost always around Link in the form of Avatars, which mimics how these allies functioned during their respective regional phenomena quests by having Link run up to the Avatar to activate any of the five powers. And while this does make Link feel less alone in this dangerous world of Hyrule, it does create some obvious issues.
The Avatar Powers Are Annoying To Activate
Perhaps the most apparent difference between the Champion powers of old and the new Sage abilities is how they're activated by the player. In Breath of the Wild, three of the Champion abilities were activated by pressing buttons the player uses constantly, just in different ways. An updraft by holding down the jump button, a magical shield by holding the shield button, and a radial lightning attack by holding down the attack button, all of which offer natural extensions of what these buttons did prior to freeing the Champions. The only Champion power that isn't controlled directly by the player is one that offers a revive, and that activates instantly should Link take fatal damage. The powers became second nature to use, with how naturally they evolved from the basic controls of the game. The Sage abilities have completely ignored this simplistic yet effective angle.
While the Sages offer additional muscle for Link as he explores the world, their special powers are far less convenient to activate. Instead of continuing the same button-input method for these similar magic powers, Tears of the Kingdom requires chasing down a Sage—potentially in the middle of a fight—to actually use any Sage power. Yunobo's and Riju's Sage powers, the two most geared toward combat, often aren't used because of how annoying it is to actually use them. It doesn't help that the Sages tend to randomly vanish just as they're needed either, and except for Tulin's Avatar automatically appearing behind Link as he paraglides, these special powers aren't very helpful.
The Sages Are Not Stealthy
While the Sages are generally helpful as extra muscle in fights, avoiding fights with them is the greater challenge. Unlike the Champion abilities, which are only ever activated if and when the player decides, the Sages are practically always present as Link runs around Hyrule, the Sky Islands, or the Depths. In the darkness of the massive caverns below Hyrule, trying to sneak past the monster encampments is usually easier than fighting them, given the gloom effect that taking damage deals. Any and all plans on stealthily taking out the Bokoblins or sneaking past typically fail, however, as Tulin takes a shot or Mineru's mech starts swinging. A fast trip through an unexplored part of the Depths turns into a tedious detour.
The Avatars can be dismissed, which is akin to turning the powers off, but often that seems more tedious than just pushing through any unintentional fight. Forgetting to turn them back on can be annoying, and remembering they can even be turned off isn't much better. If the Sage powers were more straightforward to utilize, fights wouldn't be as much of a mess, but at least currently, accidental fights quickly turn into Link running around to either use the Sage powers to their fullest or just have them as extra muscle.
A Possible Easy Fix
With Tears of the Kingdom almost guaranteed to get DLC at some point, it's entirely possible that the Sage Avatars will receive tweaks that make them as convenient as their predecessor—the simple button combinations of the Champion powers. Other clear improvements from Breath of the Wild are on display in the sequel, and such an addition would be more than welcome. If changes that allow players to instantly use the various Sage powers at the press of a button without having to chase them around be added, this new heroic group will easily challenge the strength of the Champions.