What's the point of fighting monsters in Zelda BotW?

When I first started playing BotW, whenever monsters attacked me, I engaged in battle. But soon I noticed that:

I'm basically getting the same stuff back that I spend and break fighting them;
Shrines contain much better loot;
Zelda doesn't have an XP system like other RPGs;
Monsters respawn regularly, so I can't even clear the region;
Monsters can be a source of potion ingredients, but very soon you have enough of that for all your potion needs, ever.

Now whenever I get attacked, I just run away, or sometimes run straight through the monster camp (if that's the quickest path to where I'm going to), getting a few arrow hits but saving a lot of time.

What's the point of fighting free-roaming monsters or monster camps in BotW vs. just ignoring them? Am I missing something?

Solution 1:

In addition to all the reasons other people have already mentioned, IMO there is an even more important reason:

The entire difficulty scaling system in Breath of the Wild is based on enemy kills.

Difficulty scaling?

Difficulty scaling is the game mechanic that results in enemies and weapons being progressively replaced by more powerful variants.

It's why some Red enemies become Blue, then Black, then Silver over the course of a playthrough.

It is also why most weapons you can find in treasure chests and in Hyrule receive upgrades and modifiers (such as Durability Up).

The scaling system is based on a point system. Killing enemies is the only way to receive points.

If you don't kill enemies, you'll just keep finding low level enemies and weapons that will never upgrade.

For more details, see: https://zeldamods.org/wiki/Difficulty_scaling

Solution 2:

It's certainly possible to play through the game ignoring most of the monsters you encounter. However, there are certainly good rewards that can come from clearing them out.

Many monster camps are guarding a monster chest that contains a weapon or other rare item. The chest only unlocks once all monsters in the camp are defeated.
Even if the camp isn't guarding a chest, they usually have other resources nearby that are difficult to gather while monsters chase you. These resources include things like fish in nearby streams, ore deposits, or a set of weapons.
Sometimes the monsters are just annoying. I can't tell you how many times I stood still to enjoy the view or to get my bearings when suddenly I get hit in the face with a random Octorok spitball. Or a Lizalfos decided to chase me while I was chasing a Korok.
Sometimes killing monsters will save a nearby traveler. They'll thank you and give you a reward - usually some mid-to-high tier food. (Occasionally it will actually be a trap, and you'll be attacked by the Yiga clan instead... stay on your toes!)
Honestly, it just feels really good to beat the snot out of Ganon's minions. With the right combination of weapons, wiping out a whole camp can be super satisfying.

Solution 3:

You need their drops for armour upgrades. While potion ingredients are a secondary, rather minor boost, you need to kill a lot of monsters in order to get the best armour.

Bokoblin (78) - Hylian, Radiant, Soldier,
Moblin (27) - Flamebreaker, Radiant, Soldier
Lizalfos (174) - Desert Voe, Rubber, Snowquill, Soldier, Zora
Keese (116) - Climbing, Desert Voe, Snowquill, Soldier
Chuchu (87) - Desert Voe, Rubber, Snowquill, Soldier
Octorok (5) - Snow Boots
Guardian (15) - Ancient
Hinox (34) - Fierce Deity, Soldier
Moldulga (17) - Radiant, Sand Boots
Lynel (33) - Barbarian, Fierce Deity, Radiant, Soldier

The number is based on rarest drop required. You may need more kills if you don't get enough of the other drops (esp. guardians). Note that the base tier of most monsters do not drop it so you'll probably still need to kill more than listed.

Silver/white tier also drop gems, which again help for upgrades and also selling for cash. You need to kill enough lower tiers for them to start spawning.

Once you've got all that then there's no need to keep engaging. Indeed, items become available (purchased indirectly with more monster parts) that make the main monsters (bokoblins, moblins, lizalfos and lynels) ignore you so you can more easily skip them.

Solution 4:

As you mentioned, monsters are a source of potion ingredients as well as minor loot. While neither of these are an exceptional way to improve your wealth novice players may find shrines or combat with bosses too challenging. This is an easy and safe way to amass some wealth.

Players can also use these camps as practice. As I mentioned, for players who are new to gaming this is one of the safest ways to practice combat, learn the controls, or try out a new weapon or fighting style. While you may not find it personally worthwhile, other players might.

Lastly, the camps are for entertainment. If you want to experiment and see what is the wackiest chain of events you can create using a bomb or stasis this is a good place to do it. Plentiful non-challenging enemies can make for some entertaining fights.

The truth of the matter is not everybody plays using the same "optimized" methodology it appears you use. While you may find it important to only use the most efficient methods to acquire new gear or money, other players may not. When viewing it with this perspective, these camps serve as much as a source of entertainment as they do a challenge.

Solution 5:

In addition to the access to resources and items to upgrade your items as per Mage Xy and OrangeDog, the item drops that are useful for elixirs can also be exchanged for Mon at the Fang and Bone shop. This isn't an early game shop and requires you to complete a quest to access.

At this shop you can sell monster parts for Mon. Mon can be used to purchase items at his store most of which cannot be obtained elsewhere. The Mon-exclusive items are Masks (Bokoblin, Moblin, Lizaldos and Lynel), Dark Hood, Dark Tunic, Dark Trousers, and the Spring-Loaded Hammer. All these items have uses. The Hammer is also useful for completing the Hyrule Compendium should you not wish to buy its photo.

The only way to get Mon without killing monsters and selling their monster parts is with drops from dragons and guardians. Drops from dragons and guardians are more valuable and generally better used for other purposes such as armor upgrades.

https://zelda.fandom.com/wiki/Mon