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The idea, especially in Fantasy settings, that older things generally are better. The swords left behind by an old civilization are better than those made by their modern descendants. Same goes for armor, magic, or whatever. Anything that can be described as "ancient" is better than its modern counterpart, as if people are regressing rather than inventing new technologies and improving on old ideas. In fact, this technology is so superior that it continues to outperform modern ones despite spending a dozen centuries half buried in dirt in a cave. This can be explained by a setting with Medieval Stasis: if technology is not advancing, then older items made by legendary craftsmen will be better than modern gear made by run-of-the-mill craftsmen. Sometimes this can also be explained by the so

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  • Older Is Better
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  • The idea, especially in Fantasy settings, that older things generally are better. The swords left behind by an old civilization are better than those made by their modern descendants. Same goes for armor, magic, or whatever. Anything that can be described as "ancient" is better than its modern counterpart, as if people are regressing rather than inventing new technologies and improving on old ideas. In fact, this technology is so superior that it continues to outperform modern ones despite spending a dozen centuries half buried in dirt in a cave. This can be explained by a setting with Medieval Stasis: if technology is not advancing, then older items made by legendary craftsmen will be better than modern gear made by run-of-the-mill craftsmen. Sometimes this can also be explained by the so
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abstract
  • The idea, especially in Fantasy settings, that older things generally are better. The swords left behind by an old civilization are better than those made by their modern descendants. Same goes for armor, magic, or whatever. Anything that can be described as "ancient" is better than its modern counterpart, as if people are regressing rather than inventing new technologies and improving on old ideas. In fact, this technology is so superior that it continues to outperform modern ones despite spending a dozen centuries half buried in dirt in a cave. This can be explained by a setting with Medieval Stasis: if technology is not advancing, then older items made by legendary craftsmen will be better than modern gear made by run-of-the-mill craftsmen. Sometimes this can also be explained by the source of the items being a Precursor race or Civilization, with the "modern" civilization having simply not caught up to them yet. Subtropes of this include: * Ancestral Weapon * Advanced Ancient Acropolis * Break Out the Museum Piece * Durable Deathtrap * Good Old Robot * Lost Superweapon * Lost Technology * Ragnarok Proofing * Super Prototype * Stronger with Age Partially Truth in Television: the idea that ancient knowledge is superior to modern knowledge exists in the real world, but it doesn't always work out that way. Bad Martial Arts has a page debunking this idea. It is also inferred in many pseudosciences like astrology and some alternative medicines: that these ancient knowledges and traditions have been around for so long. unchanged, must mean that they are better than modern science! It's the same logic as with the Old Master: if a tool has lasted for centuries and is still usable, then it must be damn good. Compare with Appeal to Tradition, to which this is related. This trope follows a standard fantasy motif that everything has been grander and more perfect back in ancient times: gods roamed the Earth, heroes battled huge monsters with legendary weapons and armors that can survive centuries to be used again. If our modern heroes are doing the same thing, then it feels logical that the in the older times, there were bigger heroes fighting bigger monsters with even more legendary weapons. Do not confuse with the Real Life nostalgia due to They Don't Make Them Like They Used To. Compare Stronger with Age when this applies to creatures. Also compare with Rock Beats Laser. Examples of Older Is Better include:
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