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Since first playing Halo 2 at the ripe age of 6, Noelle Roberts has nursed a healthy love of video games. Throughout her childhood she would become... Read more
Reviewed by Jeffrey Hsu
In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, players are encouraged to help Link regain his power, as all of his hearts and stamina upgrades are drained near the start of the game. Besides adding some narrative tension to a great introduction, this provides an excuse for players to once again complete shrines to obtain upgrade materials.
Much like in the game’s predecessor, Breath of the Wild, each shrine will give you one Light of Blessing. Every 4 Lights of Blessing can be exchanged for one Heart Container or Stamina Vessel. As there are 152 shrines in the game, this means you’ll be able to receive a maximum of 38 upgrades.
So which should you prioritize in Tears of the Kingdom: stamina or hearts? Stamina is a very important resource for actions such as climbing or paragliding, while hearts are what keep you alive in the many fights throughout TotK (which have a noticeable increase in difficulty from BotW).
In the end, it all depends on your own personal preference. That being said, in this article we’ll list all the upsides and drawbacks of both choices. We hope this article prepares you for each Goddess Statue upgrade you acquire.
WARNING: A later section of this article contains story spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom. Another warning will signpost the actual spoilers, but beware regardless.
How to Redeem Lights of Blessing
Various Goddess Statues, similar to the one seen above, dot the landscape of Hyrule. As mentioned above, you must obtain 4 Lights of Blessing from completing shrines to unlock resource upgrades.
Upon collecting these golden orbs, you may speak with a Goddess Statue to receive your upgrade. The statue will ask you whether you wish to obtain a Heart Container or Stamina Vessel, which is where the remainder of this article comes into play.
Where to Find a Goddess Statue
If you’re having a hard time finding Goddess Statues, reliable locations (pictured below) include Kakariko Village and the Temple of Time.
Kakariko’s Goddess Statue is in the center of the main circle of houses seen in the above image.
The Temple of Time’s Goddess Statue sits just through the large doors shown in the above image.
Pros and Cons of Hearts
Hearts and their containers have been present in every Zelda game. They’re practically a series staple. Quite literally, hearts are Link’s lifeblood. The more hearts you have, the more damage you can withstand. Additionally, you’ll be able to collect a heart container at the conclusion of each major dungeon. As a result, you could place just a bit less priority on hearts, if you wish.
Stamina can be considered a more useful resource in Tears of the Kingdom. It’s used in far more situations than hearts, including combat. Increasing your stamina is, essentially, more of a strategic tool than hearts, which are just a straight health upgrade. This isn’t to say hearts are a worse choice, however. In fact, hearts being a straight health upgrade is very important, particularly during the early game of TotK.
Pros:
- Keeps you alive longer, especially with Tears of the Kingdom‘s increased enemy damage.
Cons:
- Lessens your maximum stamina pool. Stamina is a more generally useful resource in ToTK.
Pros and Cons of Stamina
WARNING: A spoiler for Tears of the Kingdom is contained within this section’s pros and cons list. It’s only a minor spoiler and doesn’t say anything concrete about its context or circumstance, but new players be wary regardless.
As said before, stamina is more of a tool than hearts. Increasing your stamina increases the amount of time you’ll be able to sprint, climb, and paraglide. In addition, charging power attacks requires stamina, so you’ll also unlock more devastating attacks. Furthermore, aiming a bow while in the air (as shown in the image below) will drain your stamina, so acquiring more will help you out with trick shots.
Pros:
- Increases the amount of time you can sprint, climb, and paraglide.
- Allows you to unleash longer, more charged power attacks with weapons.
- Gives you the ability to aim bows in the air longer.
- SPOILER: Two stamina wheels are required to acquire the legendary Master Sword.
Cons:
- Keeps your maximum health down, reducing survivability.
Which to Choose & Respeccing
As said previously, it is ultimately down to personal preference which resource you prioritize. We would recommend upgrading hearts until you have around 10. Afterwards, prioritize stamina. However, each player’s needs will be different, so if you think otherwise then go with your gut!
Before we wrap up this article, it should be noted that the Horned Statue in Lookout Landing (pictured below) can respec your resources. For 120 rupees per exchange, you can trade your stamina vessels for heart containers if you find yourself regretting past decisions.
Join the High Ground!
That wraps up our article on whether you should pick heart containers or stamina vessels in Tears of the Kingdom. We hope you’re prepared to make thoughtful choices when asked by the Goddess Hylia.
Have anymore thoughts on this article? Feel free to leave a comment below or share this post on social media to let us know. As well, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for more The Legend of Zelda guides and gaming content.
Happy gaming!
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