At the beginning of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, almost all of Link’s health is cruelly taken away in one fell swoop. In fact, the game says he almost faced death. However, you can gain those heart pieces once back if you put in enough effort.
Here’s how to increase your health in Tears of the Kingdom.
The steps to increase health in Tears of the Kingdom
There are multiple steps you need to complete before gaining a permanent health piece in Tears of the Kingdom. First, you’ll need to find shrines all over the open world. They’re shining in green from a distance. They act as fast travel points, but once you’ve solved the puzzles in one shrine, they also give you one Blessing of Light. Once you’ve found four Blessings of Light, you can then redeem them for one heart piece, increasing your health in Tears of the Kingdom. You can also improve your stamina as well, but it’s up to you which is more important. You can upgrade these stats at any angelic statue. The most accessible one is the Emergency Shelter at Lookout Landing. It’s the location where you unlock your first tower.
The puzzles in each shrine will test your mental might. Take advantage of the items around you and try to scale up to the end of the shrines. There are also unique shrines that test your ability in combat. There’s even one that has you driving vehicles and ramming enemies in the way.
If you can’t figure out a puzzle in a shrine, there’s no shame in fast traveling out of the location and trying again later. Heck, even some shrines require you to have abilities you don’t have yet.
How to get temporary hearts
You can also increase your health by getting temporary hearts in Tears of the Kingdom. When you visit any stable across Hyrule, you can rest Link’s weary head on a bed. Go up to the stable master at the front desk and ask to sleep on a Malanya bed. It costs 50 rupees, but Link gains three extra hearts on his health bar. The horse god Malanya may also give you a mystical message that helps you on your journey. You’ll need seven horse points, however, to access it. You can do that by registering a horse and visiting a new stable in the open world.
Be sure to check out our other Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom guides.
