Should you get hearts or stamina first in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

One of the tougher decisions that players will have to make early on in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is which stat to upgrade first, health or stamina. To start out, you have three hearts indicating how much health you have and one ring that indicates your stamina. However, as you progress in the game, you will have chances to unlock another heart or another stamina ring.

Naturally, players are curious about which of the choices will pay off in the long run. While there is no definitively correct answer to the question of which to choose first, there are some considerations you should keep in mind. Read the guide below for my recommendation on which stat you should upgrade in Tears of the Kingdom.

Upgrading health or stamina in Tears of the Kingdom

You will first have the chance to receive a heart container or a stamina vessel when you have collected four Light of Blessings from completing Shrines. You can then trade those blessings in at a Goddess Statue for one of the upgrades.

Determining which one you should choose first completely depends on your play style and skill level in Tears of the Kingdom. If you are a newer player who doesn’t fully understand the combat too well yet, I would recommend grabbing the heart container and boosting your overall health. However, if you’re a veteran who has mastered combat from your time in Breath of the Wild, then the stamina vessel is the way to go.

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For players between those two extremes who would consider themselves average at the game, I would suggest that you go with the heart container. Extra health will usually pay off more in the long run than extra stamina, as you will stay alive longer during your early encounters where the combat might be tougher for you. After all, three hearts isn’t a ton of health, and even some trivial enemies will deal significant damage to you.

So, to sum up, unless you are fully confident in your combat abilities, we recommend you upgrade your health and grab a heart container first in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Then, as you become better at combat, upgrade your stamina to fully balance your character.