Saving Hyrule from certain destruction is a demanding task, one that often saps all your existing heart containers of their life-giving energy. For a better chance at victory, you’d better collect as many heart pieces as possible – for every four you find, you gain one extra heart container.
Lucky for us, the 3DS version is nearly identical to the N64 and GameCube versions that came before it, so all existing heart locations carry over into the brand new release. They’re worth seeking out right from the start, too, as it’s possible to obtain quite a few before changing into adult Link.
So without further yammering, here they are in roughly the order you can obtain them:
The Lost Woods
01 – Stand on a stump near a target that’s dangling from a tree and you’ll find two Skull Kids eager to play music. Play along with them until you acquire the first heart piece.
02 – After obtaining Saria’s Song in the Lost Woods, re-enter the Lost Woods, take a left and play that song for the Skull Kid that rests there.
Lon Lon Ranch
03 – As young Link, find a shed in the corner of Lon Lon Ranch. Enter it, solve the crate-pulling puzzle and reveal a small hole into an adjacent room. Inside lies the next heart piece.
Hyrule Castle
04 – At night, bring the correct white dog to a woman in the back alleys. Said dog is usually hanging out by the bazaar.
05 – A Bombchu bowling game opens in the town square, and one of the prizes is a piece of heart.
06 – Another contest, the Treasure Box game, offers a heart piece as a prize. If you wait until late in the game, you can use the Lens of Truth to cheat, but it’s not really worth delaying.
Kakariko Village / Graveyard
07 – Visit the graveyard at night. If Dampe is there, play his digging game (10 Rupees a pop) until he digs up a heart piece. Make sure to avoid concrete spots.
08 – One of the gravestones has flowers growing in front of it. Pull it out of place, descend into the hole and play the Sun’s Song to reveal another piece.
09 – Plant a Magic Bean as a child, then return as an adult to ride the leaf to another piece of heart.
10 – As adult Link, you’ll acquire the hookshot from Dampe and wind up back inside the windmill. Look around before hopping down and you’ll see another piece hanging out.
11 – After obtaining the hookshot as adult Link, return and race Dampe again. Finish in less than a minute and he’ll award you another piece of heart.
12 – After completing the second dungeon and scaling Death Mountain, the giant bird will offer you a ride back down to the village. Take it, but be sure to fall down onto a balcony
13 – Find 50 Gold Skulltula tokens and return to the House of Skulltula to accept a heart piece as a reward
14 – After obtaining the hookshot as adult Link, you can zip over to a guy who’s hanging out on a rooftop. Try standing on the fence near the windmill.
Goron City
15 – As young Link, light all the torches on the bottom floor near Darunia’s chamber. This will cause the giant pot to spin. Toss a bomb into the top (from either the second or third floors) and eventually your prize will be a heart piece.
Death Mountain
16 – As young Link, plant a Magic Bean at the entrance of Dodongo’s Cavern. Return as an adult to obtain the heart piece.
17, 18 – Before entering the Fire Temple as adult Link, use the Ocarina to become young Link and then teleport back to the Fire Temple entrance. Plant a Magic Bean here, come back as adult Link and you’ll be able to grab two pieces.
Zora's River
19 – Grab the Cucco near the entrance and carry it up the river until you see a Piece resting on a pillar. To make the leap, hop with the Cucco in hand, then toss it at the last second to grab onto the edge. From the ledge, simply hop over to the Heart Piece.
20 – Near that heart you’ll see frogs lying underwater near a log. Play the Song of Storms to earn a heart piece.
21 – Later on, play every Ocarina song you know as young Link and the frogs will issue a challenge. Follow along to win another piece.
22 – There’s a heart piece near the waterfall at the end of Zora’s River. The easiest way is to just acquire the Boomerang in Jabu Jabu’s Belly and use it to snag the Heart Piece. Alternatively, use the same Cucco from the entrance.
Zora's Domain / Fountain
23 – Beginning inside the king’s chamber, light all the torches to make a treasure chest appear. The path of torches starts on a slant near the chamber, then turns sharply left, then out to the water, then behind a waterfall.
24 – As adult Link, the area where Jabu Jabu once rested (Zora’s Fountain) will be frozen. One heart piece is resting on a spinning block of ice near the back.
25 – Inside the Ice Cavern, use the Blue Fire to liberate a piece of heart held captive by red ice.
26 – After obtaining the Iron Boots, sink to the bottom of the Fountain to find one more Heart Piece.
Gerudo Valley
27 – As you enter the Valley, head left to see a Cucco and a cliff. Across the gap you should see a crate; use the Cucco to hover over and smash the crate to find another Heart Piece. You’ll have to dive down into Lake Hylia.
28 – Using the same chicken, head right and fly into the waterfall. There’s a hidden room behind said waterfall, which happens to contain a Heart Piece.
Lake Hylia
29 – As young Link, catch a 10-pound fish in the fishing pond. He’s usually near the center of the pond, not far from a branch that’s floating in the water.
30 – As young Link, plant a Magic Bean near the Laboratory. Return as an adult to ride the leaf and find the Heart Piece.
31 – Use the Golden Scale to sink into the Lakeside Lab’s pool
Hyrule Field
32 – Near the entrance to Lake Hylia you’ll see a fenced-in area. Place a bomb near the center of this grassy area to reveal a hole that houses a Heart Piece.
33 – Bomb the tree north of Lon Lon Ranch to reveal a hidden grotto.
Gerudo Fortress
34 – Use the Longshot to pull Link up to the roof of the Fortress.
35 – Score more than 1,000 points in the archery game.
Desert Colossus
36 – As a child, plant a Magic Bean near the Spirit Temple. Return as adult Link, ride the leaf and obtain the final heart piece. Remember you can warp to each temple with the Ocarina – there’s no need to hoof it.
DUNGEONS
Deku | Dodongo | Jabu Jabu
Forest | Fire | Water | Shadow | Spirit | Ganon's Castle
ITEMS
Heart Pieces | Bottles | Skulltulas | Equipment
