Heart Containers

0:13 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has 8 Heart Containers, one left by the boss of each of the eight main dungeons, and each adds one heart to Link's life. The other 9 hearts come from the 36 Pieces of Heart, four to a heart, so Link goes from the 3 hearts he starts with to a maximum of 20. IGN's guide of Sep 19, 2026 sets out that sum: "There are eight heart containers earned from defeating the game's various dungeon bosses. Make sure you grab these so that combined with the 36 heart pieces, you can reach a full 20 hearts." Nintendo has not said whether the Nintendo Switch 2 remake (Nov 5, 2026) changes any of these numbers, as of Oct 20, 2026.

Quick facts

All 8 Heart Containers

Each main dungeon ends with a boss, and each boss leaves a Heart Container beside the blue light that carries Link out. The hearts column assumes the usual dungeon order and no Pieces of Heart.

19:52 The first comes early. In Wilson108's video of a first-time player, Ellie beats Gohma inside the Great Deku Tree: "A victorious Ellie snagged her heart container and teleported back outside", and the Deku Tree goes on to tell her of the three goddesses. Every fight, with what each boss is weak to, is on Bosses.

3:43 A Heart Container is easy to walk past, because the blue light that ends the dungeon appears at the same time. Zelda Dungeon's walkthrough stops Link after Phantom Ganon: "before you step into the light you might want to go grab the heart container that is left behind by the boss; this will increase your life by one whole heart."

Ganon's Castle has no Heart Container: Ganondorf and Ganon end the game. The mini-dungeons (Bottom of the Well, Ice Cavern and Gerudo Training Ground) have none either, though the Ice Cavern holds a Piece of Heart.

How hearts add up to 20

7:25 Every fourth Piece of Heart becomes a full Heart Container on the spot. In Zelda Dungeon's walkthrough, lighting the torches by the waterfall in Zora's Domain fast enough brings up a chest with "the 12th heart piece", which "will increase your life by another whole heart container". The 36 pieces make 9 hearts; with the 8 boss containers and the 3 starting hearts, that is 20, the most Link can have.

Many of the pieces come from side quests and minigames, and one from the House of Skulltula for 50 Gold Skulltulas. Where each of the 36 is, in order, is on Pieces of Heart; all that a 100 percent file needs is on How Long to Beat.

What more hearts change

12:45 More hearts mean more than surviving more hits. In Death Mountain Crater and the Fire Temple, Link without the Goron Tunic has a timer before the heat overcomes him, and, as HaskieGaming points out, "the timer is actually based on how much maximum health you have... as you collect more heart containers, you actually can run around those areas without dying for longer periods".

34:47 One fight grows with Link. Dark Link, the mirror image Link meets in the Water Temple, is "really hard if you've been collecting a lot of heart containers", PGReviews notes, because his health grows with Link's own, and he mirrors every attack when Link locks on. Its review suggests the Biggoron's Sword, the Megaton Hammer or Din's Fire to beat him.

7:58 The last upgrade to Link's life is not a heart at all. The Great Fairy of Courage, outside Ganon's Castle, enhances his defensive power, and Zelda Dungeon's walkthrough shows her message as enemies' damage is halved, which works like doubling every heart for the final fights (Great Fairy Fountains).

21:23 Fairies in Bottles are the other way to stretch a life bar. HaskieGaming explains that "if you run out of health and you have a fairy in your inventory it will automatically pop out and revive you", and that releasing it early throws the healing away.

Hearts in Master Quest

Master Quest rearranges the dungeons' puzzles and enemies. In Ocarina of Time 3D it is harder on them: KCTries' version comparison (Dec 7, 2020) notes that its Master Quest mirrors the world and makes enemies and bosses deal twice the damage, so a full 20 hearts lasts about as long as 10 in the normal game, and its harder Boss Challenge gives fixed hearts and no recovery items. The Great Fairy of Courage's halved damage matters most there. More on Master Quest.

Hearts in Ocarina of Time 3D and the remake

22:47 Ocarina of Time 3D kept the same 8 containers and 36 pieces, and its new Boss Challenge, a rematch mode in Link's bed, sets the hearts itself. In KCTries' comparison, Link fights each boss with a fixed set of 13 items and a fixed number of hearts, 3 against Gohma and 4 against King Dodongo, and the Boss Gauntlet starts Link at five hearts, with chests of hearts or ammunition between fights.

2:39 The Nintendo Switch 2 remake has a rematch hall of its own: Nintendo's overview trailer of Oct 14, 2026 shows a place where "statues of defeated monsters reside", where players can "engage in rematches with powerful foes", and Nintendo of America's article names it the Hall of Fallen Heroes. Nintendo has not said whether its rematches use Link's own hearts or set ones, nor how many Heart Containers and Pieces of Heart the remake has, as of Oct 28, 2026.

One change already known stretches the life bar: the remake adds a fifth Bottle. CBR's round-up of the previews (Oct 14, 2026) says a Castle Town shopkeeper asks Link to bring him a bug in a Bottle and then lets him keep it, filled with a Red Potion, which refills hearts (CBR). That is one more slot for a fairy or a potion than the original's four. The remake's other changes are on What's new in the remake.

Frequently asked questions

How many Heart Containers are in Ocarina of Time? Ocarina of Time has 8 Heart Containers, one from each main dungeon's boss: Gohma, King Dodongo, Barinade, Phantom Ganon, Volvagia, Morpha, Bongo Bongo and Twinrova; 36 Pieces of Heart make 9 more.

What is the max number of hearts in Ocarina of Time? The maximum in Ocarina of Time is 20 hearts: 3 at the start, 8 Heart Containers from bosses and 9 from the 36 Pieces of Heart.

Does every boss give a Heart Container in Ocarina of Time? Every main dungeon boss in Ocarina of Time leaves a Heart Container, eight in all; the final bosses, Ganondorf and Ganon, do not.

How many hearts should you have for the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time? With every boss's Heart Container and no Pieces of Heart, Link has 8 hearts on reaching the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time (after the Forest and Fire Temples); each four Pieces of Heart found add one more.

Does the Ocarina of Time remake have more hearts? Nintendo has not said how many Heart Containers or Pieces of Heart the Ocarina of Time remake has, as of Oct 28, 2026. Previews say it adds a fifth Bottle, which comes filled with a Red Potion.

Is Master Quest harder on hearts in Ocarina of Time? In Ocarina of Time 3D's Master Quest enemies and bosses deal double damage, so each heart counts for half as much, and its harder Boss Challenge gives fixed hearts and no recovery items.

Sources

• Zelda Ocarina of Time - All 36 Heart Piece Locations IN ORDER, IGN, Sep 19, 2026 (video)
• Piece of Heart Locations, GameWith, updated Aug 24, 2026
• Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Great Fairy Fountain Guide, TheGamer (Michael Christopher), Aug 24, 2020
• Zelda: Ocarina of Time Previews Reveal 6 Big Changes in the Remake, CBR, Oct 14, 2026
• You have been summoned to watch the new The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time overview trailer, Nintendo of America, Oct 14, 2026
• What Ocarina of Time is Like for Someone Who's Never Played It, Wilson108, Jul 12, 2025 (video)
• Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Walkthrough 07 (7/8) "Forest Temple: PHANTOM GANON", Zelda Dungeon, Sep 22, 2009 (video)
• Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Walkthrough 05 (2/7) "Zora's Domain", Zelda Dungeon, Jul 21, 2009 (video)
• Getting the Biggoron Sword - Ocarina of Time - 100% Guide, HaskieGaming, Mar 3, 2026 (video)
• Ocarina of Time Retrospective | Defining a Genre, PGReviews, Feb 17, 2023 (video)
• Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Walkthrough 14 (4/10) "Ganon's Castle: Shadow, GF of Courage", Zelda Dungeon, Feb 16, 2010 (video)
• Shadow Temple Walkthrough - Ocarina of Time - Dungeon Guide, HaskieGaming, Sep 20, 2024 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda Version Differences: Ocarina of Time vs Ocarina of Time 3D, KCTries, Dec 7, 2020 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Overview Trailer - Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo of America, Oct 14, 2026 (video)