More hearts in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild come from Spirit Orbs, traded at a Goddess Statue at a rate of four orbs for one Heart Container.
Spirit Orbs are the reward for completing Ancient Shrines, handed over by the Sheikah Monk waiting at the end of each one.
The Exchange
- Complete shrines. Each gives one Spirit Orb.
- Find a Goddess Statue. They sit in most villages and settlements, with the largest in the Temple of Time.
- Pray. Four Spirit Orbs become one Heart Container or one Stamina Vessel.
Four shrines per upgrade is the rate, and it never changes.
Hearts or Stamina
This is the actual decision, and it is the same currency for both.
Hearts let you survive more. They are also a hard gate on one specific thing: the Master Sword needs 13 permanent hearts, and no amount of stamina substitutes for it.
Stamina lets you climb higher, glide further and swim across more. In the early game it arguably opens more of the map than survivability does.
Most players over-invest in one and regret it. A reasonable approach is stamina early, when traversal is the bottleneck, then hearts once you are eyeing the Master Sword.
How Many Upgrades Exist
There are 120 Spirit Orbs in the base game, which is 30 upgrades in total.
The Champions’ Ballad DLC adds four more orbs, from shrines that appear on the Great Plateau during that quest, for one further upgrade.
So the pool is finite but generous. You are not choosing between hearts and stamina forever, only deciding the order.
Tips Most Players Miss
- Orbs are not spent until you pray, so you can bank them and decide later.
- Any statue works. There is no better or worse one, so use whichever is nearest.
- 13 hearts is the number that matters if the Master Sword is a goal, so plan toward it rather than drifting.
Shrines are the backbone of progression in this game, and everything from survivability to traversal runs through them. Our guide to getting the Master Sword covers the one hard heart requirement in the game, and our full Zelda guides cover the series.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get more hearts in Breath of the Wild? Trade four Spirit Orbs at any Goddess Statue for one Heart Container.
Where do Spirit Orbs come from? Completing Ancient Shrines. The Sheikah Monk inside each one gives you an orb.
How many Spirit Orbs are in the game? 120 in the base game, which is 30 upgrades, plus four more from the Champions’ Ballad DLC.
Should I choose hearts or stamina? Stamina opens more of the map early. Hearts matter most if you want the Master Sword, which needs 13 permanent hearts.