The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally arrives this week, and as players begin their journey it can be difficult to know whether they should choose to focus on upgrading Link's stamina or heart containers. Although Tears of the Kingdom brings many new things to the table in terms of its story and environment, the way stats work remains largely the same. While both a larger stamina wheel and increased heart containers provide benefits in their own way, in the long run, one of them will be better to focus on.
In order to increase heart containers or the stamina wheel, players will need to venture to the shrines that are scattered across Hyrule. After completing a shrine, Link will be rewarded with one Light of Blessing; once he's acquired four, they can be exchanged at a Goddess Statue for either a heart container or stamina vessel. Stamina vessels will increase Link's wheel in Tears of the Kingdom by one-fifth, and containers are a full new heart.
Why Stamina Is Better Than Hearts In Tears of the Kingdom
Overall, it is better for players to focus on increasing Link's stamina. This is largely due to the many new abilities in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that utilize the stat - for example, Ascend, which can be incredibly useful for exploration of higher places. Stamina's usefulness is further compounded by the new, elevated environments within the game. The title has a large amount of verticality, with some locales placed high in the sky that can only be reached via glider, which can require large amounts of stamina.
Stamina Is Needed For The Master Sword In Tears Of The Kingdom
Exploration aside, there is one more very important reason for players to increase their stamina in the game: accessing the Master Sword. Link will once again be able to wield the magical weapon in Tears of the Kingdom, but only after retrieving it from the head of a light dragon. Players will need a large amount of stamina - at least two full wheels - in order to do this successfully, making the stat paramount to advancing the story and saving the kingdom.
Of course, this doesn't mean players should ignore increasing their Heart Containers completely. While stamina is no doubt the more important choice when it comes to exploration and working towards wielding the Master Sword, it's also important for Link to have enough health to confidently tackle the many enemies he'll meet along the way. At the end of the day, there's truly no wrong way to play - part of the fun of games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the freedom offered to players in terms of progression, allowing fans to level up Link on their own terms.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube