How many heart pieces are in OoT?
Ocarina of Time has 36 Pieces of Heart. Every four make one heart, so they add 9 hearts. Link starts with 3 hearts and the eight dungeon bosses each drop a Heart Container, so the maximum is 3 + 8 + 9 = 20 hearts.
This list is for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Normal Quest). The 36 spots are the same as on N64, GameCube, Wii and Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online. Only the controls differ; the 3DS buttons are used below. Master Quest moves one piece (see versions). The Nintendo Switch 2 version announced for November 5, 2026 is a rebuilt game whose collectibles haven’t been published, so this list doesn’t cover it.
| Source | Count | Hearts |
|---|---|---|
| Starting life | — | 3 |
| Heart Containers from the 8 dungeon bosses | 8 | 8 |
| Pieces of Heart (4 = 1 heart) | 36 | 9 |
| Total | 20 |
Piece of Heart vs Heart Container
A Piece of Heart is a quarter heart. The text box counts them (“So far, you’ve collected two pieces”), and the fourth one becomes a full heart. A Heart Container adds a whole heart at once. You get one from each boss: Queen Gohma, King Dodongo, Barinade, Phantom Ganon, Volvagia, Morpha, Bongo Bongo and Twinrova. The Ice Cavern, Bottom of the Well, Gerudo Training Ground and Ganon’s Castle have no Heart Container.
You don’t need 20 hearts to beat the game; you can face Ganondorf and Ganon with any number. Extra hearts make the last fights easier and give you more time in the heat of Death Mountain Crater without the Goron Tunic.
Missing a heart piece? Check these first
If you’re stuck at 19 hearts, or the pause screen shows a leftover quarter, these are the ones players skip most often:
- The ReDead grave. Killing the ReDead does nothing. Walk to the steps at the back and play the Sun’s Song to make the chest appear.
- Zora’s Fountain has two. One is on an iceberg; the other is on the bottom of the fountain (Iron Boots).
- Dampé has two. The first race gives the Hookshot; you need a second race in 1:00 or less. The gravedigging prize is separate.
- The frogs have two. One for the Song of Storms, one for the bug-catching game, once you’ve played them five other songs.
- The Lost Woods has two. Saria’s Song for the lone Skull Kid, and the three-round ocarina game with the pair of Skull Kids.
- The Business Scrub grotto. It’s hidden inside the fence square by the Lake Hylia entrance, and the Piece of Heart costs only 10 Rupees.
- The underwater grotto by the lone tree in northwest Hyrule Field. On 3DS the Shard of Agony chimes there; on N64 the Stone of Agony needs a Rumble Pak.
- The Lakeside Laboratory has two. One on the roof, and one for diving to the bottom of its pool with the Golden Scale.
- Bean pieces. Five Pieces of Heart are easiest with a Magic Bean planted as a child: Graveyard, Death Mountain Trail, Death Mountain Crater, Lake Hylia and Desert Colossus. Buy beans from the man by the bridge at Zora’s River.
19 hearts with all the Gold Skulltulas?
The House of Skulltula only gives one Piece of Heart, at 50 tokens; the other rewards are wallets, the Shard of Agony, Bombchus and Rupees. If your Piece of Heart count is right but your total isn’t, you may have skipped a boss Heart Container. If you stepped into the blue warp without grabbing it, go back to that boss room; it’s still there.
The Market is ruined
The bowling alley, the Treasure Chest Shop and Richard the dog are child-only, but nothing is lost. Put the Master Sword back in the Temple of Time to become a child again.
All 36 Pieces of Heart by area
Grouped by area. “Either” means child or adult Link can get it. The icons show the items the routes use; where a row lists more than one route, you only need the items for one of them.
Lost Woods (2)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skull Kid on the stump Lost Woods | Child |  | From Kokiri Forest, go left one screen. Stand on the stump and play Saria’s Song to the Skull Kid. |
| Skull Kid ocarina game Lost Woods | Child |  | From Kokiri Forest, go right one screen and drop to the lower area. Stand on the stump, take out the ocarina and copy the Skull Kids. You need three rounds in a row; the third prize is the Piece of Heart. |
Hyrule Market (3)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bombchu Bowling Alley Market | Child |   | Opens after Dodongo’s Cavern. 30 Rupees a game. The prizes run in a fixed loop (Bomb Bag, purple Rupee, Bombchus, Piece of Heart, Bombs) and move on with every new game, win or lose. Check the prize shown before you roll. |
| Treasure Chest Shop Market | Child |  | Open at night, 10 Rupees a try. Pick the chest with the key in each room; the last room holds the Piece of Heart. Each pick is a guess unless you use the Lens of Truth, which shows what is inside. |
| Richard the dog Back Alley | Child | — | At night, walk into the white dog near the stalls left of the Hyrule Field gate so it follows you. Take it to the open door in the Back Alley and the owner gives you the Piece of Heart. |
Lon Lon Ranch (1)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silo crawlspace Lon Lon Ranch | Child | — | Inside the silo at the back of the ranch, pull the crates away from the far corner and crawl through the hole. The Piece of Heart sits on a pile of hay. |
Hyrule Field (2)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Scrub grotto Hyrule Field | Either | | Near the Lake Hylia entrance, four fences make a square. Bomb the middle to open a grotto. Beat the Deku Scrub and buy the Piece of Heart for 10 Rupees. |
| Underwater grotto by the lone tree Hyrule Field | Either |   | Northwest of Lon Lon Ranch, between Hyrule Castle and Gerudo Valley, the Shard of Agony chimes next to a lone tree. Bomb beside it, drop in, and dive to the bottom of the pool with the Golden Scale or Iron Boots. |
Kakariko Village (4)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cow cage in Impa’s House Kakariko Village | Either |  | Get onto the ledge above the Cucco pen behind Impa’s House (glide with a Cucco from the construction-site ledges, ride Kaepora Gaebora down from Death Mountain, or Hookshot across the rooftops as an adult), then crawl through the hole into the cow’s cage. |
| Man on the rooftop Kakariko Village | Either | | Hookshot onto the roof of the Potion Shop from the fence near the windmill and talk to the man there. Children can reach him with a side-jump from the watchtower onto the fence. |
| Windmill ledge Kakariko Village | Either |  | Inside the windmill, the Piece of Heart sits on a high ledge. Grab it with the Boomerang as a child, or ride the turning platforms as an adult after Dampé’s race drops you into the windmill. |
| House of Skulltula, 50 tokens House of Skulltula | Either |  | Collect 50 Gold Skulltula Tokens and talk to the cursed family in the House of Skulltula. |
Kakariko Graveyard (4)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReDead grave (Sun’s Song) Graveyard | Either |  | Stand at the Royal Family’s Tomb and face the graveyard exit: pull back the second gravestone from the right in the row of five. A child can only move it at night. Drop in, walk to the steps at the back and play the Sun’s Song to make the chest appear. The song also freezes the ReDead. |
| Crate on the ledge Graveyard | Adult |  | Plant a Magic Bean in the soft soil on the left side of the graveyard as a child. As an adult, ride the plant up to the ledge and roll into the crate. |
| Dampé’s Gravedigging Tour Graveyard | Child | | From 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, pay Dampé 10 Rupees a dig. He has to be standing on one of the soft-soil patches, or the dig finds nothing. The first time a dig would turn up a purple Rupee, you get the Piece of Heart instead. After that, digs only give Rupees. |
| Dampé’s race (second run) Graveyard | Adult | | The first race through Dampé’s grave wins the Hookshot. Race him again and finish in 1:00 or less for the Piece of Heart. |
Death Mountain (4)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ledge above Dodongo’s Cavern Death Mountain Trail | Either | | Plant a Magic Bean by the Dodongo’s Cavern entrance as a child, then ride it as an adult. Children can also reach the ledge with a backflip from the Bomb Flower spot above the cavern. |
| Spinning urn Goron City | Child |  | Light every torch on the bottom floor (Deku Sticks or Din’s Fire) so the big urn spins. From the floor above, drop a bomb into the urn. It slows to a stop, and if the face turned toward the camera is the smiling one, you win the Piece of Heart. |
| Wall alcove Death Mountain Crater | Either | — | Walk straight off the ledge at the crater entrance; Link climbs down the wall. The Piece of Heart is in an alcove partway down. Without the Goron Tunic the heat timer is short, so be quick. |
| Top of the small volcano Death Mountain Crater | Adult |  | Plant a Magic Bean in the soft soil near the warp pad as a child. As an adult, ride the plant and jump off onto the volcano with the Piece of Heart on top. |
Zora’s River & Domain (8)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pillar in the river Zora’s River | Either |  | Glide over with the Cucco from the river entrance, snag it with the Boomerang, or float over with the Hover Boots. |
| Ledge by the waterfall Zora’s River | Either | | On a ledge in the corner near the waterfall to Zora’s Domain. Carry a Cucco up the ledges and glide, use the Boomerang, or float over with the Hover Boots. |
| Frogs: Song of Storms Zora’s River | Child |  | Stand on the log in the middle of the river, take out the ocarina and play the Song of Storms to the frogs. |
| Frogs: bug-catching game Zora’s River | Child | | After the Song of Storms piece, play Zelda’s Lullaby, Epona’s Song, Saria’s Song, the Sun’s Song and the Song of Time to grow all five frogs. Then play the note of each frog a butterfly lands on. 3DS: L, X, Y, R, X, Y, R, L, R, L, R, Y, X, L. |
| Torch chest Zora’s Domain | Child | | Light the five unlit torches with one burning Deku Stick at a time, ending with the two behind the waterfall, and a chest appears. |
| Iceberg Zora’s Fountain | Adult | — | In the frozen fountain, hop across the floating ice. The Piece of Heart sits on one of the icebergs to the right. |
| Bottom of the fountain Zora’s Fountain | Adult | | Put on the Iron Boots in the open water where Jabu-Jabu used to float and sink to the bottom. |
| Red ice in the Blue Fire room Ice Cavern | Adult |  | In the Ice Cavern room with the Compass and the Blue Fire, melt the red ice with Blue Fire. This is the only Piece of Heart inside a dungeon. |
Lake Hylia (3)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the Lakeside Laboratory Lake Hylia | Adult | | Plant a Magic Bean in the soil by the lab as a child and ride it to the roof as an adult. Or, as an adult, play the Scarecrow’s Song next to the lab and Hookshot up to Pierre. |
| Lakeside Laboratory dive Lake Hylia | Either | | With the Golden Scale, dive to the bottom of the lab’s pool, swim up and talk to the scientist. Iron Boots don’t count; he only rewards a real dive. |
| Fishing Pond (child prize) Lake Hylia | Child |  | 20 Rupees to fish. As a child, land a new pond record of about 10 lb and show it to the owner. Don’t use the sinking lure; record fish caught with it give no prize. |
Gerudo Valley & Desert (5)
| Piece of Heart | Age | Items used | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behind the waterfall Gerudo Valley | Either | — | Drop into the river below the bridge, near the waterfall, and climb the ladder to the alcove. A child can glide down with the Cucco. |
| Crate on the canyon ledge Gerudo Valley | Either |  | From the bridge, look left toward the Gerudo side to see a crate on a ledge. Glide there with the Cucco as a child, or drop to the ledge on the Hyrule Field side and Longshot across as an adult. Roll into the crate. |
| Chest on the fortress roof Gerudo’s Fortress | Adult |  | With the Membership Card, climb to the top of the fortress. Longshot to the chest, or play the Scarecrow’s Song at the gap and Hookshot to Pierre. |
| Horseback archery, 1,000 points Gerudo’s Fortress | Adult |  | Ride Epona into the archery range and pay 20 Rupees for 20 arrows. Score 1,000 points or more and the first prize is the Piece of Heart, even on a 1,500-point run. |
| Top of the stone arch Desert Colossus | Adult | | Plant a Magic Bean in the soil by the Spirit Temple as a child (warp in with the Requiem of Spirit). As an adult, ride it and jump onto the arch. |
What you can get as a child or as an adult
| Age | Pieces | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Child only | 12 | Lost Woods ×2, Market ×3, Lon Lon silo, Dampé’s digging, frogs ×2, Zora’s Domain torches, Goron urn, fishing |
| Adult only | 10 | Bean rides at the Graveyard, the Crater and Desert Colossus, the Lakeside Lab roof, Dampé’s race, Zora’s Fountain ×2, the Ice Cavern and Gerudo’s Fortress ×2 |
| Either age | 14 | Everything else. Some need a trick at one age: the rooftop man takes a side-jump as a child, and the Death Mountain Trail ledge takes a backflip |
Before the Forest Temple you can already grab about half of them. Plant all the Magic Beans as a child so the adult bean rides are ready later.
Minigames that cost players the most time
Frogs in Zora’s River
Play the Song of Storms on the log for the first Piece of Heart. For the second, you also need to play Zelda’s Lullaby, Epona’s Song, Saria’s Song, the Sun’s Song and the Song of Time so each frog grows. Then a butterfly lands on one frog at a time; press that frog’s note before it flies off. The first time, the order is fixed:
| Version | Notes |
|---|---|
| 3DS | L, X, Y, R, X, Y, R, L, R, L, R, Y, X, L |
| N64 / Switch Online | A, C-Left, C-Right, C-Down, C-Left, C-Right, C-Down, A, C-Down, A, C-Down, C-Right, C-Left, A |
On 3DS the ocarina notes are L, R, Y, X, A from low to high; see all ocarina songs.
Bombchu Bowling
30 Rupees a game, ten Bombchus. The prize loops in this order: Bomb Bag, purple Rupee, Bombchus, Piece of Heart, Bombs. The loop starts at a random point and moves to the next prize every time a new game starts, whether you won the last one or not. If you miss the Piece of Heart, keep playing until it comes around again. Once you’ve won the Piece of Heart (or the Bomb Bag), that slot pays a purple Rupee instead.
Dampé’s digging and race
The Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour runs from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, 10 Rupees a dig. Lead Dampé onto a patch of soft soil before you pay; anywhere else he digs up nothing. The prize is random. The first dig that would give a purple Rupee gives the Piece of Heart instead, so it can take many tries; after that you can’t get it again. Dampé is gone in the adult era, so this one is child-only.
The race is in Dampé’s grave as an adult. Your first finish wins the Hookshot. Run it again and finish in 1:00 or less for the Piece of Heart. With the Longshot you can cut the last stretch by grabbing the torch near the end.
Fishing Pond
Fishing costs 20 Rupees. Child Link’s prize is the Piece of Heart and adult Link’s is the Golden Scale; each needs a new pond record. The game weighs fish from their length, and the child prize cut-off lands in the 9 lb readings, so aim for 10 lb or more to be safe (the adult cut-off sits in the 13 lb readings, so aim for 14). Fish caught with the sinking lure set a record but never give a prize. If a fish you catch as a child beats the adult record, it becomes the record adult Link has to beat for the Golden Scale.
Horseback archery
20 Rupees for 20 arrows on Epona. The first time you score 1,000 or more you get the Piece of Heart, even if you score 1,500. The bigger quiver needs a separate run of 1,500 or more.
Goron City urn
After the torches are lit, drop a bomb into the spinning urn. It slows down and stops, and the face that counts is the one turned toward the camera, not toward Link. The smiling face gives the Piece of Heart the first time; later wins give Rupees. You can’t control where it stops, so keep bombing until you get the smile.
3DS vs N64 vs Master Quest vs Switch 2
| Version | Pieces of Heart | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Ocarina of Time 3D (Normal Quest) | 36, as listed here | 3DS buttons. The Shard of Agony chimes and shows an icon, so grottos are easier to find. |
| N64, GameCube, Wii / Wii U VC, Switch Online | Same 36 spots | Z-targeting, C-button ocarina. The Stone of Agony only works with a Rumble Pak (or a controller that rumbles). |
| Master Quest (3DS) | 36 | The world is mirrored left to right, but the 35 overworld pieces are where they were. The Ice Cavern piece moves out of the red ice in the Compass room to the room with the Map chest in Normal Quest. |
| Master Quest (GameCube) | 36 | Not mirrored; same Ice Cavern change. |
| Switch 2 version (2026) | Not published | A rebuilt game with changed towns and controls. Check its own guides once it’s out. |
The 3DS game also keeps the Gerudo’s Fortress Piece of Heart that young Link can only reach with glitches. It isn’t part of the normal 36 and you don’t need it for 20 hearts.
FAQ
How many heart pieces are in Ocarina of Time?
36. Four make a heart, so they add 9 hearts.
How many hearts can you have in Ocarina of Time?
20: 3 to start, 8 from bosses and 9 from Pieces of Heart.
Can you miss heart pieces in Ocarina of Time?
No Piece of Heart is permanently missable in normal play. Child-only pieces can be collected later by putting the Master Sword back, and Dampé’s digging stays available to young Link.
Do you need 20 hearts to beat Ganon?
No. You can fight Ganondorf and Ganon with any number of hearts.
Are the OoT 3D heart pieces in the same places as on N64?
Yes, all 36 are in the same places. Only the buttons and the Shard of Agony differ.
What is the frog song on 3DS?
L, X, Y, R, X, Y, R, L, R, L, R, Y, X, L.
Where is the graveyard heart piece that needs the Sun’s Song?
Stand at the Royal Family’s Tomb and face the exit: it’s under the second gravestone from the right in the row of five. Go at night as a child. Inside, play the Sun’s Song on the steps at the back.
Can I still get the Castle Town heart pieces as an adult?
Not as an adult, but you can go back: return the Master Sword in the Temple of Time to become young Link.