Use this Ocarina of Time Heart Piece guide as the parent checklist for all 36 Pieces of Heart. The route is grouped by child Link, adult Link, mini-games, item requirements and late-game cleanup so you can collect hearts while following the main walkthrough instead of constantly stopping for side content.
Quick Overview
| Game | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time |
|---|---|
| Collectible | Pieces of Heart |
| Total Pieces | 36 |
| Full Containers | Every 4 pieces creates 1 Heart Container. |
| Best Route | Collect easy child pieces early, grab dungeon-adjacent pieces during the walkthrough, then clean mini-games and adult-only pieces later. |
| Difficulty | Mixed: simple pickups, mini-games, item gates, songs and adult/child route requirements. |
How This Heart Piece Guide Works
This is the master Heart Piece hub for Ocarina of Time. It gives you the route logic and checklist structure first. Later child pages can expand the exact locations by phase or area with screenshots, route images and mini-game tips. That keeps the parent page fast to use while still building a strong internal link cluster.
The best route is to avoid chasing every Piece of Heart the moment it becomes visible. Some are worth grabbing immediately because they are near the main route. Others are better saved until you have the right song, item, age state or warp access.
Fast Travel
Jump To Heart Piece Sections
Use these sections to plan when to grab heart pieces without slowing down the main walkthrough.
Recommended Heart Piece Route
Heart Pieces are most useful when collected alongside natural story progress. Early pieces make the child dungeons safer, mid-game pieces help with adult temple combat, and late pieces support the final route. The main idea is simple: collect nearby and low-effort pieces as you go, then make dedicated cleanup passes when new items unlock multiple pieces at once.
- Take easy child-route pieces first. Pieces near towns, early mini-games and obvious routes are worth grabbing before the adult phase.
- Delay item-gated pieces. If a piece clearly needs a song, bean plant, Hookshot, Longshot or adult access, mark it and move on.
- Batch mini-games together. Some pieces come from mini-games or timing challenges; do them when you are ready to spend a few attempts.
- Return after adult items open the map. Hookshot, Longshot and warp songs make cleanup much faster.
- Do final cleanup before Ganon’s Castle. Extra hearts are useful before the late-game boss route.
Child Link Heart Pieces
Child Link can collect many early Pieces of Heart around villages, mini-games and story-adjacent areas. These are valuable because they increase survivability before the adult temple route. The trick is to grab the easy ones without turning the first half of the game into a full completion detour.
Early Village and Mini-Game Pieces
Check towns and early side activities while you are already nearby for story progression. Some rewards require practice, but many early Pieces of Heart are close enough to the main route that they are worth collecting before becoming adult Link.
Adult Link Heart Pieces
Adult Link cleanup becomes much easier once you have the Hookshot and later the Longshot. Rooftops, ledges, high platforms and previously blocked routes start opening up. Adult Link also has better combat tools, which makes risky areas safer to revisit.
Hookshot and Longshot Cleanup
When adult Link gains Hookshot access, revisit villages, roofs, cliffs and route edges where a Piece of Heart was visible but unreachable. If a gap or ledge is still too far, mark it for Longshot cleanup later.
Mini-Game Heart Pieces
Several Pieces of Heart are tied to mini-games, side activities or performance checks. These are often the pieces players remember because they can take multiple attempts. Treat them as optional cleanup until your route is stable and you have enough rupees to retry comfortably.
| Mini-Game Type | Why It Matters | Route Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Target and shooting challenges | Reward accuracy and practice | Do them when you have enough rupees and patience for retries. |
| Racing or timing tasks | Often require route knowledge | Learn the path first, then focus on speed. |
| Trading or NPC tasks | Depend on story/area access | Handle them when the related area is already in your route. |
| Song or scarecrow-related tasks | Need setup before collection | Mark these early and return once the setup is complete. |
Items, Songs and Conditions Needed
If a Piece of Heart seems visible but unreachable, it usually has an access requirement. Before forcing a route, check whether it needs a later item, a song, adult/child Link or a mini-game clear.
- Bombs: Open hidden paths and blocked routes.
- Boomerang: Helps child Link retrieve or interact with distant objects.
- Hookshot / Longshot: Required for many adult ledges, roofs and distant targets.
- Magic Beans: Plant as child Link, return as adult Link for some elevated routes.
- Ocarina songs: Some pieces depend on songs, warps or NPC interactions.
- Rupees: Mini-games and retries are easier when you have upgraded wallets.
- Time of day: Some side activities and NPCs are easier to access at specific times.
Late-Game Cleanup Plan
The best time for final Heart Piece cleanup is after most major temple items are unlocked but before Ganon’s Castle. At that point, you have more hearts, more songs, better travel and better tools. This makes the final sweep faster and less frustrating.
For The Gaming Guide Archives, the next content layer should be child pages by route group: child Link Heart Pieces, adult Link Heart Pieces, mini-game Heart Pieces and late-game cleanup. That is more useful than a thin page for each individual piece.
Related Ocarina of Time Guides
Image Sources and Credits
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and related visuals are property of Nintendo. The hero image used for this guide is an official Nintendo Switch Online / Nintendo image already uploaded to The Gaming Guide Archives media library. Heart Piece totals, route requirements and progression notes are cross-checked against in-game progression and established Ocarina of Time reference material. Future child guides should add high-quality gameplay screenshots with subtle source overlays for exact locations.
Ocarina of Time Heart Piece FAQ
How many Pieces of Heart are in Ocarina of Time?
There are 36 Pieces of Heart in Ocarina of Time.
How many Pieces of Heart make a full Heart Container?
Four Pieces of Heart create one full Heart Container.
Do I need every Piece of Heart to beat the game?
No. Heart Pieces are optional, but collecting more hearts makes dungeons and bosses much safer.
Should I collect Heart Pieces as child Link or adult Link?
Both. Some pieces are easier or only possible as child Link, while others need adult items such as Hookshot or Longshot.
When should I do Heart Piece cleanup?
Do easy pieces as you pass through areas, then save larger cleanup for after you have more songs, items and warp access.
Are mini-game Heart Pieces worth doing early?
Only if they are quick for you. If a mini-game drains rupees or time, mark it and return later.