Hero Mode dramatically increases the difficulty of the game in Link’s Awakening. Enemies will no longer drops hearts or fairies making healing a bit tougher. Said enemies will also deal twice the normal amount of damage putting Link in serious danger.
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It’s a challenge that shouldn’t be taken lightly and even veterans will find themselves struggling to beat the game. To give players a chance there are some general tips and strategies to make things more bearable. A lot of skill is still required, but these tips can give players the edge they need to win.
10 Beat Normal First
It goes without saying that the player should beat the game on Normal first. There are multiple reasons for this, but mainly it’s to become familiar with the game. Understanding boss attack patterns, item locations, and even just the gameplay is key to surviving on Hero Mode.
Once the player has beaten the game they’ll be able to strategize their path moving forward and can be more efficient in gathering items and supplies. It takes a while to be sure, but it makes Hero Mode a lot more bearable.
9 Go Heart Hunting
Throughout the game the player should be keeping an eye out for Heart Pieces. Getting all of them, plus the Heart Container via Dampe will give Link 20 hearts which makes surviving much easier.
Heart pieces are also one of the few ways in the game to reliably heal on Hero Mode. It isn’t much, but having that chunk of heart can mean the difference between life and death. Finding all of them may require a guide, but it really is worth taking the time to track them all down.
8 Enemy Health Is The Same
Speaking of health, it’s important to remember that the enemies’ health will remain the same in Hero mode as it was in Normal. Their damage is double, but the health is no different and they’ll go down in the same number of hits in either difficulty.
As a result, players might want to play a bit more aggressively as putting the enemy down faster results in fewer hits. When those hits deal double damage the player wants to quickly end the fight and minimize the heart losses.
7 Visit The Fairies Often
Healing is a bit different in Hero Mode because enemies will no longer drop hearts pieces. The player can still obtain them by finding hearts in the wild, buying them from the store, or winning them at the Trendy Game, but it’s better to visit the fairies.
The four fairies located through out the world are more than happy to heal Link to full health. It might require some backtracking and extra travel, but they really are the most reliable way to keep health topped off without having to grind for resources
6 Ocarina & Mambo Song
Because of the travelling, it pays for the player to quickly obtain the Ocarina and learn the Mambo Song. This combination allows the player to be instantly teleported to the nearest fairy saving a ton of travel time.
Granted they’ll have to walk back to wherever they were when they teleported, but it cuts down travel time in half. It’s also a handy way to escape a dangerous situation when the player’s health is low mid-dungeon.
5 Blue Mail Is Key
Another key item for survivability is the Blue Mail. This item will cut the enemy damage in half which is major in Hero Mode. Because enemy damage is double what it is in Normal, the Blue Mail brings their damage output back down to Normal levels.
This one item alone makes a Hero run much easier and as such should be obtained as quickly as possible. The Red Mail can be nice for quickly putting down enemies faster if the player is skilled, but for most players the Blue Mail is ideal.
4 Get Crazy Tracy’s Secret Medicine
Another helpful item for survivability purposes is the Secret Medicine. Crazy Tracy will sell this to Link for anywhere between 28 and 42 Rupees. On Hero Mode even at 42 Rupees it’s completely worth it.
The reason for this is that when Link dies while the Secret Medicine is applied to him he’ll regenerate all of his hearts and the game won’t consider it a death. It’s essentially a second chance at life that can spare the player a death or be used as a one time full heal before needing to be reapplied.
3 Fight From A Distance
Speaking of dodging attacks, it’s important for the player to fight from a distance as much as possible. This gives the player more time to respond to threats and keep them away from dangerous melee opponents.
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Granted, the player won’t get their hands on the Bow and Arrow until after the first two dungeons, but as soon as this weapon is in their possession they should learn to rely on it. It’s also worth noting that it’ll cost the player 980 Rupees so it’s important to start saving up.
2 Bomb Arrows Are The Weapon Of Choice
Once the player has the Bow and Arrow it’s essential to start stocking up on bombs and increase bomb storage. This is because the player can equip both the bow and a bomb to launch a bomb arrow.
This attack is brutal against a variety of enemies and deals explosive damage. It also keeps the player out of danger when clearing a room which is key to survival. The player will go through bombs pretty quickly, but the benefit outweighs the grind.
1 Slow Down And Use The Boomerang
Finally the last tip recommended for players on a Hero Mode run is to slow down and take their time clearing rooms with the Boomerang. In many dungeons there are enemies who are seemingly impervious to all forms of damage, except the Boomerang.
Rather than jumping over and dodging these hazards it’s better to take the time to clear them with Boomerangs before continuing. It takes a while, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
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