Defend Yourself With a Shield
Combat Tips for Beginners – Zelda Breath of the Wild
Link starts out with only three hearts, and while this is largely enough to tank hits from lower level enemies, there’s always the risk of you running into much tougher enemies when you’re not expecting it. In particular, enemies with spears seem to do a lot more damage because of how quickly they can attack, and getting hit by them can be extremely dangerous if you don’t have enough health to survive their onslaught.
To give yourself some extra survivability, you’re going to want to get a shield to defend yourself. You’ll get your first shield very early on in the game, after meeting with the Old Man outside the Shrine of Resurrection. By blocking with a shield, you can tank more hits from enemies, and wait for openings for you to strike. If you time it right, you can also parry attacks with the shield and get a critical hit. Shields will break over time, but it’s always safer to keep it up to protect yourself.
