You’ve probably been there. You’ve scoured every inch of the Faron Woods, survived the heat of Eldin, and did that annoying minecart trick in Lanayru. You check your health bar, expecting that beautiful, symmetric row of twenty hearts, only to find... you're short.
Wait.
There are 24 Heart Pieces and 6 full Heart Containers from bosses. Do the math. $6 + (24 / 4) = 12$. Add the starting 6 hearts and you’re at 18. Where are the other two?
Basically, you can't actually "max out" your health permanently in this game. To get those last two slots filled, you need the skyward sword life medal. It’s a bit of a weird mechanic for a Zelda game, honestly. Most titles let you just have your health once you earn it. Here? You have to pay "rent" in the form of your inventory space.
How the Skyward Sword Life Medal Actually Works
The Life Medal is a passive item. You don't "use" it like a potion or a bomb. You just let it sit in your Adventure Pouch. As long as it’s sitting there, tucked between your shield and your bug net, you get one extra heart container added to your life bar.
If you take it out and put it in the Item Check at the Bazaar? Poof. The heart vanishes.
It doesn't just empty the heart; the entire container container disappears from the UI. This creates a genuine tactical dilemma. Is one extra heart worth one of your limited pouch slots? In the early game, maybe not. But when you’re facing off against Demise and every hit counts, those two extra slots—assuming you get both medals—can be the difference between a Game Over and a victory lap.
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There are exactly two of these medals in the entire game. You can’t stack ten of them and become invincible. Nintendo wasn't going to let us break the game that easily.
Where to Find Both Life Medals
Most players stumble upon the first one pretty early, but the second one? That’s tucked away behind one of those "wait, how do I get up there?" moments.
Beedle’s Overpriced Shop
The first skyward sword life medal is available almost as soon as you have a decent-sized wallet. Beedle sells it in his Airshop for 800 Rupees.
Now, 800 isn't pocket change. You’ll need at least the Big Wallet just to hold the cash. Kinda annoying, right? Pro tip: if you finish Beedle’s side quest (finding his lost beetle), he’ll give you a one-time 50% discount on any item. Don’t waste that on a 100-rupee wallet upgrade. Use it on the Life Medal or the even more expensive Heart Piece.
The Lanayru Desert Goddess Cube
The second medal is much easier to miss. You have to activate a specific Goddess Cube in the Lanayru Desert.
- Head to the Lanayru Mine entrance area.
- Look for the high, sandy platforms that you can only reach via Clawshot.
- Once you hit the Cube, a chest will appear way up in the sky.
- You’ll find the chest on an island northwest of Fun Fun Island.
If you haven't been keeping up with your Goddess Cubes, you might reach the end of the game and wonder why your health bar looks "incomplete." This is why.
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Is the Cursed Medal a Dealbreaker?
Here is a weird nuance that trips people up. There’s another item called the Cursed Medal. It makes treasures and rupees drop like crazy, but it "locks" your pouch. You can’t open it to grab a potion or change your shield.
Surprisingly, the skyward sword life medal still works while you’re cursed.
Because the Life Medal is a "static" or passive boost, the curse doesn't deactivate it. You keep your extra hearts. You just can't take the medal out or put a new one in until you ditch the Cursed Medal at the Item Check. It’s a niche interaction, but for those of us doing "Hero Mode" runs, it's actually a lifesaver. You get the loot bonus and the health bonus, assuming you have the guts to play without potions.
The Pouch Space Dilemma
Honestly, the biggest frustration with the Life Medals is the inventory management. By the end of the game, your pouch is crowded. You’ve got:
- A Shield (obviously).
- Five Bottles (if you’ve found them all).
- Maybe a Seed Satchel or Quiver.
If you carry both Life Medals, you’re losing two slots. In Skyward Sword HD on the Switch, the controls are smoother, but the math is the same. You have to decide if 20 hearts and 3 bottles are better than 18 hearts and 5 bottles.
Mathematically? The bottles usually win. A single Guardian Potion++ or even a standard Red Potion restores way more than two hearts. But there’s a psychological thing about seeing that health bar filled to the edge of the screen. It just feels... right.
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Why "Life Medals" Exist at All
Nintendo likely did this to balance the "Hero Mode." In Hero Mode, you take double damage and hearts don't drop in the wild. You rely entirely on medals and potions. By making the skyward sword life medal a pouch item, the developers forced a choice: do you want more raw health, or do you want the "Heart Medal" which actually makes hearts appear on the ground?
You can't have everything. Well, you can, but you won't have room for a shield. And good luck fighting Ghirahim without a shield.
Final Tactics for Your Adventure
If you’re aiming for a 100% completion run, you need these. Period.
Start by grinding some rupees early—hit those Great Sky Fun mini-games or just break every jar in the Knight Academy. Buy the first medal from Beedle before you hit the halfway point of the game. It makes the Ancient Cistern boss fight way less stressful.
For the second one, don't wait until the very end. As soon as you get the Clawshots, go back to the desert. The island northwest of Fun Fun Island is a quick flight.
Next Steps for Your Save File:
Check your Adventure Pouch right now. If you have open slots and 800 Rupees, go find Beedle. If you’re at 18 hearts and your pouch is full of junk like the "Rupee Medal," swap it out. A full health bar isn't just for show; it's your margin for error when things get messy in the Sealed Grounds.