You're running around Hateno Village, probably trying to figure out why Bolson is still sitting on your front lawn, and you stumble past the Firly Pond. There’s a weird, dark-colored statue tucked away in a corner. It looks like a Goddess Statue, but it’s... off. It’s "talking" to you. Honestly, the first time I found the Zelda Breath of the Wild cursed statue, I thought I’d accidentally triggered a boss fight in the middle of a peaceful village. It’s creepy. It has purple flames. It literally steals a Heart Container from you the second you talk to it.
But don't panic. You haven't ruined your save file.
The Horned Statue is actually one of the most useful tools in the entire game, especially if you're trying to pull the Master Sword early or if you realize you've dumped way too many points into Stamina and now a Red Bokoblin can one-shot you. It’s a respec mechanic hidden in plain sight. Most games put this in a boring menu. Nintendo put it in a sentient, slightly malevolent stone deity that lives in a hole.
Where to Find the Cursed Statue
Finding this thing is half the battle. If you head to the entrance of Hateno Village—the side with the general store and the dye shop—you want to look toward the cliffs near the village's residential area. Specifically, look for Firly Pond. It’s tucked into a small alcove at the base of the hill below the tall, modern-looking houses.
There's a little kid named Teebo hanging around the entrance of the village. If you talk to him, he’ll offer to lead you to "someone" special. He runs pretty fast, so try to keep up. He’ll lead you right to the Zelda Breath of the Wild cursed statue. If you've already found it, you can just warp to the Myahm Agana Shrine and paraglide down toward the pond. It’s a thirty-second walk.
How the Heart and Stamina Exchange Works
The statue plays a little game with you. The first time you interact with it, it robs you. It takes one of your essences—either a Heart Container or a Stamina Vessel—and refuses to give it back until you finish the dialogue. Once you get through the initial shock of losing a heart, the statue explains the deal.
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It’s basically a pawn shop for your soul.
You can sell a Heart Container or a Stamina Vessel to the statue for 100 Rupees. Then, you can buy back either one for 120 Rupees. This means the total cost to swap one stat for another is a net loss of 20 Rupees. That’s cheap. Considering how much loot you find just by breaking rocks or hunting Lizalfos, 20 Rupees is pocket change.
The beauty of this system is that it isn't a 1:1 trade of the same item. You can sell a Heart Container and then buy back a Stamina Vessel. This is how players "cheat" the system to get the Master Sword early.
The Master Sword Shortcut
If you didn't know, you need exactly 13 permanent Heart Containers to pull the Master Sword from its pedestal in the Korok Forest. Temporary hearts (the yellow ones from eating "Hearty" foods) do not count. Many players, myself included, spend the first 30 hours of the game dumping every Spirit Orb into Stamina because climbing mountains is tedious without it.
When you finally reach the Lost Woods and realize you only have 8 hearts, you don't have to go grind 20 more shrines. You just visit the Zelda Breath of the Wild cursed statue, sell off all your extra Stamina Vessels, and buy them back as Heart Containers. Pull the sword. Go back to the statue. Swap them back to Stamina.
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It’s a loophole. A glorious, intended loophole.
Why Does This Statue Even Exist?
Lore-wise, the statue is a bit of a pariah. It claims to have been a dealer of life and power, but the Goddess Hylia didn't appreciate its "business model" and turned it into stone. It’s been sitting there for ages, bitter and bored, waiting for someone like Link to come along and start trading.
The dialogue is surprisingly witty. It calls you "master" with a heavy dose of sarcasm. It’s one of the few instances in Breath of the Wild where the world feels a little gritty. Most of the game is about light and saving the world, but here is this dark, neglected corner of Hateno where you're essentially bartering your life force for cash.
It’s also a safety net. Nintendo knew that players might regret their builds. If you find out that having three wheels of stamina is overkill but you're dying too fast in the Divine Beasts, the Zelda Breath of the Wild cursed statue is your reset button. It prevents players from being "locked" into a bad build in a game that encourages 100+ hours of play.
Practical Tips for Your First Visit
Don't go there broke. If you want to swap five or six containers, you need to have a bit of a bankroll. While the net cost is low, you need the upfront cash to "buy back" your stats.
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- Bring at least 500 Rupees if you're planning a significant respec.
- Don't panic when it takes your heart. It’s a scripted event. You will get it back for free that first time as part of the "tutorial."
- Clear the dialogue. The statue is wordy. Don't mash B too fast or you might accidentally sell something you didn't mean to.
- Save your game before you start the exchange. It's easy to lose track of how many hearts you've traded and end up with a weird, uneven build.
The Limitation Factor
One thing to keep in mind: you can't use the statue to exceed the game's hard caps. Even with the Zelda Breath of the Wild cursed statue, you are still limited by the total number of Spirit Orbs available in the game. You cannot have both a full 30 hearts and three full wheels of stamina. The game forces a choice eventually, though the DLC (The Master Trials) adds enough Orbs to get you closer to a maxed-out Link.
There are also no "yellow" hearts or stamina wheels involved here. The statue only deals in the permanent upgrades you get from the Statues of Hylia.
Honestly, the statue feels like a secret that everyone eventually finds out about. It’s a rite of passage. You hear a rumor about a "demon statue," you go looking for it, you get scared for a second, and then you realize you can finally stop falling off the side of Dueling Peaks because you finally have enough stamina.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're currently staring at the Master Sword and it's kicking your teeth in, stop what you're doing.
- Fast travel to Hateno Village.
- Find the Zelda Breath of the Wild cursed statue at Firly Pond.
- Sell your Stamina Vessels until you hit that magic number of 13 hearts.
- Go get your sword.
- Swap them back if you miss the extra lung capacity.
It makes the mid-game significantly more manageable. Plus, it’s just fun to hang out with the only NPC in the game that has a genuine attitude problem.