Unleashing the Power of Hearty Bass: Vital Tips for Zelda Players

Hearty Bass can be found in Breath of the Wild's Tears of the Kingdom, along with some new fish species. These fish are a great source of full recovery when cooked, and are also used to upgrade certain armor sets. While players may initially think to search for them in rivers and lakes, they're actually more commonly found on the Sky Islands. To get there, however, players will need to use their paraglider and have enough stamina to make the journey. There are two reliable methods for obtaining Hearty Bass in Tears of the Kingdom.

Hearty Bass Locations

In Breath of the Wild, Hearty Bass could be easily found on Mount Rhoam or near Hateno Tower. However, in Tears of the Kingdom, their habitats have been shifted to the West Hebra Sky Archipelago and the Necluda Sky Archipelago on Sky Islands. To access these regions, you need to glide and use the Skyview Tower. However, to reach the Necluda Sky Archipelago, you must have the Zora Armor.

To catch the Hearty Bass in Tears of the Kingdom, shooting them with an arrow is the most effective method since Link cannot use Remote Bombs as he did in Breath of the Wild. Once shot, dive in and collect the fish using the A-button. Although it is possible to swim towards the Hearty Bass, this increases the risk of them swimming away when Link gets too close.

It is important to note that using Bomb Flowers or Bomb Arrows to "fish" the Hearty Bass is not recommended. This method will result in the fish turning into Roasted Bass, which cannot be cooked and will lose their "Full Recovery" effect.

When fishing for the Hearty Bass in the West Hebra Sky Archipelago, these tips can help any adventurer secure a bountiful catch.

Reaching this Hearty Bass location is relatively easy compared to the other one. There are three methods of getting to this island (-3887, 2787, 0709):

Firstly, you can use the Rospro Pass Skyview Tower (-3684, 2343, 0233) to launch into the sky and paraglide towards the island. Alternatively, you can warp to the Wind Temple and fly west. Lastly, if players have unlocked it, they can warp to the Ijo-o Shrine, which is located on the same island as the Hearty Bass.

Make sure to visit both ponds located on the Sky Island, as each one houses two Hearty Bass. Don't forget to activate the Ijo-o Shrine if you haven't already, as it will create a Travel Point for easy access to the fish in the future. Don't miss out on the opportunity to catch these prized fish in the Necluda Sky Archipelago.

Swim up to the Necluda Sky Archipelago island by using the Zora Armor's special ability to swim up waterfalls. The island can be found by flying towards coordinates 2112, -2621, 1263 from the Rabella Wetlands Skyview Tower. Players will notice a beautiful waterfall on this island, but Link won't be able to land here from the Skyview Tower. Once on the island, the pond contains Hearty Bass, Ancient Arowana, Tireless Frogs, and Hot-Footed Frogs, while Sunset Fireflies can be caught here at night. To obtain the Zora Armor, go to Zora's Domain and start the main quest Sidon of the Zora. Then, report back to Yona in Zora's Domain to get the armor. She'll need one Ancient Arowana, which can be found on the Great Sky Island (the starting place of TotK) by the Temple of Time. Once Link has the repaired Zora Armor, he'll be able to swim up waterfalls and reach the Necluda Sky Archipelago island.

Hearty Bass is an ideal ingredient to use when cooking meals that require Full Recovery and Temporary Hearts effects. When cooked into a meal, it adds yellow hearts to Link's regular heart counter, which cannot be recovered by eating food. The only way to regain them is by consuming another meal with the Temporary Heart effect.

The Great Fairy Fountains is where Hearty Bass finds its ultimate use. These are essential in creating the coveted Zora Set, which comprises the Zora Armor, Zora Helmet, and Zora Greaves. Each piece of the set requires three Hearty Bass, along with five Blue Lizalfos Horns and three Lizalfos Tails, to be upgraded to level three. Tears of the Kingdom is now available for Nintendo Switch.