 In this installment , Link gains experience points to upgrade his attack , magic , and life by defeating enemies . This feature is exclusive to Zelda II in the game series . He can raise each of these attributes to a maximum of eight levels . Raising a life level will decrease the damage Link receives when hit , raising a magic level will decrease the magic points ( MP ) cost of spells , and raising an attack level will strengthen his sword 's offensive power . Each attribute requires a different amount of experience to level up , with the life level requiring the least number of points to level and attack requiring the most . When enough points are acquired to raise an attribute , the player may choose to level up that attribute or to cancel and continue gaining experience points towards the next level in another attribute . Once Link has raised an attribute to the maximum level of eight , further advances in that attribute will earn Link an extra life , without advancing the attribute itself . Link begins the game with four Heart Containers and four Magic Containers and can acquire up to four more of each , permanently increasing his life points and magic points respectively . Other games in The Legend of Zelda series only allow Link to increase his strength through new weapons , items , and Heart Containers . Certain enemies drain Link 's experience when they attack , but he will never lose a level once raised . When a game ends or is saved , the cartridge records Link 's current ability levels and the number of experience points required for the next increase , but resets his accumulated points to zero . 
