After beating the mainline story of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, I realized there weren’t that many good walkthroughs on how to defeat the final boss, and I didn’t have time to sit through lengthy YouTube videos. Fresh off the experience, I wanted to share tips on how to defeat Ganondorf and save Hyrule!
Note: This is a standard walkthrough with all Sages and no cheesing. There are many ways to tackle a fight.
**SPOILER WARNING** While the ending itself will not be discussed, basic spoilers will be mentioned as they are part of the final boss sequence.
How to Prepare
- I recommend having all the Sages. The final boss isn’t impossible without them, nor do they make the fight too easy. They will help take care of the extra distractions. You get a more satisfying ending anyway.
- Cook as many “sunny” meals as possible. Sundelions are generally found up in the sky islands, and when cooked, it will restore hearts that were lost to Gloom.
- Cook Gloom Resistant meals. You will need Dark Clumps by defeating Gloom Hands or trading your Poe souls at the Poe statues.
- Other meals: That’s up to you, but no meal can help you if you lost hearts from Gloom! I supplemented with meals that boosted my offense and defense.
Image Credit: Nintendo
- Upgrade your armor with the Great Fairies. I used the standard Hylian set. It does the trick just fine if upgraded.
- Weapons/Shields/Bows: You’re welcome to stock up and fuse to the best of them. I stuck with the Master Sword, as it never broke during battle.
Finding Ganondorf
- He is located at the very bottom of the chasm beneath Hyrule Castle.
- As you descend, you will lose your Sage avatars.
- You will revisit previous areas from when you explored with Princess Zelda at the start of the game (You can even blow up the rocks that blocked the mural to find out the rest of the story…)
- It’s a slog: There will be a slew of strong enemies–including a Lynel–and lots of Gloom. Utilize Mineru’s Construct to walk over Gloom. I recommend building a small but powerful Zonai device to help you battle–not because the enemies are hard–but you cannot afford to lose hearts to Gloom at this point.
- I fused a Construct Head on top of a Homing Cart. I then fused a Beam Emitter on top of the Construct Head and Cannons on either side. It’s small, simple, but VERY effective.
Image Credit: Nintendo
Image Credit: Nintendo
- At the bottom, you reach Gloom’s Lair.
The Demon King’s Army
- You undergo several waves of Gloom-infested enemies.
- If you gathered Sages, they will arrive (in person, not the avatars) and battle alongside you.
- Any Zonai build to help fight will help immensely. CONSERVE YOUR HEARTS.
- Waves include: Boss Bokoblin and Bokoblins, then Lizalfos, then Gibdos, and Moblins.
- Versions of previous bosses will then appear, keeping your Sage friends busy.
The Menace Unleashed: Demon King Ganondorf
- This is a one v one sword fight, and Ganondorf cycles between his katana, a spear, and his two-handed Gloom club.
- Notable strong attacks: His spin attack with his katana is powerful and leaves a pool of Gloom at his feet. Ganondorf will dash across the room with his spear, and use his club to slam onto the ground. If he lifts his club up and creates an updraft, pull out your paraglider to avoid a massive area-of-effect attack.
- Strafe and dodge to unlock a flurry attack. This is your bread and butter. If you go for regular swing of your weapon, Ganondorf will dodge you in a similar fashion! Take your time. Be patient.
Master of the Secret Stone: Demon King Ganondorf (Phase One)
- Ganondorf will unleash the power of his stone and transform into his true demon form.
- He will generate copies of himself, but your sage friends will now join you and chip away at the copies.
- This part can get very chaotic. Simply avoid the copies and keep your eyes on the real Ganondorf (who is more solidly colored).
- Continue to dodge and release flurry attacks.
- Ganondorf will continue to cycle through different weapons and be more on the offensive.
Master of the Secret Stone: Demon King Ganondorf (Phase Two)
- Ganondorf will knock the sages out and absord his copies.
- This phase will be similar to “The Menace Unleashed”, but his attacks will be more powerful.
- If you try a flurry attack, he WILL dodge you the first time. The key is to trigger a second flurry attack right after (Ganondorf will rush you). The second flurry attack will work
- Notable Strong Attacks, Club: He will strike the ground and send lines of Gloom. at you. If you keep your distance, you can move between them. After this, he will leap and slam his club on the ground. Backflip away from that.
- Notable Strong Attacks, Spear: He will send out Gloom orbs that follow you. Keep strafing sideways as he will dash across the arena at you.
- Notable Strong Attacks, Arrow: He will also call upon a ring of Gloom that closes in on you. If you run fast enough, you can escape through the gap. Note that he will shoot Gloom arrows at you.
- If you are low on hearts and want to cut his attacks short, don’t wait for an opportunity to dodge. Try and attack, which will trigger him to dodge and rush you. If you dodge that attack, your flurry will land.
Draconified Demon King: Demon Dragon
- In many ways, it is the easiest phase like the final Ganon fight in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; however, this one is more epic and satisfying.
- You will battle in the sky, with the Light Dragon and the means to give you height
- Once you are above the Demon Dragon, leap off the Light Dragon and avoid the Gloom attacks it fires at you.
- The Glide outfit is very helpful here!
- There are several clumps of eyes on the Demon Dragon’s back. Dive onto the dragon and destroy one clump at a time. Each clump you destroy will send you tumble downward, but the Light Dragon will catch you.
- Rinse and repeat until a light shines from the Demon Dragon’s forehead. Dive and commit to the final strike.
And that’s it! You defeated the Demon King! Congratulations! Now sit back (well, don’t stray too far from the controller) and enjoy the ending.
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