Learning how to defeat Phantom Ganon can be one of the hardest parts of Tears of the Kingdom. Finding him is as much a struggle as activating the fight is, especially early on. Luckily, once you activate the fight with Phantom Ganon, you’ll be greeted with a potential soul-like fight! This fight will see you deal with the dreaded Gloom Hands before a bill charging Ganon is unleashed upon you. Through ranged combat, and flurry attacks Link can defeat these foes with little to no damage taken! There may be a level of anxiety when dealing with these enemies, but with timing and patience, you’ll succeed at killing them.
The important thing to note about dealing with Phantom Ganon is that they are not a single instance. There are multiple Phantom Ganon instances that come anywhere there are Gloom Hands. These Gloom Hands are located in places of concentration of gloom itself. This miasmic sludge will produce long tendril-like creatures that attempt to kill Link. The power of these creatures is immense as they will be unyielding in their chase and assault of the player. For this reason, it’s important to prepare yourself for the fight to come, and save the game just to be safe!
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Gloom Hands
Perhaps one of the most aggressive enemies in Tears of the Kingdom, Gloom Hands proves to be a terrifying menace. Dedicated to the power of the demon king, these potent nightmare spawns will attack Link relentlessly. Through the power of gloom, and ranged attacks that feel like silly hand toys, they inflict massive damage in a flurry of blows. One of the most intense aspects of these creatures is that you are unable to fight them in melee combat effectively. Around them are growing pools of the demon king’s gloom that seek to saturate the earth.
Using a series of winding attacks that act like a whirling dervish, they can be a hard counter to most of Link’s usual repertoire. Fortunately, they are not the most durable creatures in Hyrule, being able to be dealt with using precise arrow shots. When dealing with these nightmarish creatures, caution is of the utmost importance as even the smallest mistake can lead to disaster. It’s best to engage these creatures from a distance in an open area to avoid being pressed too hard. Confined spaces spell death, so avoid them at all costs when dealing with the Gloom Hands. Once defeated, Gloom Hands will form into the powerful Phantom Ganon interaction!
Dangers
Gloom Hands are distinctly one of the most dangerous opponents Link can face in Tears of the Kingdom. Primarily, these creatures come out of seeping spots of Gloom and attack the player at random. Once these creatures appear they will rush the player with a sludgy mass of the gloom ringing around them. Every time these creatures smash into the ground around them they will spread the gloom in such a manner that makes traversal difficult. In this way, these creatures attempt to trap you, making it difficult to combat them in an efficient manner. Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of these creatures is their wide-sweeping attacks and pure ferocity.
Gloom Hands
While they are dangerous as far as their sweeping strikes, another difficult aspect of them is their sheer attack speed. These creatures will engage in a link with absolute brutality as it seems to destroy him completely. Their strange movements seem as though they will be difficult to track, however, they have a set method of travel. At any given time, these creatures will either attack in front of them, or to the sides in a sweeping motion. Attacks from in front of them are a vicious flurry while those from the sides are more powerful in nature. Both are excessively powerful and in their own right should be avoided at all costs!
Combat Strategies
Dealing with Gloom Hands can be a problem for most newer players of Tears of the Kingdom, mainly because they’re a new edition to the franchise. These creatures move in erratic swirling motions that quickly entangle you up close like a weed whacker. These creatures can be dispatched quickly using ranged attacks, and elemental weapons. The best method of survival is to fight them in open areas with as much free space to move as possible. Primarily, these creatures have a high amount of attack power, so avoiding their attacks is better than taking them.
Ranged Assaults
One of the best methods of defeating Gloom Hands is to utilize a bow with items affixed to the arrows. In this way, bombs, elemental ores, and various devices work best to deal with consistent damage. From these ranged positions, remember that Ascend can place you in better positions outside of Gloom Hand’s attack’s reach! These creatures will have very limited ranged attacks in toe which makes them perfect targets for the well-trained archer! Another added bonus to dealing with these creatures from a distance is that once they are dispatched Phantom Ganon will be farther away! Remember that gloom will damage you from up close so a fight from afar is the best way to survive.
Fight from a distance
Elemental Attacks
One of the best ways to take Gloom Hands out if you’re low on arrows is with elemental attacks. Be them simple wands, or elemental fruit; each will do a bit of status damage to the Gloom Hands. It’s notable that these elemental attacks can deal higher amounts of base damage than simple weapons and arrows. This implies that these creatures are capable of resisting basic physical damage, making elemental effects vital to survival. These elemental effects do not carry over to Phantom Ganon once he’s been summoned, however, make the process of teaching him quicker.
Explosives
Sometimes the simplest way of dealing with Gloom Hands is the most straightforward. The inclusion of bomb flowers and explosive barrels on weapons allows Link to make grenades. These explosive weapons deal high amounts of damage to Gloom Hands allowing for a quick ending to the fight. Explosives work well against Gloom Hands because their mechanics favor ranged combat. In circumstances where you can gain the upper hand against these creatures, explosive force is often the best answer. The best approach when using these explosive methods is to try and use them as soon as the Gloom Hands spawn. A rapid volley of explosive arrows or thrown spears will destroy them before they can really cause mayhem.
Phantom Ganon
Once the Gloom Hands have been defeated, they will leave behind a violent mass of demon king energy. In this violent mass, a phantom of Ganon himself will appear as a construct of pure hate, attempting to strike at Link. These phantoms carry a gloom spear and deal significant amounts of damage through a timed charge attack. Perhaps one of the most dangerous goes in Tears of the Kingdom, Phantom Ganon is unable to be defeated via aggression alone. Requiring a bit of patience, the player must decide on a few methods of counter-attacking or cleverness in order to succeed. When dealing with Phantom Ganon remember he is a mini-boss in his own right, and there can be multiple of them at once.
Multiple Phantom ganons
Phantom Ganon will appear like a crimson spirit garbed in traditional attire and armed with a physical weapon. Sharing aspects with the spirits in the gloom who grant weapons of high quality, Phantom Ganon lies as their corrupted aspect. Being a poltergeist of evil energy, they are unrelenting in their terror and fighting ability. Focusing on attacking Link with his spear, Phantom Ganon tends to rely on these charge attacks to win. Fortunately for the wrath of the demon king, these strikes are incredibly powerful and can kill Link quickly.
Dangers
One of the most dangerous aspects of Phantom Ganon is his aura of gloom around him. Unlike the Gloom Hands themselves, the demon king’s spirit is capable of manifesting gloom as a form of energy. This means the longer Link is near an instance of Phantom Ganon, the more likely he is to lose hearts over time. Strikes of the demon king are especially potent as they not only deal high damage but also apply the gloom status effect. Because of this, and his sheer speed it’s often attributed that Phantom Ganon is a powerful foe in melee combat. Though he holds no ranged attacks similar to the Gloom Hands, he is incredibly potent with his speed and rush attacks.
While Phantom Ganon can be considered one of the weaker adversaries for Link health-wise, they are formidable at defense. Their gloom aura becomes more potent the closer Link gets to Phantom Ganon, acting like radiation in the real world. This radiation not only weakens links health but also his attack power as it leads to weaker attacks that drain more general stamina. For this reason, it’s important to try and evade his strikes as well as utilize the flurry attack system in order to maintain some form of damage. Finally, weapons will break quicker when striking Phantom Ganon or his Gloom Hands, making it harder to deal consistent damage to him.
Phantom Ganon’s charge attacks
Combat Strategies
When dealing with Phantom Ganon there are two main methods of beating him efficiently. The first is to use as many ranged attacks with explosives or ores as possible. The second is to primarily utilize the flurry attack system so that you avoid his damage and make the most of Link’s stamina. Engaging Phantom Ganon with spears and longer weapons is preferable as it grants the player added distance from the target. It’s absolutely key no matter which method you choose to pay attention to the timing of the fight. Phantom Ganon will attack quickly but takes some time to recover, making for a great opportunity even early on!
Flurry System
By focusing on blocking and evading Phantom Ganon’s attacks, Link can defeat him through flurry attacks. These powerful attacks can make short work of a Phantom Ganon as you are able to deal with constant knockback while engaging him. Additionally, these flurry strikes allow Link to make the most of his stamina which begins to dwindle from the gloom. Remember that when doing these attacks that timing is key, being a counterattack solely. Dealing with a Phantom Ganon instance implies that you’ll be fighting defensively as offensive measures often lead to death.
Food and Elixirs
One of the best methods of survival against Phantom Ganon, if you aren’t sure of your skills, is food and elixirs. The cooking system in Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best friends of any play style as it enhances overall gameplay. By crafting defense-up items and temporary heart elixirs you can easily better your chances of surviving this terrifying combatant. Attack up and speed increases are another great method of surviving phantom Ganon as they make your flurry attacks and evasions more potent. Finally, anything that can resist or break gloom effects is quintessential to this boss fight for obvious reasons.
-source Laik
Loot
When Phantom Ganon is finally defeated the player will be rewarded with three items. The first will be dark chunks which can be used for crafting with a relatively high fuse rate. The second will be a gloom spear, a high-damage weapon that also deals gloom damage to its user. Finally, the player will receive the demon king’s bow which is a great ranged weapon for dispatching your enemies. Each of these is great for temples and boss scenarios that come along the way. It’s important to note that each of these items has high durability at the cost of constantly harming the user! The best case scenario with this loot is to honestly sell it to any merchant as it goes for a high price tag!
Fighting Your Demons
Perhaps it goes without saying, but Phantom Ganon is a tricky opponent for any player, seasoned or new alike. One of the most potent aspects of his combat is the sheer stressful randomness of the encounter itself. There is never a time when it will be convenient to fight a phantom Ganon, but hopefully, with our guide, you’ll find it easier! Luckily with the right preparations and know-how, he can be dispatched quickly and efficiently. Remember that patience and timing are key to overcoming this powerful enemy!
