Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – how to defeat the final boss

15 May 2023 , 15:00
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Surprise, surprise! The final boss fight in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a very familiar face. (Image: Nintendo)
Surprise, surprise! The final boss fight in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a very familiar face. (Image: Nintendo)

If you don’t want to get your butt handed to you during Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s final boss, be sure to take note of our top tips.

Whether you feel like you’ve already gained enough hearts and stamina to be strong enough to take on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s final boss or want to try your hand at cheesing the confrontation entirely by going in early, it’s worth brushing up on your skills. After all, if you’re going to take on this legendary The Legend of Zelda villain's last form, all its phases and live to tell the tale, there’s plenty you can do to give yourself a fighting chance.

Even just getting to the final boss in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a mighty challenge. That said, we’re going to tell you how to get there, the best resources to take with you and how to specifically tackle all three – yes, three – Ganondorf’s boss phases. So, without further ado, let’s get into how you can defeat Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s final boss.

How to find the final boss in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

First things first, while it’s possible to reach the final boss location before completing most of the main story missions, you’ll need as many hearts and stamina as possible, so we wouldn’t recommend doing this. When you do feel prepared, you can reach the final boss location by heading over to the Hyrule Castle Chasm (beneath the floating castle itself) where you’ll be greeted by a lot of Gloom, a dangerous red substance that will stunt your health when touched.

Eventually you’ll come across various openings and caverns that require Link to use his powers, such as Recall, as you plunge deeper into The Depths. You’ll know you’ve reached the final boss area when you come across an area that looks remarkably similar to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s prologue sequence, where Link and Zelda both awaken Ganondorf out of his mummified state. Providing you’ve completed all four of the game’s dungeons before arriving, you’ll face off against Gloom-laden enemies called The Demon King’s Army before the big bad himself appears for a three-phase fight.

Nintendo Switch 2 release set for next year as Zelda ushers in the end of Switch qhiddkidzuidqrinvNintendo Switch 2 release set for next year as Zelda ushers in the end of Switch

How to defeat the final boss in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Demon King Ganondorf has three phases to contend with during this lengthy fight. Below we’ll break down his various attacks so you know exactly what to look out for from each, as well as strategies useful for staying alive.

Demon King Ganondorf – Phase 1

During the first phase of the fight, Ganondorf will be in his traditional swordsman form. He’ll dodge almost every melee attack you try to throw at him, meaning that the only way to deal damage to him is to fire arrows. If you land one perfectly or manage to dodge his various close-range attacks with a perfect dodge, however, you’ll be able to engage Link’s Flurry Rush and deal damage with the mightiest of beat downs. Just don’t get greedy and stay patient with the number of hits you’re able to land.

All while this is happening, Ganondorf will try lunging at you with his sword, fire Gloom arrows at you and even jump up in the air to perform a ground slam attack. Most of these are easy to avoid providing you stay alert and keep your distance. You absolutely want to be using your Master Sword during this portion of the fight seeing as Ganondorf is weak to attacks imbued with Light. Where possible, Fuse onto it materials that have a high-tier attack rating.

Demon King Ganondorf – Phase 2

Once you’ve whittled down his health enough, Ganondorf will shoot out multiple clones of himself known as Phantom Ganons. Fortunately, if you’ve completed all four dungeons you’ll have your Sage companions with you, distracting each enough to let you focus on defeating one at a time using traditional attacks. Simple! With the clones defeated you’ll move onto the second portion of the second phase (still with us?) which sees your companions stunned and out for the count, leaving you to deal with an even angrier Ganondorf in what is easily the most challenging section of the fight.

Ganondorf is still on his feet, but this time he has a lot more attacks up his sleeve and can even counter attack Link’s hits. His favourite attack seems to be a wave attack, which sees various flames shoot out towards you across the floor. We recommend launching yourself into the air to dodge these and find an opening; eventually you’ll whittle down his health and trigger his final phase. Just bear in mind that here, Link’s Flurry Rush attack won’t work like it did before.

Demon King Ganondorf – Phase 3

For the third and final phase of the fight Ganondorf will transform into a giant dragon, which he has transformed into after swallowing the Secret Stone. It’s a cakewalk compared to the preceding phase, however, simply requiring you to land on the Demon Dragon’s back and defeat the various glowy bits spread out over its body. You’ll be thrown back to your own dragon each time your successful, requiring you to repeat the process.

If you fall, the Light Dragon that you’re riding will catch you, but it’s fairly easy to dodge the Gloom attacks being shot out at you. Once you’ve defeated all the glowy nodes you’ll be able to make your way to the Demon Dragon’s head where you can stick your sword into the Secret Stone. Congratulations: you’ve just defeated the final boss in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Aaron Potter

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