The fight against the final boss Ganondorf is the ultimate challenge of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, as Ganon attacks you in various forms and phases that range from swordsman to serpent. There's plenty to do to beat this final boss both before and during the fight, but no player is going to find it a cakewalk, especially when some of the phases are very different from each other. With that in mind, we've put together this range of tips and tricks, strategies and more to help you beat the final boss of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. If you want to beat Ganondorf, aka Ganon, aka the Demon King, here's how to save Hyrule once and for all.
How to beat Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Each phase of the Ganon - or Ganondorf - boss fight in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom has to be treated very differently, so there isn't much in terms of "general" advice, but there are a few things to keep in mind if you haven't been locked into the boss fight yet.
Ganondorf boss fight Tips and tricks
- Bring the Master Sword!
- If you haven't found it yet, the Master Sword is a weapon specifically designed to kill Ganon, doing double damage against him and never breaking while used against him. If you don't have it yet, we've got a guide on how to get the Master Sword in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom - and once you have it, you might as well add some powerful fusions to it before going in.
- Bring lots of high-durability shields.
- Because the Master Sword is a one-handed weapon, you'll have your other one free to put a shield in - get the best shields you can. Try exploring Hyrule Castle for some Royal Shields, or use our guide on getting the ultimate Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Hylian Shield.
- Bring Sundelion food.
- Ganon's attacks are Gloom-infused, meaning you'll lose health permanently from his attacks unless you can eat "Sunny" meals. Use Sundelions, found on Sky Islands, to make meals that will cure health and Gloom affliction.
- Have at least ten hearts.
- Ten hearts, or incredibly protective armor, is what's needed to stop you going down in a couple of easy hits. It's technically possible to beat Ganon without ever getting hurt, but presumably nobody wants to go through that trial and error for hours on end.
Beyond that, it's all the advice you probably know at this point in the game - the best armor, the best upgrades, and Elixirs to boost your attack and defence should all be ready to go. Keep in mind that there isn't anything else after this fight, so this is the time to use all the Fusion materials and resources that you've been saving up!
Phase 1: Demon King Ganondorf, the Menace Unleashed
The first Phase against Ganon is against his revived human form, where he uses various melee weapons to attack Link in fast, but predictable attacks. Here's some things to keep in mind.
- The Perfect Dodge and Flurry Rush are key.
- Ganon's clearly-telegraphed attack patterns are your chance to get the perfect dodge and retaliate for high damage. His powerful attacks will smash shields easily, so you don't want to block if you can avoid it.
- Ganondorf himself can Perfect Dodge!
- Ganon can actually dodge your attacks the same way you do, which he does roughly 25% of the time. When he does, he'll immediately follow it up with a quick counter attack you'll need to be ready for.
- Ganon has multiple weapons, but the spear is the worst for him and best for you.
- Ganon switches between weapons, each of which serve different purposes. The sword does quick, sweeping strikes, the mace does area-of-effect impacts, and the spear is for charges and lunges. It's the last of these we like to see come out, as it has the most obvious and easily-dodged attacks. When he swaps to the spear, use side-dodges to evade his obvious attacks and close for the kill.
Chip away all of Ganondorf's health altogether and he'll enter phase 2, a little cinematic cutscene giving you a moment to get your breath back.
Phase 2: Demon King Ganondorf, Master of the Secret Stone
Now Ganon starts glowing red and bringing in clones, which isn't ideal - one was bad enough. Don't worry though - this is the hardest phase, and if you can crack this, you can definitely beat the next one.
- Deal with Ganon's clones first.
- Though superficially identical, Ganon's clones are a duller red and have their little health bars above their head. Get rid of them first! They don't have too much HP and it's much easier to deal with the main Demon King without having imitators chipping at you.
- Let your allies draw aggro, and use their powers.
- At this point the other Sages will start appearing one-by-one, and you should use them. Though they don't do much damage individually, they can hold the enemies' attention, and some of their powers can be very useful here - a water shield or lightning explosion, applied well, can be devastating.
- Play slow and cautious.
- You have to be on the defensive here - with six Ganons to fight, you can lose your health bar in an instant. Don't attack if you think you'll get hurt, hold back, keep your shield up, dodge when you can, and take your time just carefully whittling through Ganon's clones.
- Ganon's weapon attacks remain the same as Phase 1.
- Remember everything you learned from the previous stage, as (for now) Ganon's attacks are exactly the same - it's just you've got to deal with lots of enemies doing them. Again, the spear is the easiest one to manage, and your chance to really leap in and hurt him.
Get Ganon down to half health, and he'll enter a little secondary mid-phase that's worth addressing.
Phase 2.5: Empowered Ganondorf
Here Ganon gets rid of your sages, bring it back to a one-on-one fight, and his attack patterns begin to shift - while he's using the same weapons, he's using them in different ways, with an emphasis on magic and some new attacks that focus on Gloom projectiles and AOE.
- Ganon uses a lot more ranged attacks…
- Though Ganondorf swaps through weapons as before, now he starts using them to cast spells too, which usually means either fast moving projectiles or area-of-effect attacks with a bullet-hell quality you need to manually evade by running around them.
- … But you need to close the gap.
- Ganon's ranged spells are to keep you at a distance, where you'll be less effective. Keep working on getting close to him, and try to bait him into making a melee attack you can dodge for the Flurry Rush. Again, he can dodge you, and this leads to a kind of one-up process where you both keep dodging and counter-attacking until one of you screws up the timing.
- Watch out for Gloom residue.
- A lot of Ganon's melee attacks now generate Gloom in some way that can catch you even if you avoid the attack itself - for example, the spear lunge leaves a trail of Gloom behind him that Link can step in and get hurt by. Make sure you avoid this as much as possible, or risk getting worn down over time.
- Use everything you have!
- This is the last really difficult part of the encounter, and your moment to use all the elixirs, materials, fusions and special gear you have left. There's still something more to come afterwards that'll require some effort, but this is definitely the steepest part of the hill.
Wear down Ganon's health bar entirely, and he'll resort to desperate measures, eating the Secret Stone - and if you did the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Geoglyphs questline, you know that's a real last resort.
Phase 3: Demon Dragon, Draconified Demon King
Now it's time to slay the dragon - albeit while working with another dragon to do so. Ganon becomes the latest and greatest of the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom dragons, but a different one will fly in to provide help.
This is the final stage of the fight, and is more about mobility and aerial control than straightforward swordplay. Move quickly, stay agile, and keep an eye out for the constant Gloom!
- Go for the Demon Dragon's weak points.
- Ganon won't take damage unless you target the big blobby lumps of meat with glowing eyes on, sticking out of his back in red crevices. Each time you destroy one, he'll take damage, throw you off his back, and put some distance between you and him.
- Don't worry about falling, the Light Dragon will catch you.
- The Light Dragon will automatically fly in to catch you out of the air if you drop below a certain altitude, and you don't take damage landing on her head. Afterwards, she'll fly straight up to get you above the Demon Dragon, so you can glide down to land on a spot of your choice.
- Ganon uses Gloom projectiles and auras.
- The Demon Dragon will fire a load of projectiles through the air, but they're more focused on quantity over accuracy, usually a huge spread that you can glide between and around. However, sections of the Demon Dragon's back are also Gloom-touched, especially around the weak spots - be careful not to step in them!
- The final strike is on Ganon's forehead.
- Whittle away all the weak points and the Demon Dragon's head will begin to notably glow, the sky turning red to mark the change. Now you need to land on his forehead and strike the Secret Stone - he'll throw a lot of projectiles to try and stop you, but hit it a few times and you'll claim the final, epic victory.
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