How to beat Phantom Ganon in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Phantom GanonThere are mini bosses all over the place. Tears of the Kingdom – The Legend of Zelda.

As you explore Hyrule, you’ll encounter Gloom Hands , a group of enemies which creep out of a gloom pool on the floor. Once you defeat them, you might feel a sense of relief that you’ve cleansed the world of evil, but you’ll soon see another red health bar pop up on your screen with the words “Phantom Ganon” overhead.

Phantom Ganon might seem a little scary, but if you follow our tips, you’ll be able to take down Phantom Ganon with ease — and if you want more of their useful drops, discover their locations.

Prepare for Phantom Ganon’s appearance in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Three different Phantom Ganons each have their own weapons: the sword, spear and club. Sword is perhaps the first you’ll encounter, especially if you have travelled through the Lost Woods and arrived at Korok Forest.

The preparation for each Phantom Ganon is identical. Each has its own attacks and rewards.

After you have defeated the Gloom Hands battle stage, here are a few suggestions on what to do nextPrepare for Phantom Ganon:

This fight will test your skills at shielding, parrying and dodging. After you successfully shield, dodge, or parry, you’ll be able to charge in for a few hits or a Flurry Rush to deal a decent chunk of damage.

Phantom Ganon advancing on Link in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

We have a playthrough. Eight-defense armor was used to fight against Phantom Ganon With six hearts and each strike would kill us or remove a large portion of our health.

If that isn’t enough and you need to go away to prepare further, then consider increasing your max hearts from shrines elsewhere (or moving stamina over to hearts with a quick respec) and / or sourcing some of the best armor sets.

If you’re not the best at dodging or parrying, hold “ZL” to keep your shield up and block all of his incoming damage. Since each of the Phantom Ganons are holding a different weapon, their attacks will vary and you’ll need to know how to block or avoid them.

What type of Phantom Gannon is in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom?

You can also find specific tips for each of the three different types Phantom Ganon.

Sword Phantom Ganon strategy, rewards

Sword Phantom Ganon can be attacked in three ways:

Ganon swings Link’s sword right to the left.
Ganon swings his blade and charges at Link.
Ganon brings his sword across his body and then unleashes a spin attack — dealing damage twice

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

If you have your shield raised, the first two attacks will be blocked. However, your shield will not survive the spin-attack. As soon as Phantom Ganon places his sword on the left-hand side of his body and falls back, prepare to dodge the spin attack.

Once you’ve defeated Sword Phantom Ganon, he’ll drop a gloom sword, Demon King’s bowAnd a few Dark clumps.

Spear Phantom Ganon strategy, rewards

Spear Phantom Ganon uses two attacks.

Ganon prepares his spear to stab forward
Ganon attacks Link with his spear

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

It is best to stick near Phantom Ganon, and then strafe him around in a circle when he’s about to attack. Since he doesn’t have any sweeping attack, as long you stay moving you can avoid both his attacks. You can then go back and hit him again to prevent gloom damage. If you’re having trouble avoiding his attacks by strafing, keep your shield up to negate his damage.

Once you’ve defeated Spear Phantom Ganon, you’ll receive a gloom spear, Demon King’s bowAnd a few Dark clumps.

Rewards of the Club Phantom Gaon strategy

The Club Phantom Gaon attacks have three types:

Ganon puts his club on his shoulder, leaps in the air and smashes the ground when he hits the floor.
Ganon brings his club close to him and clears the space in front of it
Ganon kicks at him

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Club Phantom Ganon’s fight depends on your blocking and spacing, the distance between you and your enemy. As Phantom Ganon leaps into the air, you’ll want to make some distance from his landing point to avoid taking damage. If you can, you should try to backflip, hold “ZL” and jump backwards, just before he’s about to hit the ground to initiate a flurry rush. Club Phantom Ganon’s other two attacks can be blocked with your shield, so don’t be too greedy and keep that shield up!

Once Club Phantom Ganon is defeated, you’ll receive a Gloom club, Demon King’s bowAnd a few Dark clumps.