Waterblight Ganon floats into the main control room of Vah Ruta with a giant spear and a bad attitude. Relax. He is slow, his big eye is a giant bullseye, and you are holding a Sheikah Slate full of answers.
This guide walks you through both phases, the ice block barrage, the late game laser and everything you get for the win. Let’s get into it.
Waterblight Ganon at a Glance
Waterblight Ganon is the boss of Divine Beast Vah Ruta, the elephant Divine Beast above Zora’s Domain. He shows up in the main control room once you have activated all five terminals, and you cannot take back Vah Ruta until he is gone.
- Where: the main control room inside Divine Beast Vah Ruta.
- Weapon: a long spear he thrusts, sweeps, throws and slams into the ground for a shockwave.
- Weak point: his eye. An arrow to the eye stuns him and drops him to the floor.
- Key tools: a bow with plenty of arrows, Cryonis and Stasis.
- Phases: two. The room floods when he drops to half health.
Need the full dungeon first? Our Divine Beast Vah Ruta guide covers the terminals, the trunk puzzles and the map.
Prep Before You Walk In
Here’s the play: show up prepared and this fight is short. Show up with three hearts and a broken Boko Club and, well… we need to talk.
- Bow and arrows: bring your best bow and a big stack of arrows. Shock and Ice Arrows are great for opening stuns.
- A spear or long weapon: the Zora weapons you collect around the Domain have the reach to hit him while he floats.
- Food: cook hearty meals and some defense dishes. Our Breath of the Wild recipe guide has the easy ones.
- Zora Armor: it lets you swim up waterfalls and swim faster, which helps a lot once the floor floods.
Phase 1: Spear Fight on Dry Ground
In the first half of the fight the room is solid floor and Waterblight Ganon fights up close with his spear. Every attack has a clear windup, so dodge on the tell, not on panic.
| Attack | Phase | The answer |
|---|---|---|
| Spear thrust | 1 | Side hop for a Flurry Rush, or sidestep |
| Spear sweep | 1 | Backflip for a Flurry Rush, or keep your distance |
| Ground shockwave | 1 | Get well away when he points the spear at the floor |
| Spear throw | 1 and 2 | Keep running sideways |
| Ice block volley | 2 | Shatter blocks with Cryonis or shoot them |
| Eye laser | 2, low health | Shoot his eye to cancel it, or Perfect Guard it |
- Keep your distance. Back off and make the bow your main weapon. Space gives you more time to read his windups.
- Shoot the eye. A clean hit stuns him and he drops down. Sprint in and unload with melee.
- Flurry Rush when you can. A well timed dodge on the thrust or sweep triggers a Flurry Rush. This is absolutely cracked if you nail it.
- Use Cryonis as a wall. An ice pillar in front of you can soak an attack you cannot dodge.
- Repeat until he drops to around half health.
Stop Doing This: walking up and trading spear pokes with him in phase 1. You will lose that trade. Range first, melee only when he is stunned.
Phase 2: Flooded Room and Ice Blocks
At half health the floor floods and four raised platforms are left in the corners. You can only stand on those platforms, and swimming between them is slow, so pick one and fight from there.
Handling the Ice Blocks
From a distance he hurls ice blocks at you. The volleys grow as his health drops: one block, then three, then five.
- Cryonis smash: target an incoming block with Cryonis to shatter it.
- Arrows: shooting a block works too if you prefer.
- The pro trick: break every block but the last one, freeze it with Stasis, then smack it back at him. It stuns him.
Once the barrage is over, he is open. Hit his eye with an arrow, swim over while he is down and swing away. After a few hits he teleports to another spot, so reset and repeat.
The Laser Finale
At critically low health, he starts firing a laser from his eye just like a Guardian, and it hurts just as much. Shoot his eye while he is charging it to cancel the shot. If you are confident with your shield, a Perfect Guard sends it back at him.
(Cheeky backup: a wall of Cryonis pillars around you can block the beam while you line up the next arrow.)
Rewards for Beating Waterblight Ganon
GG. Once he falls, you get a Heart Container on the spot and can finally activate the main control unit.
- Heart Container: one permanent heart, straight from the boss room.
- Mipha’s Grace: after you activate the main control unit, Mipha grants you her power. When your hearts run out, it revives you with full hearts, then needs time to recharge.
- Vah Ruta’s support: the freed Divine Beast fires on Calamity Ganon when you storm Hyrule Castle, chipping away at its health.
- Lightscale Trident: head back to King Dorephan in Zora’s Domain to collect Mipha’s own spear.
Mipha’s Grace is a free extra life you keep for the rest of the game. Stop sleeping on this. For the full story of the Zora Champion, see Memory 10: Mipha’s Touch and our Zora’s Domain guide.
Master Mode Notes
In Master Mode, from The Master Trials DLC, enemies slowly regenerate health if you stop damaging them. Waterblight Ganon is no exception. Keep up the pressure, do not wander off to heal for too long, and save your strongest weapon for the stun windows.
Waterblight Ganon FAQ
What is Waterblight Ganon weak to?
His eye. An arrow to the eye stuns him and knocks him down for a melee punish. Shock and Ice Arrows make the opening stun even easier.
How do you stop Waterblight Ganon’s ice blocks?
Use Cryonis on each block to shatter it, or shoot them. Freezing the last block with Stasis and hitting it back stuns him.
What do you get for beating Waterblight Ganon?
A Heart Container, and after activating the main control unit, Mipha’s Grace, which revives you once when you run out of hearts.
Can you parry Waterblight Ganon’s laser?
Yes. A Perfect Guard with a shield reflects it, but missing the timing hurts. Shooting his eye during the charge is the safer play.
When does the room flood?
At about half health. The floor turns to water and only four corner platforms stay above the surface.
GG: range, eye, punish, repeat. Shatter the ice, cancel the laser, and walk out with a Heart Container and Mipha watching your back. Do this. Thank me later.
