So you’re standing on the edge of the final fight, your max hearts are about to get chewed up by Gloom, and Zelda’s fate is on the line. Good. That’s exactly why you’re here.
Demon King Ganondorf isn’t one fight. It’s a gauntlet: an army, a three part duel and a sky battle against the Demon Dragon, with no save point between the last two. Here’s what actually happens under the hood, and how to break it.
How to Reach Ganondorf
The fight is the end of the Destroy Ganondorf main quest, deep beneath Hyrule Castle in the Depths.
- Start: the Destroy Ganondorf quest formally opens once you’ve finished Crisis at Hyrule Castle, Find the Fifth Sage and Recovering the Hero’s Sword, but none of that is a hard lock. You can head down the Hyrule Castle chasm whenever you’re ready.
- The route: fast travel to Serutabomac Shrine and dive into the Hyrule Castle Chasm, north of Lookout Landing.
- Lightroot: activate the Camobatures Lightroot on the way down, around (-0178, 1170, -0515). It’s your fast travel point if you need to restock.
- The descent: keep working down through drops, climbs and rock walls (fuse a rock to a melee weapon to smash them) until you reach the chamber with the dark chasm. Jump in to start the fight.
The Tech: if you fall in battle, you reload an autosave from just before the fight, but you can’t teleport out once it starts. Finish your shopping and cooking first.
Prep: Food, Hearts and Sages
For the tech nerds: Ganondorf’s Gloom attacks damage your hearts in a way normal food can’t fix. Sundelion dishes repair Gloom damage. Defense buffs cut how much each hit costs you. That’s the whole loadout philosophy.
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| Sundelion meals (with meat or fish) | Restore hearts and repair Gloom damage. Bring a big stack. |
| Ironshroom or Armored Carp meals | High defense buffs mean far less damage per hit |
| Several bows and a lot of arrows | Headshots are your safest damage in every Ganondorf phase |
| Master Sword | Not strictly required, since Link grabs it before the Demon Dragon if you skipped it, but having it early makes the whole gauntlet easier |
| Upgraded armor | Raw defense matters more than any set bonus here |
Sages: each Regional Phenomenon you finished brings that Sage into the fight as a reinforcement, and Mineru joins too once you’ve cleared the Spirit Temple. Skipped a temple boss? You’ll have to beat it on the way down instead. You can win without all of them, but every Sage you bring is one more target soaking enemy attention. If you’ve skipped any temples, our TOTK unlocks guide is a good checklist before you commit.
Stage 1: The Demon King’s Army
Before Ganondorf, you fight his army in four waves alongside your Sages. If you skipped the Phantom Ganons at Hyrule Castle, their two waves of five are added here too.
- Wave 1: foot soldiers plus one big brute. Hit them from behind while the Sages pull aggro, and leave the big one for last.
- Wave 2: Lizalfos that spit at range. Finish the weakened ones first.
- Wave 3: flying and crawling enemies that focus you. Riju’s lightning, fired with an arrow, clears groups. Keep circling while it recharges.
- Wave 4: a few heavy hitters. Kite them and let the Sages chip in.
Stage 2: Demon King Ganondorf
Part 1: The Duel
Ganondorf fights you up close, cycling through a sword, a spear and a club, always starting with the sword. Every attack is telegraphed.
- Sword swings: backstep horizontal slashes, sidestep vertical ones, or parry.
- Spin: dodge, don’t block.
- Charge: when he crouches at range, get ready to dodge. A dodged charge is a free punish window.
- Headshots: an arrow to the head interrupts him, including some of his club attacks.
Part 2: Phantoms
He summons phantom copies of himself. Circle and let your Sages engage them, then pick off the weakened ones and keep headshotting the real Ganondorf whenever his attacks whiff.
Part 3: Alone at Half Health
Around halfway through his second health bar he absorbs the phantoms and takes your Sages out of the fight. Now it’s just you. His Gloom orbs and projectiles hit harder and can strip hearts that food won’t fix until the fight ends. Walk between the ground orbs, run sideways from projectiles and keep landing headshots and Flurry Rushes.
Exploit Alert: his rush attacks are slow to recover. Dodge, Flurry Rush, back off. Frame-perfect, but worth it.
Stage 3: The Demon Dragon
There’s no save point here. The moment Ganondorf drops, he becomes the Demon Dragon and you go straight into the sky battle.
- Ride the Light Dragon. Zelda’s Light Dragon carries you up toward the Demon Dragon.
- Break the four weak points on its back. Glide down, hit each glowing crystal with the Master Sword, then drop off and glide back to the Light Dragon.
- Finish the head. With the body weak points gone, land on Ganondorf’s Secret Stone on its forehead, hit it and press the prompt for the final blow.
- Catch Zelda. When the dragon falls, you free fall. Fly to Zelda and catch her.
Honestly, this stage is spectacle more than difficulty. The real test was the duel.
After the Credits
You return to the title screen and can continue from a save marked with a star, which puts you back before the final boss so you can keep exploring. Your Adventure Log also picks up completion counters for every quest category, which is great if you’re hunting 100%. The Korok seed guide and the TOTK interactive map will keep you busy for a long time.
If you’re replaying on newer hardware, our TOTK Switch 2 Edition review covers what changed.
Demon King Ganondorf FAQ
How do you get to the final boss in Tears of the Kingdom?
Once you are ready (ideally with all five Sages and the Master Sword), dive into the Hyrule Castle Chasm from Serutabomac Shrine and descend through the Depths below the castle.
Do you need all the Sages to beat Ganondorf?
No, but each Regional Phenomenon you finished brings that Sage into the fight, which makes it much easier.
How many phases does the Ganondorf fight have?
Four waves of his army, a three part duel with Ganondorf, then the Demon Dragon.
What heals Gloom damage during the fight?
Sundelion dishes. Some of his late attacks strip hearts that can’t be restored until the battle ends.
Can you keep playing after beating Ganondorf?
Yes. Load the save marked with a star and you return to before the final boss.
Test Results: a stack of Sundelion meals, high defense food, four bows and patience with the headshots. That’s the whole recipe. This breaks the game’s difficulty curve (in the best way). Go get him.
