Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is full of uniquely different challenges and bosses for you to tackle in order to save Hyrule. Of course one of its biggest threats continues to be Ganon, the true arch-nemesis of Link, and his Phantom form is even more menacing. He comes back with a vengeance in Tears of the Kingdom, and to beat the game you need to know how to defeat him. Here is how to kill Phantom Ganon in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
How to Prepare to Fight Phantom Ganon in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Phantom Ganon is one of the most difficult multi-part battles in the game, and he can make quick work of anyone who isn’t well-prepared. Before you decide to take him on, there are a few preparations you’ll want to make first. We highly recommend doing the following:
- Maximize your health bar as much as possible. You can do this primarily by visiting the shrines found across Hyrule, cooking and eating recipes that give you extra hearts, or even reallocating your stamina specs to your health.
- Also repair your hearts with a sundelion dish that will give you gloom resistance buff. Any and all methods you have of applying this buff should be used.
- Bolster and fuse the most powerful weapons and shields you have in your arsenal. Always have a few ready in case one breaks. High defense is a must.
How to Defeat Phantom Ganon’s Three Forms (Sword, Club, and Spear) in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Phantom Ganon consists of three different mini-boss fights in different locations across the map. In each fight he’ll wield a different weapon and use different attacks. However, to fight him you first need to lure him out.
He’ll be found in areas near chasms where Gloom is in abundance. Once you reach one of those spots, a bunch of Gloom Hands will spawn that you need to kill. The key to handling them is to deal damage from high ground when possible, as facing them at close range is incredibly painful and usually will end in your death.
Successfully eliminating all of them will then draw out Phantom Ganon in one of his three forms.
Sword Phantom Ganon
Location: Great Deku Tree Chasm (Great Hyrule Forest) OR Lindor’s Brow Cave (Hyrule Ridge Region)
In any of his three forms, dodging, parrying, and defense in general are crucial to surviving. His attacks can easily break through your shields, and some can kill you almost instantly, so staying vigilant and knowing which attack is coming next is key. In this form he has three main attacks, including:
- Raising his sword to his right, then swinging it towards you. Can be blocked with your shield.
- A direct charge attack that follows with him swinging his sword at you. Again, can be blocked.
- Bringing his sword across his body to unleash a spinning attack that does damage twice. This will break through your shield, so we recommend falling back to dodge it completely.
Upon defeating this form of Phantom Ganon, he will drop a few different rewards, including a Gloom Sword, Dark Clumps, and the Demon King’s Bow which grows stronger the more hearts you have on your health bar.
Club Phantom Ganon
Location: Large Tree Stump in Crenel Hills
In this form, Phantom Ganon will swing around a giant club that you’ll want to make sure to dodge accordingly. Again he has three main attacks including:
- A front kick attack that can be blocked with your shield.
- A club swing attack from the side, which can also be blocked.
- Ganon’s big attack where he lifts his club to his shoulder and leaps high in the air, crashing into the ground after. You cannot block this, so dodge before he comes back down. A backflip (hold “ZL”) into a flurry rush is a good technique to use here.
Upon his defeat, Club Phantom Ganon will drop yet another Demon King’s Bow, a Gloom Club, and Dark Clumps.
Spear Phantom Ganon
Location: Mekar Island – West of Korok Forest
Phantom Ganon’s third and final form will have him wielding a spear, and the strategy is a little bit different this time. He only has two main attacks which include:
- A direct charge attack with a swing of his spear
- A frontal stab attack with the spear
To contend with these attacks, rather than keeping your distance you’ll want to actually stay very close to Phantom Ganon and strafe around him, as his damage won’t land at that range and neither are sweeping attacks. Use your shield if need be as well. Evade his attack, reciprocate with your own, back out to avoid the gloom damage after and then repeat until he’s dead.
This time he’ll drop a Gloom Spear, the Demon King’s Bow, and more Dark Clumps.
How to Defeat the Final Phantom Ganon Boss at Hyrule Castle in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
There is actually one other instance where you fight Phantom Ganon, and it’s part of the main story at Hyrule Castle. Here you will face off against him and five armed specter enemies, so it’s a much busier fight than before. Once again, distance is key to keep from getting swarmed with brutal attacks and that nasty gloom debuff.
One trick to getting some clever hits on them with your bow is to have a spring or a time bomb fused to your shield, allowing you to launch into the air and get those slow-time charge shots.
Proper dodging can also open the opportunity for flurry attacks, and a strong weapon will make quick work of their health that way.
One other technique is to use high ground by making your way up to the top ledge of the sanctum, near the stairs. The ranged specters will usually go to the opposite side and fire arrows that you can easily sidestep and retaliate with your own shots.
For the ones who teleport to you, dodge their attacks and vacate the ledge until they teleport away. Make your way back up there and continue your high ground assault, cheesing the AI to your heart’s content.
Once they’re dead, you can focus on Phantom Ganon himself who will be in his Sword form and uses the same attacks as before. Upon his defeat, the Fifth Sage quest will commence.
That concludes our guide for how to kill Phantom Ganon in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. We hope you found this useful, and let us know what you thought of these fights against Link’s ghoulish nemesis.
Be sure to check out all of our other guides, such as Best Early Weapons, Upgrades, and Fuses in TOTK.
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