Endgame spoilers: Ganondorf is beneath Hyrule Castle. From Serutabomac Shrine, dive from the castle, glide underneath it to Hyrule Castle Chasm, then follow the Depths route through Gloom’s Lair to the Demon King’s Army and the final boss.
This guide is for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Nintendo Switch, identified on Nintendo’s official product page. The route and encounters below contain endgame spoilers.
Do you need to complete the quest first?
No. The named “Destroy Ganondorf” quest is given by Purah after “Crisis at Hyrule Castle,” “Find the Fifth Sage,” and “Recovering the Hero’s Sword,” but those are quest-handoff prerequisites, not a hard lock on reaching the boss. The final area can be reached after returning to Hyrule from the Great Sky Island. This distinction is described by Zelda Dungeon’s Destroy Ganondorf walkthrough.
Story progress still matters once you go. Completing more of the main story and awakening Sages can provide more support in the army battle and prevent some unfinished boss encounters from being added to the finale. If you rush in, expect less help and potentially a longer sequence.
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- Enhanced performance and visuals exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2.
- Explore the skies, caves, and vast lands of Hyrule in a massive open-world adventure.
- Wield new and returning abilities to craft solutions, vehicles, and weapons.
- Discover the mystery behind the spreading gloom threatening the kingdom.
- Use the ZELDA NOTES app to share, compare, and earn daily bonuses.
Prepare before the final descent
- Cook Sundelion meals. Gloom in the descent can reduce your maximum hearts temporarily; Sundelions restore hearts lost to gloom.
- Consider gloom resistance. Dark Clumps from Bargainer Statues can be cooked into meals that provide gloom resistance.
- Bring dependable weapons and armor. Strong fused weapons and upgraded armor are useful recommendations, not entry requirements. Light Dragon Shards or strong monster parts are among suggested fusion materials.
- Keep a way back. Camobatures Lightroot is a fast-travel point. A Travel Medallion placed at the ledge before the next drop can also let you leave to recover, cook, or improve equipment.
- Use the last preparation point. The Mural Room / ledge before the Imprisoning Chamber is the final convenient opportunity to back out before continuing toward the army fight.
These preparation suggestions and landmarks are also covered in Nintendo Life’s final dungeon walkthrough.
How to reach Ganondorf
- Start at Serutabomac Shrine. Warp to the shrine at Hyrule Castle. Dive off the castle and glide beneath the floating structure until you can see Hyrule Castle Chasm.
- Dive into Hyrule Castle Chasm. The chasm leads into the Depths beneath the castle, where the route to Ganondorf begins.
- Activate Camobatures Lightroot. On the descent, head toward the southeast side to find it. It is the area’s only Lightroot and provides a useful fast-travel point.
- Follow the enemy corridors. The path is mostly linear, with encounters that can include Like Likes, Keese, Horriblins, and a Lynel, followed by other enemies in the gloom area. Many corridor fights can be avoided if you want to save weapons, food, and health for later. Use Ascend at one traversal section and Recall on a falling stone block at another.
- Continue through the mural area. Break or bomb rock barriers that block the tunnel. The route passes the mural room associated with the opening and leads onward to the Imprisoning Chamber and Gloom’s Lair.
- Prepare at the final ledge. Before dropping from the platform, use the nearby opportunity to heal, equip weapons, or leave and return if you placed a Travel Medallion.
- Drop to trigger the Demon King’s Army. Defeat its four waves, then continue along the route to the final boss sequence.
How to beat the Demon King’s Army
The drop from the platform triggers four waves: Bokoblins, Lizalfos, Gibdos, and Moblins. Available Sage allies can join the fight. Area attacks are useful against groups; use elemental attacks to make Gibdos vulnerable, and be ready to dodge incoming attacks.
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- The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom
If relevant story boss encounters remain unfinished, they may also appear in the finale before the route to Ganondorf opens. The number of helpers and extra encounters therefore depends on your story progress.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens in the final boss sequence?
The Ganondorf encounter has two Demon King phases, followed by the Demon Dragon aerial phase. In the aerial section, the Light Dragon assists Link. Attack the glowing targets on the Demon Dragon’s back, then strike the target on its head to finish the fight.
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Quick Recap
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- Ultrahand: Using the new Ultrahand ability, Link can pick up, move, and rotate almost any object, and can even attach objects together to create bridges, vehicles, and more!
- Fuse: Magically fuse almost any object to Link’s current weapon, shield, or arrow to increase durability, damage, or even add a new effect. Experiment with lots of different combinations to come up with surprising—and sometimes hilarious—results!
- Ascend: Add a new dimension to your exploration with Ascend, which gives Link the ability to pass through solid objects above him. Rise up through ceilings, hillsides, and even certain enemies to create seemingly impossible shortcuts.
- Recall: Use Recall to make objects in motion move backward through time, letting Link ride fallen boulders skyward, recover thrown weapons, or send projectiles back where they came from.
Rank #3
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom /Switch
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