Gloom Guide — What Gloom Does and How to Heal It

Gloom is one of Tears of the Kingdom's most distinctive mechanics — a dark, corruptive energy that permanently damages hearts until specifically healed. Understanding Gloom is essential for Depths exploration and the Final Boss fight. This guide covers everything.

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What Is Gloom?

Gloom is a dark red-purple energy that emanates from Ganondorf's sealed location beneath Hyrule Castle and spreads through The Depths. It appears as:

• Ground-level puddles in The Depths (standing in them damages hearts)
• Enemy attacks from Gloom-infused monsters
• Weapons held by Gloom-corrupted enemies (Gloom Hands, Phantom Ganon)
• Final Boss environment — Demon Dragon emits Gloom from its body

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What Gloom Does to Your Hearts

When Link takes Gloom damage, affected heart containers turn dark red and become unavailable. Unlike regular hearts:

• Regular food CANNOT restore Gloom hearts
• Gloom hearts can only be restored by Sundelion meals or Lightroot proximity
• If all non-Gloom hearts are depleted and only Gloom hearts remain, Gloom will start consuming those too

Example: If Link has 10 hearts and takes 4 Gloom damage:

• 4 hearts turn dark red (inaccessible)
• Link effectively has 6 functional hearts
• Eating a Hearty meal restores the 6 functional hearts but NOT the 4 dark hearts
• Only Sundelion food or a Lightroot restores the 4 dark hearts

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Two Ways to Heal Gloom Hearts

Method 1 — Sundelion Meals (Primary)

Sundelion is a yellow flower found exclusively on Sky Islands (not on the surface, not in The Depths). Cooking any meal with Sundelion restores Gloom-darkened heart containers.

Sundelion meal effectiveness: | Recipe | Gloom Hearts Restored | |--------|----------------------| | 1 Sundelion (raw) | 1 heart | | Sundelion + food ingredients | 1–3 hearts | | 5× Sundelion cooked together | 3–4 hearts | | Sundelion + Hearty ingredient | 3+ hearts (+ full heal bonus) |

Best practical recipe: Sundelion + any 4 cooking ingredients → restores 2–3 Gloom hearts + some normal hearts.

Stock requirement: Bring 15–20 Sundelions before any major Depths expedition.

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Method 2 — Lightroot Proximity (Instant, Free)

Standing within the illuminated radius of any Lightroot instantly and completely restores ALL Gloom-darkened hearts at no cost. The healing is immediate.

Strategy: When Gloom-damaged in The Depths, fast-travel to the nearest Lightroot → step into the light → all Gloom hearts restored → resume exploration.

This is the most resource-efficient Gloom healing method — it costs nothing. The trade-off is requiring fast travel interruption.

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Gloom Enemies

Several enemies in TotK deal Gloom damage directly:

Gloom Hands

Clusters of dark hands that emerge from Gloom puddles in specific Depths and surface locations. They grab Link and deal rapid Gloom damage — the most dangerous regular Gloom encounter.

Counter: Fire (burns them off), Bomb Flowers, Riju's lightning from a distance. Their primary spawn location is in front of Phantom Ganon battles — defeat the Gloom Hands first to trigger Phantom Ganon.

Drops: Phantom Ganon Soul (when the Gloom Hands are killed before the Phantom Ganon appears)

Phantom Ganon

Appears after Gloom Hands are defeated. Uses Gloom-infused weapons and deals significant Gloom damage with each hit. Not a one-hit kill situation but requires sustained defensive play.

Counter: Gloom Hands spawn his armor — destroying his armor (hit weak points) removes the Gloom aura temporarily.

Gloom-Corrupted Monsters (Depths)

Standard enemies (Bokoblins, Lizalfos, Moblins) appear in Gloom-infused forms in The Depths. Their attacks deal Gloom damage on hit.

Counter: Same tactics as surface variants; avoid getting hit by using flurry rushes and shields. Sidon's water blessing helps absorb a Gloom hit without losing the heart.

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Gloom Puddles — Avoidance Strategy

The Depths floor is partially covered in Gloom puddles — dark, slowly shifting pools. Standing in them drains hearts rapidly.

Navigation tips:

• Lightroots illuminate large safe zones — work room-to-room between Lightroots
• Brightbloom Seeds reveal the Gloom puddle layout ahead of you
• Hoverbike travel above Gloom puddles avoids all ground-level Gloom damage
• The Depths floor outside of Lightroot zones is never fully safe — always watch your footing

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Gloom and the Final Boss

The Demon Dragon (Final Boss) deals Gloom damage in several ways:

• The arena floor has Gloom exposure zones
• Demon Dragon attacks inflict Gloom on direct hits
• During Phase 3–4, the entire arena becomes more Gloom-saturated

Final Boss preparation:

• Bring 20+ Sundelion meals (not just Sundelions — cook them into meals)
• Have 13+ hearts so you have buffer for Gloom damage
• Sidon's blessing absorbs one hit per cycle — huge value against Gloom attacks

See Final Boss Guide for the complete Demon Dragon strategy.

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Farming Sundelions

Sundelions only grow on Sky Islands. Best farming locations:

Great Sky Island (accessible any time):

• The starting tutorial area has Sundelions throughout
• After leaving, return via Skyview Tower + Paraglider + Tulin's Gust to reach again
• ~8–12 Sundelions per visit

Eldin Sky Archipelago:

• Launch from Eldin Skyview Tower → glide northwest
• Sundelion patches on multiple floating platforms
• ~15–20 Sundelions per sweep

Akkala Sky Archipelago:

• Launch from Akkala Skyview Tower → numerous sky island clusters
• Large Sundelion farming area

Buy from Bargainer Statues: Bargainer Statues in The Depths sell 5 Sundelions for 16 Poes. If you have excess Poes (from lighting Lightroots), this is the easiest resupply method.

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Gloom Resistance — Does It Exist?

There is no armor set or food effect that provides "Gloom Resistance" as a status effect in TotK. The only ways to interact with Gloom damage are:

1. Avoid it (don't stand in puddles, use shields against Gloom enemies)
2. Absorb hits (Sidon's blessing, shields)
3. Heal afterward (Sundelions or Lightroots)

The lack of a Gloom Resistance mechanic makes bringing Sundelion meals mandatory for serious Depths exploration.

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Quick Gloom Tips Summary

• Always have 15+ Sundelion meals before entering The Depths
• Fast travel to Lightroots for free Gloom healing (most efficient method)
• Hoverbike above puddles for safe floor navigation
• Sidon's blessing absorbs one Gloom hit per recharge cycle
• Don't ignore dark hearts — they compound; full Gloom damage can wipe you if not addressed
• Sundelion + anything counts as a Sundelion meal — combine with healing ingredients for efficiency

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See also: Depths Survival Guide | Poes Guide | Final Boss Guide