Final Boss Guide — Ganondorf and the Demon King

The Demon King Ganondorf is the final boss of Tears of the Kingdom. The fight has three phases across two distinct encounters. This guide covers preparation, each phase, and how to handle the Demon Dragon finale.

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Preparation — What to Have Ready

The final boss fight is long and cannot be paused between phases. Prepare thoroughly before entering Hyrule Castle.

Health: 14+ hearts strongly recommended. 18+ is comfortable. The Demon King hits hard.

Weapons: 8–12 weapons including:

• At least 2 weapons with 60+ attack (Master Sword or Fused Silver Lynel weapon)
• Backup weapons (you'll go through several)
• A multi-shot bow for the aerial phase

Food: 20–30 cooked meals:

• Hearty Durian meals (4 yellow hearts each) — most efficient health buffer
• Mighty Elixirs (attack up Level 2) — bring 5–8 for boss phases
• Endura food for the aerial chase phase

Armor: Upgrade your primary combat set to ★★★ minimum:

• Fierce Deity Armor (attack up + charge speed) is best
• Barbarian Armor is a solid alternative

Sage Companions: Having all 5 Sages makes every phase significantly more manageable. If you haven't completed all four temples, do so before this fight.

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Getting to the Final Boss

How to unlock the final dungeon:

1. Complete all four Regional Phenomena (Wind, Fire, Water, Lightning temples)
2. Complete the Purah's research follow-up quests after each temple
3. The main quest "Find Princess Zelda" will direct you to Hyrule Castle
4. Enter Hyrule Castle and descend to the Gloom Throne

Hyrule Castle interior: The castle has five floors with combat encounters on each. You can leave and return at any time — your progress in the castle is not saved between visits, but the boss won't engage until you reach the throne room.

Bring everything you'd bring for the boss fight. The castle's enemies, including Lizalfos, Moblins, and Constructs, will deplete your resources before the fight if you're not careful.

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Phase 1 — Demon King Ganondorf (Humanoid Form)

Description: Ganondorf appears in his ancient Gerudo warrior form — tall, powerful, wielding a gloom-enhanced falchion.

Health: Approximately 35 hearts

Attack patterns:

• Twin sword combo — rapid 3–5 hit horizontal slashes. Block the last hit for Perfect Guard (stagger).
• Gloom sphere — throws a slow-moving Gloom ball. Dodge sideways; it will damage your hearts if it hits.
• Charge slam — charges across the arena and slams. Dodge at the last moment for Flurry Rush.
• Shadow tendrils — Gloom tendrils emerge from the floor around you. Jump and dodge away.

Strategy: This phase is essentially a Flurry Rush farming exercise. Learn his charge animation — when he lowers his head and prepares to sprint, that's your Flurry Rush setup. Wait for the charge, perfect dodge, then activate the Rush.

After each Flurry Rush sequence, use your Sage abilities — all 5 Sages attack Ganondorf when you use their vows. Chain: Flurry Rush → call all Sages → repeat.

Important: Ganondorf's Gloom attacks will turn hearts red if they hit. Keep a Sundelion meal available or use Light Dragon Scale meals (if you've been farming the Light Dragon) which also heal Gloom.

Phase 1 ends when his health reaches zero. He transforms.

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Phase 2 — Demon King Ganondorf (Dragon Form Approach)

Description: Ganondorf swallows his Secret Stone and transforms into the Demon Dragon — a massive dark dragon.

This phase is a Demon Dragon vs. Light Dragon aerial chase.

Zelda (as the Light Dragon) appears. You are on her back. The two dragons fly toward each other.

Your objective: Survive the Demon Dragon's attacks while riding the Light Dragon to reach Ganondorf.

Demon Dragon attacks:

• Gloom spike projectiles — dodge by moving around the Light Dragon's back
• Gloom breath sweep — move to the edges of the Light Dragon to avoid
• Full charge — the Demon Dragon charges at close range; hold your position on the Light Dragon

Strategy: Stay near the center spine of the Light Dragon. Move along the back when attacks come toward your position. Use Tulin's Gust to reposition quickly if you're near the edge.

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Phase 3 — Demon Dragon (Boss Phase)

After the chase, you land on the Demon Dragon's back and must destroy the glowing weak points.

Structure: The Demon Dragon has 3 Gloom-covered weak points (they look like glowing wounds) on its body:

• Two on the body/back
• One on the head

How to damage them:

1. Stand on the Demon Dragon's back and look for the glowing weak points
2. Use your bow — shoot the weak points with arrows (3–5 shots each to stagger)
3. When a weak point staggers, run to it and perform melee attacks
4. Use Silver Lynel Saber Horn fused weapons for maximum melee damage during the stagger window

Hazards on the Demon Dragon:

• Gloom-covered surface — standing on Gloom patches damages your hearts permanently
• Spikes — the dragon has bone protrusions that deal contact damage
• Movement — the dragon rolls and dives, requiring you to reposition constantly
• Aerial falls — if knocked off, use your Paraglider to return to the dragon (it will stay in range)

Sage abilities during this phase: The Sage companions continue to attack during Phase 3. Use all of their vows as frequently as possible — each provides significant free damage while you manage positioning.

The Demon Dragon has approximately 40–50 hearts in this phase. Each round of destroying all 3 weak points and melee-attacking them removes roughly 20% of its health. 5–6 cycles will end the fight.

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Phase 4 — The Head Weak Point (Final Phase)

When the Demon Dragon is at ~20% health, it will fly higher and expose its head as the final weak point.

The head is protected by a glowing barrier. You must:

1. Use a Bow + Shock Arrow or any powerful arrow to destroy the barrier (3–4 shots)
2. The head staggers — sprint across the dragon's back to reach the head
3. Melee attack the head for massive damage
4. Repeat 2–3 times

Final cutscene: When the Demon Dragon's health is depleted, the game transitions to a final story cutscene and the ending of Tears of the Kingdom.

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Post-Fight and Ending

After the credits, you return to Hyrule with your full inventory and progress. All side quests, shrines, Korok seeds, and collectibles remain for you to complete.

What carries over:

• All items, weapons, food, and materials
• Shrine completions and Lightroot discoveries
• All map data and fast travel points
• Your Hearts, Stamina, and battery upgrades
• All armor and its upgrade levels

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Common Mistakes

Entering with low health. 14+ hearts is the minimum. Fewer means Ganondorf's Gloom attacks are immediately life-threatening.

Not using Sage abilities. Many players forget they can call Sage companions with specific button commands. These do free damage during every phase.

Running out of weapons. Bring more than you think you need. Weapon conservation in a castle run plus 3 boss phases depletes stocks fast.

Standing still during Phase 3. The Demon Dragon constantly moves. Static players fall off. Always be repositioning toward the next weak point.

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See also: Temple Order Guide | Best Armor Sets | Lynel Guide