Sundelion Guide — The Key to Surviving Gloom

Sundelions are the most important cooking ingredient for Depths exploration, Hyrule Castle, and Ganondorf fights. They are the only food ingredient that restores Gloom-afflicted (blackened) hearts. Without Sundelion-based food, Gloom damage permanently reduces your effective health until you rest at an inn or find sunlight. This guide covers every Sundelion location and the best recipes.

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What Sundelions Do

Cooking Sundelions produces Sunny food — the only food category that restores Gloom-darkened hearts.

Normal food: Restores current hearts (red/empty). Cannot restore Gloom-afflicted hearts. Sunny food (Sundelion-based): Restores current hearts AND restores Gloom-darkened hearts back to full hearts.

One Sunny meal can clear all Gloom affliction if you use enough Sundelions.

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Where to Find Sundelions

Sky Islands (Primary Source)

Sundelions only grow in the sky — they need sky-altitude sunlight and cannot grow on the surface or in the Depths.

Great Sky Island: The tutorial area has 8–12 Sundelions. Return here regularly — they respawn on Blood Moon.

• Check all grassy plateau areas
• Near the Shrines and the Temple of Time grounds

Lanayru Sky Archipelago: Sky islands above Zora's Domain have Sundelion patches on the grassy surfaces. Good density.

Akkala Sky Islands: Northern sky island chains above Akkala have Sundelions scattered across the grassy terrain.

Hebra Sky Islands: High-altitude islands in the Hebra sky have Sundelion patches — bring cold resistance.

Faron Sky Islands: Islands above the Faron jungle region have good Sundelion density.

General rule: Any grassy sky island surface has a chance to have Sundelions. Always collect them when you land on a sky island for any reason.

Light Dragon (Best Repeating Source)

Once you locate the Light Dragon (Zelda transformed), Sundelions grow on its back. This is the most efficient repeating source:

1. Find the Light Dragon (it circles Hyrule at high altitude)
2. Approach via Skyview Tower launch + paraglider
3. Land on the dragon's back
4. Collect all Sundelions growing there
5. Wait approximately 1 real-world day (in-game cycle) → Sundelions respawn on the dragon

Yield per visit: 6–10 Sundelions per collection.

Bonus: The Master Sword is embedded in the Light Dragon's forehead — you can collect Sundelions and pull the Master Sword in the same visit if you've completed the Dragon's Tears memory quest.

Skyview Tower Peaks

Some Skyview Tower summit areas have a Sundelion or two growing on the platform edges. Small yield but free pickups during tower activation.

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Best Sunny Food Recipes

Maximum Gloom Recovery

Sunny Fried Wild Greens

• Ingredients: 5x Sundelion (or 3–5 Sundelion + any greens/herbs)
• Effect: Full heart restore + restores ALL Gloom-afflicted hearts
• Best use: After heavy Gloom damage — clears complete affliction

Sunny Veggie Rice Balls

• Ingredients: 3x Sundelion + 2x Hylian Rice
• Effect: Full restore + substantial Gloom heart recovery
• Best use: Standard Depths meal — combines Gloom cure with good heart restore

Sunny Mushroom Rice Balls

• Ingredients: 2x Sundelion + 3x any Mushroom
• Effect: Moderate Gloom recovery + heart restore
• Best use: Budget recipe when Sundelions are scarce

Scaling Gloom Recovery

The amount of Gloom recovery scales with the number of Sundelions in the recipe:

• 1 Sundelion = restores ~2–3 Gloom hearts
• 2 Sundelions = restores ~5 Gloom hearts
• 3 Sundelions = restores ~8 Gloom hearts
• 5 Sundelions = restores all Gloom hearts (cap)

For maximum efficiency, cook 5 Sundelions together. One 5-Sundelion meal is more efficient than five 1-Sundelion meals.

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Sundelion Farming Routes

Route 1 — Great Sky Island Circuit

1. Use any Skyview Tower to reach maximum altitude
2. Paraglide to Great Sky Island (visible from any northern tower launch)
3. Collect Sundelions from all grassy areas
4. Warp back to surface
5. Yield: 8–12 Sundelions per run

Route 2 — Light Dragon Tracking

1. Go to high altitude via Skyview Tower
2. Scan the sky for the Light Dragon (visible as a golden serpentine form)
3. Approach and land
4. Collect Sundelions + any other items
5. Yield: 6–10 Sundelions per visit (daily respawn)

Route 3 — Skyview Tower Chain

During tower activation runs:

1. Chain all tower activations in one session
2. Collect Sundelions from each tower peak and nearby sky islands
3. Yield: 1–3 per tower × 15 towers = 15–45 Sundelions for a full tower run

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How Many Sundelions to Stock

Minimum recommended stock:

• Casual exploration: 20 Sundelions (4 five-Sundelion meals)
• Depths expedition: 40 Sundelions (8 meals)
• Hyrule Castle assault: 30 Sundelions (6 meals — enough for full castle + Ganondorf)

Maximum inventory: 999. Stock up aggressively whenever you pass sky islands.

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Related Guides

• Gloom Resistance Guide
• Depths Exploration Guide
• Light Dragon Guide
• Master Sword Guide
• Cooking Guide
• Final Boss Guide