After you do the Korok Forest in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom after you cross the Lost Woods you will find the old one Deku tree struggling in the darkness. That same gloom has infected the entire forest and made the Koroks depressed as well. (They don't let out a single “Ya ha ha!”)
To take away the gloom and return the bright and cheerful character of the Korok Forest, you must proceed to the Deku Tree's stomachwhere a chasm and a mighty enemy await.
What you will find in the stomach of the Deku Tree in Zelda: TOTK
Once you're in the Korok Forest, head to the Deku Tree to get the Deku Tree Gap. Before you visit, we recommend that you unlock the teleport waypoint at Musanokir Shrine and prepare for battle by doing the following:
- Boil some sunflowers dishes to replenish your gloomy hearts.
- Combine powerful weapon and shield combinations.
- Take lots of arrows with you.
- Grab about eight to ten bomb flowers.
It's not necessary, but we also recommend upgrading your armor at one of the Great Fairy locations before falling into the gorge. Dive into the rift when you're ready and take on the first group of enemies: Gloom Spawn.
How to defeat the Gloom Spawn
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
After falling into the chasm, gloom will spread across the floor and hands will crawl out. Quickly combine a Bomb Flower with your arrow and shoot it into the center of the five Gloom Spawn (aka Gloom Hands). It took us about eight to ten bomb flower arrows to defeat all five Gloom Spawn.
If you're out of bomb flowers, we've also found that elemental chuchu jelly works well at dealing AOE (area of effect) damage to all hands at once. For those who have completed the main story quest 'Riju of Gerudo Town', Riju's wise ability can make quick work of the hands, and Riju can distract some of them for you.
Be careful not to get too close to the Gloom Spawn, as they will grab you from a deceptively long distance. If you do get caught, Move your joysticks chaotically to escape their grasp as quickly as possible and save your heart.
Once all five have been defeated, prepare to battle another enemy: Phantom Ganon.
How to defeat Phantom Ganon
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Once all five Gloom Spawn have been eliminated, Phantom Ganon will spawn with a sword in hand. The Phantom Ganon fight is all over shielding, parryAnd dodge to take good damage. During our playthrough, we had a measly armor set with eight defenses, and each hit did about six hearts worth of damage. If you're having trouble finding the perfect dodge time, keep your shield up to block the damage. Avoid climbing the walls to run away, as Phantom Ganon will pull out his bow and strike you down.
Phantom Ganon has three different attacks throughout the battle:
- Phantom Ganon raises his sword and swings it once at Link.
- Phantom Ganon starts charging towards Link and swings his sword once.
- Phantom Ganon holds his sword in the air for a moment and then unleashes a spin attack, dealing double damage.
The first two attacks can be blocked by simply holding your shield up, but the second hit of the spin attack passes through the shield and damages Link. As soon as you see Phantom Ganon holding his sword in the air for an extended period of time, fall back and avoid him completely. Be patient and wait for Phantom Ganon to swing and miss, then go in and sap his health.
Repeat the process until you have successfully taken down Phantom Ganon. Once he is defeated, the gloom plaguing the Korok Forest will disappear and Phantom Ganon will become a gloomy sword, The Demon King's Bowand a few dark lumps.
If you're looking for more drops (yes, there are more of these mini-bosses!) then we have a list of Phantom Ganon locations you can find.
Anyway, now that the Deku Tree is freed from the gloom, Link can return to the surface to talk to him. He then lets you discover the location of the Master Sword…