How to Beat Gloom Hands in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
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How to Beat Gloom Hands in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Tips
Gloom Hands are one of the most threatening enemies in Tears of the Kingdom because they punish panic, low stamina, weak weapons, and poor positioning. The safest first strategy is to climb, create distance, and use Bomb Flower arrows from above. If Phantom Ganon appears afterward, switch from crowd-control explosives to careful dodging, strong melee hits, and healing when needed.
⚡ Quick Answer
How to Beat Gloom Hands in TotK
The safest way to beat Gloom Hands in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is to keep your distance and hit the whole group with Bomb Flower arrows. Climb onto high ground, use a rocket shield, or glide above them so they cannot grab you, then fire explosives into the cluster. If you are underprepared, run away or fast travel out — escaping is often better than fighting with low hearts or weak weapons.
1
Identify them early and create distance. Gloom Hands appear with red gloom, a sudden dark atmosphere, and aggressive grabbing attacks. As soon as they spawn, sprint away, climb, or look for high ground. Their grabs deal Gloom damage, which locks away hearts until you recover them with sunlight, rest, or gloom-healing food.
2
Use Bomb Flower arrows on the whole cluster. Fuse Bomb Flowers to arrows and aim at the center of the group, not one hand at a time. The explosion can damage multiple hands at once and stop them from regenerating as easily. Bring several Bomb Flowers, a strong bow, and backup weapons; our early weapons guide can help if your damage feels too low.
3
Get high ground before shooting. Climb onto a wall, pillar, ruin, ledge, or tree so the hands cannot grab you. Rocket shields also work well if there is no natural high ground nearby. Extra stamina makes climbing and gliding away much safer, so check our stamina upgrade guide if you keep getting caught.
4
Bring Sundelion meals for Gloom damage. Cook Sundelions into sunny meals before fighting. They restore hearts damaged by Gloom so you can heal back up afterward. They do not make you invincible, but they give you a safety net if a hand grabs you or Phantom Ganon hits you.
5
Prepare for Phantom Ganon after the hands die. When the full group is defeated, Phantom Ganon usually spawns immediately. Dodge carefully, avoid standing in Gloom, and use your strongest safe weapon. If you already have it, the Master Sword is one of the best options for this fight.
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Running away is a valid strategy — if you only want to explore, climb out of reach, sprint away, or fast travel. Many Gloom Hands can despawn if you escape their range, and you can return later with better weapons, more hearts, and more stamina.
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Fire Fruit arrows can help if you lack Bomb Flowers — they are weaker than Bomb Flower arrows, but the area effect can still interrupt and damage clustered hands from a safe distance.
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Avoid risky melee unless you know the fight — standing near Gloom Hands is dangerous because grabs and Gloom damage can overwhelm you quickly. Use bows, explosives, high ground, and safe weapons instead of trying to trade hits on the ground.
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Mark the location if you run away — some Gloom Hands appear near valuable areas, caves, ruins, or chests. Drop a map pin so you can return later when you have stronger weapons and more healing.