Getting through the Lost Woods and into Korok Forest is quite the ordeal. Not only did you have to figure out the secret passage through the Depths to get there, but you had to trust the game would allow you to access such an important location via a Chasm. Not to mention the dastardly Gloom Hands that hunted you whilst you were down there.
Nerve-Wracking is an understatement, but your reward was worth it…right? Well, not really. The Korok Forest and the Great Deku Tree are not doing so well. Everyone is frozen in place, the Forest is covered in a thick fog, and the Great Deku Tree is looking a smidge on the poorly side. If you want to restore the Korok Forest and cure the Great Deku Tree, we have you covered in this guide.
More Legend Of Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom content:
Cooking Guide | Secret Mount Guide | Surviving Cold Weather | Elixir Guide | Heat Resistance | Flame Guard
How To Get To The Korok Forest
We have a guide covering that, so be sure to check that out here. In short, you will need to go under the Korok Forest via Minshi Woods Chasm. It’s quite a dangerous trek, so be careful down there.
Curing The Great Deku Tree
It’s not uncommon for the Great Deku Tree to be in some sort of danger. In most games, in fact, his powers are either waning, completely spent, or he’s straight-up dead. If you’ve played any Zelda game in the past, then the reveal that the Great Deku Tree is on death’s door in Tears Of The Kingdom will not come as a shock.
Curing the Great Deku Tree, and by extension, restoring the Korok Forest, is going to take a bit of combat prowess, plenty of healing items, and no small amount of powerful weapons.
You want to return to Korok Grove, only a different part of that grove. Head into the Great Deku Tree and you will find a Chasm leading back to the depths. Jump into it, and you will fall into an enclosed area separate from the rest of the Depths. This is the heart of the Great Deku Tree’s corruption.
Defeating Gloom Hands
Shortly after arriving, Gloom Hands will spawn. This is a very dangerous enemy and one that will be rather difficult due to the limited space available. Equip your best armour, and your best weapon (ideally one that has range like a spear or 2H), and munch on some Food/Elixir that grants Attack bonuses.
The trick with Gloom Hands is to always be targeting the closest Gloom Hand, and to dodge to the side. Gloom Hands will try to grab you and drain your life with Gloom Hearts. They can be dodged, however. If timed correctly, you will initiate a Flurry Rush. We found that each hand could be destroyed with a single Flurry Rush if you used a weapon with at least 30 Attack (and you were buffed).
Rinse and repeat this process until all the Gloom Hands are destroyed. You could also use Ascend to get onto a small ledge at the back of the room and drop bombs. This will make the first stage easier, but won’t do much for the second.
Defeating Phantom Ganon
Once you have defeated the Gloom Hands, the true enemy will appear – Phantom Ganon. This guy is no joke. His every presence will cause Gloom to spread (seemingly infinitely if you let it). He inflicts massive chunks of damage (one-shot potential if you don’t have strong armour/heart containers) and is very tanky.
Thankfully, Phantom Ganon has a very simple pattern – he hits you with his sword. If you are too far away he will also shoot you with a projectile. We recommend staying close to Ganon which will force him to do a very basic spin attack.
This attack can be blocked with your shield which will give you the chance to counter attack. Dodging backwards at the right time will initiate a Flurry Rush, which can be used to deal huge chunks of damage. Rinse and repeat until Phantom Ganon dies. This could take a while without good weapons and buffs, but keep at it.
He will drop two very powerful items, the Demon King’s Bow and the Gloom Sword.
Return To Korok Forest
You can either teleport to the Korok Forest Shrine or use Ascend to return to the Korok Forest. Talk to the Great Deku Tree and receive your reward.
That’s all we have for Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom for now. Be sure to check out our other content for more tips, tricks, guides, and lists.
