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Nintendo redefined The Legend of Zelda with Breath of the Wild. By calling back to the original Zelda on the NES, the franchise was able to tap into a level of freedom the series slowly lost over the course of time. That freedom is so far-ranging, players can even challenge Calamity Ganon right out of the gate.
Fighting Breath of the Wild’s final boss before doing a single dungeon is one of the game’s greatest accomplishments – and hardest challenge. If you think you're up to the task, read on for some tricks of the trade.
Updated on March 23, 2023 by Quinton O'Connor: A brand-new section has been added covering our recommendations for what to bring with you to the boss rush. We've also gone over the full guide to fix any nagging spelling errors and the like.
Preparing For The Boss Rush
First things first, make sure to bring as many weapons as possible - because Link needs to fight every single Blight Ganon in the game back to back before so much as starting the final fight with Calamity Ganon (which in itself is much harder if no Divine Beasts have been completed). If Link has at least 13 Hearts, go to the Lost Woods and obtain the Master Sword.
Attempting to free the Master Sword from its resting place with fewer than 13 hearts results in game over, so yeah. Don't do that.
Recommended Weaponry
- Bomb Arrows for inflicting powerful damage and potentially stunning enemies
- Ancient Arrows for inflicting even greater damage
- Copious amounts of Fire Arrows and regular Arrows as well, since you're going to want to have access to as many as possible throughout the rush
- Royal Claymores for slow-but-mighty swings with 52 Attack Power and 40 Durability
- Master Sword deals increased damage against the bosses, so truly, it's hard to recommend going in without it
- Ancient Battle Axes, preferably with '+' or (ideally) '++' designation, which cranks up to 60 Attack Power and is generally swifter than Claymores
Recommended Armor
- Hylian Shield, the best shield in the game with an outstanding 800 Durability; it can be found within Hyrule Castle after taking a detour to defeat a Stalnox
- Recommended Armor Sets include Ancient, Barbarian, Fierce Deity, and Phantom; try to get them all upgraded through Great Faeries if possible
Recommended Meals
- Hearty Mushroom Skewers and, really, anything that makes good use of Hearty Truffles since they not only help greatly in restoring hearts but also add temporary increases to your maximum hearts, essentially increasing Link's HP
- Tough Steamed Fish for its 'Tough' bonus of increasing Link's defense, which will be handy with upgraded armor but downright critical without it; we recommend fish since it's so prolific across Hyrule, and thus easy to snag
- Hearty Fried Wild Greens can supplement your Hearty Mushroom Skewers with ease; they won't increase HP temporarily, but they will completely restore Link's health all for the incredibly low cost of a single Hearty Radish
- Mighty Simmered Fruit requires merely five bananas to reach its full potential; 'Mighty' bonus means Link's offense increases, which - when combined with something like Ancient Arrows - can rapidly slice through Ganon's HP
Windblight Ganon
Link’s first opponent in the Sanctum is Windblight Ganon. The easiest of the Blights, Windblight Ganon can be reliably stunned with three Arrow shots to the eye. Windblight will drop to the ground, allowing Link to get in some free hits. After dealing half damage, the second half of the fight will begin.
Windblight Ganon will spawn four drones that’ll fly around the arena along with it. Windblight Ganon will use the drones to attack, so make sure to snipe them out with any Arrows. It’s worth pointing out that Windblight Ganon will spend the rest of the fight airborne, the second half will be fought mainly with Bows. Bring plenty of Bomb Arrows for extra damage.
Waterblight Ganon
After defeating Windblight Ganon, Link will need to fight Waterblight Ganon. The key to getting through the first phase of Waterblight Ganon’s fight is mastering Link’s Perfect Dodge in order to Flurry Rush. Waterblight Ganon will attack Link close quarters with its spear. Learn the timing for a Perfect Dodge and keep creating Flurry Rush openings to quickly cut Waterblight down to half health.
During its second phase, Waterblight Ganon will start teleporting around the room while throwing ice blocks at Link. Use Cryonis to shatter the ice mid-air and make sure to shoot Waterblight Ganon in the eye whenever possible. As Waterblight Ganon is dying, it’ll start firing at Link in desperation which can be easily countered with a Shield Bash. With Waterblight Ganon dead, it’s time to fight Fireblight Ganon.
Fireblight Ganon
Fireblight Ganon’s first phase is fairly similar to Waterblight Ganon. Fireblight fights with a gigantic axe, but clearly telegraphs its attacks. Learn the timing for Perfect Dodges and Link should be able to kill Fireblight Ganon with Flurry Rushes faster than he did Waterblight Ganon. Be warned, though, Fireblight Ganon has a multi-hit combo in its first form that’s better off avoided altogether. Trying to block can be a disaster.
Unlike other Blight battles, Fireblight Ganon’s second phase actually makes the fight easier: largely because it’s a puzzle boss. Much like the Dodongos of yore, Fireblight Ganon will start charging up a fire attack. As Fireblight Ganon inhales everything around it, throw a Remote Bomb at it and detonate the Bomb. Fireblight Ganon will drop and allow Link to get some free hits on the spot.
Thunderblight Ganon
The last boss before finally taking on Calamity Ganon, Thunderblight Ganon is easily the toughest of the quartet. Incredibly fast with hard=hitting attacks, defeating Thunderblight Ganon requires learning its attack pattern. Dodge its electric blasts outright and try to parry any incoming attacks. Doding also works, but the timing is a bit trickier to pull off.
The second phase of the fight provides considerably more difficulty. Unequip any metallic equipment immediately and keep a close eye on where Thunderblight Ganon is. It’ll spawn magnetic rods into the ground which you should immediately use Magnesis on in order to place right by Thunderblight Ganon. It’ll eat its own lightning blast, allowing Link to get in free hits.
Thunderblight Ganon will also keep on the offensive in-between attacks. Make sure to keep parrying its strikes or dodging (if able) and Thunderblight Ganon will eventually go down. If there are any openings, make sure to shoot it with some Arrows too. With all the Blights defeated, it’s time for the grand finale.
Final Fight With Ganon
If Link completed all four Divine Beasts beforehand, Calamity Ganon starts the final battle at half health. Since that doesn't apply to us for the purposes of this guide, prepare for a far lengthier ordeal. That said, Calamity Ganon isn’t dreadfully challenging and might be one of the easier bosses in the game – for anyone who mastered Flurry Rush and Parrying that is.
Calamity Ganon can use attacks from all four of its Blights, all of which should be avoided instead of countered. Keeping close to Calamity Ganon will trigger him into attacking Link, allowing players to dodge and get in Flurry Strikes. Parrying also works here, but is considerably harder to pull off (and shields should be saved for his second phase).
During its second phase, Calamity Ganon will become even more aggressive. Keep dodging its melee attacks with a Perfect Dodge, but keep in mind that Calamity Ganon will now start firing out Guardian-like blasts. Parry them with your shield and Calamity Ganon should go down in no time.
Once defeated, players will need to fight Dark Beast Ganon: a scripted sequence where Link just needs to shoot his weak points with the Bow of Light. Once Ganon has been defeated, congratulate yourself for having the endurance to survive Zelda’s deadliest boss rush.