The Ultimate Guide to Conquer Gloom Hands in Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Highlights

Gloom Hands are the new enemy in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, replacing Guardians and posing a significant threat to players.

To effectively defeat Gloom Hands and inflict maximum damage, players can make use of powerful tools like Bomb Arrows, Ice Weapons, and Electric Arrows. Moreover, strategic approaches such as attacking from higher ground, harnessing the powers of Sages, biding time, or fleeing can be employed to effectively handle encounters with Gloom Hands.

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, players are constantly filled with fear of encountering Guardians. The sudden flash of a laser targeting Link or the eerie climax of the accompanying music signal impending doom, triggering overwhelming panic that can only be escaped through skillful parrying or swift retreat. Fortunately, there is no sign of Guardians in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In their place, a new and equally terrifying adversary has emerged — Gloom Hands.

The introduction of this formidable foe was kept under wraps prior to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Consequently, many players found themselves grappling with the daunting threat posed by Gloom Hands. Often, fleeing seems like the only viable option. Yet, there exist various strategies to gain the upper hand against these sinister creatures.

7 Bomb Arrows

Bomb Flowers are an essential asset for Link when battling Gloom Hands in Tears of the Kingdom. To maximize damage with minimal resource consumption, players should equip a bow capable of shooting three arrows. By doing so, each shot will inflict substantial damage while only utilizing a single arrow. Moreover, if players have amassed a plentiful supply of Bomb Flowers, they can obliterate the Gloom Hands in a matter of a few well-aimed strikes.

In the event that players exhaust their arrow reserves, they can resort to hurling Bomb Flowers directly at the Gloom Hands. It is unnecessary to precisely target a specific hand; instead, simply launch the explosives towards the center to rapidly diminish the health of all hands simultaneously, preventing them from regenerating.

6 Ice Weapons

Ice weapons are incredibly useful in various scenarios, as they enable players to effectively tackle a group of enemies by freezing all but one, giving them the advantage of dealing with foes individually. This tactic is particularly effective when facing Gloom Hands. However, it is crucial to note that the enemies won't remain frozen for an extended period, especially if the frost Link generates through Ice Arrows, Magic Rods, or other methods doesn't affect all of them simultaneously.

Even though enemies are frozen only briefly, this provides players with a valuable opportunity to either reconsider their strategy or deliver powerful blows. Most importantly, it allows players to swiftly extricate themselves from an unfavorable situation if they are caught off guard.

5 Attack From Above

Gloom Hands do not appear randomly on the map; instead, they spawn at specific locations throughout Hyrule. However, players who encounter them for the first time may feel panicked and require assistance on how to handle the situation. Rather than engaging the enemy directly, it is advisable for players to climb to higher vantage points. Doing so not only allows them to strategize their next move, but also keeps them safe as Gloom Hands cannot reach certain heights.

Once in a favorable position, players can use any weapons of their choice to defeat the Gloom Hands. Additionally, gliding above them provides players with extra time to carefully plan their actions and execute powerful attacks while airborne.

4 Zonai Devices

If players have been regularly collecting Zonai Devices from dispensers, they might have a stock of Zonai Cannons. These cannons can be combined with arrows to create an alternate type of Bomb Arrow that is effective against formidable foes such as Gloom Hands.

In addition to using them as arrow fusions, Zonai Cannons have other applications. They can be mounted on Homing Carts or attached to vehicles equipped with homing weapons, allowing precise targeting of Gloom Hands and amplifying the impact of blasts, including those from the cannons.

3 Electric Arrows

Using arrows that have been infused with elemental materials is the most effective strategy when facing a group of enemies, particularly those with a wide attack range like electricity. By combining Shock Fruit, Electric Keese Eyes or Wings, and Topaz with arrows, Link can unleash a volley of electric attacks to temporarily incapacitate the Gloom Hands, allowing for powerful counterattacks.

When employing Electric Arrows, players must ensure that Link remains outside the range of the electricity's impact if he is confronting the Gloom Hands on the ground. Otherwise, he will be caught in the blast as well.

2 Utilize The Sages

While journeying through Hyrule and progressing through the storyline, players will come across the Sages of each region who possess unique powers. To harness these powers, the Sages must awaken their latent abilities through the Secret Stones. Once awakened, the Sages bestow upon Link the ability to summon their avatars for assistance during battles.

The avatars prove to be incredibly valuable, particularly in situations where Link is faced with multiple enemies in a confined area, such as when dealing with the menacing Gloom Hands. The Sages lend their aid by engaging in combat against the same adversaries as Link, effectively diverting the attention of some Gloom Hands away from him.

1 Wait It Out Or Run

By patiently waiting in a strategic location beyond the reach of the Gloom Hands, players can make the enemy disappear and collect Dark Clumps as they drop. These Dark Clumps can then be utilized to craft recipes that provide resistance against the Gloom, greatly aiding in battles against the Gloom Hands while wearing Gloom Resistant armor. This grants Link an additional layer of defense if players choose to engage in ground combat, inevitably exposing themselves to the Gloom.

If players feel ill-equipped, they can always opt to retreat. However, it should be noted that these enemies are quite swift. The safest course of action for players is to teleport to the nearest Shrine and return once they feel better prepared to confront the Gloom Hands.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for the Nintendo Switch.