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You will fight Ganon as a boss twice during the Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and doing so will be just as difficult as you remember. However, there are some tricks to this boss fight that will make it easier. Knowing his patterns and attacks is also crucial. Once you do, the fight might still be challenging, but you can defeat this echo of Ganon.
Echoes in Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom are the main gameplay mechanics you will use to traverse and fight your way through the game. Getting the echoes of all enemies you face and some useful objects is crucial, especially in fights against foes like Ganon. However, the echo that will come in handy is one of the most simple as you will soon see.
How To Prepare For The Ganon Boss Fight
Discovering Ganon Again
When Zelda enters the Hyrule Castle Dungeon, she will attempt to find her father and heal the rift. The first time you face Ganon, it will be as Link at the very beginning of the game. While it can be a tough fight, it is also the first boss and, therefore, a little easier. Link has his usual arsenal to throw against Ganon, after all.
With Zelda, it is a little different. She is equipped a little differently than Link and is facing a much harder version of Ganon. It is a mid-to-late game, boss, but it has a tough feeling and might feel harder than some of the bosses you will face in other dungeons across the map of Hyrule in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
Make sure you go into the Hyrule Castle Dungeon well-equipped. Bring smoothies, potions, and any gear you have that is available to you at the moment. This could be anything that reduces damage, as that is the main thing that will be hard to avoid.
Make sure to rest and heal up once you find the boss door as well, as you will want to enter the boss door well-prepared and at full health. Make sure your boulder echo is on your hotkey. Take the fight to Ganon by entering the boss’ door and preparing for a tough battle.
How To Defeat Ganon
The End Of The Hyrule Castle Dungeon
When you enter the room, the King of Hyrule will be waiting, but he is not the father you knew. He will claim to use his power to get rid of you, and then he will summon Ganon. Ganon will threaten you and then begin his attack.
Phase 1
Phase 1 is easy and fairly short. Ganon will mostly use thrusting attacks with long pauses at the end before teleporting away. In the long pauses, you can get a few hits in Swordfighter form. If you summon echoes, they will distract him, but they will not do much, if any, damage to him as he clears them out pretty quickly.
Once you have landed a few blows of your own, Ganon will roar and teleport, which will start the next phase.
Phase 2
In Phase 2, Ganon will mostly fluctuate between the two main attacks. The first, where he throws his staff, will be an opportunity for you to attack. Grab the staff out of midair, but be careful not to touch it. If you do, you will take a hefty amount of damage. Instead, use your magic to hold the staff, carry it over toward Ganon, and force it to hit him instead. This will cause him a fair amount of damage.
His second main attack will be his fireballs. This will be a continuing attack for the rest of the fight, so learning how to recognize it is important. He will teleport and start spinning his staff quickly, at which point you should summon the boulder echo. Stand behind it and let the fireballs crash into it. This will give you energy back and prevent you from taking any damage.
You may or may not want to summon other echoes during this time. They will distract him a little, but they will get instantly taken out, and you
will not get the energy for the fireballs
hitting your boulder. You also do not have that much time, and you need to have the boulder ready to go, so keep that in mind during the fight.
Your main source of attacking him during this phase will be after you hit him with his own staff, as this will also stun him, and you can switch to Swordfighter form to whack him. After a couple of times, he will progress to the next phase.
Phase 3
His new attack for this phase is a “Powerball” like move where he sends a glowing orb at you. You have to enter Swordfighter form at this point, which allows you to volley the Powerball back at him. The timing here is incredibly precise, and you will take a heavy hit if you miss the volley. He will keep returning it to you several times before it hits him, and his volley will get faster and faster, so you need to be ready.
If you struggle with timing a lot, it may be partially due to the delay
if you are playing with your Switch docked
. If it is not working and you keep losing, try it in handheld mode.
However, that being said, now is also the time to drink a Tough Smoothie in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom if you have not already. The damage reduction can and will likely save your life a few times, as YouTuber Austin John Plays pointed out. It is an excellent buff to you that you do not want to miss out on.
If you get the timing right, it will stun him, and you can whack him a few times. From there, he will switch between his attacks somewhat at random. Make sure to enter Swordfighter form only when he is stunned or using the Powerball attack, and always be ready with the boulders when you need them.
Phase 4
Once he has been damaged enough, he will enter his fourth and final phase. He does not have any new attacks, but his current attacks are stronger, faster, and more random. He will use any past attacks, and the timing between them is much quicker, as his teleports take much less time. He will also disappear a lot faster, meaning that you may not be able to stun him with his staff when he throws it.
The best chance you have to deal damage is with the Powerball volley, so try to focus on getting that timing right. Once he’s defeated, a cutscene will play, and you will get a new heart container. Tri will gain another level and be able to reduce the cost of your echoes.
While it is not the end of your adventure yet, you will see your real father, and you can do several other things now, such as go find your actual horse in Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom so that you can finish saving Hyrule and Link.
Source: Austin John Plays/YouTube
