Gloom Resistance Guide — Fighting the Depths' Most Dangerous Hazard

Gloom is TotK's underground curse — it reduces Link's maximum hearts temporarily, leaves red Gloom damage that food can't normally heal, and covers the Depths floor. This guide covers how Gloom works, the armor that resists it, and how to maintain heart capacity in the Depths.

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How Gloom Works

Gloom damage has two components:

1. Heart reduction: When Link steps on or is hit by Gloom, his maximum hearts temporarily decrease (shown as dark red quarter-hearts). He can't go above the reduced maximum until Gloom is healed.
2. Surface damage: On Gloom-covered floors in the Depths, Link takes constant low-level damage while standing still. Moving reduces exposure but doesn't eliminate it.

Critical rule: Standard cooked food does NOT restore Gloom-reduced hearts. Only Sundelion-based meals restore Gloom damage.

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What Reduces Gloom

Sundelion Meals (Primary Heal)

Sundelion is the golden wheat found in sky islands and some sky-adjacent areas. Cooking Sundelion restores Gloom-reduced max hearts:

• 1× Sundelion cooked: Restores 1-2 Gloom-reduced hearts
• 4× Sundelion cooked: Restores 4+ Gloom-reduced hearts
• Sundelion + other ingredients: The Sundelion effect carries through — any recipe with Sundelion restores Gloom hearts

Where to farm Sundelion:

• Sky island plateaus throughout the sky layer
• Great Sky Island has clusters of Sundelion
• Any sky island with golden grass-type plants — those are Sundelion

Lightroots

• Activating a Lightroot fully restores any Gloom-reduced hearts
• Every Lightroot = a free Gloom recovery checkpoint
• Build your Depths exploration around Lightroot-to-Lightroot travel

Returning to the Surface

• Ascending to the surface removes all Gloom contamination
• Your maximum hearts reset fully when you leave the Depths
• Use this as emergency recovery if Gloom is critical

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Ancient Armor — Gloom Resistance

The Ancient Armor set provides Gloom Resistance — reducing how quickly Gloom drains maximum hearts:

Locations (Depths Labyrinths)

All 3 pieces are in Depths labyrinth chests:

• Ancient Helm: Northeast Depths Labyrinth (below Akkala)
• Ancient Cuirass: Northwest Depths Labyrinth (below Eldin/north Hyrule)
• Ancient Greaves: South Depths Labyrinth (below Necluda/Faron)

See Phantom Armor Guide for exact labyrinth navigation — the paths are the same as the Phantom Armor labyrinths (same maze structure, different level).

Ancient Armor Stats

• Per piece: Gloom Resistance (reduces heart reduction rate from Gloom contact)
• Set bonus at ★★: Gloom damage significantly reduced — standing on Gloom-covered floors barely affects you
• Upgradeable: Yes — can be upgraded at Great Fairy (unlike Phantom Armor)

Upgrade Materials

| Level | Materials per piece | |-------|-------------------| | ★ | 3× Puffshroom, 3× Gloom Shard | | ★★ | 4× Gloom Shard, 3× Star Fragment | | ★★★ | 4× Gloom Reed, 4× Star Fragment | | ★★★★ | 5× Gloom Reed, 4× Large Gloom Shard |

Gloom Shards and Reeds are Depths-specific materials from Gloom-covered plants and Gloom Hand drops. Farming the Depths while wearing the armor generates the upgrade materials organically.

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Sundelion Stock Strategy

For Depths exploration sessions, carry:

• 20× Sundelion minimum per session
• Batch cook: 5× Sundelion (1 ingredient per slot) = maximum-Gloom-restore meal
• Cook 4 batches before a deep Depths dive = 4 meals × 4-5 hearts restored each

Sundelion restocking: Sky island supply runs. After each Blood Moon, do a sky island circuit to harvest Sundelion. Stock 40+ before major Depths sessions.

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Depths Floor vs Gloom Hands

Gloom-covered floor (low intensity):

• Gradual heart max reduction
• Ancient Armor ★★ makes this trivial
• Lightroots counter it completely in their vicinity

Gloom Hands (high intensity):

• Rapid Gloom damage on contact
• Much more dangerous — prioritize not being grabbed
• Ancient Armor helps but doesn't make Gloom Hands trivial
• See Gloom Hands Guide for fight strategy

Phantom Ganon Gloom:

• Ganondorf's attacks apply Gloom damage
• Eat Sundelion meal before the fight
• Keep Ancient Armor equipped — reduces the heart max reduction from hits

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Depths Survival Protocol

Before entering the Depths:

1. Equip Ancient Armor (Gloom Resistance)
2. Eat 1× Sundelion meal (pre-load Gloom recovery — restores hearts you haven't lost yet, but keeps your max high)
3. Pack: 20× Sundelion in ingredients, 15× Brightbloom Seed, 5× Fairy

Inside the Depths:

1. Move Lightroot-to-Lightroot — each activates fast travel + fully restores Gloom hearts
2. Avoid standing still on Gloom floor — movement reduces exposure
3. When Gloom hearts reach 3-4 hearts lost: eat Sundelion meal immediately
4. On Gloom Hand encounter: prioritize height — see Gloom Hands Guide

Emergency exit:

• Find the nearest chasm edge (ceiling visible above) → Ascend → surface
• All Gloom instantly removed

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Quick Tips

• Sundelion is the Depths currency — treat Sundelion the same way you treat Brightbloom Seeds: always have 20+ in stock before any Depths session.
• Ancient Armor from Depths labyrinths — same maze structure as Phantom Armor labyrinths. If you've already navigated the Phantom Armor mazes, you know the path to Ancient Armor too.
• Lightroots = checkpoints — design your Depths routes around Lightroot activations. Each Lightroot fully recovers Gloom hearts, making long sessions sustainable.
• ★★ is the critical threshold — Ancient Armor ★★ set bonus reduces floor Gloom dramatically. Below ★★, Depths exploration is noticeably more dangerous. Prioritize all 3 pieces to ★★.
• Star Fragments for ★★ upgrade — Ancient Armor ★★ requires Star Fragments. Collect them via night sky watching (see Star Fragment Guide) before planning the ★★ upgrade.

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See also: Gloom Guide | Depths Guide | Gloom Hands Guide