Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – Best Recipes For Gloom Resistance

Highlights

• Tears of the Kingdom
  introduces Dark dishes that protect Link from Gloom damage in the dangerous Depths area.
• Dark Clumps, purchased from Bargainer Statues for ten Poes each, are essential ingredients for cooking Dark recipes.
• Warding meals, which provide additional Gloom Resistance, can be cooked by adding Dark Clumps to certain dishes, but players should be cautious not to use too many and ruin the dish.

Exploring The Depths in Tears of the Kingdom can be a dangerous experience. The area is rampant with Gloom and Gloom-infested monsters that will permanently chip away at Link’s hearts. Luckily, players can cook a few recipes to help protect Link from the Gloom. These are called Dark dishes, and players will require a mysterious item called a Dark Clump to cook them.

Dark Clumps are rare but precious ingredients that can most commonly be purchased at the various Bargainer Statues in The Depths for ten Poes each. There are only five special Dark dishes available to cook in Tears of the Kingdom, but they’re all incredibly useful for protecting Link from Gloom. Here are the best recipes in Tears of the Kingdom to increase Link’s Gloom Resistance.

Updated July 6, 2024 by Alexandra O’Leary: The Depths are a huge addition to Tears of the Kingdom and have provided dozens of hours of extra gameplay for passionate Zelda players. A central element of The Depths is Gloom, a dangerous red and black muck that will harm Link if he interacts with it. Gloom functions differently from normal damage; Link needs specific meals and elixirs to protect him against Gloom, and he also needs special meals and elixirs to heal from it.

This unique type of damage presents a new challenge for players, and they’re encouraged to use their imaginations to minimize interaction with this murky muck. But for those who want to protect Link against a run-in with a Gloom-infected monster, or an unexpected pile of gunk, there’s a good selection of dishes out there to help keep Link resistant to its effects.

Gloom-Resistant meals won’t heal Gloom damage. Specific Gloom recovery meals are needed to restore Link’s hearts after taking damage from Gloom and Gloom-infected monsters.

1 Warding Simmered Fruit

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 8 minutes 30 seconds​​​

• Any Non-Status Effecting Fruit x2-4
• Dark Clumps x1-3

Warding Simmered Fruit is one of the easiest Gloom-resistant recipes that players can make. It only takes dark clumps and any kind of non-status affecting fruit, like Apples, Hylian Tomatoes, and Palm Fruit.

Adding more dark clumps (up to three) will make the status effect more powerful and last for longer, so if players are only popping into the Depths, then two dark clumps are more than enough for a medium resistance for a decent amount of time. Dark clumps are dropped by Gloom Hands and Phantom Ganon after combat, and they can also be bought from the Bargainer Statues in exchange for Poes. The easiest Bargainer Statue to find is the one next to Josha in Lookout Landing, speaking to it will hint towards the existence of other Bargainer Statues and Link will be able to purchase basic items.

2 Warding Fried Wild Greens

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 8 minutes 30 seconds​​​

• Wild Greens x2-4
• Dark Clumps x1-3

Link can easily make Warding Fried Wild Greens for powerful, long-lasting Gloom resistance. It has decent healing and doesn’t use any tricky ingredients, so it can be reproduced easily. Since meat can be hard to come across, and some players don’t like to attack the various wild animals frolicking around Hyrule, this is one of the more accessible and animal-friendly dishes available.

To make Warding Fried Wild Greens, players need up to three dark clumps and any Wild Greens. This can include multiple Hyrule Herbs or a mix of status-effecting wild greens like a Stambulb and Silent Princess. It’s worth noting that it’s safer to pick two different status-effecting wild greens to avoid any chance of the status effect applying to the dish. Otherwise, essentially any green that can be picked in the wilds of Hyrule will work in this dish.

3 Warding Milk

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 30 minutes

• Dragon Horn x1
• Fresh Milk x1
• Dark Clumps x1-3

If players are looking to explore the depths extensively without breaking up their trip to return to the surface or cook extra dishes, Warding Milk is absolutely the best Gloom resistance dish available. It provides a strong resistance for thirty whole minutes, meaning players won’t have to keep eating dishes while in the Depths. Those looking to take on Gloom-infected bosses or scale the ruinous mountains in search of all Lightroots to fully map out the area will definitely want to have Warding Milk in their inventory.

Making max resistance Warding Milk does come at a relatively high cost since it needs three dark clumps, fresh milk, and a dragon horn. Acquiring a dragon horn isn’t as difficult as it may sound, however. Players should locate a dragon and use the paraglider to land on it. Then they should run to the head of the dragon and strike at the horn with a weapon or arrow. Some of the dragon’s scales should chip off and either lodge on the dragon or fly down toward the ground. Link can jump off the dragon and soar down after it, where it will land unharmed on the ground.

After this, just combine all the ingredients in a cooking pot, and players will have the best of the best in Gloom-resistant meals. Players should note that they can add fewer dark clumps, but using such a rare material as a dragon’s horn means players will probably want the maximum strength and time possible on the Warding Milk. Despite being rare, this dish is one of the best ways to use a dragon horn and prevent it from sitting unused in Link’s inventory.

4 Prime Meat Skewer

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 9 minutes 30 seconds

• Prime Meat x1
• Goron Spice x1
• Dark Clumps x1-3

The Warding Prime Meat Skewer recipe is one of the easiest ways to give Link Gloom Resistance in Tears of the Kingdom. Players will need some Prime Meat, Goron Spice, and up to three Dark Clumps.

Players can substitute the Prime Meat for regular Meat, but this will reduce the bonus time provided by the dish. By using three Dark Clumps in this recipe, the player can gain high-level Gloom Resistance, making it much easier to traverse The Depths. Goron Spice can be purchased from the General Store in Goron City, and while it’s not expensive, it is relatively rare so players should use it wisely.

5 Cheesy Baked Fish

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 14 minutes 20 seconds

• Any Non-Status Affecting Fish x1
• Hateno Cheese x1
• Dark Clumps x1-3

One of the most effective recipes in Tears of the Kingdom for providing Link with Gloom Resistance is Warding Cheesy Baked Fish. The dish itself is relatively simple. Players will need any kind of Fish, as long as the Fish doesn’t provide any status bonuses, some Hateno Cheese, and up to three Dark Clumps.

The more Dark Clumps the player uses, the more Gloom Resistance levels they will have. By using this recipe, players can gain up to three levels of protection from Gloom effects. An easy way to farm non-status-affecting fish is to buy a pond and place it at Link’s home just outside of Tarrey Town. It will continually spawn a Sanke Carp, which has no special properties. There will only ever be one Sanke Carp in the pond at a time, so players should stop by regularly if they want to have a few in Link’s inventory.

6 Mushroom Skewer

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 8 minutes 30 seconds

• Mushrooms x1-2
• Dark Clumps x1-3

The Warding Mushroom Skewer recipe is very simple and is a great way to boost Link’s Gloom Resistance without using many ingredients. Players will need one or two Mushrooms (that don’t provide any status effects) and one to three Dark Clumps. It’s important to never use more than three Dark Clumps, as the dish will become inedible if the player tries to add any additional pieces.

However, three Dark Clumps will provide the player with high-level Gloom Resistance, which will protect three of Link’s Hearts from Gloom effects. Dark Clumps are the central ingredient in all Gloom Resistant dishes, but cannot be used in dishes meant to heal Link after taking damage from Gloom and infected monsters.

7 Cheesy Tomato

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 9 minutes 20 seconds

• Hylian Tomato x1
• Hateno Cheese x1
• Dark Clumps x1-3

Hylian Tomatoes are an incredibly common ingredient found in Tears of the Kingdom, and the Cheesy Tomato recipe is a great way to make use of some of them. As a bonus, this recipe will protect Link from three instances of Gloom damage.

Players will need a Hylian Tomato, some Hateno Cheese, and three Dark Clumps. Hateno Cheese can be bought from the Hateno General Store after completing the ‘A Letter to Koyin’ quest. For players who don’t want to hunt for Hylian Tomatoes, the Hateno General Store also sells them for 16 rupees each, and Beedle usually sells them when he’s near the Outskirts Stable

8 Meaty Rice Balls

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 9 minutes

• Meat x1
• Hylian x1
• Dark Clumps x1-3

An easy way to boost Link’s Gloom Resistance in Tears of the Kingdom is to cook some Warding Meaty Rice Balls. The dish itself is remarkably simple to make, as long as the player has enough Dark Clumps. Dark Clumps are dropped after fighting Gloom Hands or Phantom Ganon, but players who want to farm them only need to aggro these enemies and then run away. As soon as either enemy despawns, they will drop Dark Clumps without Link ever having to raise his sword.

To make some Warding Meaty Rice Balls, the player will need some Meat, Hylian Rice, and three Dark Clumps. This will protect Link from Gloom damage three times, the maximum strength of a Gloom-resistant dish.

9 Dark Soup

Gloom Resistance: Medium for 8 minutes 40 seconds

• Tabantha Wheat x1
• Goat Butter x1
• Fresh Milk x1
• Dark Clumps x1-2

The Dark Soup dish is one of the least effective Dark recipes in Tears of the Kingdom, but it still provides Link with a medium level of Gloom Resistance. This recipe requires the player to use some Tabantha Wheat, Goat Butter, Fresh Milk, and one or two Dark Clumps. The more Dark Clumps the player uses in the recipe, the more Gloom Resistance they will receive.

Tabantha Wheat can be purchased from various shops around Hyrule, such as The Slippery Falcon in Rito Village and the Gerudo Town Cooking Ingredients Stall. Fresh Milk is easily located at the shop in Lookout Landing and the Hateno Village General store. Players who are short on Rupees can instead head to Hateno Pasture and, after completing the ‘Dantz’ Prize Cow’ side quest, exchange three acorns for a bottle of Fresh Milk – there’s no limit to this method and won’t cost Link a single rupee.

Goat Butter is sold by various merchants and can notably be found at The Slippery Falcon in Rito Village and East Wind in Hateno Town. Players can also acquire some Goat Butter for free by heading to the spa in Gerudo Town. Here, Link will find some lying around, as well as some free oil.

10 Dark Stew

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 8 minutes 30 seconds

• Meat x1
• Fish x1
• Dark Clumps x1-3

The Dark Stew recipe is an effective way for Tears of the Kingdom players to increase their Gloom Resistance. This recipe will increase Link’s Gloom Resistance to a high level, making it much easier for players to deal with the Gloom in The Depths. To cook this recipe, players will need some meat, some fish, and one to three Dark Clumps.

Fish can be found in most bodies of water throughout Hyrule, but if the player is struggling to catch some, they can purchase Hyrule Bass from Lookout Landing’s General Store. Acquiring meat is relatively simple – players will just need to find and hunt down some wild animals. Any sort of animal meat will work for this recipe, so players don’t have to worry about hunting down any specific creatures.

11 Dark Rice Ball

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 9 minutes 30 seconds

• Rock Salt x1
• Hylian Rice x1
• Dark Clumps x1-3

Cooking the Dark Rice Ball recipe in Tears of the Kingdom will provide Link with some high-level Gloom Resistance. This recipe is relatively simple and requires some Rock Salt, Hylian Rice, and one to three Dark Clumps. Players looking for a bigger Gloom Resistance buff should add as many Dark Clumps as they can.

Players will likely come across Rock Salt as they’re mining, but if they’re running low and need to buy some, there are a few vendors they can purchase some from. Most notably, the General Store in Goron City and the Gerudo Town Cooking Ingredients Stall both sell Rock Salt for 12 Rupees each. Hylian Rice is also sold at a few different stores, including the General Store in Lookout Landing, Gerudo Town’s Cooking Ingredients Stall, and Zora’s Domain General Store.

12 Dark Cake

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 8 minutes 40 seconds

• Cane Sugar x1
• Tabantha Wheat x1
• Goat Butter x1
• Dark Clumps x1-2

One of the best recipes to increase Link’s Gloom Resistance in Tears of the Kingdom is the Dark Cake. This dish will provide Link with high-level Gloom Resistance for almost ten minutes, giving the player plenty of time to explore The Depths safely. To make this recipe, players will need some Cane Sugar, Tabantha Wheat, Goat Butter, and one or two Dark Clumps.

Cane Sugar can be bought from The Slippery Falcon in Rito Village and the Goron City General Store for 12 Rupees each. Players who need to stock up on Tabantha Wheat can also do so at The Slippery Falcon, as well as the Gerudo Town Cooking Ingredients Stall. Goat Butter is available for purchase from various merchants, the easiest to reach being The Slippery Falcon and East Wind in Hateno Town. If the player is low on Rupees, they can get Goat Butter for free in the spa in Gerudo Town. This is easily one of the flashier and more complicated recipes, but it’s a great choice for those trying to complete Link’s recipe book.

13 Dark Curry

Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 10 minutes

• Hylian Rice x1
• Goron Spice x1
• Dark Clumps x1-3

The best Dark recipe for Gloom Resistance in Tears of the Kingdom is the Dark Curry. This dish will provide Link with high-level Gloom Resistance for ten minutes, which should be enough time to take down some of the fiercer enemies in The Depths. To cook this dish, players will need some Goron Spice, Hylian Rice, and one to three Dark Clumps.

Goron Spice is exclusively sold in the Goron City General Store and can be purchased for 16 Rupees each. Hylian Rice is available at various general stores around Hyrule, such as the Gerudo Town Cooking Ingredients Stall, the Lookout Landing General Store, and Zora’s Domain General Store.