Summary
Exploring The Depths inTears of the Kingdomcan 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 atthe various Bargainer Statuesin The Depths for ten Poes each. There are only five special Dark dishes available to cook inTears of the Kingdom, but they’re all incredibly useful for protecting Link from Gloom. Here arethe best recipes inTears of the Kingdomto increase Link’sGloom Resistance.
Updated Jun 06, 2025, by Alexandra O’Leary:Gloom is a brand-new aspect for Zelda gamers, and has presented a unique challenge for fans of the franchise. Unlike normal damage, Gloom damage cannot be healed by chomping down on any old dish in Link’s inventory, making it a particularly tough experience for most players. When taking Gloom damage, Link’s heart containers will break and turn murky, and players might find themselves wasting perfectly good (but ultimately useless) meals while trying to restore his health.
Nowhere does Gloom damage strike harder than in The Depths, a massive new area of the Tears of the Kingdom map. to unlock these areas, players must find all 120 Lightroots and shed light on the land - which is no small feat when massive piles of Gloom gunk litter the terrain and Gloom-infected monsters lurk around every corner. All enemies in The Depths deal Gloom damage, which can only be healed by specific Gloom-Healing meals that aren’t too easy to make. The best way to avoid getting into a dangerous situation is to send Link into The Depths with some seriousGloom resistanceon his side. Any players who plan on delving into the depths - or taking on some terrifying Gloom Hands - will want to stock up on as many of these dishes as possible to avoid a game over.
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.
1Warding Simmered Fruit
Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 8 minutes 30 seconds
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 for a quick jaunt, then two dark clumps are more than enough - it’ll provide 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 fromthe Bargainer Statuesin 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 where Link will be able to purchase more dark clumps as well as other items.
2Warding Fried Wild Greens
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 selection of 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.
3Warding Milk
Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 30 minutes
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. For example, this dish is a good one to eat before venturing into Hyrule Castle Sanctum, where multiple Phantom Ganon’s wait to ambush Link.
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 shouldlocate a dragonand 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 will 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.
4Prime Meat Skewer
Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 9 minutes 30 seconds
The Warding Prime Meat Skewer recipe is one of the easiest ways to give Link Gloom Resistance inTears 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 purchasedfrom the General Store in Goron City, and while it’s not expensive, it is relatively rare, so players should use it wisely. Bigger and more challenging animals drop Prime Meat, which means it’s a lot harder to come by. If Link kills a Bear, Buffalo, Deer, Moose, Fox or Wolf, it will usually drop Prime or Gourmet Meat, which is the best of the best to use in cooking. These animals are usually found in wooded areas all around the map, although their appearances may change depending on the region.
5Cheesy Baked Fish
Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 14 minutes 20 seconds
One of the most effective recipes inTears of the Kingdomfor 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.
6Mushroom Skewer
Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 8 minutes 30 seconds
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.
7Cheesy Tomato
Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 9 minutes 20 seconds
Hylian Tomatoes are an incredibly common ingredient found inTears 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
8Meaty Rice Balls
Gloom Resistance: Maximum for 9 minutes
An easy way to boost Link’s Gloom Resistance inTears of the Kingdomis 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.
9Dark Soup
Gloom Resistance: Medium for 8 minutes 40 seconds
The Dark Soup dish is one of the least effective Dark recipes inTears 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 Falconin Rito Villageand 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 Windin 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.
10Dark Stew
The Dark Stew recipe is an effective way forTears of the Kingdomplayers 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 withthe 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 tofind and hunt downsome wild animals. Any sort of animal meat will work for this recipe, so players don’t have to worry about hunting downany specific creatures.
