Zelda Breath of the Wild Champions’ Ballad guide: Fighting Waterblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm walkthrough (2024)

In this The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild guide, we’ll show you how to Waterblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm to complete the EX Mipha’s Song main story quest.

The Champions’ Ballad adds a new main story quest for you to take on after you’ve tamed all four Divine Beasts. The first stage of EX The Champions’ Ballad presents you with a new series of challenges on the Great Plateau. After that, you must complete a series of challenges for each of the Champions.

Zelda Breath of the Wild Champions’ Ballad guide: Fighting Waterblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm walkthrough (1)

The earlier stages of EX Mipha’s Song require you to find three shrines: Kee Dafunia, Mah Eliya and Sato Koda. Those shrines reward you with Ruta’s Emblems. Once you have all three, you can return to the Divine Beast Vah Ruta where you’ll be transported into the Illusory Realm to once again face Waterblight Ganon.

During the fight, your inventory will be basically empty. You have one set of armor (at the second upgrade level), three tridents, one bow and 10 arrows, no meals or elixirs and only a few (raw) pieces of food. Aside from taking your armor off and fighting in your underpants or switching between tridents, there’s nothing you can change.

However, if you drink an elixir or eat a meal that grants a temporary boost, that boost will carry over into the Illusory Realm. We recommend either an attack up or speed up boost. Attack up will help you end the fight sooner, while speed up lets you maneuver around the arena more quickly.

You also retain all of the powers granted when you defeat the four Divine Beasts. While there might be a lot of standing around doing nothing involved, waiting for all of the powers to recharge is a great help during this fight (except for maybe Revali's Gale which isn’t useful in enclosed spaces).

Since your resources are limited this time around, you want to finish this fight quickly. That means you have to be very purposeful in your approach. (If you try to wing it like we did, you’ll end up frustrated after failing many, many times in a row.) Read through our notes below to help you prepare.

See Also

Blight Ganons

As soon as you’re able, close the gap between you and Waterblight Ganon. Draw your trident as you’re running, and hit him with a charged attack (preferably with an Urbosa’s Fury strike thrown in).
Ganon has two attacks during the first phase of the fight: a stabbing thrust with a long reach and a energy blast when you’re standing too close. The thrust is easy enough to avoid while you’re sprinting across the arena. The blast is almost impossible to get away from, so it’s best to avoid spending too much time in proximity to Waterblight Ganon. Get in, hit him with a charged attack, then get some distance.
If you press the attack, the first phase of this fight shouldn’t take long at all. The second phase is just like the last time you fought Waterblight Ganon — the room fills with water, and you’re left with four platforms to stand on.
Waterblight Ganon will pull up a block of ice to throw at you (which also tracks you). Find a platform to stand on — preferably one adjacent to Waterblight Ganon — and wait for the ice block to close in on you.
Wait as long as you’re comfortable, then hit the block with stasis. Waterblight Ganon won’t attack while the block is still in the air, so you don’t have to worry about him. Stand directly opposite Waterblight Ganon and hit the ice block as many times as you can. Aim correctly, and it will fly straight into Waterblight Ganon’s face, knocking him out.
Jump and swim over to the platform where Waterblight Ganon fell and hit him with another charged attack (and Urbosa’s Fury if you have it). Don’t worry if he falls or floats away from the platform a little — your tridents have an impressive reach.
Depending on how much damage you dealt in the one-cube round, the next round might involve three ice blocks. Stasis the first block that comes toward you and hide behind it — it will block you from the subsequent blocks, and you’ll still have enough time to charge it with trident strikes.
Before the final stage of this fight, Waterblight Ganon may target you with a Guardian-type eye laser. If he does, don’t run. Instead line up a shot on his eyeball with your bow. Hit him (there will be a satisfying DING!) and he’ll stop. Don’t hang around, though, because he’ll toss his spear at you.
When Waterblight Ganon’s health is low enough, he’ll produce five ice blocks. Our advice remains the same: cast stasis on the first block and hide behind it, then charge it so that it flies back into his face. By this point, you should only have to close the gap and charge attack him one more time.

Zelda Breath of the Wild Champions’ Ballad guide: Fighting Waterblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm walkthrough (3)

Once you’ve defeated Waterblight Ganon, you’ll be treated to a cutscene. At the end, you’ll be rewarded with Mipha’s Grace+. It’s the same effect as Mipha’s Grace, but it has a quicker recharge time.

In the realm of "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," the EX Mipha's Song quest within the Champions' Ballad expansion takes players through an intricate series of challenges. The quest demands the completion of various tasks tied to the Great Plateau and ultimately culminates in a formidable showdown against Waterblight Ganon in the Illusory Realm.

To excel in this challenge, a keen understanding of resource management, combat strategies, and the game's mechanics is crucial. The battle against Waterblight Ganon involves stages that demand precision, timing, and effective utilization of limited resources.

Concepts Covered in the Article:

EX Mipha's Song Quest and Champions' Ballad Expansion:
- These quests are part of the game's additional content, offering new challenges after taming all four Divine Beasts.
Illusory Realm and Waterblight Ganon Encounter:
- Transported into the Illusory Realm, players confront Waterblight Ganon, necessitating strategic combat due to limited inventory.
Shrines and Ruta's Emblems:
- To access the Illusory Realm, players must discover and complete specific shrines to obtain Ruta's Emblems.
Combat Restrictions and Resource Limitations:
- Players face the battle with minimal inventory: limited armor, tridents, a bow, and a small number of arrows and food.
Elixir and Meal Boosts:
- Temporary boosts from elixirs or meals carry over into the Illusory Realm, offering advantages such as attack or speed enhancements during combat.
Powers from Divine Beasts:
- Abilities acquired after defeating the four Divine Beasts remain accessible during the encounter, aiding in combat.
Combat Strategy Against Waterblight Ganon:
- Strategies involve charging in, utilizing charged attacks, and managing attacks to minimize exposure to Ganon's abilities.
Use of Stasis Ability and Ice Blocks:
- Stasis is employed to manipulate incoming ice blocks, using them strategically against Waterblight Ganon.
Specific Attack Patterns and Weaknesses:
- Understanding Ganon's attack patterns, weaknesses (such as targeting his eyeball with a bow), and using tridents effectively.
Progression and Final Outcome:
- Success in defeating Waterblight Ganon leads to the acquisition of Mipha’s Grace+, offering enhanced regeneration abilities.

Expertise in this battle involves a comprehensive understanding of combat mechanics, resource optimization, and the effective utilization of the game's diverse abilities and items. Mastery of these concepts empowers players to conquer the challenges presented in the EX Mipha's Song quest and emerge victorious against Waterblight Ganon.