The most difficult secret character to unlock in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is the big boss himself, Calamity Ganon. This is because you need to go through a gauntlet of some of the game’s toughest bosses, all under a very difficult time limit. You will also need to have unlocked one of the other hidden characters and reached quite a lofty level requirement, so you’ll need to prepare in advance.
We would highly suggest that you take some time to complete as many of the Age of Calamity quests as you can, as each one can help in its own way to reach the level needed. As long as you can survive the fight against all three bosses, you’ll unlock Calamity Ganon as the final secret Age of Calamity character.
Of course, you’ll need some boss tips to get you through the fight and we shall oblige. This guide will focus on combat tips against each of the three bosses, specifically how to defeat all three within the tough 12 minute time limit.
How do I unlock Calamity Ganon?
To unlock Calamity Ganon in Age of Calamity, you will need to:
- Complete the main campaign
- Unlock Terrako as a playable character
- Reach a high enough level to take on the challenge
- Complete ‘Versus Calamity Ganon’ to unlock Calamity Ganon as a playable character
Once you’ve met the level requirement of 74 and unlocked Terrako, you can take on the challenge. This is a three boss gauntlet with a time limit of 12 minutes. The bosses you’ll be facing are Astor, Harbinger Ganon, and Calamity Ganon.
Astor
Beating Astor quickly relies on you dodging his purple Malice attacks with pinpoint precision. If you manage to get a Flurry Rush, you’ll whittle down his gauge quickly.
Once it breaks for the first time, Astor will create a shield to waste your time. Defeat the Malice clones that appear, then get a whole bunch of hits on Astor as he comes out of the shield state. Save your A-button attack if you reach the maximum charge as it’s better used against the other two bosses.
Harbinger Ganon
This weird guardian variant has some powerful attacks, but also attacks that you can interrupt with Sheika Slate abilities. The most common ones will be stasis for when it’s about to swirl around like a whirling dervish.
Its swipes can also temporarily leave it vulnerable to attacks that can break its poise, so take advantage of any chance that you get. If you’re in a pinch, you can use the A-button special attack against this boss, but it’s better used against the third and final boss in the gauntlet.
Calamity Ganon
Fopr a more comfortable fight, you’ll ideally want around 7-8 minutes on the clock remaining by the time you reach the third boss. Calamity Ganon has a ton of health and some powerful attacks that could be tricky to avoid if you’re rushing. Be on the lookout, as always, for attacks where you can use the Sheikah Slate abilities to stun him briefly, as these aid you in breaking his poise quickly.
After wiping out his first break gauge and using the Weak Point Attack, you’ll want to immediately use an A-button special attack on him. This will stagger Calamity Canon long enough for you to chip away at his break gauge. You may not get it all the way down, but a large enough chunk will be gone and you’ll soon get another opportunity to use a Weak Point attack. Continue sapping away at his health and dodging his attacks, and before long you’ll be dealing that all-important final blow.
Unlocking Calamity Ganon is sort of a completion bonus of sorts, as he doesn’t really help with the main campaign, but he does have his own training challenges to complete. That’s it for this guide, but if you find the fight against the three bosses a little difficult, perhaps one of the Age of Calamity recipes may help tip the balance in your favour.