A swirling storm of sludge, a monstrous appetite, and a fight that tests both aim and timing – the Sludge Like boss in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom demands precision and quick thinking. Here’s how to clean up this slimy threat before it swallows you whole.
Beating the Sludge Like mid-boss
The Sludge Like mid-boss can be tricky at first, but using quick thinking and the right strategy makes the fight manageable. Keep your distance to avoid its sludge attacks and clear the goop with water-based abilities or Splash Fruit. Once its core is exposed, switch to a powerful weapon or bow to deal heavy damage before it recovers. Timing your dodges and reactions around its sludge spits gives you safe openings to strike, turning the encounter into a clean and controlled victory.
Once you have discovered the ‘watery bridge’ and found the Land of the Sky Fish and solved the puzzle, return to Sidon at Mipha’s Court to start a battle against the Sludge Like.
This boss is similar to other enemies you may have seen around Hyrule, and it functions the same way, but with a muddy twist. Luckily, Sidon will be here to help out. Talk to Sidon throughout the battle to imbue your attacks with water, and to fire a water projectile ahead. Hit the Sludge Like with the water to rinse it off, allowing you to attack it.
If you’re farther away, it’ll spit projectiles at you. If it’s close by, it’ll try to chomp on you, stealing your equipped weapon and dealing some damage.
You’ll want to get up close to it, and back away from it when it moves in to bite you. When it misses, its uvula-tongue-dongle will stick out. Hit it with an arrow, polearm, or other weapon that can reach it, to stun it. Once it’s stunned, unleash a flurry of attacks until it recovers. Repeat these steps until it’s dead.
After it dies, a short cutscene will play and you can claim a (decayed) Royal Claymore from the chest that popped out of the beast’s body.
Sidon will run off to head to the light in the lake, and you should follow him up the stairs of Mipha’s Court. You can leap off the top of the stairs directly to the lake, and glide down to meet up with Sidon. He’ll open up an entryway to the next area, the Ancient Zora Waterworks, which you can hop in whenever you’re ready.
Where is Sludge Like located in the game
Sludge Like is encountered at Mipha Court, located at the top of Ploymus Mountain in the Lanayru Great Spring region.
Quest Context
This boss fight triggers automatically during the main story quest “Sidon of the Zora”, after progressing through Zora’s Domain storyline involving sludge pollution-return here with Prince Sidon following clues like the “watery bridge” and “Land of the Sky Fish.”
Mipha Court serves as the source of contaminated water flowing into Zora’s Domain, making it a key story location.
Coordinates and Access
Use in-game map coordinates around (1487, 0641, 1233) near Ploymus Mountain summit; fast-travel to the nearby shrine if unlocked.
Sludge Likes can rarely spawn elsewhere in Lanayru Great Spring areas, but the scripted boss is fixed at Mipha Court and does not respawn.
How to defeat Sludge Like with Sidon
Sludge Like is defeated using Prince Sidon’s Power of Water ability during the fight at Mipha Court.
Activate Sidon’s Ability
Approach Sidon and press the interact button (A) to envelop Link in a protective water bubble shield. This ability has a cooldown but recharges near Sidon.
While shielded, swing any melee weapon (Y button) to launch a water blast at the boss, stripping away its protective sludge layer and exposing its vulnerable core.
Attack Sequence
Dodge sludge projectiles (ranged) or bites (melee), waiting for the boss to open its mouth and reveal the purple tongue/uvula weak point. Shoot it with an arrow (ZR + up/down for bow) to stun the boss, then rush in to attack the tongue repeatedly with strong melee weapons.
Clear ground sludge piles for better mobility, as they slow Link; repeat the water rinse-stun-attack cycle 3-4 times until the boss is defeated.
Enhancements
Boost damage with fire-fused weapons (e.g., Fire Fruit) during stun phases or attack-boosting armor like Barbarian Set. Sidon’s shield also blocks incoming sludge attacks.
