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One of the most spectacular boss battles in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, your fight against Tentalus, overseer of the Sandship dungeon, is a multi-part action spectacular that sees Link make his way from the bowels of the ship to the deck, where he must face off against this demonic squid-like jelly boy. It may seem like a tough proposition, this is one big, big boss to face off against, but with the right strategy, you'll sink Tentalus in no time.

Let's take a look at how it's done.

Phase One

The first leg of this fight sees Link making a mad dash to escape the dungeon which is now filling up with water as it tilts upwards. You'll need to make your way quickly up the nearest set of stairs here making sure you keep an eye out for the first of many barrels that are rolling your way. Dodge the barrels on the staircase - getting hit will knock you down and cost a heart - and then dodge some more in the hallway that follows it in order to reach a corridor where massive tentacles will start to smash through walls and block your path. To get rid of these fleshy barricades you're going to need to charge up a skyward strike in order to chop them away, but be warned that getting too close here can see you ensnared and forced back to where you started.

Phase Two

Now that you've got up and out onto the deck, Tentalus will begin to shoot his huge tentacles up through the very floor on which you're stood. Watch out here for cracks appearing in the deck as a sign of where they'll emerge, keep quickly moving around with your sword in the air so it's fully charged, and get ready to slice the tentacles as soon as they appear. It's crucial you stay mobile in order to avoid being snatched here so just keep dodging and weaving, keep skyward striking and very soon Tentalus will decide to emerge from his hiding spot under the sea and face you.

Once he's up and in front of you he's going to attempt to smash you with his arms, but all you need to do here is keep your distance and be prepared to move from left to right in order to avoid getting flattened. When you get a chance between dodges you now want to pull out your bow and strike him in his giant eye, at which point he'll slump to the deck enabling you to get in quickly and hammer his eyeball for maximum damage. Tentalus will then disappear under the water briefly before starting this sequence of battle all over again. Simply rinse and repeat what you've done above a few more times and he'll kick into the final phase of this fishy face-off.

Phase Three

Now you've gone and made him angry! As soon as this phase starts and Tentalus begins destroying the ship, you'll see a quick cutscene of a box falling down from a higher area of the deck. Immediately run over and clamber up this box to reach higher ground and ready yourself for some quick vertical slicing.

Tentalus is going to fire volleys of tentacles from his head now, they're going to come at you very quickly, but all you have to do is vertical strike repeatedly as fast as you can - no need to charge your sword anymore - and you'll easily cut through everything he shoots at you. Once you've taken down enough incoming targets, your enemy will stop to roar at you in anger, your signal to whip out your bow and strike his eye once more. He'll get staggered after this shot and you can get up close to do some more damage to his eye before jumping back and preparing for more tentacle volleys.

Once you've repeated this process a few times auld Cthulhu features will give it up and victory is yours. Congratulations!


Other Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Boss Guides

Now that you've beaten Tentalus, why not jump back to our Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD hub for more boss guides, tips and help with the game.

There you'll find tips on the pros and cons of motion controls vs. analogue stick control, a list of the main differences between Skyward Sword on Switch and the Wii original, how to use the Zelda & Loftwing amiibo, where to find the Moonlight Merchant and the Thunder Dragon, and how to beat every boss and minigame.

You'll also find guides for all heart piece locations, all goddess cubes, and where to find every Gratitude Crystal, every upgrade treasure, every bug, and every potion recipe to fill your bottles with.