How to beat the Frost Gleeok in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom frost gleeok
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Frost Gleeok in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is a formidable three-headed foe that's all too easy to stumble upon by accident. It's one of three elemental-type Gleeoks, and you can find one such Frost Gleeok in the South Tabantha Snowfield, not far from the Orochium Shrine in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. It can come out of nowhere very quickly if you're not paying attention to the skies, so you'll need to decide fast if you want to stay and fight or make a run for it.

It might look terrifying, but the Frost Gleeok can be beaten if you have the right Zelda Tears of the Kingdom weapons at your disposal. Prioritize any with the fire damage type, load up on Fire Fruit to attach to arrows, and make use of the brute strength of the Sage of Fire to guarantee that this ice-type Gleeok melts at your feet. For a more detailed breakdown of its battle phases, weak spots, and a suggested plan of attack, here's how to defeat the Frost Gleeok in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

How to beat the Frost Gleeok in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom 

  • Pay attention to its attack pattern and battle phases
  • Have plenty of arrows, since you'll need these to shoot its three heads
  • Bring weapons, clothes, and meals for elemental advantages
  • Use Recall to fire back its icicle attacks and ride them
  • Stay airborne

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Frost Gleeok battle stages

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom frost gleeok in South Tabantha Snowfield

(Image credit: Nintendo)

To beat a Frost Gleeok, it's important to know how to handle its phases. Although its attack pattern is not quite as dynamic as the Scourge bosses you'll meet at each natural phenomenon location in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, it functions similarly to some of them: you need to attack a certain spot until it gets stunned and becomes vulnerable. In this case, you'll need to shoot each of its heads in quick succession. 

A Frost Gleeok's first attack is a trio of ice lasers that will freeze and kill you instantly. Jump off a high point around you, like one of the stone ruin structures, and quickly fire arrows at each head in slow motion. Once you hit all three, land safely and batter it with your strongest weapon. It will get back up again and commence its second phase.

In this next phase, the Gleeok will start throwing ice boulders your way. Once again, get to high ground, jump off, and shoot the heads in slow motion. You can even try attaching a Zonai rocket to your shield to give you some extra leverage. The Frost Gleeok will also start beating its wings, and the gust of wind will send Link flying if he's not taking cover behind the ruins.

In its final stage, the Gleeok will summon a swirling cloud above you and rain down icicles. Use Recall here, once of the most useful abilities in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, to ride the icicle back up through the cloud so you can jump off it, glide closer to the Gleeok, and keep raining down those arrows. It will collapse a final time, and after one last heavy melee attack, you'll have beaten it

Best weapons to defeat the Frost Gleeok

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom frost gleeok cold weather clothing

(Image credit: Nintendo)

You can fashion some powerful element-specific tools to inflict fire damage when you fight the Frost Gleeok. You can use monster parts or foraged items to create some killer weapon fusions in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, such as attaching a Fire-Like Stone or Ruby to a sword in order to give it fire damage. You can even attach a Zonai Flame Emitter device to shoot flames straight out the tip of a ranged weapon, such as a spear or long stick, to inflict damage from afar. Parts scavenged from Fire-Breath Lizalfos also make great fusion options.

You'll need a strong Zelda Tears of the Kingdom bow for this, as well plenty of fire-based projectiles like Red Chuchu Jellies, Fire Fruit, or a homing attachment like an Aerocude Eyeball to help your aim. Once the Gleeok slumps, you'll have precious little to attack with your strongest weapon. 

Before you hunt down the Frost Gleeok, be sure to prepare plenty of dishes with Ice Fruit. These meals will give you extra damage strength in cold climates, and don't even think about going toe-to-toe with the Frost Gleeok until you've mastered dealing with cold weather in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

Finally, if you're still having trouble, you might want to consider getting some Zelda Tears of the Kingdom armor upgrades from the Great Fairies and return when you're properly kitted out for the battle. You can quickly open your map and fast travel elsewhere, and return later in the game for a rematch.

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Jasmine Gould-Wilson
Staff Writer, 12DOVE

Jasmine is a staff writer at 12DOVE. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London in 2017, her passion for entertainment writing has taken her from reviewing underground concerts to blogging about the intersection between horror movies and browser games. Having made the career jump from TV broadcast operations to video games journalism during the pandemic, she cut her teeth as a freelance writer with TheGamer, Gamezo, and Tech Radar Gaming before accepting a full-time role here at GamesRadar. Whether Jasmine is researching the latest in gaming litigation for a news piece, writing how-to guides for The Sims 4, or extolling the necessity of a Resident Evil: CODE Veronica remake, you'll probably find her listening to metalcore at the same time.