In Tears of the Kingdom, there are a bunch of different mechanics to that of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, to keep things interesting for those veteran players. However, there are some things that have carried over, which is natural since the adventures are still continuing in the same overall world.

One of these is the Blood Moon, a mysterious and potentially dangerous occurrence that could prove to be fatal. Below, we’ll run you through exactly how the Blood Moon works in Tears of the Kingdom so you’re aware as to what to expect when one pops up in your playthrough.

What Are Blood Moons in Tears of the Kingdom?¶

If you haven’t experienced one already, whether that be in Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, essentially, the Blood Moon is the enemy respawn system in these games. If we had to make a comparison, think of when you sit at a bonfire in one of the Souls games in which refresh all of the enemies, ready for you to take on again.

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Enemies respawning during a Blood Moon in Tears of the Kingdom

In terms of which enemies respawn, you’re looking at most in the game. Essentially, when a Blood Moon takes place, all regular enemies come back to life, as well as any overworld ‘mini’ bosses. What does not respawn are key bosses such as those in Dungeons or ones that are directly related to Main Quests which makes a lot of sense really as it would almost break the story and potentially the whole item system.

When do Blood Moons Occur in Tears of the Kingdom?¶

Since Blood Moons respawn adversaries all around you, you’ll probably want to know how often these happen so you can prepare properly.

Annoyingly, there is no fixed time on when Blood Moons occur, but there are some factors that influence them. The first of these is in-game days. As you spend more time in Hyrule, with each passing day moves you closer to a Blood Moon. Now, as just stated, there is no specific time as to when this happens, but in our experience, 3+ in-game days seems to be the median duration between Moons.

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The Blood Moon rising in Tears of the Kingdom

What also seems to influence a Blood Moon spawn is the number of enemies you defeat. If you choose to go on a killing spree, wiping out all in your path, this does seem to reduce the amount of time between Blood Moons. This makes a lot of sense since the whole point of a Blood Moon is to replenish foes in the world so if you are looking to stock up on enemy materials, this could be a good idea.

All in all, while Blood Moons can be somewhat frustrating if you’ve just cleared a bunch of tough enemies out only for them to respawn sooner rather than later, they are necessary to keep the world not only empty, but also material-rich, enabling you to actually progress.