Tears of the Kingdom introduced never-before-seen materials that can be farmed from enemies both new and old. One example is the Dark Clump, which is a lump of substance that can only be found from a specific enemy. Players will want to farm handfuls of these if they intend on upgrading armor or cooking meals with gloom-resistance.
Exploring Tears of the Kingdom's Depths is dangerous without armor/buffs that will protect Link from the effects of gloom. However, there are only two ways of obtaining Dark Clumps, making them somewhat rare.
Defeat Gloom Spawns & Phantom Ganon
Link can get Dark Clumps from defeating Gloom Spawns (Gloom Hands). The best way to deal with Gloom Hands is to fuse 
Bomb Flowers to arrows or use materials that have AoE, like elemental Chuchu Jelly. Gloom Hands tend to spawn in dark areas such as caves, but there are some exceptions. Here are a few of their spawn locations:
- Kolomo Garrison Ruins
- Lost Woods Depths
- Lindor's Brow Cave
- Akkala Citadel Ruins
- Hyrule Castle Docks
- Great Deku Tree Chasm
Sometimes when Gloom Hands are defeated, they will spawn Phantom Ganon. While Gloom Hands can be taken out with a handful of Bomb Flower arrows, Phantom Ganon can be a challenge - especially for new players. For one, a puddle of gloom follows him wherever he walks, making it difficult for Link to move without losing hearts.
The best way to defeat Phantom Ganon is to trigger Flurry Rushes. Time Link's dodge or parry right before Phantom Ganon attacks. If done properly, time will slow down and players can tap Y-button to strike. It may also be easier to fight this mini boss when players have a Sage Spirit with them.
Whether Link defeats Gloom Spawn/Hands or Phantom Ganon, they both drop Dark Clumps.
Like every other monster and most treasure chests, Gloom Spawns and, by extension, Phantom Ganon, will respawn every Blood Moon. Players can hasten the Blood Moon by defeating a handful of enemies in one area. Otherwise, a Blood Moon will occur naturally at the end of a seven-day cycle at 12:00am in-game.
Buy Dark Clumps from Bargainer Statues
The second way of getting Dark Clumps is to buy them from the Bargainer Statues for 10 Poes. There's a Bargainer Statue at Lookout Landing, but there are six Bargainer Statues in The Depths. Dark Clumps are available as soon as Link speaks to his first Bargainer Statue. He can farm Poes from The Depths.
Where to Use Dark Clumps?
Dark Clumps are required for upgrading The Depths Set to level 2. Players will need x5 Dark Lumps per Depths armor. The Depths Armor gives Link some Gloom Resistance, but the armor's Set Bonus gives him Gloom Attack Resist. Thus, players may want to keep x15 Dark Clumps to get the entire Set to level 2 for the Set Bonus.
Those that already have an upgraded Depths Set can instead use Dark Clumps for cooking. The Dark Clump essentially functions the same as the Monster Extract material. It's added to a recipe to give the meal a Gloom Resistance effect. This is useful to have for those that may be lacking any gloom armor in their inventory.
Dark Clump Recipes
The duration of Gloom Resistance can be extended if players add more than one Dark Clump in their recipe (if possible). Players can cook meals at fires with cooking pots or by using one of the Portable Cooking Pots from the Zonai Dispensers. Here are the meals that can be made from Dark Clumps:
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Ingredients |
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Warding Dark Rice Ball |
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Warding Dark Curry |
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Warding Dark Soup |
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Warding Dark Stew |
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Warding Dark Cake |
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Fried Wild Greens |
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Keep in mind that cooking a Dark Clump by itself will result in Dubious Food, which has no effects and will only restore one heart. Thus, unlike fruits or meats, Dark Clump needs to be added to a recipe in order to get the Gloom Resistance.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for Nintendo Switch.