Gloom Spawn

A two-handed spin, a bomb flower, or a gem burst on a shield hits several hands at once. That is the right tool. A single sword swinging at one hand lets the others grab you, and a grab holds you still while gloom drains the heart bar. If a hand latches on, shake it off and go back to an area attack. Do not duel them one at a time.

If Phantom Ganon appears, the hands are already a failure you now have to finish. He fights with a weapon, and his swings can be flurry rushed like a soldier's. He drops a gloom sword, spear or club. Those weapons hit hard and they also paint your hearts black while you use them. They are boss tools, not the weapon you clear the next camp with.

Gloom turns a heart dark, and a dark heart is not healed by apples and meat. Cook sundelions into a meal and eat it to restore them. Sleeping in a bed also clears the gloom. A lightroot lights the map and gives you a travel point. It does not replace the meal. Eat before the next hand comes up, or you will start the second fight with half a bar.

Dark clumps are the material drop, used in gloom resistance and in upgrades. The hands return to the same cursed ground with the Blood Moon until you have dealt with the Demon King. Mark the spot so you do not ride a horse through it. A horse dies to gloom very quickly, and you will be fighting the hands on foot anyway.