You’ll come across plenty of bosses in Hollow Knight: Silksong, some of which might give you trouble. One of the more difficult bosses in Act I is Moorwing, the major foe you’ll face in Greymoor, the area you visit once you’re finished in Far Fields. One of the reasons this boss is difficult is because it does two damage with each hit, but also because of the lack of a Bench near it. This page will detail all of the attacks Moorwing has, as well as strategies needed to tackle this beast.
Moorwing is the main boss in Greymoor, and definitely one of the more challenging fights in Act 1.
Moorwing’s Attacks¶
The boss battle with Moorwing takes place in two phases, with it using all of the attacks from Phase 1 in Phase 2, as well as introducing some new attacks in the second part.
-
Swooping Divebomb: Moorwing will dive towards the ground, then glide across it, straight in your direction. You can easily jump over this. In the Second Phase, it will follow up this attack with a Talon Throw.
-
Claw Flurry: The boss will swoop down close to you and do a flurry of attacks with its talons. Avoid it by backing away from the boss.
-
Spinning Talon Throw: Moorwing will fly back a tiny bit, then spin one of its talons and shoot it at you. It travels along the ground, so make sure you jump over it.
-
Double Talon Throw: Second Phase. It will shoot two talons at you, with the first going on the same path, but the second one doesn’t travel as long and it will curve up into the air, moving backward a bit before coming back toward the ground, embedding itself.
-
Talon Boomerang: The boss will fly high in the air and shoot two talons out, in an arc that comes to the ground, with one that travels in one direction and the other going the opposite way.
-
Double Talon Throw: This is the same attack as before, but the boss will throw out a second talon after the first. This second one will cut short and then curve into the air, then come crashing into the ground.
Moorwing Boss Strategy¶
First and foremost, running into the boss or getting hit at all will take off two health, so you essentially only can get three times before dying (without healing). As mentioned above, the boss with Moorwing is split into two phases, where it will gain a few new attacks in the second one. The first phase is pretty simple and not too difficult, as its attacks are pretty easy to handle and dodge. If you got the Reaper’s Crest in Greymoor, then that’s probably the preferred moveset here, as its downward thrust/pogo jump move is quick and covers a fair bit more area than the other two Crests. During the first phase, avoid the Talon Throw altogether, but you can probably get a hit or two in during the other two moves.
When the boss flips upside down, it will do the boomerang attack.
Stay defensive and get ready to jump over one of the talons that comes your way.
The Swooping Divebomb is easily avoided by jumping over it, but you can also get a hit in on the boss when you downward thrust attack while in the air. The Claw Flurry is similar, although you will likely clash when trying to attack the boss while the move is being performed. You’ll need to aim a little higher on the boss, if you wish to connect while it’s performing this maneuver. When you see the boss roar during the fight, that signals the start of the second phase, where things get a lot harder. It still does all of the same moves as above, but it adds to one, combines two of them together, and even debuts a new attack.
You’ll want to start playing a bit more defensively at this point. You’ll want to be careful about some of the older moves, as two of them will have something added to them, which could cause you to take damage. When it does the swooping attack, it will always follow up with a talon throw after it, so make sure you dodge that as it happens. The other added attack is a double talon throw, with the first being the same as before, but the follow-up is a little trickier. Instead of it going the full length, it will stop short and curve upward, then look back toward the ground, where it will plant itself.
So, the best thing to do is move forward with the first talon, then move away with the second. Lastly, there is one new move during the second phase, the Talon Boomerang (as we call it). Two talons are shot out, which will arc around the boss and when they hit the ground, they shoot out along it. Think of this like the reverse of the second hit of the Double Talon Throw just mentioned. When you see Moorwing go higher in the air, that’s the boomerang attack, so be ready to jump over the talon when it comes your way.
(1 of 3) After attacking it enough, the boss will become dazed and fall to the ground.
The reason this boss is tough is because of the number of attacks in the second phase, especially when paired with the damage it does and lack of opportunity to landing your own hits. At some points, you’ll do enough damage that Moorwing will crash to the ground, all dizzy, so use that opportunity to heal, if needed.
How to Skip the Moorwing Boss¶
With some of the openness of Silksong, it’s actually possible to avoid fighting Moorwing. To do this, you have to start The Lost Fleas quest in The Marrow, then find five of the Fleas. Visit that quest page to find out where to find them, then return to the Flea Caravan to report your findings. You will be asked to travel with the caravan, so say yes and you’ll appear in Greymoor, right at the sight where you should be fighting Moorwing. It’s unclear if this causes you to miss this fight completely or not, as the caravan might move again and allow you to fight Moorwing then.
No Comments