How to Beat Moorwing in Hollow Knight Silksong (Skippable)

Moorwing is one of the hardest early bosses in Hollow Knight Silksong and will prove a challenge even for veterans. This fearsome bird has an arsenal that requires you to stay on your toes. Here’s a complete breakdown and guide on how to beat Moorwing in Hollow Knight Silksong.

How to Defeat Moorwing in Hollow Knight Silksong

Defeating Moorwing is a test of nerves and patience. Moorwing isn’t dangerous because of its moveset, as it actually only has 4 moves that you need to watch out for. The real trouble comes from the fact that it requires around 75 hits, and all of its attacks deal 2 Masks of damage. This makes the fight feel like a marathon where every mistake is punished heavily.

The only way to truly overcome it is to master Moorwing’s moveset and get into the rhythm of the fight. If this is too much effort, we also have a special cheese method later on that makes this fight a piece of cake.

Charge Attack

This is a simple charge attack where Moorwing will dive towards you, but you can easily jump over it and perform a down attack while mid-air for some free damage, and at the end of the animation.

Slicing Claws Attack

This attack is dangerous but easy to avoid as long as you keep a good distance from Moorwing. It’s better to remain on the defensive for this fight and wait for this attack, as it gives you ample time to deal some damage back at the end of the animation.

Single Saw Attack

Moorwing launches a saw blade in your direction from its feet. This projectile is quite fast but easy enough to dodge since it has a small hitbox. It also leaves Moorwing vulnerable enough to get one hit in. However, don’t greed for extra hits here or the slicing claws will punish you. Try to keep a distance and stay in a neutral position until Moorwing overextends.

Spinning Double Saws

The Spinning Double Saws are what make Moorwing so difficult to manage, especially for new players. These rotating double projectiles add a new dimension of verticality to the fight, and Moorwing starts spamming these once it gets to lower HP levels.

Other Tips and Tricks

• Using the Reaper Crest is recommended for this fight as the heavy swings let you time your attacks with better coverage without being too greedy.
• You have to knock Moorwing down 5 times before you can end the fight, and each of these takes around 15 attacks. Use the knockdowns to keep track of its health.
• You can retreat to the platforms on the right side if you need a break to heal or calm your nerves.
• It’s possible to cheese and even skip this boss entirely.

How to Cheese Moorwing

You can cheese the Moorwing fight by heading to the right side of the arena and forcing him to dash between the platforms. From here, you can safely attack him while he struggles to reach you. This can be done with both the Hunter and the Reaper Crests. Credit to GTS on YouTube for finding this cheese. It’s likely to be patched, or Moorwing himself will be nerfed.

How to Skip Moorwing

It’s actually completely possible to entirely skip the Moorwing boss fight. If you haven’t run into Moorwing and you complete the Lost Fleas quest, the Flea Caravan will move to Moorwing’s boss arena, and you will no longer have to fight him. If you really hate this boss, then this is the best way to completely sidestep him, as long as you’re comfortable with missing out on a boss fight. It’s possible the developers did this on purpose, considering how difficult the fight can be.

You should also check out our guides on the Mossberry quest and check the list of all Traders.

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