The Skull Tyrant boss in Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of the side bosses in the game, whom you need to defeat as part of the Terrible Tyrant Questline, which can be activated from the Wishwall in Bell Bottom. Throughout the game, you’ll face many bosses that will give you a hard time, but fortunately, this isn’t one of those bosses. However, defeating him will take some time since he has a large health pool. This guide will help you learn his attack patterns, his moveset, and conquer him.
The Skull Tyrant Boss Guide in Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Skull Tyrant boss is located in the Marrows at the top in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Start from the Marrow exit near the Deep Docks, then keep climbing up through narrow passages and small openings until you reach a grand area that’s filled with rocks and a spider-like enemy. Keep moving right to find the Skull Tyrant sleeping. Hit him a few times to start the boss fight. Defeating him is easy; all you need to do is look out for these three attacks:
- Charge Attacks: The Skull Tyrant will keep charging at you very, very frequently, and is good for us, since it is the most punishable move for the boss. When he’s performing this move, jump up to avoid getting hit, then as soon as he reaches the other side, try to get a few hits in. Do this every time he charges at you. When he stops, hit him multiple times.
- Jump Attacks: The Skull Tyrant will also jump at you and smash the ground multiple times. During this move, you have to jump up and move away from him. As soon as he stops, you can get a few hits in. This move is fairly telegraphed well in advance, so you will have plenty of time to dodge before it lands.
- Falling Debris: Throughout the fight, pieces of rocks and debris will fall from above due to the Skull Tyrant’s movement, which can deal damage to you. To dodge the falling debris, look out for dust trails from above just before the debris and the rocks fall. There’ll be many of them, so you need to steer clear of all those areas to avoid getting hit.
Tips to Beat the Skull Tyrant
Here are some tips that will help you best the Skull Tyrant:
- The Skull Tyrant will charge multiple times throughout the fight. When he does, jump over him and hit him on the back. He’ll stop for a few seconds when he reaches the other side; that’s when you need to hit him as much as you can. During this move, double jumps will help.
- There are two types of jumps this boss will perform: the first one is jumping towards Hornet and smashing the ground. When you see him jumping towards you, move to the opposite area. This allows you to avoid getting hit, as well as gives you enough time to do a follow–up attack when he settles down.
- He’ll also keep jumping at one place, without moving left or right. He’ll scream before this move. During this, the amount of falling rocks and debris will be increased, indicated by a dust trail. However, you can hit him as much as you want during this phase, as his jumps merely shake the earth; it doesn’t deal any damage to you. Still, it’d be best to keep a slight distance, just enough to attack him and move out of the way if he charges.
- Again, watch out for the dust trails and react accordingly. There will be plenty of moments to stagger him. Read his moves carefully, try to get in atleast 3-4 hits in when you get the window to attack him.
Rinse and repeat the entire process to finally defeat the Skull Tyrant and obtain the Crown Fragment, which will help you complete the Terrible Tyrant Questline in Hollow Knight Silksong. For more boss fight guides, check out the ones on The Window and Sister Splinter.
