Muhit Rahman lives off two things: gaming marathons and endless cups of tea. He writes guides, reviews, and occasionally forgets that real life doesn’t come with checkpoints. His favorite genres are Soulslike and Metroidvania, with Dark Souls III, Hollow Knight, and Dota 2 forever holding top spots on his all-time list.
Moorwing is one of the toughest early-game bosses you’ll encounter in Hollow Knight: Silksong. He guards the exit of Greymoor on the way to Bellhart, and if you’re not prepared, he’ll send you back to the last bench you rested at before you know what hit you.
In this guide, we’ll break down Moorwing’s location, moveset, strategies, and the rewards you’ll get for defeating him.
For more information about Hollow Knight: Silksong, check out the official website here.
Table of contents
Moorwing Location
From the Bench in the Halfway Home area, head down and continue going left, until you drop down into a new section. You’ll see a rope that you need to cut to open a path below.
Go down and continue left to reach the Moorwing boss fight. The above image marks the exact location of the boss fight on the map.
Moorwing Moveset
Moorwing has two distinct phases. Moorwing has two distinct phases. During the first phase, he has three main attacks.
Dash
Moorwing dashes from one side of the arena to the other, gliding low along the ground. You can jump and pogo on top of him to deal damage while safely avoiding the hit.
Diagonal Slash
Moorwing slashes diagonally through the air. Before this attack, he briefly opens his mouth as if taking a breath. The move has limited range, so dash backward to get out of danger.
Blade Throw
Moorwing launches a blade along the ground in a straight line. Simply jump over the blade to avoid taking damage.
After taking enough damage, Moorwing lets out a scream. This marks the the start of the second phase. During this phase, both his Blade Throw and Dash attacks gets amplified, but the Diagonal Slash remains the same. He also gets a new attack.
Double Blade Throw
This is a variation of the original Blade Throw. Moorwing launches two blades in quick succession. The first travels straight along the ground, while the second curves back around to strike from behind after passing by.
Jump over both blades, then quickly take a few steps back to stay clear of the looping strike.
Dash and Blade Throw
Moorwing performs a low dash across the ground and immediately follows up with a blade throw aimed at the player’s position.
Pogo off him during the dash to deal damage, then quickly move away. Jump over the blade that follows to avoid taking a hit.
Reverse Blade Throw
Moorwing flips upside down and launches two blades from above. These blades arc outward, land on the ground, and then sweep across the arena to damage the player.
Stop attacking during this move and focus on dodging. Depending on your position, you may need to jump twice to avoid both blades.
Moorwing Strategies
The biggest challenge in this fight is that Moorwing can take away two health bars with a single attack. This means taking more than two hits without healing will end the fight and force you to try again from the start. Thankfully, he leaves plenty of openings to either heal or punish his moves.
During the first phase, you can play very aggressively with jumps and attacks. Moorwing doesn’t attack as frequently as Lace, and in most cases, you’ll have enough time to land at least two needle strikes after each of his attack animations.
When you stagger him, close in fast. You should be able to land three to four strikes without much trouble. As he gets up, you can jump and attack him, then quickly dash away to safety before he is ready to attack.
Once the second phase begins, it’s better to dial back the aggression to focus more on dodging. After each attack, Moorwing pauses for about two seconds before striking again. This is the best window to punish him.
Positioning is the key to winning this battle. While dodging his attacks, try to land close to him so you can squeeze in one or two quick hits. Just don’t get greedy. Always back off as soon as he starts winding up for his next move.
If you’re low on health, get some distance between you and the boss and wait for him to do one of his attacks. This will give you plenty of time to heal yourself.
The following video shows you our attempt at defeating Moorwing:
Rewards for Beating Moorwing
Defeating Moorwing opens the path to Bellhart. This is a mandatory boss required for progressing the story of Hollow Knight: Silksong.
This concludes our Moorwing boss guide for Hollow Knight: Silksong. For a complete walkthrough or related guides, be sure to check out our main hub for the game.
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Muhit Rahman lives off two things: gaming marathons and endless cups of tea. He writes guides, reviews, and occasionally forgets that real life doesn’t come with checkpoints. His favorite genres are Soulslike and Metroidvania, with Dark Souls III, Hollow Knight, and Dota 2 forever holding top spots on his all-time list.
