Hollow Knight: Silksong Miniboss Stops Players

If you're currently enjoying a peaceful journey through Hollow Knight: Silksong, you might want to prepare for a challenge. Beyond the game's roster of notoriously difficult bosses that will send you retrieving your corpse repeatedly, there's one particularly troublesome miniboss encountered very early on that has been giving players a hard time.

Warning: Minor spoilers for an early-game miniboss in The Marrow are ahead. Stop reading now if you wish to avoid any details about the game's enemies.

This miniboss is considered so minor by the game that it doesn't trigger an on-screen name display, making it difficult to search for a guide when you're stuck. His name is Skarrgard, a heavily-built red bug enemy who wields a large bone as a weapon. You can locate him waiting in a cave on the eastern side of The Marrow, situated just above the prison.

At first glance, Skarrgard may seem unassuming, appearing only slightly tougher than a standard enemy. However, this foe has proven to be a major frustration for many. He employs three primary attacks: one where he burrows underground and resurfaces to strike, a leaping attack, and a wide swing of his bone club. His bone weapon has considerable reach, and because the battle takes place in such a narrow tunnel, most of his moves are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to jump over. Furthermore, his attacks inflict two full masks of damage instead of just one.

Confidence Shattered (Comic by Me)
byu/Gliophorus inSilksong

There are two main strategies for defeating Skarrgard: a difficult method and an easier one. The hard way involves repeated practice until you finally overcome him. You can try luring him further down the narrow tunnel to limit his jump attack, and by running past him when he submerges, you can maneuver him back and forth in the center of the room, landing careful hits until he is defeated.

I really need help with this fight
byu/MadameLavender17 inSilksong

However, I recommend the easier approach: simply come back later. You will eventually acquire a dash ability that makes avoiding his attacks significantly easier, and it seems the encounter is designed with this ability in mind. Even if the reward for an early victory is tempting, it might not be worth the struggle. Defeating him grants access to a new area, but if you're facing him prematurely, you likely have plenty of other places to explore that aren't blocked by a hulking, bone-wielding bug.

Whichever path you choose, good luck with this opponent. For many players, he is considerably more challenging than any of Silksong's early main bosses, so don't be discouraged by repeated defeats before you finally claim victory.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is now available, and we are diligently working on our Wiki guides to cover everything you might want to know as you begin your adventure in Pharloom. We also have a review-in-progress detailing our current impressions, which we will update with a final score upon completing the game.