How to beat the Hollow Knight Silksong Moorwing

We’ve got the best Silksong Moorwing strategy to beat Greymoor’s boss, including the Moorwing location and a runback time shortcut.

How do you beat the Silksong Moorwing? Greymoor's main boss is one nasty critter, especially if you go into the fight unprepared. He's fast, boasts a solid mix of melee and ranged attacks, and inflicts double damage with each hit he lands. In short, he's a massive difficulty jump.

Moorwing is one of the toughest Silksong bosses primarily due to how early you encounter him. It's even possible to miss him altogether, whether you happen to take a wrong turn on the Silksong map or you're particularly rigorous about handing in quests. Lucky for you, we've got everything you need to find and beat Moorwing easily.

Silksong Moorwing location

Moorwing is located in Greymoor, in the very bottom-right corner of the biome on the path that leads to Bellhart.

The silver gate that leads directly to Moorwing is locked when you first get there, which means you have to take the long way up and around. Head down the platforms, avoiding the Silk Snippers as you go, and take the bottom passage marked by a sign.

Proceed to the right and use your Needle to snap the rope holding up the platform at your feet. The Moorwing boss room is just after the ledges to the immediate left.

The chance for you to encounter Moorwing at this point depends on whether you've completed Silksong Lost Fleas questline before you visit his location. If you have, the flea caravan will be there instead. Don't worry, though - he'll pop up later in your playthrough.

To cut down on your runback time, complete the Chapel of the Reaper before you attempt to beat Moorwing. This causes you to respawn outside the door rather than at the main bench in Greymoor. From here, it takes 20 seconds to reach Moorwing.

How to beat Moorwing

Moorwing is a deadly blend of speed and aggression, so it pays to be patient during this fight. Whenever Hornet comes too close, Moorwing rears back and performs a relentless flurry attack using the blades on his feet. This attack alone can shred through your health in record time, so dash out of the way the moment you see the animation.

This boss summons spinning blades during the fight, which travel horizontally along the ground and then up into a wide circular arc. He starts with one and then opts for two at a time. The two-blade variant has a tighter turning circle, so stand in between them to avoid them when they come back around.

The trickiest variation of this boomerang projectile occurs in the second phase of the fight. Moorwing looks down and roars, sending two blades out from either side of him, which meet in the middle and then travel outwards along the floor. We've found the best way to handle this attack is to simply book it in the opposite direction, then leap over the blade once it catches up - just be prepared for Moorwing to come swooping in behind you.

While it might be tempting to squeeze in a Silksong diagonal dive attack whenever Moorwing swoops down, it's easy to get caught in the blade he summons immediately afterwards. You can sneak in a free hit behind him, then dash out of range of his follow-up attack.

Don't forget that the Drifter's Cloak can slow your descent in cases where you might mistime your jump, allowing you to float past Moorwing and his projectiles without coming to harm.

You'll temporarily stun Moorwing several times over the course of the fight, knocking him to the floor. This is your best opportunity to heal, and we recommend saving up your silk for this purpose rather than Silkspear unless you're feeling really confident. If you'd rather deal damage instead, remember to prioritize getting out of the way before you move in to hit him to avoid getting caught on his hitbox.

Ultimately, this fight is about choosing your moments wisely and opting for evasion above all else. Despite all his aggression, Moorwing's not the smartest bug in Pharloom, and he can easily become confused if you stand directly under him - just be prepared to dodge behind him when he prepares his foot-knives.

Moorwing cheese strategy

If you're still having trouble, it's time to break the emergency glass and rely on our Moorwing cheese strategy. Go to the Chapel of the Reaper on the western side of Greymoor and fight through its combat and platform challenges to obtain the Reaper Crest. Equip it to alter Hornet's basic attack to an arc slash.

Initiate the boss fight, then turn right back around and take the wind current that leads to Garmond and Zaza. Head to the far left of the platform suspended over the boss fight, and wait for Moorwing to meet you on the other side. From here, you can defeat him easily without ever being in real danger. Will this eventually be patched out? Probably. But for now, it's a guaranteed way to squash this nasty bug.

How to recruit allies for Moorwing

Provided you've met Garmond and Zaza in Greymoor, you can recruit them after you lose to Moorwing for the first time. Catch the wind current on the platform to the right of Moorwing's boss room to find them.

Speak to Garmond and select 'Yes' when prompted, then head back down and begin the fight. Garmond and Zaza will appear after a few seconds; they can be knocked down, but don't worry - they won't actually be killed. Be aware that if you exit the game, you have to speak to them again to prompt them to join the fight.

Now that you know how to beat Moorwing, don't forget to pick up the Silksong Needle upgrade after you save Bellhart. Pharloom's fiercest foes can be a real handful, so we've got the best boss strategies for the Silksong Widow and Silksong Sister Splinter so you can squash these pesky bugs.