How to Beat Moorwing in Hollow Knight: Silksong — Complete Moveset Guide and Simple ‘Cheese’ Exploit

Moorwing in Hollow Knight: Silksong is an airborne Act 1 boss that gives players a lot of trouble. This short guide sticks to the facts: where to find Moorwing, what attacks to watch for, how to prepare, a legitimate exploit that makes the fight trivial, and what you unlock after beating it.

1. Moorwing location in Hollow Knight: Silksong
2. Moorwing’s moveset
3. How to prepare for the Moorwing boss fight
4. How to ‘cheese’ Moorwing
5. Moorwing rewards

Moorwing location in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Moorwing sits in the southwest corner of Greymoor. From Far Fields, drop down the large vertical chamber into Greymoor, then head left until you reach the Halfway Home with Creige and Nuu. That bench is the closest resting point to the boss arena. Continue west to the platform area with thick hanging chains, drop into the left-side opening, then move left to reach Moorwing’s arena.

Moorwing’s moveset

Dive bomb

Moorwing drops down quickly from either side to hit you. To avoid damage, jump and dash away from the dive. Conversely, if you time it well you can perform a downward attack when you’re directly above Moorwing to score damage.

Claw attack

Moorwing slashes with its feet. This attack is fast and hard to dodge, but it has a tell: Moorwing briefly opens its mouth before the strike. You can sometimes hit from the side, yet that’s risky because the claws reach far.

Orb shooting

Moorwing rolls an energy orb along the ground after charging it in its claws. Jump over the orb to land quick hits on Moorwing when it passes.

Double orb shooting (post-faint)

After fainting once, Moorwing fires two ground orbs instead of one. Jump twice to avoid them; the second orb may loop around, so wait a beat before dashing in to attack.

Double circling orb attack (post-faint)

Moorwing can also fire two upward orbs that circle and then cross the arena in a bowtie pattern. You typically need two jumps: one for the orb circling down on your side, and another for the orb coming from the other side. After the second orb passes, you have a moment to close in and strike.

How to prepare for the Moorwing boss fight

Because Moorwing makes frequent dive attacks, ranged tools such as the Straight Pins or String Shards are effective. They let you punish dives without getting too close.

For relics, the Crest of the Reaper is recommended because it grants extra Silk, which you can use for more heals or extra Silkspear attacks. The Crest of the Wanderer also works, but its shorter range can make avoiding claw attacks harder.

If you plan to heal mid-fight, equip the Warding Bell so you won’t be hit while using Silk. Alternatively, the Druid’s Eye grants additional Silk when you take damage and pairs well if you’re not using the Reaper crest.

Finally, you can recruit NPC allies to help. Speak with Garmond and Zaza northeast of Moorwing, get defeated by Moorwing once to trigger their relocation, then find them in the chamber above the arena and talk to them to have them appear in the fight.

How to ‘cheese’ Moorwing

There is a reliable exploit that allows you to hit Moorwing safely from a spot the boss cannot reach. It requires the Crest of the Reaper (the Crest of the Wanderer can work but is less consistent).

First, claim the Crest of the Reaper from the Chapel of the Reaper, which is north of Moorwing’s arena. To reach the Chapel, instead of dropping straight to Moorwing, go left and jump upwards past the corrupted pilgrim with large scissors; then continue left and enter the Chapel.

After taking the crest, return to the Moorwing arena and spawn the boss as usual. Then, run to the right and use the wind current to return to the entrance area where you came in. Moorwing will fly up to your position. From the corner just below the entrance, use a downward attack: you will hit Moorwing through the floor while the boss cannot hit you back.

Be cautious: you must time your jumps and attacks because you have limited hang time before you land. Also, avoid jumping through the top-right gap, since doing so will reset the fight.

Moorwing rewards

Defeating Moorwing does not grant a direct item reward. However, beating the boss gives access to the nearby area of Bellhart. That town becomes relevant when you pursue the “The Threadspun Town” wish, so beating Moorwing is a required step to progress that side quest.