Skull Tyrant Boss Guide (How to Beat)
Skull Tyrant is a mandatory quest boss found in The Marrow. You must defeat it to complete “The Terrible Tyrant” Grand Hunt Wish. This boss is a straightforward fight that tests your patience, as its heavy armor limits your opportunities to deal damage.
Skull Tyrant
Location: The Marrow / Bone Bottom
Rewards: Crown Fragment, Heavy Rosary Necklace (Quest Reward)
Where to Find Skull Tyrant
Section titled “Where to Find Skull Tyrant”Finding the Skull Tyrant requires completing a few steps in order. You cannot access the boss otherwise.
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Get the Cling Grip Ability First, you must defeat Sister Splinter in Shellwood to unlock the Cling Grip (Wall Jump) ability. The path to the Skull Tyrant is inaccessible without it.
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Accept “The Terrible Tyrant” Quest With the Cling Grip, head to Bone Bottom and interact with the Quest Board. Accept “The Terrible Tyrant” quest, which is the first Grand Hunt Wish. The boss will not spawn until this quest is active.
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Navigate to the Arena in The Marrow Travel to the bench in the eastern part of The Marrow. From there, head east through two rooms. You will find a hidden cavern area that requires the Cling Grip to ascend. Navigate through this cavern, which contains falling rock traps and breakable walls. The entrance to the boss arena will be a hole in the ceiling.
Quick Runback to the Boss
Section titled “Quick Runback to the Boss”Loadouts & Preparation
Section titled “Loadouts & Preparation”This fight is all about piercing armor and sustain. This loadout is highly recommended for making the fight as simple as possible.
Recommended Build
Section titled “Recommended Build”- Ability: Silkspear The boss stays on the ground, making it an easy target for Silkspear’s long reach. Use it after the boss charges.
- Tool: Longpin This is the best offensive tool for the fight. Its armor-piercing property allows it to deal full damage to the boss’s weak spots. Other tools will bounce off or do reduced damage.
- Crest: Reaper Crest Causes silk bundles to spawn when you hit the boss after healing. This is very helpful for sustaining your silk reserves through the fight.
How to Beat Skull Tyrant
Section titled “How to Beat Skull Tyrant”The key to this fight is hitting the right spots and playing defensively. Don’t get greedy.
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Target Its Weak Spots: Face and Back The Skull Tyrant only takes damage on its unprotected face and back. Attacks to its armored top shell will do no damage. It is also immune to pogo attacks. Wait for it to charge past you, then turn and attack its back.
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Use Longpin to Pierce Its Armor Your Longpin tool ignores the boss’s armor. Use it from a safe distance to consistently chip away at its health, especially when it’s harder to get in close for a needle attack.
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Use the Large Arena to Dodge and Heal The arena is very large. If you get hit, immediately create distance. Run to the other side of the room to give yourself a safe window to heal.
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Play Cautiously to Avoid High Damage All of the Skull Tyrant’s attacks deal two masks of damage. It is better to miss an opportunity to attack than to trade hits. Focus on dodging first, then punish its openings.
Attack Patterns & Counters
Section titled “Attack Patterns & Counters”Skull Tyrant has only three main attacks, making it a very predictable boss.
The boss lowers its head and charges straight at you. The attack is slow but has a large hitbox.
Counter: Simply jump over it. As it passes, turn and hit its exposed back with your needle or Silkspear. This is your main window for dealing damage.
The boss leaps towards your last position. When it lands, one or two boulders fall from the ceiling near the impact zone. It can do this twice in a row.
Counter: As soon as it jumps, dash away from your current spot to avoid both the boss and the falling boulders. Do not try to dash underneath it.
The boss stands in place, roars, and stomps the ground repeatedly (usually three times). Each stomp causes multiple boulders to fall from the ceiling across the arena.
Counter: The safest place is close to the boss, as the boulders tend to fall farther away. Alternatively, you can run to the far side of the arena. Do not get cornered.
Bone Bottom Encounter
Section titled “Bone Bottom Encounter”Later in the game, a second Skull Tyrant will appear in Bone Bottom. The triggers for this event are still being confirmed. This version has the same attacks and health, but the arena is much larger. Be aware that its appearance will destroy the nearby bench.
Skull Tyrant Rewards
Section titled “Skull Tyrant Rewards”- Crown Fragment (Boss Drop): After defeating the Skull Tyrant in The Marrow, it will drop this key item.
- Heavy Rosary Necklace (Quest Reward): Take the Crown Fragment back to the Quest Board in Bone Bottom to turn in “The Terrible Tyrant” quest. You will receive this necklace as your final reward.