How to beat Savage Beastfly in Hollow Knight Silksong

Is the Savage Beastfly giving you trouble in Hollow Knight Silksong? The fight against the Savage Beastfly might be fairly simple, but that doesn't mean it's easy. If you want the best rewards, you'll also need to kill this buzzing behemoth not once, but twice in two different places. This isn't nearly as bad once you know the fight, not that it becomes any less frustrating to lose.

In this guide, we'll explain how to beat Savage Beastfly in Hollow Knight Silksong, going over all the Savage Beastfly's attacks, how to deal with them, as well as how to deal with this boss' more annoying traits.

Hollow Knight: Silksong - Savage Beastfly Boss Fight Gameplay

Watch on YouTube

How to beat the Savage Beastfly in Hollow Knight Silksong

You'll likely encounter the Savage Beastfly twice in your travels - first in Hunter's March near the beginning of the game and next in Far Fields, later into Hornet's adventure. Thankfully, the Beastfly doesn't change tactics much, and the techniques you'll use in the first fight still apply in the second.

Savage Beastfly has three attacks. Just three, but because he's a big dude, every one of them deals two masks of damage. So much as touching him does the same. If you know how to avoid each attack, however, the fight is more of a cakewalk, though the arena in the second version of the fight complicates things a little.

The biggest advantage the Beastfly has is his massive health pool and the fact he summons trash mobs halfway through the fight, forcing you to deal with their attacks as well. You can position yourself such that his down slam attacks kill whatever small enemy they hit, removing them from the field. That's only useful if you don't want to farm a heal from them, though.

All Savage Beastfly attacks

Savage Beastfly has three attacks regardless of when you fight him, and after you stun him twice, he starts summoning additional small enemies to pester you. The attacks are as follows:

• Side-to-side charge: As the name suggests, in this simple attack, the Beastfly stops in midair, then flies from one end of the arena to the other. It has no tracking and uses your position when the animation starts to determine the line of attack.
• Tracking charge: This attack is identical to the side-to-side charge in every way but one: the Savage Beastfly tracks your movement until the last second before moving across the arena. You can use that timing to quickly and easily give yourself a safe place to stand.
• Downward headslam: The Savage Beastfly usually uses this attack in sets of three, and like the tracking charge, it follows you until the instant before the downward movement begins. However, because the movement is vertical, you can easily guide the boss to strike where you aren't standing, leaving it open to attack. In the Far Fields, this attack also removes a piece of the arena, exposing you to the lava hazard beneath it, so watch where you land.

The key to beating Savage Beastfly is in manipulating its movement to your advantage. For instance, the final attack of its downward slam has a long recovery window, giving you time to get at least three or four hits in. The tracking charge similarly allows you to guide the boss where you want it to go rather than it dictating your positioning.

Using the Pogo mechanic of bouncing off the boss with your own down attacks is probably the most consistent way of safely dealing damage, provided you don't miss. Using the Pogo technique in the second encounter with the Beastfly in Far Fields is particularly effective given the height of the arena, and doing so will also keep you far above the lava hazard around the arena.

The other big problem the Savage Beastfly presents is, again, its absurd amount of health. Fighting the one in the Chapel of the Beast without upgrades is a frantic two and a half minute dance, and the Far Fields version has farmore health given its later placement in the game.

Use as much of the arena as you can, and especially any movement Tools and abilities you have to hand. The Beast Crest is one of the best for dealing with the Savage Beastfly, but it can be awkward if you're not familiar with how it functions. The Wanderer's Crest is also fantastic.

Knowing how to beat the Savage Beastfly is just one part of the fight. Execution is the second. If you're looking for more tools to deal with this tough boss, check out our guides on how to get the Curveclaw or the Silkshot. With these implements in your arsenal, the Savage Beastfly won't stand a chance.