How to Beat Groal the Great in Silksong (Boss Guide)

There are a lot of bosses in Silksong, many of which are not technically tied to progression and are not required to beat the game. Hidden high above the foul tunnels of Bilewater, and teased in the pre-release Silksong trailers, Groal the Great is a giant frog-like boss that can be incredibly difficult to defeat.

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Though the boss fight itself is challenging, players must also defeat waves of enemies that spawn before Groal the Great appears, and they must make it through one of the most painful runbacks in the entire game – more painful than the Last Judge runback. This guide explains where to find Groal the Great, how to beat Groal in Silksong, and what you will get for defeating this giant frog boss in Bilewater.

How to Get to Groal the Great in Silksong

Where is Groal the Great In Silksong?

Getting to Groal the Great is no small feat. In fact, it's arguably the most punishing and most difficult boss runback in Silksong.

Groal the Great can be found in Bilehaven at the very top of Bilewater, which is itself a relatively hidden area within the Citadel. It is highly recommended to go to Mount Fay first to get the Faydown Cloak, which gives Hornet the ability to double jump in Silksong.

There are two ways into Bilewater: via Sinner's Road, a zone that can be accessed via a hidden entrance above the Halfway Home, or via the Putrefied Ducts, which can be accessed from the Memorium zone. The Putrefied Ducts route is shorter, but you won't be able to access it until much later in Act 2.

Either way, be prepared to spent a lot of time avoiding poison pools as you journey through Bilewater, and be prepared to either avoid or deal with enemies that ambush Hornet throughout the entire zone. The journey through Bilewater is long and arduous. It will take most players many attempts to get through this zone, let alone get to the boss.

Eventually, you will reach a bench at the location marked on the map above – don't worry, this bench is real. Sit at this bench, then get ready for the ascent to Bilehaven and the Groal the Great fight.

Take care not to take damage on the way up, and try not to get poisoned, to maintain enough HP and Silk to survive the initial waves of enemies that spawn in this arena. You must beat six waves of enemies and spike traps before Groal the Great appears.

Groal the Great Runback Route

Complete Groal the Great Boss Walkthrough

How to Beat Groal the Great in Silksong

Groal the Great Moveset, Attacks, & Counters

Attack Image	Move Name	Visual Cues	Counter
	Dive	Groal will hunker down a bit, hop slightly higher in the air, then dive into the maggoty muck below.	Dodge to the left or right of the boss, depending on which direction it is diving in. If you are above the boss, perform a double jump or grapple to the side to avoid being hit.
	Resurface	Green particles will appear above the goop where Groal will leap out of, jumping about halfway up the boss arena.	Don't stand where the boss will jump out of the muck. If you can position yourself well, try to get above the boss as it appears and do some significant pogo damage.
	Suck In	Groal will stop in place and open its massive mouth, then pull in everything within a large cone in Hornet's direction. Movement is slowed as Hornet is sucked into its gullet. If consumed, you must attack to break free, but not without taking 2 Masks of damage first.	Run in the opposite direction of the boss, and you should avoid being sucked in. Do not try to attack the boss during this move.
	Spike Ball Trap	After about 30 seconds, a gigantic spike ball trap will arc across the entire arena (like in the gauntlet before the boss fight).	Listen for the sound of a chain snapping, wait about half a second, then jump over the spike ball as it swings from side to side.
	Spit Poison Ball	Groal will aim toward Hornet and spit up two large green balls, which explode in a large area upon contact or after bouncing off the environment once.	If you are above the boss, this is an excellent chance to deal a lot of damage with pogoing. If you are below the boss, try to dodge so that you are underneath Groal to hit it from below and avoid the projectiles.
	Phase Transition	Groal will rear back and roar as its eyes burn with Soul energy, activating a new projectile attack.	Groal roars for several seconds here, so if you can get underneath or above the boss, you'll be able to do a lot of damage.
	Vengeful Spirit	Like the Knight himself, Groal will launch a white Soul projectile horizontally across the arena. Groal will lightly aim at Hornet's vertical location. This attack can be performed up to three times in a row.	Jump upward as the boss is about to shoot a Vengeful Spirit toward Hornet to lure the attack above her. If unsuccessful, try to bounce off the side of the arena or use the Faydown Cloak to jump over it.
	Summon Ally	Groal will dive under the poison pit below, then two small fountains of green goop will appear. Either of the two enemies that spawned during the pre-boss gauntlet may leap up from either of these spots, but they do not linger.	Get out of the way of the spawn spots, then dodge their attacks. If you need to restore Silk, try to get above each spawn spot and pogo the enemy before they sink under the muck.

Groal the Great Boss Tips & Tricks

• There is one way to cheese Groal the Great, though it can be tricky to pull off. Instead of avoiding the poison pools at the bottom of the screen, make sure your HP is topped up, then dive straight into the poison and go to the extreme right or left.
  • Groal the Great will have a hard time attacking you from these positions, and you can leap in and out as needed to take advantage of attack opportunities.
  • Make sure you get out of the way during its Vengeful Spirit attack, as this can still hit you in the water.
  • Additionally, watch for it to dive down when it is flying above you, and watch for particles in the water that indicate where enemies (or the boss) will surface.

• The best tool for this fight is the Sting Shard. This tool will set itself in mid-air where Hornet throws it, then when an enemy gets too close, it will explode into shards and deal several hits of damage.
  • This is incredibly helpful against Groal as it is a large boss and thus is more likely to run into these traps and receive full damage from it.

• If you plan to pogo on top of the boss to defeat it, keep your thumb on the jump input to double-jump with the Faydown Cloak in case the boss starts to rise up (or in case it dives down, which sees Groal jump up slightly into the air first).
• The best times to Bind and heal are immediately after Groal dives into the pools below or during its spit animation.
  • After it dives under the muck, it won't resurface for a few seconds.
  • When spitting, Groal will aim exclusively to the side, giving Hornet a chance to heal if she is either above or below the boss.

What Do You Get for Beating Groal the Great in Silksong?

After defeating Groal the Great, Silksong players will unlock access to the rest of the Bilehaven area to the left. This allows for easy access into the Putrefied Ducts zone and contains an important progression item.

Go left from the boss arena and enter a boggy hut to find the Seeker's Soul. This key item is used as part of the requirements to enter the technically optional Act 3, so keep it in mind as you progress to the end of Act 2. Exit the hut, then continue to the left and across a pit of spikes.

Unlock the shortcut down to the bottom of the Bilewater zone, but take the path upward first. This will take you into the Putrefied Ducts, where you can find the Key of Apostate (for use in The Slab). Explore a bit more, and you will meet The Huntress, who asks Hornet to gather organs of various enemies using specific types of tools for the Broodfeast quest.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong

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Released

September 4, 2025

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SUBSCRIPTION

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DIGITAL

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ESRB

Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood

Developer(s)

Team Cherry

Franchise

Hollow Knight

Number of Players

Single-player

PC Release Date

September 4, 2025

Genre(s)

Metroidvania, Action, Adventure, Soulslike

Platform(s)

PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC

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