Where is Groal the Great located?

Groal the Great is found at the gate to Bilehaven in the Bilewater area. Navigate northeast from the Bilewater Bench, following the upward path to reach the boss arena. This is an Act 2 mid-game boss that serves as a gateway to later areas.

Is Groal the Great required to progress?

Groal the Great is semi-optional but highly recommended. While not strictly required for main story progression, defeating it unlocks access to Bilehaven and is often a prerequisite for various side quests, including the Silk & Soul quest where you need to collect Seeker Soul.

What's the best strategy for the runback?

The runback is notoriously long and challenging. Use the hidden bench along the way, utilize the silk refill room above the boss arena, and learn the 'infected water skip' technique to avoid taking damage from the bile water during the approach.

What is the 'Maggot Bath' cheese strategy?

The Maggot Bath cheese involves hiding in the bottom corner pools of the arena to avoid most of Groal's attacks. While this strategy has high survivability, it limits your healing options and requires patience. It's effective but considered a 'cheese' method by the community.

What are Groal the Great's main attacks?

Groal uses suction attacks (suck in), explosive projectiles that require hiding underwater, vengeful spirit shots, and summons additional enemies. The key is to watch for attack tells and only strike during safe recovery windows, avoiding the temptation to trade hits.

What tools work best against Groal?

Curveclaw, Threefold Pin, and Silk Spear are excellent for aerial combat. Pollip Pouch provides healing support, while Weavelight and Spool Extender help with silk management. Warding Bell offers defensive protection during chaotic moments.

How do I handle the enemy gauntlet before the boss?

The gauntlet before Groal consists of multiple waves of enemies. Focus on clearing them efficiently rather than rushing through. Use area control tools like Thread Storm to manage groups, and prioritize staying alive over speed to avoid unnecessary deaths and long runbacks.

What's the difference between normal, cheese, and speedkill strategies?

Normal strategy focuses on learning attack patterns and safe punish windows. Cheese strategy uses the Maggot Bath technique for high survivability but slower progress. Speedkill strategy attempts to burst down Groal quickly but has high risk of failure and long runback punishment.

What do I get after defeating Groal the Great?

Defeating Groal unlocks access to Bilehaven and provides Growstone (regenerating Shell Shards). It also enables progression to Act 2's later areas and is often required for side quests like collecting Seeker Soul for the Silk & Soul questline.

How has the recent nerf affected the fight?

The September 9th patch reduced projectile count by 20% and damage by 8%, making the fight more manageable. However, the runback and enemy gauntlet remain challenging, so the fight is still considered one of the more frustrating encounters in Act 2.

Groal the Great – Silksong Boss Guide

Bilewater location, runback shortcuts & three-strategy approach

BILEWATER

ACT 2 BOSS

FLYING

SUMMONER

QUICK REFERENCE

Location: Bilewater → Bilehaven gate
Strategy: Watch for attack tells, only hit during safe windows
Runback: Use hidden bench + silk room + water skip
Reward: Access to Bilehaven + Growstone

REWARDS

Growstone (Regenerating Shell Shards)

Access to Bilehaven

Act 2 Story Progress

Silk & Soul Quest Prerequisite

LORE & DESCRIPTION

A MASSIVE FROG-LIKE CREATURE THAT GUARDS THE GATE TO BILEHAVEN. KNOWN AS THE "GREAT DEVOURER" OF BILEWATER, GROAL SYMBOLIZES GREED AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION. THIS AERIAL BOSS USES SUCTION ATTACKS, EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES, AND SUMMONS ADDITIONAL ENEMIES TO OVERWHELM INTRUDERS. THE COMMUNITY CONSIDERS IT ONE OF THE MOST FRUSTRATING BOSSES DUE TO ITS LONG RUNBACK AND ENEMY GAUNTLET.

MOVESET & ATTACKS

🌪️

SUCTION ATTACK

Pattern:Suck in vortex

Strategy:Hide in water corner, internal hits

Damage:High

Window:Internal multi-hit

Creates a powerful suction vortex that pulls you in. Hide in the water corners to avoid being pulled, then attack from inside when safe.

💥

EXPLOSIVE PROJECTILES

Pattern:Charging platform

Strategy:Hide underwater to avoid

Damage:Very High

Window:After explosion

Fires explosive projectiles that require hiding underwater on platforms. Wait for the explosion before resurfacing to attack.

👻

VENGEFUL SPIRIT

Pattern:Straight line shot

Strategy:Dodge to the side

Damage:Medium

Window:After shot

Fires a straight-line spirit projectile. Simple to dodge by moving to the side, then counter-attack during recovery.

🐛

ENEMY SUMMONS

Pattern:Pause + summon

Strategy:Clear adds first priority

Damage:Medium

Window:During summon animation

Summons additional flying enemies that interfere with the fight. Clear them immediately as they can overwhelm you quickly.

RUNBACK & SHORTCUTS

Hidden Bench

Located midway through the runback path
Significantly reduces retry time
Essential for learning the fight

Silk Refill Room

Located above the boss arena
Can be accessed repeatedly for silk
Use before each attempt

Infected Water Skip

Climb up → right wall → drop into water
Use harpoon/double jump to avoid infection
Saves time and health

THREE STRATEGY APPROACHES

🛡️

Normal Strategy

Learn attack patterns and only attack during safe recovery windows. Focus on survival and consistent damage.

Pros: Safe, teaches mechanics
Cons: Slower progress, requires patience

🧀

Maggot Bath Cheese

Hide in bottom corner pools to avoid most attacks. Use remote/poison tools for damage while staying safe.

Pros: High survivability, low risk
Cons: Limited healing, slow progress

⚡

Speedkill Strategy

Burst down Groal quickly with high-damage tools. High risk but fastest completion when successful.

Sting Shard

Thread Storm

Multibinder

Pros: Fast completion (~20s)
Cons: High failure risk, long runback

SAFE PUNISH WINDOWS

Attack Pattern	Tell/Indicator	Safe Window	Recommended Hits	Notes
Dash/Charge	Mouth opens, horizontal acceleration	After passing through → stop moment	1-2 hits	Stay low, don't face head-on
Dive/Upward Strike	Rises up then dives down	Landing hard stun	1-2 hits	Don't get greedy with third hit
Projectile/Scatter	Body swells and shakes	After projectile gap	1 hit	Prioritize positioning over damage
Enemy Summon	Low roar, sparse projectiles	During summon animation	1 hit (or use silk skills)	Clear flying enemies first priority

⚠️ Important Reminder:

Only attack during stable windows. Don't get greedy - one extra hit can lead to taking damage and a long runback. Focus on consistent, safe damage over risky trades.