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There are both good bosses and bad bosses in Hollow Knight: Silksong. The main difference depends on how much you need to weaken yourself to succeed. Groal is one of those bosses where your ability to find a good exploit can be more helpful than just relying on skill alone.
Groal’s fight is a huge challenge. It involves waves of weak enemies that take a long time to clear, a boss that takes up most of the arena and has two masks that deal damage, and a pit of wriggling maggots that make healing nearly impossible. Groal the Great can be incredibly frustrating. If those reasons aren’t enough, the run-back after defeat will test your patience to the limit.
How to Find and Prepare for Groal the Great
Groal is found in the Bilewater region, which is one of the toughest places to explore in Pharloom — possibly the worst. The best way to prepare is to wait until you reach the depths of Bilewater and come from the Putrified Ducts. Here’s why:
- Entering from the Putrified Ducts saves you from making a long, tedious trek back to Groal after each defeat.
- You can get the Wreath of Purity, which provides a temporary shield against the drawbacks of maggot water — very useful during the fight.
If you’re following this guide, chances are you’ve already gone too far to turn back.
Reaching Groal and the Hidden Bench
If you are determined to fight Groal from the south side of Bilewater, you must unlock a hidden bench. To do this:
- Continue through Bilewater until you find a corridor on the right.
- Go through the corridor into the next room.
- On the far right of this room, drop into a corner to find a hidden path that leads into a vat of maggots.
- Swim right and fall into the narrow tunnel to reach the bench.
Though you will still need to climb into the arena each time to fight Groal, this shortcut keeps you from restarting the entire Bilewater area repeatedly, saving time and effort.
Setting Up at the Bench
Once at the bench, you can improve your strategy for fighting Groal. Here are two top tactics:
| Name | Crest Required | Strategy | Upside | Downside |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid-Fire Trap Strategy | Architect | Fight the mobs normally and bombard Groal with traps from the maggot waters. | Nearly immune to damage from Groal. | Struggles with mobs; very costly if you fail. |
| Pogo Strategy | Wanderer (or Witch) | Bounce off the mobs and Groal, staying above the water as much as possible, then use traps to finish him off. | More cost-effective; easier mobs; works with ancestral arts. | Can run out of traps; fight takes longer; risk of dying. |
No matter which method you pick, bring your best traps and the Pollip Pouch because traps are essential. Also, the Ascendant’s Grip from the Songclave merchant is a crucial upgrade for this fight.
How to Deal with Groal’s Minions
Before facing Groal, clear out his minions first. There are five waves of enemies plus two traps to deal with. During these waves, save your traps for when Groal enters the arena — wasting them on minor mobs is not efficient.
If you’ve died during this sequence before, keep your cocoon untouched until it’s truly needed later. It’s best to leave it intact until Groal appears, giving you a quick recovery option when necessary.
Handling the Waves and Traps
- The first trap appears between the second and third enemy waves. It swings in an arc from one corner to the other, so stand in a side-platform corner to avoid it.
- The second trap appears between the fourth and fifth enemy waves and swings twice. Stay in the corner until both swings are over.
How to Defeat Groal
The key to winning is understanding Groal’s attack patterns:
| Attack | Wind-Up & Description | Suggested Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Swallow | Groal inhales deeply, pulling Hornet towards his mouth. If caught, he’ll swallow her. | Jump, pogo off his head, dash away, or let him catch you and mash attack to break free. |
| Spit | Groal glows and spits two explosive balls. One short-range and one long-range. | Run away if far, or dash under Groal and pogo over when close. |
| Dive | Groal leaps up then dives into water, reemerging in a pool of maggots. | Dash away, sprint to avoid his reemergence. |
| Reinforcements | During dives, Groal calls up smaller minions that dive or are destroyed by traps. | Ignore them; focus on avoiding their attacks. |
| Phase Two: Vengeful Toad | Groal’s body turns black, firing soul projections. | Hug the corners near the maggots, staying out of the path of the projectiles. |
One of the most powerful tricks is to jump into the maggots. Yes, this sounds counterintuitive. The bottom corners of the arena are almost immune to damage, making it possible to stay safe and never heal. Just avoid the smaller reinforcements’ darts by jumping into the corners under the raised platforms.
Fighting Groal in the Corners
While tucked away in the corner, you can still damage Groal by:
- Throwing traps when he reappears, especially after his Dive attack.
- Occasionally jumping up to land a single hit, particularly after his Swallow attack.
It’s best to avoid the maggots as much as possible to reduce the damage and trap expenditure. Keep juggling traps and sneaky nail hits until Groal is finally defeated. Once he starts using the Vengeful Toad attack, stay in the water, continue throwing traps, and wait for him to stagger. Afterward, if you’re out of traps, keep persistent until he’s finished.
The Final Reward
Once victorious, a bench appears in Groal’s arena. But the real reward is on the left of the bench — the Seeker’s Soul. You may not be able to use it immediately, but it’s a key ingredient for unlocking the Silk and Soul Wish and opening the door to Act Three, expanding your journey and story significantly.
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