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The Silksong Bell Beast is an early boss fight that gates off the game's fast travel system, as the Bell Beast itself is a mount that you need to tame in combat before it becomes a permanent meant to get between fast travel stations. Not only that, but there's an initial puzzle in Hollow Knight Silksong before you can do even that, as the Beast is tangled in silk and webbing from which it needs to be freed. I'll explain how to do both in the guide below, so you can secure this ally and get a foothold on the game. Here's how to beat the Bell Beast in Silksong, as well as how to free it.
Silksong Bell Beast attacks and tips for beating it
The Silksong Bell Beast is a tough foe with a lot of health, and this is a fight that's about understanding the clear response to each of its limited attack patterns. Here's what you need to do for each type of attack:
- Bell Beast charges across the ground.
- Jump above it and do a Silksong pogo jump on its back to do damage while it passes beneath you.
- Bell Beast leaps in an arc through the air.
- Depending on where you are, either run beneath it and slash at its belly, or back away into the wall so its jump doesn't reach you and slash its nose.
- Bell Beast burrows and erupts to send a couple of bells rolling away.
- If you're close, run at the Beast so the bells pass over your head before they land. If you're far away, jump over the bells as they roll past.
- Bell Beast roars, causing bells to start falling randomly from the ceiling.
- This marks roughly the halfway/two thirds point of the boss fight. A bell that's about to drop is marked by a trickle of dust from above. Keep watching for these markers indicating that you're about to be in danger – they remain for the rest of the fight.
Throughout this fight, you'll have the chance to use your more powerful Silkspear attack and heal, though if you are going to heal, do it between Bell Beast's attack patterns, not during. Healing always takes longer than you'd think, so make sure you do it at the least dangerous moment, or you're almost guaranteed to get hit before it can trigger, potentially losing the fight.
If you've completed the Silksong Mossberries quest nearby, you can also get a badge that'll give you Silk whenever you take damage – a useful bonus that can make the difference in this fight.
How to free the Bell Beast in Silksong
To free the Bell Beast and actually start the fight, you need to find the Silk Spear attack, which isn't far away. As our Silksong walkthrough also explains, you need to head to the spot marked on the map above, and there'll be a plaque on the wall you can interact with (if you haven't yet unlocked the Silksong map, our guide can show you how).
Interacting with this plaque unlocks the Silkspear skill, a powerful long-range lunge triggered by R1/RB, and which costs a small amount of Silk. This damages enemies more than your needle, but also can be used to break silk sand webbing in the environment. Once you have it, head back to the Bell Beast, and a single use should shatter the web and free it.
Bell Beast rewards
The main reward of the Bell Beast boss fight, as mentioned, is to unlock the fast travel mechanic, as the monster is now pacified and happy to work as a steed, similar to the Stag in the first game. You'll need to unlock fast travel points to move between, but once discovered, you'll be able to get around the world much more easily.
As you delve deeper into The Marrows after beating the Bell Beast, you might come across the brutal Silksong skull ant miniboss who guards the way into the optional Silksong Hunter's March region, which has another boss at the end.
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