Owlboy Kaboon King Boss Fight Guide
How to beat the Kaboon King in Owlboy, what this explosive boss does, and how to survive its attack patterns with the right gunner at your side.
How do I beat the Kaboon King in Owlboy?
The Kaboon King leads one of the game's larger enemy packs, and the fight begins with a bit of mistaken identity: according to the community wiki, a short cutscene plays where Dirk, whom Otus and friends have been following, throws a knife at the Kaboon King and quickly escapes before Otus enters the room, and the King then misdirects his anger at Dirk toward Otus, sending many waves of Kaboons at him. Specific damage numbers and attack patterns for the King are not officially documented, so treat the tips below as context rather than a step-by-step solution.
Where do I fight the Kaboon King?
There is no official description of the arena, and the community wiki does not pinpoint the room where the fight takes place. What the wiki does describe is the setup cutscene, in which Dirk throws a knife at the Kaboon King and quickly escapes before Otus enters the room; the game is a single-player story-driven action adventure, so there is no co-op partner to bring into this encounter, and everything runs through Otus and the friends he carries as gunners.
What kind of enemy is the Kaboon King?
It is a much larger, more developed version of a normal Kaboon. According to the community wiki, each Kaboon pack is led by a Kaboon King, which is much bigger than the other Kaboons; it keeps similar white fur markings, furless hands and gold bracelets, but adds prominent ears, green fur, and vestigial arms far more developed than a regular Kaboon's, with muscles and individual fingers. The same source says that when a king takes charge of a pack it grows massively in size and the rest of the pack fiercely protects it.
How do I survive the waves of Kaboons?
Expect to fight the pack, not just the King. Since the wiki notes that the King redirects his anger at Otus and many waves of Kaboons attack him, your job is to keep flying and thin out the smaller enemies while staying clear of the King. The official Anniversary Update to Owlboy (announced on the game's Steam page) added options that can help in a crowded fight: auto-aim can be toggled in the Options Menu so you can play without a second thumbstick, and the Super Dash is performed by holding the roll button for an extra boost in your current direction when rolling. The Steam announcement also lists toggles for screenshake and flash effects, and an option to drop your gunner on dodge for extra mobility.
How do I finish off the Kaboon King?
The official patch notes and store material do not list a specific weakness, exact health value or guaranteed strategy for the Kaboon King, so no official kill method can be quoted here. What is officially documented is that several enemies can now be stunned by dropping Geddy or Alphonse on their heads (from the Anniversary Update announcement), and that Otus's friends act as gunners with unique abilities. Whether those stuns work on the King is not stated officially, so test carefully rather than assuming.
Quick tips
- Bring a gunner you are comfortable with; the official Anniversary Update notes specifically mention dropping Geddy or Alphonse on enemies' heads to stun them.
- Turn on auto-aim in the Options Menu if two-thumbstick aiming feels awkward.
- Keep moving with rolls and the Super Dash to avoid being surrounded by the pack.
- Watch for the King's misdirected rage at the start, since the fight kicks off with waves of Kaboons.
For the base game, see the Owlboy store page.
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