How to Beat Old Tusk, Delvestead's First Boss
Old Tusk is the first boss in Delvestead. He waits on the last night of the Forest, at depth 11, and the exit stays shut until he falls. Most first characters meet him with wooden or stone tools and lose. Bronze tools and bronze armor beat him reliably.
Who is Old Tusk?
A huge boar with 220 health that hits for 12 every 1.3 seconds and notices the hero from far away. Every 12 seconds he calls a wolf to help, so a long fight gets harder the longer it runs.
| Old Tusk | |
|---|---|
| Where | Forest, last night (depth 11) |
| Health | 220 |
| Damage | 12 per hit, every 1.3 s |
| Helpers | A wolf every 12 s |
| Drops | Great Tusk, leather, meat |
What gear do I need?
From our balance runs:
- Wood tools and a few roasts: the hero banks the first cycle and usually falls around depth 9 or 10, before reaching him.
- Stone tools, leather armor and five roasts: reaches Old Tusk and loses.
- Bronze tools and bronze armor, roast meat and potions: wins every time.
So the goal for the first cycles is bronze. Mine copper and tin with a stone pickaxe (ore veins need a pickaxe whose harvest level is at least the ore’s tier minus one), smelt them at the Forge, mix bronze, then make the sword and as much armor as you can at the Workbench and the Armory.
What should I bring to eat?
Cooked food from the Kitchen, not raw meat. The hero eats on their own below 40% health, so five or more roasts let them stay in the fight. Healing potions from the Alchemy Lab are drunk below 30%, and buff potions are saved for boss fights and big crowds, which is exactly this one.
How does the fight go?
The hero focuses whatever is close and hostile. With bronze, Old Tusk goes down before the wolves pile up. With weaker gear the wolves keep arriving every 12 seconds and the food runs out first. If your hero keeps falling at depth 11, go home after night 2 of the second cycle, bank, and upgrade instead of forcing it.
Remember the loot rule: the cycle’s loot is safe only when that last night ends, which means after Old Tusk falls.
What is the Great Tusk for?
Each boss drops a trophy material, and trophies make the top gear of their tier. The Great Tusk is the Forest’s, and it is the first step toward gear made from boss trophies.
FAQ
Can I skip Old Tusk? No. The exit of the last Forest night opens only when he falls.
Do I lose my gear if he wins? No. Gear always comes home. You lose the unsaved loot of that cycle and the supplies still in the bag.
What comes after the Forest? The Caves, and their boss, the Broodmother. See the beginner guide for how runs and banking work.
Play it
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