How to Beat Voltvyrm in Silksong — Deep Docks Boss Guide

Why Volt Filament is a trap pick for this fight

Voltvyrm is the optional Deep Docks boss in the cinderbug nest at the bottom of the southwest shaft. Players consistently bring Volt Filament here because the name and the lightning theme suggest a synergy — but Voltvyrm has 50% damage resistance to all electric sources. Volt Filament hits for 12 effective damage per cast instead of 24, which doubles the fight length and burns through silk you need for Bind heals.

The actual meta answer is mixed physical and poison damage. Reaper Crest's wide sweep punishes the long lightning recovery, Curveclaw cleans up the spark adds at distance, and Witherspit poison ticks through the entire fight without ever needing to commit to melee during lightning phase.

The fight is rated medium difficulty but it can spike to high if you stand on metal during chain lightning — which is the entire west and center of the arena. Position matters more than DPS here.

Voltvyrm at a glance

Attack patterns and tells

• Coil Slam — Voltvyrm slams his entire body down. Tell: he rears up vertically for 1 second. Sidestep two paces; downstrike-pogo on the coil for 30 damage during the 1.5-second recovery.
• Chain Lightning — Voltvyrm sparks; lightning arcs between every two metal objects in the arena and any metal Tool Hornet has equipped. Tell: a bright cyan flash at his head, 0.6-second windup. Sprint to the east wooden platform — it is the only metal-free zone.
• Spark Spit — three short-range electric globules. Tell: tongue flicks out. Jump them — no vertical hitbox above body height.
• Coil Roll — Voltvyrm rolls across the arena floor. Tell: he flattens into a wheel shape. Dash-jump over the roll; the rebound off the east wall takes 0.8 seconds and is a free Reaper sweep window.
• Spark Add Spawn — phase two only. Two electric cinderbug-style adds spawn from the cinderbug nests at the arena floor. Tell: nests pulse cyan. Kill with Curveclaw in one hit each; they explode on death for 8 AoE damage.
• Overcharge — phase two finisher. Voltvyrm winds up a screen-wide electric AoE that takes 4 seconds to charge. Tell: full-body cyan glow + screen-shake. Sprint to east platform AND crouch under the wooden overhang — vertical position matters here.

Recommended loadout (Reaper + physical/poison hybrid)

Reaper punish loop in detail

Open with two Witherspit stacks during the first Coil Slam recovery. This costs 8 silk but starts the poison tick early — Voltvyrm's animation lock during slam recovery is generous enough for both casts. From there, the standard loop is: Coil Slam dodge-pogo, Spark Spit jump, Chain Lightning sprint to east platform, repeat.

Reaper's wide sweep is critical during the spark-add phase. One swing clears both adds and chips Voltvyrm by 25 damage simultaneously. Hunter Crest cannot do this — it has to commit two separate swings, which is enough time for the second Chain Lightning to fire.

Phase two adds the Overcharge finisher at roughly 20% HP. The 4-second windup is your last chance to land a Witherspit refresh before sprinting to east. Crouch under the wooden overhang — the AoE has a vertical hitbox but it stops at the overhang's floor height. Stand-up too early and you eat 3 masks. Most kills come during the Overcharge recovery: Voltvyrm is exhausted for 2 seconds, free Reaper sweeps for the finish.

Crest comparison for Voltvyrm

Verdict: Reaper wins for the spark-add cleave. Shaman is the second-best pick if you have already invested in Witherspit. Avoid any Crest that tempts you to bring electric Tools.

East platform positioning rules

1. The east platform is the wooden ramp on the right edge of the arena. It is metal-free — chain lightning cannot arc onto it.
2. The platform has two levels — the lower ramp and an upper overhang. The overhang is required for Overcharge survival in phase two.
3. Standing on the lower ramp during normal Chain Lightning is enough — you do not need to climb every time.
4. Coil Roll bounces off the east wall and rebounds back toward center. Dash-jump over the rebound and downstrike for a free Reaper sweep.
5. If Voltvyrm rolls toward you while you are on the upper overhang, drop down to lower ramp — he cannot roll up the ramp incline.
6. Cinderbug spawns under the platform sometimes — kill them with Pebble Drop from above to avoid breaking your position.

Common death causes

• Bringing Volt Filament. 50% resistance halves your damage and you Bind-out before phase two.
• Standing on the center metal grating during Chain Lightning. The grating counts as a metal object; arcs always pass through it.
• Crouching too early under the Overcharge overhang. The AoE windup is 4 seconds; crouch at 3.5s, not 2s.
• Trying to kill spark adds with single Hunter swings. Use Reaper or Curveclaw to one-shot — single swings eat a Chain Lightning cast.
• Healing on the lower ramp during phase two. Coil Roll rebounds reach the lower ramp — only the upper overhang is safe for Bind.
• Ignoring the Deep Docks Wish prerequisite. The Wish must be active to trigger the Tool slot reward — talk to the Deep Docks Wish board before entering the arena.