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The Black Hornet is the 3rd boss in Smalland that players will encounter. The boss resides on the roof of a small building slightly north of the NPC Nok’s dwelling. Around the building, there are several Hornets and Gray Flies, so be careful. Nok herself gives out the quest to kill the Black Hornet. To complete it, you must bring her Sapphire Wings, which drop from the boss. This item will be needed for crafting in the future.
Although the Black Hornet was designed to be an even more challenging boss than the previous two, in reality, it turned out to be weaker. It can be defeated in a regular, natural way, but in this guide, I will tell you some tricks that will significantly increase your chances.
Video guide
Preparing for Battle
Preparation is the most important part of fighting any boss in the game Smalland. Take it seriously, and you will yawn from boredom during any boss fight in this game, remember that.
Equip your character with strong armor
First and foremost, the player should create the strongest Bone Armor set available at this stage of the game to withstand more damage.
When given the quest to kill the Black Hornet, Nok will mention that Mirmek lives nearby and can create decent armor that will be useful in battle. Here is a list of resources required to craft a full set of Bone Armor:
- Ant Head (3 pcs.) Drops from any ants.
- Bull Ant Mandible (9 pcs.) Drops from Bull Ants, which are abundant in the main forest biome.
- Fiber String (15 pcs.) Crafted using the “Loom & Spindle” workstation from 2 fibers. In total, you will need 30 fibers to craft all the necessary fiber strings.
- Textile Patch (15 pcs.) Also crafted using the “Loom & Spindle” workstation from 1 silk and 4 fibers. To craft all 15 pieces, you will need 15 Silk and 60 fibers.
- Heavy Chitin (42 pcs.) Drops from Hornet (up to 1 pc), Cockroach (3 pcs), and Stag Beetle (6 pcs). Stag Beetles live on the other side of the map in the ruins and are formidable opponents, so the optimal method would be to farm Cockroaches, which live near where Black Hornet itself resides.
- Bones (12 pcs.) Drops from Gecko on the southern beaches (1-2 pcs.), Lizard in the ruins (presumably 4-6 pcs.), and Toad in the swamps (presumably 2-4 pcs.). The best way to obtain them is to farm geckos, which are plentiful on the beach just south of the Rhino Beetle’s lair.
Be sure to create this armor to move on to the next stage of preparation.
Create iron weapons
Iron weapons are significantly stronger than Flint weapons, ensuring an easy victory. However, to craft them, some effort is required. By this point in the game, players have access to a Furnace for crafting Charcoal and Iron Ingots. To unlock iron weapons, you must build a Furnace and smelt at least one ingot (iron shards are obtained with a pickaxe from scrap metal piles, which are abundant near where the Black Hornet lives). After that, the Forge becomes available for building, which is used to craft iron weapons.
To build a Forge, you will need 5 Clay Mortal, which are created in the Windmill from 2 clay and 1 bug’s lymph. The problem is that Clay can only be found in the ruins at the other end of the map (where the player will be sent after defeating the Black Hornet). However, since we are cunning, we can go there right now! On the map below, you can see the optimal route for crossing the land. If something changes in future versions of the game, you can still reach it with the help of a grasshopper.
Clay deposits look like dark brown lumps stuck to vertical surfaces, which can be mined with a pickaxe.
But be careful: the ruins are home to fairly strong mobs that will hinder you. Collect the required amount and return to your Great Tree to build the Forge. All further necessary resources can easily be obtained in the Black Hornet’s habitat. As a result, you will be one step ahead, and defeating the Black Hornet will be much easier.
However, if you are too lazy to do this, you can skip this stage. After all, as you will soon see, the boss is quite weak and does not pose a serious threat to the player.
Study weaknesses and stock up on potions
The Black Hornet has strong resistance to poison and light resistance to edged damage, so it is best to defeat her with blunt or piercing weapons (bows, spears, hammers, clubs). The boss’s attacks inflict strong poison on the player, so it is also recommended to bring Poison Antidote and Poison Resistance Brew, which are created at the Apothecary Table.
And, of course, you should have several Health Elixirs for healing during battle and 1 Stamina Tonic to increase maximum stamina and its regeneration rate.
Battle with Black Hornet
Unlike previous Smalland bosses, the Black Hornet has 3 attacks:
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1st attack: tries to sting the player with its stinger. This attack has no preparation, and you need to dodge it like similar attacks from regular Hornets.
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2nd attack: stings the player with a horizontal swing of its stinger. This attack has a short preparation and deals more damage than the previous one. It’s also relatively easy to dodge with a roll (Ctrl key).
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3rd attack: Black Hornet hovers in the air for a few seconds, then charges at the player at full speed, raising dust clouds to ram them with the weight of its body. This attack has a very long preparation.
The secret to success is to dodge precisely when the boss is already flying towards you and is almost next to the character.
Dodging too early won’t help, as Black Hornet can adjust the direction of its charge during its preparation.
As mentioned earlier, Black Hornet’s attacks poison the player, so it’s important to use Poison Resistance Brew before the battle and keep Poison Antidote ready. Receiving periodic poison damage stops the natural Stamina regeneration process for 1 second, which can be a significant hindrance in combat.
Before entering the battle, be sure to place a bed to have a respawn point nearby. It’s best to place the bed on the road sign leaning against the roof of the structure. You can install a Foundation and place the bed on top or even build a small outpost if you wish. A few Gray Flies live under the roof of the structure, so deal with them before starting the battle with the boss.
You should also be aware of the “return” and “escaping from unpunished attacks” mechanics. Black Hornet can move away from its habitat for a limited distance. The aforementioned road sign is the point where the boss can no longer reach the player. If the boss ends up there during the battle, the “return” will be activated, and it will slowly fly back. During this time, you can freely shoot Black Hornet with a bow.
If the player tries to shoot the boss while staying outside its reach, the boss will try to hide by flying out of the player’s sight. However, you can use the road sign to exit the battle if the boss proves to be too strong.
You can also try to lure Black Hornet into an inaccessible area (for example, stand with your back to the sign at the edge of the roof during the boss’s 3rd attack, then roll to the side). This will activate the “return,” and you can once again shoot Black Hornet with your bow without punishment while it slowly flies back to its spawn location.
If you somehow manage to corner the boss under the roof and find yourself on top, it will be completely defenseless and unable to attack you in return.
If you want to defeat the boss the natural way without all these tricks, you just need to learn to dodge its attacks and use Health Elixir in time. With a little practice, the boss will become so easy for you that you will laugh at its futile attempts to attack you.
After defeating Black Hornet, don’t forget to pick up the Sapphire Wings and deliver them to Nok.
As a reward, you will gain the ability to craft (also from Nok) the Ironwing armor set, which is currently the best in the game. The Ironwing breastplate has wings from the defeated Black Hornet, allowing you to glide in the air (press space during a fall).
Nok will also give you the next quest. She will send you to the southern ruins, where the last boss of Smalland awaits you (at least while the game is in early access).