DERELIKT Squidbull Boss Guide: Matador Without the Rage
How to beat the Squidbull: arena layout, charge tells, the column loop, phase two and the medkit rule that decides the fight.
The Squidbull is DERELIKT's first real boss and the only enemy that has its own achievement besides the final boss. Matador sits at 35.2%, which makes it the most completed combat achievement in the game and the clearest sign that the fight is learnable rather than hard.
There is no official bestiary entry for the Squidbull, no published health value and no datamined move list. Everything below comes from the fight itself and from the achievement's own wording: you are supposed to fight it like a bull, not like a wall.
Take a launcher into the shaft if you have one; the weapons guide→ lists where each heavy weapon is found.
Getting to the arena
The Squidbull lives at the bottom of the maintenance hole behind the Living Quarters gym. The drop is one-way until the boss dies.
Before you jump:
- Full health, two medkits.
- Shotgun loaded and the rifle with at least one magazine.
- Grenade launcher if you have it.
- Save at the gym reception station.
The arena has no supply drop and no save station. If you enter under-equipped, you fight with what you have.
Arena layout
The arena is a circular pit with four pillars around a central floor. The walls are too high to climb and the pillars are the only cover.
- The pillars block the charge and the ink spray. They do not block the shockwave.
- The centre is open ground with the best line of sight and the worst cover.
- The edges are where the boss's charge ends, which makes them dangerous.
The arena's shape is the fight: the pillars are the matador's cape.
Phase 1: the charge
The Squidbull's main attack is a straight-line charge. It telegraphs with a low roar and a scrape of its front limbs, then commits to a line.
- Stand at a pillar with the boss on the opposite side.
- Wait for the charge tell.
- Step around the pillar as it commits.
- Shoot the exposed flank while it recovers from the wall impact.
The recovery window is about three seconds. That is enough for two shotgun shells or a rifle burst. Do not chase it; the next charge starts from wherever it lands.
Other attacks in phase 1
| Attack | Tell | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Charge | Low roar, limb scrape | Circle a pillar |
| Ink spray | Rear up, tentacles flare | Break line of sight |
| Stomp | Lift one limb | Back away two steps |
| Wall slam | Charge ends at a wall | Free damage window |
The stomp is the one that catches players. It has a short range but no wind-up sound, and it hits through the pillar if you are standing against it. Keep one body width between yourself and the pillar.
Phase 2: the ink
At half health, the Squidbull starts spraying ink between charges. The ink covers the floor, slows movement and blocks the pillar gaps.
- The ink does not damage you, but it slows you enough that the next charge connects.
- The spray has a fixed arc: it always covers the side of the arena you are standing on, not the whole floor.
- Move to the opposite side during the spray, then use the pillars there.
The phase-2 loop is: bait the charge, dodge around a pillar, move to the clean side during the ink, punish the recovery. The fight becomes a lap around the arena rather than a stand-and-shoot.
Grenades bounce. In the arena's tight geometry, a bounced grenade is more likely to hit you than the boss.
Phase 3: the enrage
Below a quarter health, the Squidbull enrages: faster charges, shorter recovery, and a new double-charge where it bounces off one wall into another.
The double charge is the run-ender. The answer is to break line of sight completely, not to dodge twice. Get behind a pillar and stay there until the second impact.
The enrage also removes the ink spray, which is a hidden mercy: the floor stays clean, and you can use the whole arena.
The medkit rule
The fight's difficulty is not the boss's damage. It is the arena's lack of healing. Two medkits is the practical minimum, and the rule that wins the fight is simple:
- Use a medkit only after a charge impact, never during the ink phase.
- If you are below half health and the boss is above half, use one immediately. The enrage will not give you a better window.
Players who hoard medkits for the enrage usually die to the double charge with both kits in the bag.
Rewards
- Matador (35.2%).
- Access to the maintenance stair back to Central Security.
- The route to the hazmat suit, which is the next story gate.
FAQ
How much health does the Squidbull have? There is no official value. It dies to roughly thirty shotgun shells or four rifle magazines.
Can I leave the arena? Not until the boss dies.
Is there a cheese spot? The ledge above the entrance is out of charge range, but the boss's ink still reaches it. It is a stall, not a win.
Does the grenade launcher help? Yes, in phase 1 and 3, but never near a pillar.
GameScout's review includes a screenshot of the Squidbull but no strategy, which matches the game's own lack of a bestiary entry.
Sources and further reading
The pages below are the sources this guide checks against. The store page and the developer's post are primary; the reviews are secondary and are used for enemy names, weapon names and the state of the game at launch.
- DERELIKT on Steam ↗ — the store page, system requirements and the 27-achievement list.
- Visuwyg's announcement post ↗ — the developer's own description of the outpost and the PS1 rendering work.
- GameScout's DERELIKT review ↗ — 6.5/10, with the most detailed breakdown of the game's bugs and hub loop.
Official source: Visuwyg — DERELIKT announcement post ↗, 8 September 2025.
"grafted onto an anomalous derelict asteroid in orbit around Saturn" — Visuwyg, DERELIKT announcement post, 2025