Where is the Giant Moray Eel in Deep Dish Dungeon?
In the sewers, in a stretch of water with four hand wheels around it. It is a full-game boss.
Deep Dish Dungeon Giant Moray Eel Boss Guide
The Giant Moray Eel is a boss in the sewers of the Deep Dish Dungeon full game, not one of the regular moray eels you swim past earlier. It lives in a stretch of water with four Handwheels around it, and you cannot hurt it while it swims. Close all four hand wheels, wait for the water to drain, and hit it while it lies on the bottom. After about 15 seconds it turns the wheels back on and the water returns, so close them again and repeat until it dies. It leaves a Guarana Gem behind.
Deep Dish Dungeon Giant Moray Eel: how to beat it
New to the game? Start at the Deep Dish Dungeon guide hub.
- Where it is: in the sewers, in a stretch of water with four hand wheels around it.
- How to hurt it: only while it lies down, after all four wheels are closed.
- What it does to you: it leaps out of the water and swims past; touching it costs 20 health.
- What you get: a Guarana Gem, and Guarana Berries start growing around the water.
How we know this. Nobody had published footage of this fight when we checked, so this page describes how the full game's files and code set the fight up, not a run we played. Where a step relies on the demo's code alone, the sentence says so.
Giant Moray Eel at a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | The sewers, in a stretch of water with four hand wheels around it. Source: The full game's files. |
| Base health | 900. Source: The full game's files. |
| Damage to you | 20 when you touch it while it swims. Source: The full game's files and code. |
| When you can hurt it | Only while it lies down, after all four hand wheels are closed and the water has drained. Source: The full game's files and code. |
| Reward | A Guarana Gem. Source: The full game's code. |
| In the demo | Not in the dungeon. Source: The demo's files (build 23712006). |
Our enemies table lists the Giant Moray Eel next to every other enemy.
How to beat the Giant Moray Eel
You beat the Giant Moray Eel by draining its water, hitting it while it lies down, and doing that again each time it floods the area. Expect several rounds: it has 900 health, and each window lasts about 15 seconds.
- Stay out of its path while the water is up. It surfaces and swims across the water, leaping past players. It cannot be hurt while it swims, and touching it costs 20 health.
- Close all four hand wheels. As long as any one of them is open, the water stays up. Once all four are closed, the water drains away.
- Hit it while it lies on the bottom. With the water gone, it stops swimming and lies down. This is the only time your weapons land.
- Get ready for the water to come back. After about 15 seconds it turns all four hand wheels back on, the water rises again, and it returns to swimming.
- Close the wheels again and repeat until it dies.
Melee weapons and the Harpoon pass straight through it while it swims, and the demo's code shows arrows doing the same, so do not waste stamina attacking the swimming eel. Save it for the lying-down window.
What the four hand wheels do
The four hand wheels around the Giant Moray Eel's water decide whether that water is up. If even one is open, the water rises or stays high; only when all four are closed does it drain. They are separate from the other wheels in the sewers that raise and lower water elsewhere, and turning them does not damage the eel.
The eel fights back by turning all four wheels on again after each window. You do not need to turn them in any particular order, but every one has to be closed. In co-op, split up so each wheel gets closed quickly.
What you get for beating the Giant Moray Eel
When the Giant Moray Eel dies, its body sinks and turns into a skeleton, and a Guarana Gem appears where it lay. Guarana Berries also start growing around the water; they are not there before the fight.
Keep the Guarana Gem. Puzzles later in the dungeon ask for it, and it is also one of the game's treasures. Our items table covers the Guarana Gem, and our achievements guide lists the treasure achievements.
Giant Moray Eel or regular Moray Eel?
They are two different enemies. Regular Moray Eels are the smaller eels you meet in many stretches of water in the sewers, with 45 health and a 50-damage attack; our enemies table has their row. There is only one Giant Moray Eel, it guards the water with the four hand wheels, and the tactics above apply to it alone.
The Harpoon treats them differently too. It is found in a chest in the sewers, and aiming it at a regular Moray Eel catches the eel. Against the Giant Moray Eel it is just a weak weapon: 5 damage per hit, and only while the eel lies down. Our items table lists the Harpoon.
The Giant Moray Eel in the demo
You could not meet the Giant Moray Eel in the free demo, Steam build 23712006. The demo's files already contained its definition, with contact damage of 5 instead of 20, but no Giant Moray Eel was placed anywhere in the dungeon, and the four hand wheels around its water were added for the full game.
Version notes and limits
Still open: the route to the boss's water, whether explosives, traps or fire can hurt it while it swims, and how many Guarana Gems drop in co-op. We will update this page once footage of the fight confirms these, or if a patch changes the boss.
Deep Dish Dungeon Giant Moray Eel FAQ
How do you beat the Giant Moray Eel?
Close all four hand wheels so the water drains, then hit it while it lies down. After about 15 seconds it turns the wheels back on; close them again and repeat.
Why can't I hit the Giant Moray Eel?
Because it is swimming. Melee weapons and the Harpoon pass through it while it swims; it can only be hurt while it lies down after the water drains.
What do the hand wheels do in the Giant Moray Eel fight?
They control its water. If any one of the four is open, the water stays up; close all four to drain it.
What does the Giant Moray Eel drop?
A Guarana Gem, which later puzzles ask for and which counts as a treasure. Guarana Berries also grow around the water after it dies.
Does the Harpoon work on the Giant Moray Eel?
Only as a weak weapon: 5 damage per hit, and only while it lies down. The Harpoon catches regular Moray Eels, not the Giant one.
Is the Giant Moray Eel the same as a regular Moray Eel?
No. Regular Moray Eels are smaller enemies found in many places in the sewers. The Giant Moray Eel is a single boss with 900 health.
Is the Giant Moray Eel in the demo?
No. The demo's files contained its definition, but it was not placed in the dungeon.
Sources and version history for this guide: Deep Dish Dungeon sources and versions.
Spot an error or a post-patch change? See how we label evidence and handle corrections in the Editorial Policy.