Skagzilla

**Skagzilla** is an optional boss in the Dahl Headlands. He is a massive Skag, about 3 1/2 times the size of an Alpha

Skag, and is far more difficult to kill. He is encountered in the mission Big Game Hunter.

## General Strategy

**Skagzilla** will roar when he first emerges into the arena, providing an opportunity for players to score multiple critical hits before the fight actually begins.

**Skagzilla** resists Shock, Corrosive, and Incendiary damage, and is never affected by DOT or splash damage. Explosive weapons deliver regular damage on direct hits.

**Skagzilla** has several different attacks. The simplest of these is to close the distance from his target and slash with his claws. This attack can be avoided simply by backing away. This attack exposes his unarmored belly. He performs this attack if his target is within close range.

Like his lesser brethren, he will also put his head down and charge. This attack is difficult to avoid and causes

significant knockback. When his head lowers to charge, the rush can be avoided by turning away and sprinting in a path perpendicular to **Skagzilla's** direction of travel.

Another of **Skagzilla's** attacks is a pounce and body slam with accompanying shockwaves radiating through the ground. This can be avoided by sprinting opposite the direction he is pouncing, slightly to the side when he leaps, and then jumping just before he hits the ground. Again, this attack exposes his unarmored belly and flanks.

**Skagzilla** will also unleash a beam of energy from his mouth which he will sweep from his right to left. This attack exposes his mouth granting the player several seconds of critical hit opportunities, however being caught in the beam is very damaging, knocking the victim back in the process. The beam itself has deceptively short range so when **Skagzilla** rears his head to fire a beam it can be avoided by sprinting out of range. A second method is to avoid the beam entirely by dashing forward near his forelegs when he prepares for the beam attack. Multiple shots to the head when he is stalking forward coaxes **Skagzilla** to use his beam attack.

**Skagzilla's** last attack is a massive ball of energy launched from his mouth that deals splash damage and high impact damage. This does not present a significant opening for an attack, as **Skagzilla's** mouth is open for less than a second during delivery, and presents little opportunity to get in at his sides before he is moving or attacking again. There is little warning of this attack being prepared, so focus on maintaining distance from **Skagzilla**.

## Notes

* After **Skagzilla** is defeated, he will simply be in his pen when he respawns rather than emerge from his cave.
* A **Skagzilla** roar can be heard when his cave is approached after he is slain, but no accompanying giant skag to go with the noise.
* An easy method to farm **Skagzilla** after he is killed the first time is to jump into the pen and lead him to the exit. He cannot follow through the small gate, and will instead repeatedly roar in frustration, allowing for easy critical hits. This should prove easy, as **Skagzilla's** attacks can be easily sidestepped if another player grabs his attention.
	+ This method can also be used to kill him for the first time if a character dies after **Skagzilla** has already appeared. Jump to the exit platform on the far south end of the arena, fire at him to attract his attention, and then fall (or get pushed) onto the ground. He will rush to the gate and repeatedly roar, providing an easy kill, though this necessitates walk or a grenade jump back into the arena.
	+ It's possible to grenade jump up to the cover right above the entrance. Doing so makes **Skagzilla** roar in frustration.
* On Playthrough 2.5, defeating **Skagzilla** can yield nearly 70000 experience points and he may also drop more powerful variants of Whitting's Elephant Gun.
* Firing Sledge's Shotgun or any other powerful shotgun into **Skagzilla's** mouth when exposed inflicts several critical hits, effectively requiring only a couple of shots to take him down.

### Glitches

* It is possible to get a Runner into **Skagzilla's** enclosure by carefully driving up and around rocky ledges near the race track. **Skagzilla** will, like many other enemies, die almost instantly if hit by a Runner. However, a max level **Skagzilla** will destroy the runner, likely killing the character along with it.
* There is also a way to get him to jump out of his enclosure by standing on the rock ledges near the pen, allowing him to run free across the Dahl Headlands (watch out for Runner Patrols, as the vehicle will kill him instantly if he is hit).
* With the knockback that Sledge's Shotgun provides, and a well-timed blast, it is possible to send **Skagzilla's** corpse flying outside of his pen over a massive distance.
* When using the Siren class' Phasewalk ability on **Skagzilla**, it may randomly freeze and not move until killed.
* If the player has already inflicted damage to **Skagzilla**, it will be waiting in front of its den. If it is shot it in the head and then quickly in the rear unarmored parts, it should freeze and stay that way for the remainder of the fight.

## Trivia

* **Skagzilla** is obviously a play on words of the poster monster, Godzilla. This is further emphasized by his beam attack, reminiscent of Godzilla's own atomic mouth blast.