Dead Cells: Bad Seed DLC - How To Beat Mama Tick

The most grotesquely ugly boss of Dead Cells is exclusive to the Bad Seed DLC, and you’ll have to be prepared to take this ugly lump of eyeballs down.

The Mama Tick doesn’t look like any bug I’ve ever seen, and it’ll wipe you out if you’re not ready for a fight. Despite this monster’s massive size, it’s definitely trapped in the intermediate range of Dead Cells bosses — you don’t need to be a powerhouse to win, and luck is not required if you keep a cool head. He’s still a tough challenge, so if you’re struggling, here are my tips for victory.

Seeing as Dead Cells is a action rogue-lite, the most frustrating aspect of every boss is that you’ll have to make a long trek back just to fight these things. If you’re lost and need help finding your way to the Nest, check out our Bad Seed getting started guide here.

More Dead Cells guides:

How To Get The Vine, Teleportation, Ram & Spider Runes | How To Access Every Area | Hidden & Optional Areas Guide | All Secret Keys & Blueprints Locations | Gardener’s Keys, Architect’s Key & More

The Mama Tick is a massive intermediate boss — tougher than starting bosses, but definately not as difficult as the Giant, or any of the other end-game bosses.

The Mama Tick starts with just one attack — a “!” will appear where its claws will burst from the ground. Just keep moving, and you should be able to dodge away from these attacks. They’re relatively slow at first. The eye is your target — manueaver to attack it.

Once you do enough damage, the true Mama Tick will appear. The giant creature spews a wave of explosive puss pods that you can dodge through — roll forward to avoid them. It will also slash directly ahead — a simple jump will avoid these attacks, but it will unleash them extremely quickly, so you can try attacking to float a little longer if you need the extra air time.

Traps and ranged attacks are extremely effective against this boss. When it reappearrs, drop your traps — any of them will work. Like an boss, Hokuto’s Bow or any ability to inflict extra damage and criticals will make this guy’s health melt away.

Between the Mama Tick appearances, it will unleash a barrage of ground-spikes. It looks a lot more dangerous than it is. Just stand in the corner, and wait until a “!” appears underneath you — if an attack appears under you at all. Standing still is the easiest way to avoid taking any damage here.

If you move fast, stay on your toes, and learn the telegraphed patterns of each attack, you’ll be able to conquer this thing safely. Good luck!