Skyhop Team Battle guide: how to beat Avalanche, Kraken and Black Hole

Skyhop is a climbing game first, but its Realms end with something different: a turn-based Team Battle against a boss. You don't need perfect gear to win. You need the right three heroes, the right element and a plan for each boss's one big trick. This guide covers the rules and then walks through the first three bosses: Avalanche, Kraken and Black Hole.

How a Team Battle works

You bring a team of three heroes, placed in a Front and a Back line. The front line takes most of the hits, and some bosses punish a weak back line, so placement matters.

Every hero has:

• a basic attack,
• two of their three Skills, which you choose before the fight,
• a Special, which fires when the hero's energy reaches 100.

Actions also have a timing window. Tap at the right moment and the game shows Perfect!, which strengthens the action. It is the same idea as the Perfect Hop in climbing, and the timing feels similar. If you have practised rhythm on the ledges, you will land these more often.

There is a 40-turn limit. From turn 30 the boss enters Fury and gains 10% Attack every turn. A defensive team that never deals damage will lose in the end, so plan to finish by turn 30.

Elements: the one table to remember

Going the other way, a resisted hit deals only ×0.8 damage. Shadow, Storm, Nature, Stone and Light are neutral. They never get the bonus, but they are never resisted either. Against a boss with no weakness, a neutral team is a solid choice.

Hero roles

Heroes come in six roles. A balanced team usually has a front-liner, a damage dealer and someone who keeps the team alive.

• Guardian (for example Yeti): soaks damage on the front line.
• Bruiser (Takeda, Ola): steady melee damage.
• Marksman (Nova, Ziggy): ranged damage from the back line.
• Mage (Feniks): elemental damage and effects.
• Healer (Zefir, Bu, Bao): healing and protection.
• Hunter (Kiro, Ice): bonus damage of 20% against targets below half health. A good finisher.

Kiro, Nova, Bao and Ziggy are free from the start, so you can attempt the first boss without collecting anything.

Warm up with the chase

Before each boss you climb a chase level, and how well you climb affects the fight. This is the Height advantage:

• each star earned removes 5% of the boss's health, up to 15%,
• each Perfect Hop gives 2 energy to start the fight, up to 40.

A three-star chase with a string of Perfect Hops means the boss starts at 85% health and your Specials are almost half charged. For many players that is the difference between a win and a timeout.

Boss 1: Avalanche

Realm: Frost Spire, the first world · Level: 8 · Weakness: Fire

Avalanche is a giant of snow and ice who changes phase at 66% and 33% health.

Her attacks:

• Snowball: a basic heavy hit.
• Blizzard: every third turn, a team-wide blow. Plan healing for those turns.
• Icicles: she summons them, and while they live she renews her Cloud Shield every turn.
• Landslide: a big attack you can interrupt by freezing her or by dealing 8% of her health before it lands.

The plan: kill the Icicles first, every time. Damage into her Cloud Shield is wasted. Keep a burst Special ready for the Landslide warning and spend it then. Bring Fire if you can: Feniks is ideal. Yeti on the front line and Nova at the back also counter her well.

Boss 2: Kraken

Realm: The Deep · Level: 14 · Weakness: Ice

The Kraken is a fight about tentacles. Every living Tentacle cuts the damage you deal to its body by 15%, and the two front Tentacles block melee attacks completely.

Its attacks:

• Vortex and Ink: disruption and lower accuracy.
• Grab: holds one of your heroes.
• Abyssal Roar: its big hit. It weakens to 80% once only one Tentacle or none is left.

The plan: don't touch the body at first. Clear the Tentacles, front ones first, with ranged attacks and area Skills. Once at most one Tentacle remains, the Kraken loses most of its protection and its Roar gets weaker. Then switch to Ice damage on the body. Yeti, Nova and Kiro are the natural counters, and Kiro's Hunter bonus finishes the fight quickly once the body drops below half.

Boss 3: Black Hole

Realm: Orbit · Level: 20 · Weakness: none

The Black Hole has no elemental weakness. Its threat is energy theft: it drains your energy to delay your Specials.

Its attacks:

• Collapse: every third turn.
• Devour: a devastating move when its own energy reaches 100.
• Asteroids: these appear in the fight. Throwing one into the Black Hole removes 6% of its health and 30 of its energy.

The plan: watch its energy, not just its health. Use asteroids whenever its energy climbs, because pushing it back down prevents Devour. Neutral or support-heavy teams do well here. Bu and Zefir keep the team alive through Collapse, and Nova provides steady ranged damage. Arrive with chase energy (Perfect Hops!) so you have a Special ready even after the theft.

Gear and team bonuses

Gear limits that apply in Adventure levels do not apply to Team Battles. Wardrobe accessories also matter here. Every accessory, even a common one, gives the wearing hero a small boost: a hat adds health, glasses add critical hits and a weapon adds attack. Before a hard boss, check that all your heroes are fully dressed.

Common mistakes

1. Hitting the shield, not the source. Icicles and Tentacles come first. Damage into protection is wasted turns.
2. Spending Specials early. Save at least one for the boss's big move: Landslide, Abyssal Roar or Devour.
3. Skipping the chase. Three stars and a few Perfect Hops are worth up to 15% of the boss's health.
4. Stalling. Fury starts at turn 30. Aim to win before it.

Ready to try? Play now, no sign-up. Skyhop runs in your browser on phone and desktop, so you can climb, collect heroes and take on Avalanche in a few minutes. More guides are coming to the guides index.