Sulong is the first major boss you face in DAVE THE DIVER's In the Jungle DLC, and this giant crocodile hits a lot harder than anything in the base game's early hours. He has three distinct attacks, two exploitable weak spots, and a pair of environmental traps you absolutely need to use if you want this fight to go smoothly. Go in underprepared and you will burn through your oxygen and ammo before he's halfway down. Go in with the right setup and the fight becomes manageable.
Where to find Sulong
Sulong lives in the Vegetation Cave, reachable by diving straight down from the surface of Utara Lake. The cave entrance sits at roughly 17.5 meters deep on the left side of the lake. You cannot access it until Chapter 3, when a dead shark washes up on the shores and triggers the quest that opens the cave for Dave.
Timing also matters. You need to wait until the day is nearly over and the village takes on that orange sunset hue before diving. Once you see it, head down about 10 meters and swim hard to the far left until you reach the large barrier Sulong smashed through. Swim past it to enter his den and start the fight.
Vegetation Cave entrance location
What gear should you bring?
Before you step into that cave, there are two things worth sorting out.
First, upgrade your Jungle Gun to at least Level 3. Below that and you simply will not deal enough damage to close out the fight before supplies run dry.
Second, equip an Utara Power Booster in one of your item slots. Sulong's diving charges happen fast, and without the speed boost from the Utara Power Booster you will take hits that should be entirely avoidable. This item is not optional for most players.
For your second slot, grab either an Air Pouch or an Ammo Box from the upper or lower parts of the lake before entering the cave. If you tend to take hits and push your oxygen limits, go with the Air Pouch. If you fire a lot and burn through ammo quickly, take the Ammo Box. Either way, the cave floor has additional supplies waiting for you: one set from the start, and a second set that drops after you trap Sulong in a bone structure for the first time.
How to defeat Sulong: attacks and weak spots
Aim for the underbelly
Sulong has three attacks in rotation during the main phase of the fight.
- Lunge bite: Sulong charges forward and snaps at you with its jaws. Stay a few meters away and swim above or below the attack path.
- Crescent tail slash: If you drift behind or below Sulong, it whips its tail in a wide arc. Keep your distance and this is easy to avoid.
- Body slam: Sulong rears up and crashes down onto the ground. This is the attack you want to trigger deliberately.
His two confirmed weak spots are the head and the underbelly. Shots to either location deal noticeably more damage than hitting his sides or back. The underbelly is the better target when you have the angle for it.
How do the bone structure traps work?
This is the core mechanic of the fight. Two large bone structures sit at the bottom of the Vegetation Cave. Position yourself near one of them, wait for Sulong to charge, and activate the Utara Power Booster to dodge sideways at the last moment. Because Sulong cannot change direction mid-charge, the momentum carries it straight into the bone structure and it gets stuck.
When Sulong is trapped, its entire underbelly is exposed. Unload your shotgun or rifle into it. You can use this technique twice, once per bone structure. After both are gone, you need to rely on the Utara Power Booster to stay mobile and keep getting underneath Sulong to hit the underbelly.
The cave floor also drops a pickup (ammo or an O2 Pouch) when Sulong first gets trapped, so the fight rewards you for using the mechanic correctly.
What about the stick mechanic?
There are large sticks on the cave floor that you can pick up and shove into Sulong's mouth when it performs the open-jaw lunge. This stuns it and gives you free shots. The problem is that picking up the stick slows Dave down significantly, and Sulong does not always perform the open-mouth charge when you need it to. Spending time holding the stick and waiting for the right attack leaves you vulnerable.
The stick is worth grabbing if you happen to be near the bottom of the cave anyway, but do not build your strategy around it. The bone structure traps are far more reliable.
The enrage phase: what happens at low health?
Once Sulong takes enough damage, the fight shifts. He moves to the bottom of the arena, stomps his feet, and then launches himself at high speed directly at you. Watch for the stomping animation, because it telegraphs exactly which direction he will dash. Move out of the path before he launches and the attack misses entirely. After this charge, Sulong returns to his normal attack rotation, so keep shooting his weak spots and maintain a safe distance.
What do you get for beating Sulong?
After the fight, you can harvest Sulong meat directly from the body. This ingredient sells at a high price at the restaurant, but you need to unlock the Sulong meal through the research tab back at the restaurant before you can put it on the menu.
Talk to Uzme after the fight as well. She hands over several rewards including a necklace that Dave can equip, so do not skip that conversation.
For everything else the DLC has to offer, the Dave the Diver In the Jungle strategy guides cover the full range of fish species, recipes, and villager quests. If you want to know what to cook with your new Sulong meat, the complete new recipe list for Into the Jungle has every dish available including Artisan Flame unlocks. And when you need to keep the villagers happy between boss fights, the villager favorite gifts guide will save you a lot of trial and error.