SHAW! Hollow Knight Silksong is finally here, and with it a rogue’s gallery of big bad boss fights for players to tackle, fall to and eventually topple as they venture across Pharloom. I’m some way into Act 2 right now, and it’s safe to say that Silksong is an absolutely brutal game, with many fights dealing out double damage to poor Hornet, as well as testing the limits of human-controller dexterity.
With that in mind, here’s a list of every boss I’ve fought so far, in order, with video footage of my winning attempt. I’ll also attach a little blurb to each boss, explaining how to beat them and what tools you may want to bring to the brawl.
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Moss Mother
Moss Mother is the first boss fight in Silksong, and it’s a good test of your ability to jump and slash, primarily. Get underneath Moss Mother and try to strafe as it moves around the arena to keep it directly above you. If you press the jump and slash buttons at the same time (and do so rather quickly), you can combine the inputs into a jumping slash, which helps speed this process up massively. Also, dispatch the additional bugs as soon as they spawn so you can maintain your attention on the boss.
Bell Beast
The Bell Beast is the second major boss in Silksong, but the first that deals double damage, which makes it a massive test of strength in the early game. It can be overwhelming at first, but the best approach is to learn its moveset carefully. Remember to pogo slash (jump and slash downwards in mid-air) as it hugs the floor and crawls from left to right across the arena, and jump slash to catch its carapace when it jumps over you, too. You can typically get one stab in when the beast summons the bells, but it’s risky and not totally necessary. Focus on avoiding the bells instead. Slow and steady wins the race!
Lace
Hornet meets her match in Lace, a recurring antagonist in Hollow Knight Silksong that wields a deadly needle. For the most part, Lace’s attacks take place on Terra Firma. Take advantage of this to pogo slash from above and try to string together a series of slashes — but hold off when Lace glints, as this will summon a deadly riposte. In Phase Two, Lace choreographs a space in the arena and then unleashes a needle storm inside that circle. Keep out of the way and try to slash Lace as they prepare the deadly storm.
Skarrgard (Hunter’s March Miniboss)
Skarrgard isn’t technically a fully-fledged and named boss, but they sure do feel like one. You’ll encounter this beastly miniboss on the way to Hunter’s March, and the evil skull bug has some terrible slashing habits. The whole point of this fight is to teach you how to dash in, get a couple of hits, and dash out. That’s all you need to do to succeed — use the slim entryway to poke Skarrgard, don’t get greedy, and you’ll be fine.
Fourth Chorus
It’s tricky to adapt to Fourth Chorus, given that they’re a huge hulking beast that appears out of nowhere, on an otherwise nonchalant walk back to safety. The top two arms will slam the arena and destroy parts of it, while the bottom two arms will swipe across, forcing you to jump and float to avoid the attack. You need to be constantly jumping and slashing at the beast’s head to topple it, and when it starts to ‘raise the roof’, you’ll have magma balls to contend with, too. As soon as you see two shafts of wind appear, float up and smack the glowing rock on each side to drop a massive boulder on its bonce — you can’t defeat it otherwise.
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Sister Splinter
I had a lot of trouble with Sister Splinter — it’s another double damage fight with some evil adds. Fighting the boss herself isn’t too much trouble. Just watch which claw appears and dodge in the opposite direction — and quickly destroy any vines if they are getting in the way. However, Sister Splinter will eventually scream and spawn two wooden fly guys that spin like Taz towards you. If you know where they spawn, you can slash from below a couple of times to quickly take out one of them, and then I would use Hornet’s silk ability to dispatch the other one. Don’t waste any time on these guys; use Needle Storm or Silkspear and focus squarely on Sister Splinter.
Widow
To save the haunted town of Bellhart, you need to take down Widow. For the most part, you’ll have to dash in between attacks, get two swipes in and dash back to safety. The cascading webs choreograph incoming projectiles, so keep an eye on the sky at all times. When Widow crawls across the screen, try to get a pogo slash in, and then jump and float towards the direction they started crawling from to glide over the ground swell of bells. Watch out for the fakeout death here as well — it might look like you’ve won, but like the Guardian Ape in Sekiro, Widow comes back with a vengeance. Now, Widow will choreograph a strong attack before crawling across the screen, which you can slash at to neutralise, but I’d advise avoiding it entirely. If you need to heal, leap into the sky above Widow and Bind to lock Hornet into place; hopefully, you’ll avoid her projectiles.
Skull Tyrant — The Terrible Tyrant Wish Guide
Skull Tyrant is technically an optional boss, but it’s worth doing for the Rosaries and to wrap up one of the Bone Bottom wishes, The Terrible Tyrant. The boss, located in The Marrow, has only two actions: sprinting from left to right and slamming the ground to summon bells. The bells are easy enough to avoid, and if you have vibration on, you can sense it coming when it charges. Pogo the top as it comes past, then slash a couple times when the Skull Tyrant stops. Once you’ve got the rhythm, it’s game over for the boss — a pretty dull fight! One thing to note is that you’ll have to fight it again once you return to Bone Bottom after beating it. Just follow the same steps, though, and you should be fine.
Great Conchflies
I got lucky and beat the Great Conchflies on my first try. Their cross-arena moves are choreographed and easy to punish — when they get stuck in the wall, always get a few swipes in. You only need to lock in when the Conchflies start hovering in the arena, as they can shoot one of the ricochet darts that cause chaos. Eventually, they’ll start crossing the arena at the same time, and you’ll have to jump and float in the middle to avoid them.
Last Judge
The end of Act 1 is marked by a meeting with the Last Judge. This brutal fight took me at least 50 tries, but hopefully it won’t be the same for you guys! During the first phase, stay close to the boss so that it can’t use its long-range flail move. Other than that, there are only a few attacks to learn — a leap and a close-range spin, which you can dodge under or away from. Dash back in and punish the animations until Phase Two, which is where this fight becomes tricky. I’d suggest bringing the Pimpillo tool (check my guide here for the location) and throwing grenades at the boss when they are switching between phases to make this easier. Now, the spin attack creates fire rings, so focus on staying between the hazards. Always run away from the flail, and pogo slash the cross-arena charge, and then float to land between the hazards — don’t get greedy with this attack as it’s the hardest one to dodge. Pogo slash the ground pound as well, and try to get a combo in to stay in the air while the fire dissipates. Above all, though, good luck. Last Judge is a real challenge.
Cogwork Dancers
This next boss rests at the top of the Choral Chambers, and you’ll have to escape the Underworks to be able to challenge it. Here we have two robots that move in separate directions at the same time. Their moves are always choreographed, so you have to punish them when they stop. Periodically, they’ll choreograph a needle storm in the middle of the field (dodge out of the way) and then embrace — at which point you can jump and slash them. There are technically four phases to this fight: two speed increases, and then a sad ending sector where you have to fight one of the robots after their partner kicks the bucket. I’d save your tools for that final speed increase, learn the moveset during the two initial phases and try to sustain your health. One tip I found is that if you need to heal, jump directly above one of the robots and Bind, as they don’t typically head in the same direction twice.
Moss Mother Rematch (Weavelight Tool Location)
The green beast is back! Once you have the Needolin upgrade, you can head through a door in the Moss Grotto to Weavenest Atla. Hit the switches to the east to activate the teleporter, then head down to the bottom left corner of this map to find a bench. From the bench, head left and through the water to a secret area, and at the end, the Moss Mother is waiting. The same tactics apply: try to pogo slash with your newfound acrobatic abilities, and get rid of the adds as soon as they spawn. Speed is king here, as the Moss Mother eventually spawns a clone. Only attack one of the Moss Mothers until it’s dead to free up brain space and make the fight easier. Beat the redux battle and you’ll receive the Weavelight Tool, which ups your silk regeneration abilities.
Trobbio (Claw Mirror Tool Reward)
The eccentric Trobbio can be found in the Whispering Vaults, in an area called The Stage. His fight is appropriately theatric, but the key here is to stay close to the boss and keep swiping while he shoots out balls and fireworks. The only time Trobbio actually goes for Hornet is when he turns into a tornado, so focus your attention on the spinning animation and then dodge like hell until it’s over. Remember that when he finishes spinning, Trobbio lets out two more mini tornadoes just for kicks, so try and stay above him when this happens. Watch the floor to find out where he will pop up, too, and use tools when he’s standing still to chunk down the invisible health bar. Once beaten, Trobbio will drop the Claw Mirror tool, which emits damage when Hornet uses Bind.
Disgraced Chef Lugosi (Pickled Muckmaggot)
For this boss, I recommend using the Wreath of Purity tool (follow my guide here), as it nullifies the effect maggots have on your Silk stores. It’s useful for later bosses too, so it’s worth going out of your way for. I also found the Silkspeed Anklets useful for running away from Lugosi’s attacks. Jump slash the adds to begin with, and then the boss will appear. When it slams or hits the floor with its stick, green globs will appear, causing the maggot effect that prevents healing. Best practice is to hit Lugosi when they’re coming down, and then back off and get between the globs. Patience is your friend here.
Savage Beastfly Rematch (Grand Hunt Mask Shard)
Here’s another boss where the trusty Cogflys come in handy. Once you beat the Savage Beastfly and claim the associated crest, you’ll get a Grand Hunt wish in Act 2 that tasks you with fighting it again for a Mask Shard. This time around, they appear in the Far Fields area where you fought Last Chorus. This time around, the boss can destroy the lava flooring with its slams, at which point you should try to float, double jump, or Clawline to stay in the air. I’d suggest bringing the Sharpdart Silk Skill so you can dash through the Beastfly when it comes towards you. Try to focus on the adds to keep the pace slow, and catch the boss with pogos and upward swipes as it flies past.
The Unravelled (Silk Heart Upgrade)
Inside Whiteward, if you find the Surgeon’s Key, you’ll be able to open a new area that has you fighting The Unravelled after a series of mobs. This boss primarily travels from side to side, and they’re pretty big, so pogo slashes are your best friend here. Bringing some Cogflies and Tacks to deal passive damage as you avoid it is a good idea, only buffed by the Pollip Pouch, which gives your tools poison. And if you need to heal, climb the walls and jump into the middle of the field, then press Bind to stay away from projectiles. During the ‘add breaks’ phase, aim to play your best and build Silk to heal before the boss returns.
Phantom (Parry Ability, The Mist)
The Phantom appears in the Exhaust Organ at the end of The Mist area near Bilewater. You need to use the Needolin near groups of white fireflies, and they’ll lead you towards the Phantom from The Mist. Once you make it out of the fog, the Phantom is thankfully quite a merciful boss fight, only dealing single damage. When their pin starts to glint, don’t attack, as this will summon a deadly parry. Other than that, dash away from the choreographed attacks and punish the seconds after.
