Now that Hollow Knight: Silksong has been out for a week, many players are finally grasping the full scope of Team Cherry’s latest metroidvania adventure. From unraveling the deep, dark secrets of Pharloom to complaining about the game’s brutal difficulty spikes, Silksong is not an easy game to recommend to casual players.
While it offers a wealth of iconic boss battles like Lace, there are also encounters that cross the line into pure frustration and unfairness. Here are the five worst Hollow Knight: Silksong bosses, along with a few tips on how to beat them.
Last Judge
One of the first real walls in the game, not because of its difficulty but because of its abysmal runback. The Last Judge is the final boss of Silksong’s first act, serving as a warden and gatekeeper of the Citadel doors.
Most runbacks in Silksong only take a few dashes and some light platforming. The Last Judge’s runback, however, forces you through the Blasted Steps while dealing with mobs like Drillflies and Citadel guards. On top of that, you need to pogo across bells and platforms or risk falling into a pit of flesh-eating bugs.
And when you finally make it back, victory isn’t guaranteed because the fight itself is also tough.
The best advice here is to master the runback route. Players on the Hollow Knight subreddit suggest pogoing through guards and using a shortcut on the left side of the map, which saves time and frustration.
For the fight itself, equipping the Magma Bell is essential to reduce fire damage. You can purchase it from the Forge Daughter in Deep Docks for 110 Rosaries and 1 Craftmetal.
As with most bosses, learning attack patterns is key, but patience is the most important tool. The Last Judge’s moves are clearly telegraphed, so with careful timing, you can jump, pogo, and float through most of its offense.
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Broodmother
Another thorn in a player’s side and a boss that nearly made me throw my controller in frustration. The Broodmother is an optional fight located on the left side of the Slab, the game’s prison area.
The fight is torture because of the cramped arena, which makes contact damage punishing. That means even if you touch even an inch of the Broodmother’s huge body, that’s free damage taken. On top of that, the Broodmother summons swarms of flies to wear you down. I spent nearly two hours on this one, and I don’t want to fight it ever again.
The best strategy relies on both luck and skill. Equipping the Thread Storm ability makes clearing mobs easier, while also dealing solid damage to the Broodmother when she staggers. Avoid excessive jumping, and instead focus on hitting her from below with Hornet’s upward strikes.
Savage Beastfly
This optional boss has been tormenting players in their first hours. The Savage Beastfly is essentially a rematch of an earlier fight, only this time it takes place during the Fourth Chorus arena in Far Fields. That means molten lava, breakable floors, and the Beastfly calling in skeletal bug reinforcements.
Mobility is everything here. Learning when to dash and zip between platforms is crucial for survival. The Magma Bell is once again useful, reducing lava damage if you fall. Clear out the summoned mobs first to avoid being overwhelmed, then focus on closing in on the Beastfly. Using tools is also recommended, so using your best Tools like Cogflies, Bombs, or whatever can work here.
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Groal the Great
This fight is so frustrating that not many players even make it this far. Groal the Great is found in Bilewater, one of the most hated areas in the game, rivaling Dark Souls’ Blighttown. The road there is already brutal, and the fight at the end is no better.
The area’s bench is hidden, so many players don’t even know it exists without looking it up. Groal’s fight itself isn’t impossibly hard, but the poison swamp makes it grueling. The swamp drains your Silk powers, so you can’t heal, and Groal summons swamp monsters to add to the chaos.
This fight demands both patience and discipline. Staying on one platform prevents you from falling into poison. Keep moving, but avoid overextending. Take down Groal’s reinforcements as soon as they appear. When he lays down a spike trap, retreat to either edge of the platform until it vanishes.
Father of the Flame
A secret boss hidden in the Wisp Thicket, and one of the most unique. Father of the Flame is essentially a giant effigy with five weak points. You can’t damage it with standard attacks. Instead, you must pogo and platform your way to striking its weak points, which are located on each of the Father of the Flame's limbs.
Normally, fights like this should be easy, but the difficulty comes from the barrage of homing flames, which deal double mask damage and force you to stay on the move.
Using Hornet’s Silk dash helps secure double hits when followed by pogo strikes. Forget about tools, as this boss is immune to everything except Hornet’s needle. If you’re planning to bring them anyway, use buffs like the Flea’s drink or the Plasmium vial for extra health. Patience and timing are crucial. In its final phase, the weak spot shifts to the center of the body, making it easier to hit, but the flame barrage intensifies. Time your jumps and dashes carefully, and you’ll find your openings.
And that’s about it. While there are certainly more frustrating encounters in Silksong, these five stand out as the worst. They punish players not through fair challenge, but through artificial difficulty rooted in bad luck, tedious runbacks, and intentionally tight arenas.
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