All Hollow Knight Silksong bosses in order

What are all the Silksong bosses? Pharloom is teeming with bugs of all shapes and sizes, but some are undoubtedly creepier and crawlier than others. Like Hollow Knight before it, Silksong's combat is deceptively punishing, but we've got the boss strategies you need to beat all the main and optional bosses without losing your life.

Bosses are a staple of Metroidvania games, and Hollow Knight Silksong has its fair share of challenges for Hornet. There are 48 bosses in total, with 18 main bosses and 30 optional bosses to beat across the Silksong map. Some bosses can be skipped, while others can be substituted by going another route. Major spoilers ahead.

All Silksong bosses, locations, and rewards

Our complete list of every Silksong boss is split into all main and optional bosses to help you differentiate between the boss fights that are mandatory for progression and the ones that you can return to later or even ignore altogether.

Here is every Silksong boss in order:

All main Silksong bosses

All optional Silksong bosses

How to beat Silksong bosses

Tracking down every Silksong boss can be difficult enough, but beating them is an even greater challenge. We've included a selection of boss strategies to help you get past the main bosses, plus some of the fiercest optional foes that Pharloom has to offer.

Moss Mother

Moss Mother is the very first Silksong boss fight, and serves as a gentle skill check for basic platform game mechanics. She tends to hover on either side of the battlefield but remains just within reach of Hornet's needle at the apex of her jump. Watch out for when she swoops down to attack with her stinger, which you can avoid with a simple jump. She also slams the ceiling, dislodging rocks that rain down from above.

Successive hits can stun Moss Mother, so look out for the spinning halo effect that appears above her head to sneak in a bonus hit or two. In the latter half of the fight, Moss Mother swaps out falling rocks for her own children - so much for gentle parenting. Thankfully, these crawling creatures are easily dispatched with two swift hits of your needle, leaving the battlefield free and clear for you to finish off Moss Mother unimpeded.

Bell Beast

The Bell Beast is trapped in a silk web, but don't expect her to be grateful once you use your Silkspear to free her. Instead, she decides to take all her frustration out on you. She burrows into the sea of bells that litter the battlefield, bursting out of the ground to rush or leap at Hornet with startling speed.

While the Bell Beast's moveset is fairly straightforward, her aggression can easily get the better of you, especially once she starts tossing bells around. Thankfully, our Silksong Bell Beast boss strategy guide can make taming this angry little lady a walk in the, er, bells. Upon defeat, the Bell Beast becomes the Silksong fast travel mount, similar to The Last Stag in Hollow Knight.

Lace

Lace is another skill check boss, but this fight demands that you prove your mastery over the Silksong dash skill. This lithe yet arrogant fencer wields her pin with deadly precision in a sequence of forward thrusts, swipes, and a stationary flurry attack.

Hornet's encounter with Lace mirrors the Knight's own encounter with Hornet in Hollow Knight, complete with multiple rematches. Our dedicated Silksong Lace boss strategy guide can help you emerge from this initial encounter unscathed, if not a little singed from the lava on either side of the boss room's singular platform.

Fourth Chorus

Fourth Chorus is one of the largest bosses we've seen in Hollow Knight, and his multiple limbs demand a defensive approach to beat. You can spot him lying in repose on the way to the Seamstress, but you need to farm Silksong Hokers and receive the Drifter's Cloak before he springs to life. The only way to inflict damage on Fourth Chorus is by hitting his face, which Hornet can comfortably reach at the apex of her jump.

Like Lace, this boss fight takes place on a platform surrounded by lava, but this one isn't half as solid. Fourth Chorus spends most of the boss fight driving his multiple limbs into the lava pool, destroying any part of the platform in its path. He also performs a large horizontal swipe across the whole boss room, which often requires a jump-dash to avoid falling into the lava while dodging it.

You can use the Drifter's Cloak to catch the wind currents on either side of the boss room if there's no platform available, but this is thankfully a rare occurrence. Further into the fight, Fourth Chorus hits the ceiling, dislodging a flurry of molten rocks. These are easily avoided, but don't take your eye off the boss - he'll keep up his usual attack patterns while they fall.

Moorwing

Moorwing is a secret boss that's all too easy to miss, even if you've left no stone in Pharloom unturned. However, that's about the easiest thing about him; if you do encounter Moorwing, you might wish you hadn't. This nasty, not-so-little moth is made of knives and spite, and his relentless assault can have you on the backfoot before you even begin.

Between the knives on his feet and his endless boomerang blades, it's essential to remain on the defensive and carefully weight up every opportunity to deal damage to Moorwing. Our Silksong Moorwing strategies can help you turn the tables, especially if you don't mind a little cheese with your bugs.

Sister Splinter

Sister Splinter is Shellwood's area boss, and she can really get under your skin without a good strategy to handle her. Unlike other bosses, she remains suspended from the ceiling throughout the fight, using her massive claws to swipe at Hornet's position. If left unchecked, she can quickly box you in with a flurry of prickly vines, leaving you unable to escape the swarm of spinning leaf insects she calls to her aid. Thankfully, our Silksong Sister Splinter strategies can cut through all the noise and bring this tricky boss crashing down to earth.

Skull Tyrant

Skull Tyrant is a colossal version of the skull scuttlers and brutes that populate the Marrow. Don't let his size intimidate you - he's actually not much more strenuous to deal with than his regular counterparts. Our Silksong Skull Tyrant strategies will help you navigate the worst dangers in this skeletal brute's underground lair.

Skull Tyrant resides in one of the earliest areas, but you can only reach this boss once you have the Silksong wall jump. Don't forget to return to Bone Bottom to fulfil the Terrible Tyrant wish for a ton of rosaries. However, be warned: after you defeat Skull Tyrant, one of its fellows will eventually appear in Bone Bottom looking to take revenge.

Widow

Widow has Silksong's Bellhart townsfolk all tied up in her silken web, and she won't release them without a fight. That's where Hornet and her trusty Needle comes in. As the next main boss, Widow is a big step up from Fourth Chorus. Her combination of deadly fury swipes and bells constantly raining from the ceiling gives you very little room to breathe, much less hit her. Thankfully, we can help you survive that fatal final phase with our Silksong Widow strategies. There's no cheese here - just a lot of patience.

Savage Beastfly

The Savage Beastfly is an optional boss that lurks in the Chapel of the Beast, accessible only via a wind current that Hornet can ride with her Drifter's Cloak. Much like the smaller flies encountered in Pharloom, the Savage Beastfly charges horizontally at Hornet once it has her in its sights.

The most challenging part of this boss battle is managing the sheer number of smaller flies the Savage Beastfly summons whenever it screams. If you're having trouble seeing the fly for the, er, flies, our Silksong Savage Beastfly strategies can help you squash this nasty bug.

Great Conchflies

The Great Conchflies are a stepping-stone boss that puts you one step closer to the Citadel Gate. These oversized coneflies drill through the floor, ceiling, and walls, continuing their trajectory through the opposite side of the boss room. Their speed and random movements makes them difficult to track, but you can predict where they'll emerge by the dust clouds that appear at their location.

This fight isn't really a challenge, especially if you practice good positioning. Watch out for when they pause their relentless drilling to spit a projectile dart that travels diagonally and bounces off the boss room's boundaries. This boss encounter ends once you down one of them and the other flies off - but is it truly over?

Last Judge

The Last Judge is the final boss of Act 1, and where your muscle memory is truly put to the test. She's that rare breed of Silksong boss that's both fast and large, which makes her particularly difficult to beat. She wields a war thurible to deadly effect - tossing, spinning, and dragging it around, and it takes a nimble player to avoid it. In the latter stages of the fight, Last Judge ignites the thurible, filling the boss room with deadly waves of fire. Our Silksong Last Judge strategies can help you master your positioning for this intense boss fight.

Cogwork Dancers

While most Silksong bosses are strategically taxing, the Cogwork Dancers are emotionally so. This identical pair of automaton performers dance around the boss room in perfect synchronicity, which makes them pretty easy to predict. They telegraph their movements shortly before they perform them, and occasionally come together to embrace each other in a powerful attack right at centre stage.

There are four phases in this fight, which get faster and more out of sync until you eventually destroy one of them at the end of the third phase. What follows is a final phase that's as heartbreaking as it is straightforward, as the last dancer mournfully continues his performance alone. Prepare to cry.

Lace (rematch)

Your rematch with Lace in the Citadel is not too dissimilar from your initial encounter with her in Deep Docks. Her moveset includes the same attacks as before, albeit she cycles through them much faster this time around. Eventually, her somersault dash leaves a sequence of three large orbs in its wake, which erupt a second after they appear. While it's not immediately apparent, there are actually vertical walls on either side of the platform, which you can use to quickly reposition and sneak in a hit or two.

However, the real challenge comes when Lace transitions into her final phase. From this point onwards, she reprises her AoE flurry and forward thrust attacks. She is fast and relentless in her assault during this phase, so we recommend relying heavily on cogflies and tacks for passive damage output. Lace can quickly burn through your health if left unchecked; if you're struggling to survive this phase, Fractured Mask can buy you just enough time to defeat Hornet's rival for good.

Grand Mother Silk

Grand Mother Silk joins the Pale King, the White Lady, and the Radiance in the pantheon of Hollow Knight's higher beings. She's also the final boss that unlocks the Silksong ending… or is she? Sure, you can roll credits after you beat her, but it's far from the end of Hornet's story. Instead, she's the key to unlock Silksong's third act - you just need to beat her first.

Grand Mother Silk controls the battlefield with a whole sewing kit's worth of needles, sending them flying horizontally and vertically with pinpoint precision. The Silksong clawline is indispensable to avoid these attacks, but you can also pogo off the needles in a pinch. Tacks are highly effective during this first phase of the fight; scatter them across the boss room floor, then focus on dodging until Grand Mother Silk collapses and takes massive poison damage.

The needles can be a pain, but the silk attacks are the real danger in this fight. Grand Mother Silk's web is a slight variation of the AoE we encountered in the Cogwork Dancers fight, but it inflicts three pips of damage upon contact. You only have a split second to find a safe position for this attack, so commit to it as you see those silk threads begin to form. Double jump and glide are a given, but you can also use your heal or silkspear to keep yourself suspended in one spot.

Grand Mother Silk's second phase forces you to evade her silk and needles simultaneously while rocks fall from the ceiling and spikes emerge from the floor. Both of these additional attacks can box you into the corners of the boss room. It's imperative to be patient and avoid taking unnecessary damage, since there are far less windows of opportunity to heal. We recommend relying on tools that inflict passive damage, like the cogflies - thankfully, this phase is much shorter than the first, so it shouldn't take too many hits to down her for good.

Groal the Great

Before you can face Groal the Great, you have to run through several waves of enemies, including Stilkins, Trappers, and Swamp Squits. Thread Storm is indispensable here, since you can use it as a close-range AoE to dispatch enemies that venture too close. It's particularly effective against Stilkins and their continuous barrage of poison darts. Remain on the ledge on the left-hand side to avoid the swinging trap that drops down between waves, and remain in an elevated position to pogo off Trappers when they appear. Squits damage other enemies when they explode upon death, so use this to your advantage when they occur. The double jump and glide abilities make for an overall easier time maneuvering around this boss room.

After you clear all five waves, Groal the Great appears. Unlike the rest of this region, the maggot-infested water is actually the safest spot. While you're in it, you won't be affected by Groal's vacuum suction attack, nor can he hit you with his soul projectile attack. The biggest threats in this fight are Groal's poison projectiles, his sheer size, and the myriad traps and enemies that appear throughout. Obviously, you can't rely on your silk powers if you're in the water, so use tools like the curveclaw, trip mines, and cogflies to take out minions. Watch out for when Groal dives into the water and pops up elsewhere  the perfect opportunity to squeeze in a quick hit or two.

Trobbio

Known as the "Master of the Stage, the Brush, and the Voice," Trobbio is a fame-hungry thespian who roams Pharloom looking for a new audience. Hornet has a front-row seat for his show, as he summons a line of fireworks with an explosive flap of his butterfly wings. His projectiles detonate into vertical and diagonal crosses, so try to stay low when he throws them around the stage.

Don't underestimate Trobbio's spin attack either; his initial charge is easily avoided, but the twin cyclones that travel outwards from his position once he slows down can do some serious damage. As challenging as Trobbio may be, he's only of the few bosses in Silksong that's more of a friendly rival than a deadly foe. Keep the pressure on him, and you should wrap his performance pretty quickly.

Shrine Guardian Seth

Seth is an ancient guardian who claims to have been chosen by the Voice. He's also imbued with incredible strength and stamina that lets him absorb attacks with his shield, then lunge forward to strike with his pin. This makes him particularly dangerous in close quarters. It's better to dodge his aggressive assault than try to break his guard; just wait for him to finish his animation before you retaliate.

Occasionally, Seth positions himself on one side of Hornet as he leaps into the air and throws his shield at her, then zips to the other side to catch it after it bounces. He also tosses his shield across the boss room, and can even teleport to its position to quickly close distance. However, his most dangerous attack is the AoE shockwave he emits after he plunges shield-first into the floor.

Seth has a heartfelt backstory outside of Silksong. He's a fan-created character designed by Seth Goldman, a Hollow Knight fan who passed away several years ago from Ewing Sarcoma. In Goldman's own words, "[Seth's] really cool." After you beat him, you can encounter Seth as a wandering NPC throughout Pharloom.

Nyleth

Nyleth is one of the easier boss encounters in Act 3. The graceful heart of Shellwood controls the battlefield from the walls on either side of the arena, unleashing a barrage of thorns, projectiles, and a huge pollen bomb. You can avoid all of them by leaping onto the opposite wall to avoid the danger zones as they appear.

A ranged offensive tool is highly effective in this fight, letting you continue to deal damage even in the instances where Nyleth has you pinned down during her AoE attacks. Watch out for when she charges from one wall to the next; this is the perfect opportunity for a quick pogo if you're feeling particularly confident, but remember dash out of range before Nyleth can counter with her close-range thrash attack.

Nyleth is at her most dangerous during the second phase of the fight. The platform in the middle of the arena collapses, which means you need to rely on your wall climb ability to avoid the thorns below. The Ascendant's Grip is all but essential here, since you can anchor yourself against the free wall and position yourself to avoid any projectiles. Thankfully, Nyleth's sec0nd phase attacks remain the same as in the first phase. As is often the case, patience and a full suite of ranged tools will ensure a smooth victory.

Palestag

Palestag is the Silksong equivalent of Elden Ring's Ancestor Spirit, both in terms of grace and lethality. It has a simple moveset and low mobility, but its attacks can still overwhelm overconfident players. Palestag continually teleports around the battlefield while summoning waves of magic boomerangs that slowly move to your position. Keep in mind that these aren't homing projectiles - they just travel towards wherever you were standing when they first started to move. This means that once you move behind them, you're free and clear.

Constantly chasing Palestag around the arena can be quite tiresome, so bring along some Tacks, Cogflies, and Sting Shards to help deal passive damage. Palestag likes to teleport on the various platforms in the arena, including the lilypad on the bottom right. While it can be frustrating to reach it, you can move the lilypad towards the shoreline by hitting it successively. While you don't really need to do this, it can help you land a few additional attacks.

Palestag summons four boomerangs at the start of the fight, then six in the latter half. At this point, they can become difficult, if not impossible to avoid. Use your wall climb, double jump, and dash to navigate around them, and don't be afraid to pop a heal in the time between summons. Still, like Nyleth, Palestag is one of the easier Silksong bosses in Act 3, and you should be able to down it in one or two attempts.

Clover Dancers

Oh, you thought Team Cherry was done making you feel things? Guess again. Deep in Verdania, you'll encounter the Green Prince and the ghost of his departed lover. This is almost a carbon copy of the Clockwork Dancers fight earlier on, albeit much faster from the off.

You'll also now have to keep an eye out for when the pair begin spinning in the center of the arena, as they create a tornado that rapidly rotates clockwise. To dodge this, dash below it, up onto a wall, then jump and harpoon across the top of the arena. Apart from that, go about the fight as you did with the Clockwork Dancers and you'll make short work of this duo.

Skarrsinger Karmelita

Skarrsinger Karmelita is a graceful ant monarch who dances to her own tune, so interrupt it at your peril. She twirls her twin dual-bladed daggers and flips through the air, which makes her difficult to pin down. When she leaps to either side of the stage, a line of sharp spikes erupts from the earth directly ahead of her position, so resist the urge to dash in for a quick hit.

Before you can face Karmelita, prepare to deal with her horde of red ant minions. This gauntlet can take a heavy toll on your health before you even begin to fight her, so bring enough close-range AoE to deal with them quickly. Thankfully, Karmelita's attack sequence only becomes a real problem in her second phase, when she cycles through them at breakneck speed. It's not the first time we've battled deadly bosses in front of an audience in Hollow Knight, and Hornet's dance with Karmelita is a performance to remember. Don't get stage fright.

Crust King Khann

Crust King Khann boasts the speed and aggression of every Karaka warrior you've met thus far. However, instead of slicing and dicing with his scythed forelimbs, he summons an endless barrage of coral. These attacks consist of coral growths that burst from the walls and floor, and large columns that reach from one side of the boss room to the other.

You can differentiate between each coral attack variant by Crust King Khann's summon animation and the funnels of dirt that indicate where they'll emerge. Watch out for when he points downwards in the latter half of the fight, causing a line of coral projectiles to drop from the ceiling. There's no question that this fight will put your mastery of the wall jump to the test; staying at either side of the room can help you avoid most attacks, but take care not to get boxed into a corner.

Since Crust King Khann's coral often prevents you from landing a solid hit, tools that deal passive damage are your best bet. Tacks are a boon in this small arena, as is the ability to inflict poison damage over time for the odd occasion that you do make contact. However, there are still plenty of opportunities to punish Crust King Khann between attacks. Watch out for the horizontal coral attack in particular, which leaves you free to pogo off him without reprisal.

Lost Lace

Lost Lace is is the true final boss, so it should come as no surprise that she's by far the hardest Silksong boss to beat.  Her speed means you have to pick your attacks carefully, and be mindful of the distance her attacks cover so you can stay just far enough away to sneak in a hit or two before she performs a follow-up. Be aware that you do lose silk whenever Lace hits you, and there are very few opportunities to heal throughout the fight.

Lost Lace's core moveset is an advanced form of the attacks she used in earlier encounters, but far more aggressive. These attacks consist of her triple-dash and her vertical somersault into a diagonal downward slash. You can avoid the dash by leaping over her, but for the latter, try to curb the instinct to jump. Instead, step underneath her and hit her as she lands. Watch out for when she parries an attack; she'll immediately use her flurry attack. This is the perfect opportunity to leap up and pogo off her, so take the opportunity when it presents itself.

Lace can teleport around the boss room via the Void, so try to avoid excessive dashing or sprinting - it's very easy to take contact damage just by being unlucky enough to move where she pops up. In the latter half of the fight, she taps into her Void attacks. Avoid the tendrils that burst from the floor, and dash consecutively in one direction to dodge the projectiles that track to your position. Keep an eye on Lost Lace's animations, since they're the most obvious telegraph of what's coming for you next. The final phase begins when Lost Lace screams and Grand Mother Silk falls to the floor.

Be prepared for the Void waves that travel from one side of the boss room to the other; sprint to the opposite side, wall jump, and double-jump over it, then rinse and repeat until Lost Lace reappears. This final bout is very fast, so focus on avoiding damage, and activate any tools that deal passive damage. She also incorporates the circular AoE attacks from earlier encounters as well, which can be difficult to avoid when pinned between Void tendrils. Nevertheless, with enough patience, you should be able to beat Lost Lace and roll credits on Silksong.

Sharpe

Steel Assassin Sharpe isn't in the base game, but we expect him to star in the Silksong DLC. Sharpe is a bona fide bug hunter, and Hornet is his next target. Sharpe will likely have a big role to play in Pharloom's lore. He's also brought two allies to help him subdue Hornet, which we expect to also appear during his encounters. One of Sharpe's companions bears a close resemblance to Steel Soul Jinn, a Dirtmouth merchant with unknown masters. No doubt we'll uncover the Sharpe's true motivations as Hornet continues her quest.

Now that you're familiar with the Silksong bosses, it's time to prepare to face them. We recommend picking up the best Silksong Mask Shards and Silksong Pale Oil on your travels for free health and damage upgrades. Our selection of the best Silksong tools can also help you survive the stickiest situations.