Did you know Hollow Knight: Silksong features an impressive 44 main bosses and 4 mini-bosses for players to discover and conquer?
As we follow Hornet’s journey through the kingdom of Pharloom, we’ll face a wide array of insectoid adversaries in this tough Metroidvania sequel. Finding these Silksong bosses in order is just the beginning—the real challenge lies in defeating them, requiring precision, pattern recognition, and mastery of Hornet’s abilities. From mini-boss encounters to legendary foes, the Silksong bosses list spans across three Acts, with some appearing later if missed earlier.
What makes the hardest Silksong bosses so formidable is their high health pools and intricate mechanics. During these intense battles, constant movement is crucial; standing still will leave you open to attacks. Studying each boss’s attack patterns is key to anticipating and countering their moves effectively. In this guide, we’ll break down hidden strategies for all the Silksong bosses, ranked by difficulty, helping you tackle challenges from early-game foes to optional secret encounters.
Whether you’re having trouble tracking down bosses scattered across the vast world of Pharloom or figuring out how to pierce through them with Hornet’s Nail, we’ve got the strategies you need. Let’s dive into the Silksong bosses by difficulty and uncover the tactics that will help you succeed!
Hidden Strategies for Early Game Bosses
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The early bosses in Silksong serve as your combat training grounds, testing fundamental skills before ramping up the challenge. Each encounter has unique mechanics that, once mastered, prepare you for tougher fights ahead.
Moss Mother: How to avoid early damage traps
Moss Mother appears deceptively simple but teaches crucial lessons about patience and positioning. This tutorial fight introduces Silksong’s combat basics, requiring different tactics than veterans might expect from Hollow Knight. Before engaging, check the moves list and sit at the nearby bench for a close checkpoint.
When entering the arena, Moss Mother primarily uses her Stinger Dash attack. After stunning her once, she introduces minion spawns and rock drops. The key strategy? Maintain steady movement rather than rushing in. Only heal when Moss Mother is stunned, never while minions are present.
For consistent success, avoid standing directly beneath her and stay in the corner opposite Moss Mother’s position. Jump and attack downward to deal damage without exposing yourself, but never attack downward on minions or you’ll risk bouncing into the boss. When fully healed during a stagger, attack aggressively before repositioning.
Lace (Deep Docks): Countering her parry and riposte
Lace presents a more technical challenge with her lightning-quick movements. Her most dangerous ability is the flurry attack, which follows her parry stance and can take two masks of health if it connects. The crucial insight? Her parry only triggers from frontal attacks.
To counter her effectively, watch for her forward sword thrust telegraph—a horizontal pullback before lunging. Either jump over her or stay out of range, then strike once afterward. When Lace blocks (indicated by a metallic sound), immediately dash away to avoid her devastating flurry counterattack.
For consistent damage without risking counterattacks, master the downward pogo technique. This aerial approach helps avoid activating her parry while keeping you mobile. Alternatively, try the one-hit-at-a-time strategy: land a single strike then immediately retreat to safety.
Fourth Chorus: Using wind currents to your advantage
This massive boss creates a distinctive full-screen battle where platform management becomes critical. The Fourth Chorus removes ground beneath you while attacking with sweeping hand motions and boulder drops.
The secret to victory lies in patience—survival takes priority over dealing damage. Focus on attacking the glowing white eyes on its head while remaining constantly aware of your footing. Use upward attacks when positioned underneath, and time your jumps carefully to avoid hand swipes.
After dealing sufficient damage to trigger three screeches, air currents will appear on both sides of the arena. Float upward using your Drifter’s Cloak and strike the orange explosive rocks above. This sends boulders crashing down on Fourth Chorus, instantly ending the fight—a strategy many players overlook while focusing solely on direct attacks.
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Mid-Game Bosses with Surprising Mechanics
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Progressing through Pharloom’s middle regions introduces bosses with deceptive mechanics that require specialized approaches beyond basic combat skills.
Cogwork Dancers: Mastering the rhythm-based phases
These mechanical performers don’t directly target you—instead, they dance with deadly precision in perfect synchronization. Each Dancer projects light beams before charging, dealing two masks of damage upon contact. The fight progresses through four distinct phases, with each becoming progressively faster until phase three, where they desynchronize entirely. Success demands tracking their choreographed movements rather than aggressive attacks. When they project light toward the center, prepare for their “Dancing Duo” attack—a devastating circular blade assault.
Trobbio: Exploiting his fireworks delay
This theatrical showman uses explosions with predictable patterns. His signature firework attack creates circular areas that explode with a noticeable delay. Furthermore, his bouncing spheres freeze momentarily before detonating in cross patterns. This pause creates perfect attack windows. Between phases, Trobbio exits the stage and gradually opens firework shafts from the floor—an excellent opportunity to position yourself for counterattacks.
First Sinner: Interrupting her healing move
Unlike most bosses, First Sinner can heal herself through a binding technique similar to Hornet’s. Essentially, you must interrupt this animation or face a significantly extended battle. The Silkspear Skill, Clawline ability, or Threefold Pin Tool work particularly well for disruption from a distance.
Late Game Bosses and Advanced Tactics
Mastering Pharloom’s endgame confrontations requires intimate knowledge of specific attack patterns and specialized counterstrategies that even skilled players often miss.
Skarrsinger Karmelita: Reading her curvesickle throws
Skarrsinger Karmelita stands as one of Silksong’s peak precision challenges with her dancing combat style. Her most dangerous move is her curvesickle throw, which sends spinning disks in unpredictable arcs. To counter effectively, stay at mid-range to bait these throws, then immediately hop or dash through the gap before punishing with single strikes. Throughout her three combat phases, Karmelita becomes progressively faster, eventually chaining multiple disk throws back-to-back. Consequently, positioning matters more than aggression—hover around mid-range and turn defense into offense with well-timed pogo strikes.
Grand Mother Silk: Dodging silk webs and needle rain
Grand Mother Silk combines elegant needle barrages with deadly silk traps. Her explosive web attack is most threatening, dealing three masks of damage if caught. Moreover, her six needles create alternating horizontal and vertical attack patterns with small gaps to navigate. During phase transitions, she’ll summon falling rocks and spike traps simultaneously with other attacks, reducing safe areas. Notably, she only takes damage to her stomach, requiring precise aerial strikes.
Lost Garmond: Using vertical spacing to survive
Lost Garmond’s corrupted form employs void-based attacks that punish ground positioning. His most deceptive move is the jump-and-smash followed by void saws. Henceforth, stay airborne through double jumps and clawlines, using vertical spacing to avoid ground-based hazards. Tacks provide excellent counter-pressure since he rarely leaves the ground.
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Secret and Optional Bosses You Might Miss
Hidden throughout Pharloom’s darkest corners are optional bosses that test even veteran players, offering unique rewards for those brave enough to seek them out.
The Unraveled: Managing chaos with floor traps
This mysterious boss lurks deep in Whiteward and requires the Surgeon’s Key to access. The Unraveled fight begins with waves of regular enemies before the main encounter. Its massive hitbox makes positioning crucial – when it emerges from the floor, immediately run toward it and pogo onto the wall above. This technique positions you safely above its attacks, allowing you to strike when it begins charging.
During phase two, spears emerge from the ground (indicated by air particles) before hovering and crashing down. Nevertheless, Tacks prove exceptionally effective here, dealing continuous damage as you focus on dodging. The final phase accelerates all attacks, demanding perfect timing and patience.
Plasmified Zango: How to counter his regeneration
Located in the bottom left of Wormways, Plasmified Zango constantly regenerates health at approximately 33 HP per second when not taking damage. This DPS check requires unrelenting offense with Tools like Cogfly and Tacks combined with poison effects.
As his health decreases, Zango crawls faster and releases more projectiles in wider arcs. Specifically, positioning yourself on a ledge where his projectiles hit the ceiling creates a safe spot for consistent attacks. Alternatively, the Needle Phial from the Advanced Alchemy quest can extract Plasmium four times, each reducing his maximum health by 25%.
Lost Lace: Surviving her teleport chains
This corrupted version of Lace represents one of Silksong’s ultimate challenges. Her teleport chains become deadly when you run while she’s submerged, as she always re-emerges away from your position. To avoid “telefragging,” remain stationary briefly when she disappears.
Lost Lace progresses through three phases, each introducing more void-based attacks. In phase two, she summons dark missiles and spinning blades. The final phase features massive void waves that sweep across the arena, requiring precise wall jumps or Ascendant’s Grip to avoid. Wanderer’s Crest with Plasmium enhancement proves surprisingly effective against her relentless assault.
Disclaimer: Boss difficulty varies based on individual playstyle and skill level.
Conclusion
Conquering Silksong’s bosses ultimately comes down to patience, precision, and adaptability. Throughout your journey in Pharloom, each boss encounter teaches valuable lessons that prepare you for increasingly difficult challenges. After all, mastering early fights like Moss Mother lays the foundation for tackling tougher opponents such as Lost Lace or Grand Mother Silk.
Remember that positioning often matters more than aggression. Specifically, staying mobile during battles prevents you from becoming an easy target, while carefully studying attack patterns reveals crucial counterattack windows. Additionally, don’t underestimate the power of specialized tools and abilities – Tacks, Threefold Pin, and Silkspear skills can drastically change your approach to certain encounters.
While some bosses might seem insurmountable at first, each defeat brings you closer to understanding their mechanics. Therefore, view each attempt as a learning opportunity rather than a failure. Undoubtedly, the most rewarding victories come after numerous challenging attempts.
For those particularly struggling with certain encounters, consider revisiting earlier areas to strengthen your arsenal or practice fundamental techniques. Afterward, return with renewed confidence and fresh strategies. The silksong boss order provides a natural difficulty progression, though optional bosses like Plasmified Zango and The Unraveled offer worthy detours for those seeking additional challenges.
Armed with these hidden strategies, you’re now ready to face any insectoid foe Pharloom throws your way. Happy hunting, and may your needle strike true!
FAQs
Q1. What are some essential combat tips for Silksong? Stay airborne often, use the Hunter’s Crest for its powerful moveset, and utilize the Clawline ability for both traversal and attacking. Avoid walking during combat and instead use your full range of movement abilities to dodge attacks.
Q2. How can I effectively collect more shards in Silksong? Use the Magnetite Brooch to attract rosaries, which can be used to purchase shard bundles. This is generally more efficient than trying to collect shards directly. You can also “mine” shards from silver geo-looking deposits, though this can be time-consuming.
Q3. What should I prioritize when starting out in Silksong? Focus on buying map pins to mark secrets and areas you’ll need to return to later. This will help you remember important locations as you explore. Also, be cautious about entering areas that seem too difficult, as you may need to come back when you’re stronger.
Q4. Are there any strategies for dealing with projectiles in boss fights? Yes, in most cases, you can attack projectiles to deflect them back at enemies. This is often easier than dodging and can deal damage to your opponents. It’s particularly useful against flying enemies with good aim.
Q5. How important are spells compared to tools in Silksong? Generally, tools are more useful than spells in most situations. Save your silk for healing and rely on tools for combat. However, there are specific boss fights where certain spells can be very effective, so it’s worth experimenting to find the right strategy for each encounter.
Disclaimer
Boss difficulty varies based on individual playstyle, skill level, and tool loadout. Some strategies may work better for certain players than others.
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