Last updated on September 25th, 2025 at 10:30 pm
Hollow Knight: Silksong continues Team Cherry’s tradition of memorable boss encounters. As Hornet, you’ll face dozens of insectoid warriors, predators, and corrupted figures across Pharloom. Some bosses gate progress, others unlock secrets or rewards, and many simply test your skill with precision platforming and combat.
This guide walks through all bosses in Silksong, grouped by act, noting which are mandatory and which can be skipped, while also highlighting notable mechanics to watch out for.
Act 1 Bosses – Learning to Survive in Pharloom
The opening act introduces the fundamentals. Many early bosses teach movement, dodging, and Silk-based healing.
Mandatory Bosses
- Moss Mother (Moss Grotto): A tutorial fight that teaches aerial dodging and single-hit punishments. She summons grubs and drops rocks mid-battle.
- Fourth Chorus (Far Fields): Requires the Drifter’s Cloak. Its arm swipes and collapsing platforms force players to master cloak drifting and precision strikes.
- Sister Splinter (Shellwood): Fights while spawning Splinterbark adds, crowding the arena with thorn hazards.
- Widow (Bellhart): A deceptive two-phase battle featuring fast projectile bells and feints.
- The Last Judge (Blasted Steps): The act’s final test, switching into a fiery second phase after bell attacks. Though Phantom offers an alternate route, most players must face the Judge.
Optional Bosses
- Bell Beast (The Marrow): Unlocks fast travel once tamed.
- Lace (Deep Docks): Hornet’s rival, with punishing sword dives and circle attacks.
- Savage Beastfly (Hunter’s Marsh): Hits hard and summons minions; rewarded with the Beast Crest.
- Skull Tyrant (The Marrow / Moss Grotto): Appears twice, with the second fight as a surprise ambush.
- Moorwing (Greymoor): A powerful flying enemy that can sometimes be bypassed.
- Moss Mother Duo (Weavenest Atla): Two at once, making positioning crucial.
- Great Conchflies (Blasted Steps): Twin flying threats; fortunately, killing one ends the fight.
- Phantom (Exhaust Organ): A secret encounter that grants the Cross Stitch ability, offering an alternate path to Act 2.
Act 2 Bosses – Expanding the Challenge
Act 2 nearly doubles Pharloom’s scale, bringing complex mechanics, tag-team fights, and spectacle encounters.
Mandatory Bosses
- Cogwork Dancers (Cogwork Core): A synchronized duo whose glowing telegraphs mimic a deadly waltz.
- Forebrothers Signis and Gron (Deep Docks): A lava-arena brawl against staff and spear users, often with summoned adds.
- Lace (The Cradle): Returns as a scripted duel, now stronger and faster.
- Grand Mother Silk (The Cradle): A climactic confrontation at the act’s end.
Optional Bosses
- Trobbio (The Stage): A theatrical bug whose fireworks and tornado spins make for a showy fight.
- Garmond and Zaza (Songclave): Encountered after multiple meetings, reinforcing Silksong’s narrative ties.
- The Unravelled (Whiteward): A silk-wrapped monster that mixes projectiles with spear traps.
- Disgraced Chef Lugoli (Sinner’s Road): A comic but dangerous encounter in a kitchen-themed arena.
- Father of the Flame (Wisp Thicket): A towering Wicker Man figure, vulnerable through lantern arms.
- Groal the Great (Bilewater): Demands endurance through waves of smaller foes.
- Voltvyrm (Voltnest, Sands of Karak): Electric worm-like beast.
- Raging Conchfly (Coral Tower): A grieving flyer tied to the Conchfly questline.
- First Sinner (The Slab): Hidden past heretic doors, rewarding lore and unique items.
- Broodmother (The Slab): Part of the Grand Hunt, with swarming offspring.
- Second Sentinel (High Halls): A mechanical foe linked to the Cogheart Pieces quest.
- Shakra (Greymoor): A bell-summoned opponent, reinforcing side quest choices.
Act 3 Bosses – The Final Ordeals
Silksong’s climax mixes required bosses for progression with optional hunts that flesh out Pharloom’s mysteries.
Mandatory Bosses
- Shrine Guardian Seth (Shellwood): Opens the path deeper into the Grand Gate.
- Nyleth (Grand Gate): Tied to the Pollen Heart reward.
- Skarrsinger Karmelita (Far Fields): A dramatic foe representing Pharloom’s cultural traditions.
- Crust King Khann (Sands of Karak): Protects the Encrusted Heart.
- Lost Lace (The Abyss): A haunting final confrontation, completing Hornet’s rivalry arc.
Optional Bosses
- Bell Eater (Choral Chambers): A corrupted bell guardian that disrupts fast travel until beaten.
- Moss Mother (Moss Grotto, late variant): A reprise with harder patterns.
- Lost Garmond (Blasted Steps): Part of the Hero’s Call Wish.
- Crawfather (Greymoor): A Craw-summoned guardian.
- Plasmified Zango (Wormways): Notable for dropping Plasmified Blood.
- Watcher at the Edge (Sands of Karak): Activated via Needolin.
- Palestag and Clover Dancers (Verdania): Optional Old Heart alternatives.
- Gurr the Outcast (Far Fields): Unlocks the Grass Doll.
- Tormented Trobbio (Whispering Vaults): A darker encore of his Act 2 fight.
- Pinstress (Mount Fay): A high-altitude duel in a platform arena.
- Summoned Saviour (Moss Grotto): Exclusive to Steel Soul mode.
Boss Count and Structure
Altogether, Silksong features 48 boss fights when counting rematches, side-quest encounters, and secret challenges. Roughly a dozen are mandatory for reaching the credits, while the rest enrich the world with lore, rewards, and memorable combat.
Related Guides You Might Like:
- Hidden Hunter Quest Silksong Guide
- Rosary Cannon in Silksong: Location, How to Get It, and Best Uses
- Flintslate in Silksong: Location, Effects, and Best Combat Uses
- Far Fields Secret Area Silksong: Weavenest Cindril Guide
- Grand Gate Map Location in Hollow Knight Silksong
Bosses in Silksong are more than roadblocks—they’re expressions of Pharloom’s culture, history, and tragedy. From teaching mechanics like pogoing and Bind to testing mastery with multi-phase duels, each encounter is worth experiencing even if optional. Completionists aiming for 100% or the true ending will need to face nearly all of them, but casual players can choose their path through Pharloom’s trials. Play Now!
