The 10 HARDEST Bosses in Hollow Knight

Hornet

Hollow Knight’s second most iconic character, we clash with the heroine of the ever-elusive Silksong two times across the game. The first is manageable, the second, not so much. Fought on the Kingdom’s Edge, Hornet is just as speedy as before, able to cover great distances, while her nail can do major damage up close, as well as be used as a returning projectile. Worst of all are the spiked balls she tosses out. Not only do they hurt, but also cut off parts of the arena, severely limiting your space and your ability to dodge whatever fresh assault Hornet will be sending your way.

White Defender

Dream Bosses make for some of the toughest encounters in Hollow Knight – supped up versions of previous enemies, only now with a whole new bunch of tricks. And the White Defender is no exception. What was originally a joke boss that tossed out balls of dung is now a gleaming beacon of duty and strength…who also throws dung. Only now it's twice as much twice as fast, along with him bouncing around the arena and summoning spikes in rapid succession. You truly get to see what the Defender was like in his heyday in this battle, and it’s a doozy.

Failed Champion

Among the original trio of Dream Bosses you could encounter in the base game, this hulking mass of steel was by far the worst. As the False Knight, he sat comfortably in the tutorial bracket. But as the Failed Champion, be prepared to get your shell smashed, because this warrior is relentless. The speed of its swings are quicker, the shockwaves it unleashes are much larger, and every attack shaves off far more health. Also able to rain down burning projectiles from above, finding your moment to let loose a counterattack against this behemoth is minimal at best!

Grey Prince Zote

Rounding out the last of Dream Bosses, we have…this guy. For the longest time Zote was the joke-iest of all joke characters, an old and useless warrior who often needed saving. Until now, that is. Through the overzealous imagination of a fangirl, we get to see Zote at his true potential. Sure, he’s just as hokey, but also swole and can lay on some serious damage. His crazy sword swings make dodging a pain, made all the worse by how he can spawn miniature versions of himself, some even acting as explosives. The humiliation at losing to an imaginary version of Zote of all people made him one of Hollow Knight’s most infamous obstacles.

Brothers Oro and Mato

The Godmaster DLC gave us an avalanche of boss fights to indulge in. Some old. Some new. And some that we thought were chill NPC, but now were eager to throw hands. Or in this case, nails. Originally nothing more than mentors who taught the Knight additional sword techniques, these two brothers team up to deliver their final lesson. Taking on Oro was one thing, but when his sibling leaps into the fray, it becomes twice the ordeal. While their techniques may be similar, between the two of them, they’re able to fill the entire screen with enough slashes to turn the Knight into gruel.

Great Nailsage Sly

Wait, the tiny merchant is a boss? That’s right, and as it happens, he’s the OG when it comes to delivering pain. Despite his diminutive stature, Sly has no problem wielding and utilising a giant blade, able to lash out as well as launch it at frightening speed. No matter how quickly you dash away, you can be sure Sly will be right on your heels, ready to turn himself into a helicopter of doom with his Cyclone Slash ability. And that’s just the warmup. After getting his second wind, Sly will start darting all over the place, unleashing frenzied swings along the way. Getting a read on this little guy, especially when he can stop himself mid combo to throw you off your game, is a truly demanding task.

Pure Vessel

As far as final bosses go, the titular Hollow Knight put up quite the fight, but as any lore hound knows, it was also suffering under the Radiance’s infection and nowhere near its peak. Enter the Pure Vessel – an imagining of what the original Knight would have been like had it not been corrupted. Spoilers – it’s a beast. The amount of techniques the Pure Vessel has under its cloak is uncanny, Teleportation, tendrils, explosions, projectiles, pillars, lunges – all at phenomenal speed. It’s a battle to determine who is the main character in this story, and unfortunately the original has the height advantage…

Nightmare King Grimm

As the oh so theatrical leader of the Grimm Troupe, this nocturnal firecracker already made for a tricky opponent. But that has nothing on his ascended form, which for the longest time served as the true peak of Hollow Knight’s difficulty curve. Between the burning bats, turning his cloak into a series of blades or unleashing his own personal brand of bullet hell, nowhere is safe when Grimm is on the rampage, only allowing for the smallest windows where you can land a hit. He’s the DLC nemesis we love to hate, if nothing else for the fact he won’t stop aura farming…

Absolute Radiance

As the true boss of the base game, The Radiance was a godly being that put us through no end of misery with its incredibly high health pool, variety of projectiles and insistence on continually reducing any kind of footholding. We didn’t think it could get any worse. At least until we reached the end of the Pantheon of Hallownest, where its upgraded version was waiting for us. Ignoring the fact it serves as the conclusion to a boss rush with over forty previous encounters, Absolute Radiance is a wall that few are able to overcome. While the attack patterns might seem identical, they come in at a much faster rate, not to mention it will also continuously unleash an endless series of orbs during its final phase while basically giving you nothing to stand on. It is madness.

Which Hollow Knight boss gave you the hardest time? Let us know in the comments!