Top 20 Hardest Bosses In Hollow Knight Games
#20: Watcher Knights
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
Dealing with just one giant-sword wielding bug can be a tall order, so when multiple ones start rising up, you know you’re in for a bad time. If you want to take down one of the dreamers sealing the Black Egg, then you’re going to have to take on the might of all six guardbugs. While you have the option to crush one of the husks before the battle to give yourself an edge, having to deal with the Watcher Knight’s constant rolling charges can be a pain, especially when you have to clash with multiple ones at once.
#19: Hornet
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
Hollow Knight’s second most iconic character, we clash with the heroine of “Silksong” two times across the original 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.
#18: White Defender
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
Dream Bosses make for some of the toughest encounters in Hollow Knight – suped 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.
#17: Nyleth
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
There are a few bosses in “Silksong” whose greatest threat is their arena. And Nyleth, found in the Grand Gate during Act 3, is one of them. There are a lot of thorn-covered vines to watch out for, made even more of a nuisance when Nyleth destroys your single platform. Then, you're forced to cling to one of the walls while Nyleth keeps up her attacks, lest you fall into the deadly pit below. She has a variety of projectiles that cover the area, and emits this powerful AOE blast that’s awful to get caught by. Mostly, it’s this constant jumping up the walls you have to do, while dodging and trying to fit in your own attacks, that can be pretty stressful.
#16: Failed Champion
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
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!
#15: Grey Prince Zote
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
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.
#14: Brothers Oro and Mato
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
The Godmaster DLC gave us an avalanche of boss fights to indulge in. Some old. Some new. And some that we thought were chill NPCs, 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.
#13: Grand Mother Silk
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
The fight against Grand Mother Silk is reminiscent of the Radiance in the original. She flings giant needles you have to dodge, brings boulders crashing down, and produces screen-covering slices that you must quickly react to. Those having fought the Radiance won’t find this too bad. However, what makes her a problem, and what earns her a spot, is if you fight her trying to get the Twisted Child ending and achievement. You first have to complete a side quest for Greyroot in Shellwood so that he curses you. You then have to beat Grand Mother Silk while cursed, meaning you can’t heal or access your crests, and your silk is greatly reduced so that you can’t use most skills. And it is much, much harder than normal.
#12: Last Judge
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
Fought at the end of Act 1, the Last Judge will surely test whether you’re worthy or not of getting past the Blasted Steps. She’s fought in multiple phases, crescendoing into an absolute nightmare of attacks. She may not be that fast herself, but her flail certainly is. And it’s when she sets her weapon on fire during the second phase, giving her attacks more range and damage, that you’ll really be in trouble. If you can buy a flame charm beforehand to reduce her damage, we highly recommend it. If you don’t, you’ll be sorely wishing you had. Upon death, she also detonates and takes you with her if you’re standing too close, forcing you to fight her all over again, which is just mean.
#11: Widow
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
Seeing as how Sister Splinter was nerfed in a patch, your first big difficulty spike in “Silksong” will come with Widow. Her speed is a lot to contend with early on in the game, as she dashes across the arena, divebombs you, and brings bells crashing down from above. She also has quick recovery time after getting stunned, giving you less time to build up damage on her. She’s even faster during her second phase, and her attacks come in greater numbers. Since these can come from different directions at intense speeds, it can cause a lot of us to panic jump around, trying to dodge, only to leap right into the path of an oncoming attack.
#10: Great Nailsage Sly
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
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.
#9: Tormented Trobbio
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
Regular Trobbio is a bit tough, but he obviously pales in comparison to the tormented one. Fought in “Silksong’s” Act 3, it can be a challenge to get used to a pattern, since several of his attacks can be done on ground or in mid-air. His agility and maneuverability also makes it harder to land your own attacks; if he isn’t floating out of reach, then he’s underneath the floorboards about to burst out with another attack. The biggest problem with Tormented Trobbio, naturally, are the new features not present in his first fight. His firework projectiles now cover a larger area, and his tornadoes are followed by their own fireworks, making most of the arena completely unsafe.
#8: Savage Beastfly
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
There are two Savage Beastfly fights in “Silksong,” and the second one fought in Far Fields is by far the tougher of the two. Since it’s a flying boss, you’ll usually need to jump up to it to deal damage. But it can make you regret being aggressive; that dash attack is already hard enough to dodge without you being directly in its path. The boss’ slam attack is also annoying, since it will destroy portions of the platform you’re standing on, below which sits a pool of lava. It also starts summoning minions after taking enough damage, adding fuel to the frustrating fire. It isn’t necessarily a complicated pattern, but it’s still one of the more troublesome fights in Act 1.
#7: First Sinner
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
An optional fight accessible in Act 2 of “Silksong,” First Sinner in one mean, lean, Hornet-killing machine. Her speed is even greater than Widow’s, and her needle projectiles are even more problematic than Grand Mother Silk’s. As if her quick movement didn’t already make it hard to deal damage, she also teleports and can heal herself to prolong the fight. Phase 2 gives her a new attack, issuing explosive orbs that cover about half the screen, while making her movement and attacks even faster. She at least doesn’t feel cheap, but she is extremely deadly. When you first encounter her, she has the ability to deplete most of your health before you even know what hit you.
#6: Groal the Great
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
If there were an award for the most irritating boss fight in “Silksong,” Groal the Great would have it in the bag. You first have to fight six waves of enemies, some of the most annoying in the game, before he shows his face. He’s got some really terrible qualities, too. He can fly, he’s huge and can deal damage just by bumping into you, he’s got giant projectiles, and eventually summons more of those annoying enemies to overwhelm you. Worse, his arena features tiny platforms above a pool of poisonous water. While it doesn’t hurt you, it does drain your silk, which you need in order to heal from the onslaught of attacks. If you die, which you will, frequently, you’ll find Groal also has the worst runback in the game, forcing you to re-traverse the worst section of Bilewater just for another chance.
#5: Pure Vessel
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
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…
#4: Nightmare King Grimm
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
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…
#3: Skarrsinger Karmelita
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
Act 3’s fight against Skarrsinger Karmelita is beautifully designed. But it can be hard to appreciate that in the moment when she’s ripping straight through you. You have to defeat a group of minions before her, which is a little tedious but can also weaken you for the actual fight. When she arrives on the battlefield, she instantly proves how dangerous of a warrior she is. She has the ability to parry your direct attacks, has a leap that produces spikes in front of her, and likes to throw her knives around, which can be tricky to dodge. She just gets faster and more aggressive as the fight goes on.
#2: Lost Lace
“Hollow Knight: Silksong” (2025)
The true final boss of “Silksong,” keeping you from reaching the True Ending, Lost Lace is naturally a nasty piece of work. While she isn’t cheap the way that Groal is, she’s the hardest the game has to offer. Across three phases, she has a huge variety of attacks. Dashes, teleports, projectiles, tendrils, explosive blade bursts, waves of pure Void damage, and some good ol’ fashioned sword slices. All of it comes fast, and all of it deals heavy damage. The only way to learn her patterns and get through it is with extreme patience, and a lot of trial and error, accepting that you’re going to die a lot. It’s an incredible fight, and a damn hard one at that.
#1: Absolute Radiance
“Hollow Knight” (2017)
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.
Have you conquered all of the bosses in “Hollow Knight” and “Silksong?” Which took you the most attempts to defeat? Share your thoughts in the comments!
