I love Silksong bosses. I love them in the same way a mother loves her 46 children. And what better way to display that love than by ranking each of them to determine their inherent value and whether or not they deserve to exist? But don’t worry, I’m not just going to rank them using my own subjective feelings. Instead, I’ll be using cold, hard data. A few months ago, I shared a poll asking respondents to score every Silksong boss from 1 to 5. 16743 of you responded to that poll, and we can now use that data to objectively rank every boss in the game. So if you disagree with any of the placements on this list, you only have yourself to blame.
Now I did shave off a few hundred submissions. Basically if a player marked a mandatory boss fight as “Did not encounter”, I discarded their submission. That includes Moss Mother, Bell Beast, Widow, either Last Judge or Phantom, Cogwork Dancers, Trobbio, Lace 2 and Grand Mother Silk. You might be asking “Where’s Fourth Chorus, or Sister Splinter, or Pablo?” Well, the Fourth Chorus fight can actually be skipped by doing some tricky off camera movement, since the fight doesn’t lock you in the room. Sister Splinter can be skipped by pogoing off a Phacia in one of the rooms leading up to the encounter. And Pablo isn’t actually a boss in Hollow Knight: Silksong. I know most players won’t be doing this stuff on their first playthroughs. But these bosses are technically skippable so I’m just going to count them as optional bosses.
After these cuts, we’re left with 16361 submissions. And keep in mind some bosses have way less total scores, so some scores might be a little skewed. But out of all 46 bosses, only 5 had a did not encounter rate of over 10% so it’s probably close enough. Look, I’m not a statistician. All the data from the poll is in the description if you want to look at it yourself, you nerd.
For each boss I’ll show off their average score, their median score and their mode score, as well as how many respondents did not fight a boss. Finally, I calculated each boss’ consensus ranking. Basically the higher their consensus ranking, the more people agreed on what their score should be.
I also defeated all the bosses hitless to make sure I knew the fights intimately. And after dying to Tormented Trobbio 140 times, I’d say I know him pretty intimately now. And I would have it any other way.
Some of you might be wondering how I can truly call this ranking objective, when the objective metric I’m using is based on people’s subjective answers. And that’s a good question.
Number 46 – Plasmified Zango
At the bottom of the list is Plasmified Zango, the corpse of Alchemist Zylotol’s assistant reanimated by Lifeblood. This is the only boss on the list with a median score of 1. That means over half of all respondents who fought this boss rated him a 1 out of 5.
This boss is only accessible in Act 3, tucked away in the far corner of the Wormways, making him the fifth least encountered boss in the game with a did not fight rate of about 16%. But you didn’t miss out on much if you never found this guy. Zango’s primary attack is to fire a barrage of Lifeblood masses into the air, with the amount increasing as he gets closer to dying. Zango also has a scuttle move that punishes standing too close between attacks. Not much to write home about.
Zango’s lore is somewhat interesting, giving us a glimpse into how Lifeblood acts like a parasite on its hosts. This video is releasing before Silksong’s first content pack, Sea of Sorrow, which many expect will be related to Lifeblood in some way. But as of right now, Plasmified Zango is the only Lifeblood related boss we’ve ever seen. And for Lifeblood being so mysterious for so long, with hints at its more sinister and powerful nature, this being our first boss connected to the stuff is a bit lame.
Zango’s most unique ability is that he heals himself over the course of the fight. There’s only one other boss like this in the entire game, and… well… she’s a bit higher on the list.
It’s no surprise to see Zango this far down. I completely agree with the community here. I think Team Cherry even had their own suspicions, trying to hide him away where people wouldn’t find him.
Number 45 – Palestag
Next up is Palestag coming in at number 45. This boss is found in Lost Verdania, a location only accessible in Silksong’s third act. Palestag is the sixth least encountered boss fight with a did not fight rate of around 9%, but Palestag still managed to be found by about 7% more people than Plasmafied Zango.
Pale Stag’s strategy is to simply teleport around this small room and spawn blades that deal double damage to Hornet. Feels like a bit of a non-sequitur, but okay. Pale Stag is another simple boss hidden deep into the game, and will likely be one of the last bosses players will face. And I think that really makes them suffer, because I don’t think Palestag is that awful of a boss fight. Like, there’s an interesting idea here. But in a game with a lot of good bosses, being just an okay boss is a death sentence. So while I do think Palestag is quite a bit better than Zango, they’re still pretty low tier for me. But if this list were ranking cute little weirdos, they just might be number 1 in my heart.
Number 44 – Broodmother
The next lowest enemy on the list is Broodmother at number 44, the matriarch of the Citadel’s Slab prison complex. Broodmother can only be found in Act 2 onward by accepting the Wailing Mother wish. Less than 5% of players missed her, so it’s not like Team Cherry hid all their stinker bosses in the endgame portions of Silksong.
Broodmother’s moveset is unsurprisingly straightforward. None of her attacks are all that complicated, with the challenge mainly coming from the small arena size and her somewhat erratic movements. But I’m afraid to report that the ranking of 44 is far too low for this boss. I love Broodmother, and I think the community is gravely mistaken on the merits of this encounter.
I will admit part of my fondness for her comes from her body slam attack, which reminded me of Gruz Mother’s stupid body slam move from Hollow Knight. And in my old age I’ve become quite the sucker for Hollow Knight nostalgia. Hollow Knight really was such a good game. But that’s not the only reason I like Broodmother.
Let’s talk about a controversial staple of Hollow Knight boss encounters, minion spawns. Unlike most other attacks, which have clear duration periods that cannot overlap with one another, minion spawns have the potential to entirely disrupt the flow of a boss fight.
Out of all the minion spawning bosses across both Hollow Knight titles, the Collector probably has the best lore explanation, but within the realm of Silksong, I’d call Broodmother the undisputed champion of this mechanic. She literally gives birth to her minions during the fight. I love this. Such an immaculate display of the beauty of life and the inevitability of death summed up in the mere blink of an eye. Silksong has a lot of great commentaries about life in this way. Top that off with how her other attacks are evolutions of the Wardenfly attacks we’ve already seen at this point, and I’d say Broodmother is an adequately realized boss deserving of a bit more respect from the community.
Is she a good fight? Well, let’s not go too far. But no way she’s the third worst boss fight in the entire game.
Number 43 – Savage Beastfly 2
The infamous Savage Beastfly 2 claims the preantepenultimate number 43 for the worst boss in Silksong. However, Beastfly 2 also scores 44 on the consensus ranking, meaning players were quite split on where to rank this encounter.
When Silksong first released, the Savage Beastfly became a lightning rod for those complaining about Silksong’s unfair difficulty. There’s even a subreddit called r/fucksavagebeastfly. You know you fucked up when redditors are mad at you. They’re, like, the most chill people on the planet. While neither fight proved popular on this list, the rematch in Far Fields proved the most least popular of the two.
It won’t take long at all to reach Savage Beastfly 1 so let’s hold off on discussing this fella too much. But just know that the changes Savage Beastfly 2 brings to the table are a janky arena that even the Beastfly itself can get confused by, and the addition of Tarmites that can shoot lingering fireballs. It’s kinda cool to see the Fourth Chorus arena get recontextualized like this, but I guess a lot of players didn’t find these changes too inspiring.
Number 42 – Voltvyrm
At number 42 on the list, we have the Voltvyrm, a strange boss hidden away at the top of the Sands of Karak. Voltvyrm is the first boss on this list to have a mode of 2 instead of 1, which means that more people opted to give this thing a 2 instead of a 1. Good job, Voltvyrm!
I want to like Voltvyrm. This little electric anemone has some of the most stylish attacks in the game. But this boss suffers from being too simple for how late you’re most likely to encounter it. If you could find this thing around the same time as the somewhat nearby Great Conchflies, I wonder if it would score a little higher. But as is, this boss doesn’t leave much of an impression. To quote what I wrote in this script I’m reading right now. Too little. Too late.
Number 41 – Savage Beastfly 1
Not far off from their friend in the Far Fields, the Savage Beastfly in the Chapel of the Beast ekes out a slightly higher position at number 41. Much like its kin in the Far Fields, this boss proved controversial with players, with a consensus ranking of 43.
What makes Savage Beastfly such a controversial boss? Honestly, I think the main reason is that you can wander into this fight fairly underpowered, making it a wall for some players. This was the first boss I struggled with on my initial playthrough, so I certainly understand that. In terms of design, Savage Beastfly can be tricky due to its somewhat unpredictable air movement, an issue that plagues many of Silksong’s flying enemies. Another potential reason is the fact that it can spawn Vicious Caranids, which are not an easy mob to deal with at all.
When looking at Silksong’s bosses in totality, Savage Beastfly isn’t that difficult. But as it stands in Act 1, the quality of the boss pales in comparison to fights like Lace, Fourth Chorus and even Moorwing. So putting aside that this boss became the poster child for Silksong’s difficulty, it’s not surprising seeing the Savage Beastfly has landed so low on this list.
Number 40 – Skull Tyrant
Charging into the list at number 40 is the Skull Tyrant, the Marrow’s largest predator and angriest boy. It seems respondents were fairly confident in ranking this boss, with almost half of all respondents giving Skull Tyrant a 2 out of 5.
Personally I think the Skull Tyrant is a great addition to Silksong’s boss roster. He has good telegraphs, but the fight still feels intense due to his massive size. I also think the Skull Tyrant has the best quest of any boss in the game.
The wishes in Silksong are a mixed bag for me. A lot of them feel uninspired and lacking creativity. Relevant to this video, I think a lot of the boss related wishes feel this way as well. We’ve discussed two of these bosses already: Broodmother and Savage Beastfly 2.
For whatever reason, you won’t be able to find Broodmother when first exploring the Slab. Her appearance is locked behind a wish in Songclave. Apparently, they find the Broodmother’s wailing annoying. But Songclave is all the way on the other side of the Citadel. The wish itself feels entirely disconnected from the boss encounter.
The wish that triggers the Savage Beastfly in Far Fields is found in Bellhart. And while it makes a bit more sense that pilgrims would want this dangerous, raging beast slain, it still feels somewhat arbitrary.
The Terrible Tyrant wish is connected to the Skull Tyrant fight, although you can still find him without accepting the wish unlike every other Grand Hunt wish in the game.
And this wish works on so many levels. First of all, the Skull Tyrant is actually in roughly the same region as Bone Bottom, where the wish is found.
But what really makes the Terrible Tyrant wish special is how it changes the world. Because once Hornet completes this wish, there’s a chance for a second Skull Tyrant to attack her in Bone Bottom, destroying the bench and possibly killing Pilby the Pilgrim, leading to a funeral procession that is among the greatest sequences in all of media. I just wish real funerals were this funny.
It’s insane that out of all the bosses in Silksong, this glorified goomba gets the best wish in the entire game.
All that said, this boss is really easy. His attack telegraphs are almost as long as Silksong’s entire development cycle on top of being trivial to dodge. His arena is also a bit awkward, but we’ll talk about these types of arenas later in the video. As much as I love the Terrible Tyrant wish, I do think this ranking is reasonable.
Number 39 – Summoned Saviour
Conjured in at number 39, it’s the Summoned Saviour. This boss takes the cake for the least fought boss in the entire game, with 69% of players having never fought it. That makes sense, considering this boss is locked behind Steel Soul mode.
The Summoned Saviour has some cool lore, giving us a glimpse into the Steel Society and the art of Void summoning. But it feels like this is all just teasing us for later content packs. I want to fight Steel Assassin Sharpe already, not this skid mark.
The Summoned Saviour fight itself is ass. It uses the same Void Attacks seen in the Void Threaded enemies of Act 3, which are fine enough to deal with. I guess Team Cherry realized this made the boss too easy, because it also has a dash attack that comes out almost instantly, making it near impossible to dodge. On top of that, the boss doesn’t give silk, so there’s no conventional healing or silk skill usage in this fight. Your best bet is to spam tools to defeat it. Alternatively, the dash attack can’t go straight up, so you could try pogoing it. But I don’t think this method is entirely foolproof. And you probably want a foolproof method for tackling this enemy considering this is Steel Soul mode we’re talking about.
Lorewise, it’s a pretty cool boss. But if you didn’t fight it, you didn’t miss out on much. It barely qualifies as a boss.
Number 38 – Moss Mother
At number 38, it’s Moss Mother. It seems respondents were torn on giving this boss a 2 or a 3. Moss Mother’s big problem is that she’s too easy. But that’s kind of the point. Moss Mother is a tutorial boss. She’s supposed to be easy. If I go to the soggy burger store and order a burger, can I really complain when it’s soggy?
Number 37 – Moss Mothers
At number 37, it’s two Moss Mothers! Overlapping the same boss certainly makes the fight more difficult, but I’m not sure how much more interesting it is. It seems these two boss fights were ranked almost identically on the poll, so I don’t think the change really made an impact on people. Maybe because it’s fairly easy to just kill the first Moss Mother before the second one even shows up. I’d honestly put this fight below the original fight. It just seems less structurally sound from a design point of view. I can handle one soggy burger. But two!? That’s where I draw the line.
That’s 10 bosses down so far. I’d say they mostly fall into two categories. Bosses that feel too simple like Moss Mother, Skull Tyrant, Voltvyrm and Palestag. And bosses that are frustrating like Broodmother and Savage Beastfly 2. Let’s see if the next entry on our list can avoid these pitfalls.
Number 36 – The Unravelled
At number 36, it’s, ugh… the Unravelled. This boss had a did not fight rate of almost 8%, and I wish I was one of them.
The Whiteward has been praised by many for its creepy and oppressive atmosphere. So it’s a shame the Unravelled doesn’t seem to have hit the mark for a lot of players.
The single most frustrating part about this fight is the Unravelled’s hitbox. It is so easy to accidentally walk into this boss and take damage. If we turn on hitboxes, we can see that the Unravelled’s is fairly close to what the sprite for his cloak is. The problem is that it tapers down, creating this slope shape. This results in the hitboxes for this fight feeling janky.
The rest of the boss fight isn’t fun either. It spends a lot of time hiding, leading to extended periods of downtime. There are multiple enemy waves that interrupt the fight. And maybe I just suck, but this corpse barrage attack is so hard to dodge, I found myself just hiding above the Unravelled anytime it used the attack.
I wouldn’t say the Unravelled is an awful fight, and I can understand why some people like it. But I don’t think it plays into what makes boss fights in Silksong so strong.
Number 35 – Father of the Flame
Blazing bright at number 35 is Father of the Flame. Another controversial boss. Some people hate it, some people like it. But it seems no one really loves it. This is probably the most gimmick-y boss in the game. You just have to keep pogoing its weak points while dodging the flaming wisp enemies. The second phase changes things up a little, but this boss doesn’t offer much outside of providing a slightly novel experience.
The general consensus regarding Silksong’s lore is that things are explained more clearly versus Hollow Knight. I tend to agree with that, but the Wisp Thicket and the Burning Bugs are one of the few aspects of Silksong’s story that get almost no explanation. And while that might score the Father of the Flame some brownie points, it isn’t enough to get this boss any higher on this list.
Number 34 – Groal the Great
When ranking a boss, should you consider their runback and pre-fight gauntlet as well? When I constructed this poll, I intentionally left the questions open-ended to allow for people to interpret the quality of a boss however they wanted.
At number 34, Groal the Great proved the most controversial entry on this list, sporting the lowest consensus ranking out of any boss in the game. Groal is the first entry to receive over 5% 5 out of 5 ratings. But they also got over 25% 1 out of 5s.
Judging Groal by themself, they’re not a particularly complicated boss. Their moveset is simple, with their most threatening move being when they spit bouncing slime balls at you. What makes Groal so noteworthy is the fact that they’re hidden behind an enemy gauntlet that itself is located quite a few rooms away from the nearest bench, which itself is hidden away behind a breakable wall, and the next nearest bench being all the way on the other side of Bilewater, a region of Pharloom filled with maggot infested muck water. Because of this, Groal has become an infamous boss in Silksong’s roster.
I’ve seen some people argue that games shouldn’t have runbacks at all in this day and age. But the reality is, Groal’s runback is a huge part of their identity. And I do think Groal is better because of it. If Team Cherry put a bench right outside Bilehaven, that would completely throw off the vibe of the encounter. Of course, not all runbacks are created equal. And there is one runback in Silksong that I do think is bad.
But personally I think Groal and Bilewater in general serve as a great challenge for players hoping to reach Act 3. If we’re lucky, Team Cherry will add at least 3 more swamps to the game.
Number 33 – Gurr the Outcast
Gurr the Outcast sneaks his way to number 33 on the list. It seems respondents confidently placed him somewhere between 2 and 3.
Gurr is unique among Silksong’s bosses in that he actually had a slight update to his moveset a few months after Silksong’s release. So it’s hard to say if people rating Gurr in this poll were going off the old version of the fight or the new version. While the update did improve the fight overall, the core premise remains the same. Gurr jumps all over the place and spams the screen with a barrage of tools. Luckily, the traps Gurr throws don’t immediately trigger, giving Hornet time to reposition, but if you’re not careful, you can get caught out by the sea of shit onscreen.
I think Gurr is a frantic and fun boss, but somewhat awkward in his execution. He’s also another weird Wish boss. This random character Gilly says Gurr stole her doll. Who the fuck is Gilly? I’ve never even heard of this character. If she’s in the game, she must be insanely well hidden. Anyway, we do all the wish stuff without even interacting with this supposed Gilly character. Stuff like this hurts the overall effect I think Wishes are supposed to have. But this video isn’t about my gripes with Wishes, as much as I keep wishing that were the case.
Getting back to Gurr, I like him. From here on out, I’d say most of these bosses universally fall into the “good” category. And we aren’t even in the top 30 yet.
Number 32 – Disgraced Chef Lugoli
Cooking up a horrendous meal that will make you vomit your brains out and probably poop your pants at number 32 is Disgraced Chef Lugoli. It seems there weren’t enough gigantic fanny fans out there to push this boss any higher on the list. And that’s honestly a shame.
A lot of aspects of Silksong feel like fleshed out versions of ideas that first appeared in Hollow Knight. Lugoli falls into that camp, further exploring the concept of civilized bugs eating one another, first introduced in the universally beloved character Poggy Thorax. Lugoli was exiled from the Citadel for “culinary crimes”, possibly referring to the pickled corpses they keep in their lair. Maybe, the game doesn’t confirm either way.
Lugoli’s disgusting and macabre lore create a humorous juxtaposition with their cartoonish moveset, attacking Hornet with their monstrous behind, and majestically diving directly into maggot infested muck water. However, Lugoli suffers a bit from something a fair number of bosses suffer from in Silksong. I think it’s time we discuss some of the jank surrounding flying bosses.
The logic bosses use to move through the air in Silksong can be somewhat difficult to gauge as a player. Previously discussed examples of this are Savage Beastfly and Broodmother. I personally think Disgraced Chef Lugoli suffers the most from some wack aerial movement. Two of their attacks in particular bother me. When Disgraced Chef Lugoli wants to use this ground pound move on Hornet, they’ll float around awkwardly until they are close, then suddenly snap themselves above Hornet so she’ll be in range of the attack.
This happens very suddenly and unnaturally. And when I was fighting them, I could usually tell when they were trying to do this, making the fight feel less like a real battle, and more like a test in how I could manipulate the game’s AI. The other attack is when Lugoli dives into the water. They fly across the screen like a heat seeking missile when performing this attack, and it just looks weird.
I don’t think this ruins the fight, but it does add a bit of fuzziness to everything that doesn’t feel quite right in a game like Silksong.
Number 31 – Watcher at the Edge
Edging from their perch at number 31 on the list, it’s Watcher at the Edge. If we exclude the Steel Soul exclusive boss, Summoned Saviour, and the two missable bosses exclusive to Act 2, Watcher was the most missed boss in the game, with 19% of responders reporting that they did not fight them. And that makes sense when we see where Watcher is hidden. You have to Silk Soar in this specific section of the Sands of Karak to reach their arena. I have no idea how anyone is supposed to find this on their own. I know Nuu gives you a hint, but it’s not a good one.
Watcher at the Edge is basically a suped up version of a Karaka enemy found in the Coral Tower. While there isn’t much complexity to be found here, the fight itself is hype. Fighting a solitary guardian with a massive sword at the edge of the world will always be cool. Granted, getting killed by Hornet after standing around for potentially hundreds of years is… kinda lame… but… whatever.
Number 30 – Great Conchflies
Burrowing their way to number 30, it’s the Great Conchflies. Why are all the so-called “great” bosses so low on this list? The Great Conchflies are another simple, yet solid fight. They are reminiscent of the Oblobbles fight from Hollow Knight, a pair of beasts using an identical moveset to surround the player with a barrage of attacks. However, the Great Conchflies fight has a faster pace, and when the first mate dies, her partner flees, promising to get their revenge on Hornet.
This fight, while fairly straightforward, is an engaging moment of gameplay in a region of Pharloom that isn’t exactly the most fun to traverse. Trust me, I would rather beat up these two than deal with the smaller conches in the Blasted Steps that love to fly just out of reach while spamming those stupid ricochetting conchcutters. I really hope William got fired for that.
Number 29 – Garmond and Zaza
Less of a boss fight, and more of a friendly sparring match, Garmond and Zaza secure spot number 29 on the list. Garmond and Zaza are one of the two missable fights exclusive to Silksong’s second act. 38% of respondents did not encounter this fight, making them the most missed fight after Summoned Saviour. I also missed this encounter on my first playthrough, and looking at the requirements for it, I’m not that surprised. Once you unlock the path above the Whispering Vault, the two will appear there offering to battle Hornet. However, once Hornet gets the Threefold Melody and completes the Fine Pins Wish, Garmond and Zaza will move to Songclave for the rest of the act and no longer offer to duel. It feels so random to me why this happens but I guess Team Cherry wants the characters’ movements around Pharloom to feel somewhat organic.
But let’s shift our attention to the actual fight itself. It’s piss easy. It might even be easier than Moss Mother. It’s kind of insulting. This fight is locked behind fights like Widow and Last Judge. Is this really the best this guy can muster? That said, I can’t stay mad at Garmond. That would be like getting mad at a slug. Not… Well… He’s not an actual slug, but you know what I mean.
Number 28 – Lost Garmond
It looks like spot 29 wasn’t enough for him, because Garmond is also here to claim spot 28 on the list, this time as Lost Garmond. The fact that Lost Garmond appears right next to Garmond and Zaza on this list implies to me that these bosses aren’t really being ranked for their design, but more so for who they are. These two fights also had low consensus rankings, implying people are split on if they even like Garmond as a character. I mean I like Garmond, but he’s no Horned Pilgrim, that’s for sure.
Lost Garmond is the gut punch Team Cherry has queued up for any players daring to journey through Silksong’s third act. In a sense, he is this game’s Myla. And while I think the tragedy of Myla’s fate is a bit more effective with how understated it is, Lost Garmond certainly hits in its own way. And it certainly works well as a wish. When you see Zaza all alone in the Blasted Steps, you know immediately what has happened, and the trek over to the Lost Garmond arena just adds to that sense of foreboding.
This is more of a story boss than anything else. He has the typical void-threaded attacks the player has seen all throughout act 3, with a couple of lance swings thrown in for good measure. Not a hard fight, but you can’t just turn your brain off either.
Number 27 – Moorwing
Swooping in at number 27 is Moorwing, the flying beast that stalks the fields of Greymoor. Despite all the build up to this boss when traversing Greymoor for the first time, it doesn’t seem like Moorwing made the strongest impression with players.
In the earliest Silksong patches, Team Cherry lowered the difficulty in a few places, with Moorwing being one of the bosses nerfed. But despite that, they still offer a fair challenge to players attempting to reach Bellhart for the first time.
The Moorwing’s attacks are all solid, and finding ways to sneak in hits makes the boss engaging. Overall, an enjoyable fight. Next!
Number 26 – Raging Conchfly
Back for round two is Raging Conchfly, snagging number 26 on the list, putting them four spots ahead of the Great Conchflies fight.
While their attacks remain largely the same, Raging Conchfly raises the difficulty with a smaller arena and a litter of baby conches to help them reap their bloodthirsty revenge. But little do they know, Hornet is more bloodthirsty. Also what better use for your babies than to use them as projectiles against your foes. Bosses like Raging Conchfly and Broodmother really do keep it real. While it is tougher than the Great Conchflies fight, this rematch isn’t too challenging. The only move I really struggled with was when they would spit out one of those stupid conchcutters that bounces all around the room. However, I realized that you can just Thread Storm in this idiot’s face to completely neutralize this attack. If you do that, Raging Conchfly becomes a total pushover. But the fast pace still makes for an exhilarating match, nevertheless.
Number 25 – Bell Eater
Bell Eater gobbles up number 25 on the list. It seems these bosses in the middle of the pack don’t have a ton of consensus around them, so they end up settling around 3 out of 5, or the average score.
Bell Eater is one of the first big twists of Act 3, blocking off access to our beloved Bell Beast. Everything surrounding this boss’s presentation is amazing, from when it first bursts out of the ground of the bell station, to when it gets completely obliterated by the Bell Beast. It’s such a great kickoff to Silksong’s endgame.
As for the fight itself, well, one of this boss’s attacks involves firing explosive balls from its butthole. So naturally this boss is an automatic S-tier. The fact that it’s so low on this list is actually insulting. Like genuinely, what are you idiots thinking? People are gonna start thinking that Silksong fans are morons.
Number 24 – Pinstress
Drifting through the sky at number 24 is Pinstress. Interestingly enough, Pintress’ ratings are almost identical to Bell Eater’s and Raging Conchfly’s. But if I were ranking these bosses, I’d probably put Pinstress below the other two.
The Pinstress fight is weird. She teaches Hornet the Needle Strike, so you’d think her attacks would mostly focus on melee attacks. But instead, she spends most of the fight flapping around in the air throwing shit at her opponent. Out of all the bosses in the game, she is the most annoying in terms of constantly remaining out of reach to hit. The arena itself is small and open, which means both you and Pinstress can end up falling out of it. All these details lead to the fight feeling more frustrating than fun.
One thing I do like about the fight is that Pinstress herself is very goofy. The way her garment allows her to float around, and the way she moves while on the ground make her stand out as a unique fighter in the series. I guess being the only Pinstress left has made her a little bit kooky. This boss is a bit of a mixed bag for me, but I’m glad we got some kind of fight with her, even if it wasn’t quite what I would have expected. And you know, I think it’s good that so many of the bosses behave so differently in this game, even if it doesn’t always work.
And with that, we’ve made it through the bottom half of Silksong’s roster. Right now, we’re still in the chunk of bosses I’d consider good, but not great. However, it shouldn’t take much longer to reach Silksong’s truly amazing fights.
Number 23 – Sister Splinter
Kicking off the top half of the boss roster is Sister Splinter, scooping up number 23. Splinter was able to more consistently receive a ranking of 3 from respondents, giving her just enough gas to reach the top half of the list.
Another early boss that got hit with nerfs around the game’s launch, Sister Splinter’s move set involves swinging at the ground with her claw, spawning thorn walls and stick bug minions, and a stagger that has probably hit more players than some of her other moves. I like the fight, and she has an undeniably creepy atmosphere. It reminds me a bit of No Eyes although a little more frantic.
One unique positive about the fight is the reward you get for beating her, the Cling Grip. Sister Splinter is the only boss with a movement upgrade directly after their fight. Technically you can skip her using some pogo chicanery, but still, for a game that often struggles to give quote “meaningful” rewards for its boss fights, Sister Splinter is one of the few standouts in this regard.
Number 22 – Bell Beast
Pulling into the Bellway at number 22 is Bell Beast. Bell Beast is the only boss to receive a majority of 3 out of 5 scores, with 54% ranking them as such. Their consensus ranking is also the highest we’ve seen yet, in 8th place. Bell Beast might be the quintessential 3 out of 5 boss fight in Silksong.
Bell Beast feels like a fully realized version of the Massive Moss Charger fight from Hollow Knight. Strictly better in pretty much every way. They’re on the easy side, but for the second boss of the game, I think they present a good challenge. The Bell Beast fight is well designed and serves as a great introduction to both Hornet’s fast travel companion and the wider world of Pharloom.
Number 21 – Forebrothers Signis and Gron
Number 21 on the list are Forebrothers Signis and Gron, the elder overseers of the Deep Docks. Despite being called Forebrothers, it seems many respondents viewed them as more of a 3.
There are two types of pair boss fights in Silksong. You have scripted ones, like Cogwork Dancers and Great Conchflies, where the enemies’ attacks are synchronized with one another. And you have the ones where the bosses attack separately, without trying to sync up their attacks. We see this with Moss Mother 2 and Forebrothers Signis and Gron. Any fight like this can lead to the awkward overlapping of attacks, but the Forebrothers’ simplicity in their movesets help mitigate this issue. Signis focuses on grounded attacks, with a particularly fast melee attack that makes him hard to pummel. And Gron uses aerial throws and dives with slow, obvious telegraphs. If you can get the two put into a corner, you can handle them without much trouble. Positioning is paramount in this fight, and I think it actually works quite well overall.
Number 20 – Nyleth
Nyleth has planted herself down at number 20 on the list. Her consensus ranking is quite low at 40 out of 46, but her average score of 3.34 actually puts her above the overall average boss score of 3.24.
Nyleth is the first of the Act 3 Old Heart bosses to make this list, and there’s no denying that she is a bit of a gimmick boss, taking away the player’s floor privileges for over half the fight. This dynamic forces the player to commit to either being close to Nyleth or keeping their distance at any given time. This slows down the fight in a more interesting way, as the player has to reevaluate where their attack opportunities are. This fight also forces the player to use the clawline more, which is always a good thing in my opinion.
Number 19 – The Crawfather
The Crawfather has been summoned to number 19 on the list. Almost 9% of respondents did not fight the Crawfather, and that is truly a shame.
The Crawfather and the Court of Craws overall are hands down the silliest fight in all of Silksong. The fact that the craws have an entire judicial system through which they judge the bugs of Silksong, and the fact that they seem the most knowledgeable on Hornet’s actions out of almost any organized body in the entire kingdom, and the fact that his name is “Crawfather” make this boss an all timer. I don’t even care that he spawns these annoying ass craws that always fly just out of striking distance. In fact, the minion spawns in this fight feel decently thought out. The Crawfather’s attacks are all slow and simple, making it easier to avoid getting overwhelmed.
Sorry, but I’m going to get political for a second. I’m gonna ruffle some feathers here, so if you have any young children present, please hide them in the closet now. I am against capital punishment. But if a judge is going to sentence you to death, you should at least get a chance to fight your way out of it. Look, Pharloom has its problems, but I think this aspect of their society ought to be studied for its potential applications here in the real world.
Number 18 – Crust King Khann
Claiming number 18 on the list is Crust King Khann, the former ruler of Karak. Khann is the first boss on our list to receive both a median and mode score of 4.
One big difference between bosses in Silksong versus bosses in Hollow Knight is the use of pre-boss fight minions. In all of Hollow Knight, if we ignore the Colosseum bosses, there’s only one boss with an enemy gauntlet before their encounter, and that’s Traitor Lord, with a total of four Mantis Traitors. Silksong has six bosses with pre-fight enemy gauntlets. The Unravelled has 3 enemies before their fight. Karmelita has 7. The Crawfather has 10. And both Groal and Broodmother have 12. But Crust King Khann takes the crown in that regard. Not only do you have to fight 71 enemies across three different gauntlets to even reach the top floor of the Coral Tower, you also have to defeat 18 enemies every time you want to challenge Crust King Khann.
Despite all this build up, the Crust King Khann fight itself is nothing too challenging. Bro just points and coral grows at you. While not difficult, the fight is still a lot of fun, especially when Khann starts speeding up his attacks. It feels more like a victory lap for completing the rest of the tower than a real boss fight.
That said, it is a bit sad to see two of the four Old Heart bosses rank this low on the list. I’ve heard that Khann used to be a lot harder but Team Cherry decided to tone him down before the game released. I do wonder if a much harder Khann fight would raise his rankings at all. Because right now, he does feel a bit like a pushover. I mean, he’s no Garmond and Zaza, but given his placement as a late game boss in Act 3, he’s surrounded by much more challenging fights.
Number 17 – Shakra
Navigating her way to number 17 on the list is Shakra, warrior, cartographer, and Hornet’s… friend.
Shakra is the other missable Act 2 boss fight, although I think she’s a tiny bit easier to find than Garmond and Zaza, with only 34% of respondents missing her, as opposed to Garmond and Zaza’s 38%.
While Shakra’s fight might be simple like Garmond and Zaza’s, she is still much more challenging. Shakra just keeps teleporting all over the place, throwing these damn rings at me. This boss also highlights a problem that plagues a few of Silksong’s boss fights: the wide arenas. Bosses like Shakra, Moorwing, and Shrine Guardian Seth take place in wide rooms for both the player and the boss to move around in. The problem is this can result in attack telegraphs happening off screen.
For example, Shakra likes to spawn on the edge of the screen where you can clearly see her. But if you’re walking while it happens, she can end up appearing offscreen, telegraphing her attack while you’re none the wiser. This problem can be mitigated by avoiding moving around while in neutral. But that means you have to awkwardly stand still, where your positioning becomes less about avoiding or punishing the boss, and more about managing your own screen. Hornet is so agile, it makes sense to want to give her space to move around in, and I don’t think this boss fight suffers too much from this quirk, but it’s an aspect of Shakra and other fights that can lead to player frustration.
I don’t think this is the best version of a Shakra fight, but it works for what it is. Shakra is easily one of the best NPCs in the game and I’m glad Team Cherry was able to sneak in a fight with her, even if it is on the simpler side.
Number 16 – Fourth Chorus
Fourth Chorus takes spot 16 on the list. With Fourth Chorus, I think we’ve reached the upper echelon of Silksong bosses. These bosses all have fairly high scores and generally decent consensus rankings. We’ve entered “great boss” territory here, and we’ve still got a third of the bosses left to go.
The Fourth Chorus first appeared in Silksong’s reveal trailer from 2019, and it always stood out for its massive size compared to the bosses that appeared in Hollow Knight. And even within Silksong’s roster, the Fourth Chorus still manages to stand out for its spectacle.
Mechanically, the fight is well telegraphed, and while it’s one of the easiest fights in the game, it’s still engaging. Lorewise, this is Hornet’s first hint at what awaits her in the Citadel. And the little storytelling bit with the pin in their neck is cute as well.
Number 15 – Second Sentinel
Second Sentinel snags number 15, and is the first boss to have over 20% of respondents give the max score of 5 out of 5.
Since starting work on this video, I’ve come to realize that Second Sentinel is one of the best fights in the game. Their attacks come out at a constant pace, and their moves flow into one another smoothly. Second Sentinel uses moves seen from other bosses such as Lace, Pinstress and Seth, so it feels a bit like Team Cherry just threw a bunch of already designed attacks together to create this fight. And it somehow works perfectly. The small room also keeps the pressure on. I think it was a good idea to move this fight from the room we originally saw it in in the 2019 reveal trailer.
Since I’m saying Second Sentinel is a great fight, I think I should address one aspect of their fight that a lot of Silksong boss fights share that has drawn criticism. Basically, Second Sentinel can dash forward into the player suddenly with practically no time to react. This type of movement is shared by bosses like Karmelita and Crust King Khann. Since these games have contact damage, moves like this are essentially untelegraphed attacks.
So how is that fair? Since Hornet’s primary weapon is a needle that she swings at close range, she usually needs to be near to her opponents to damage them.
In theory, you can avoid getting hit by waiting until the boss commits to an attack, punishing them in designated safe windows, and then backing off while in neutral so the boss can’t just walk into you. In these types of fights, the player has to take on a more reactive role and wait for the boss to commit to an action first. And since the boss gets to control the tempo of the fight, encounters with bosses like Second Sentinel become more of a dance of attacks and counter attacks from both sides in equal measure. And depending on how aggressively you like to play these fights, that can feel either fun or frustrating.
Personally, I think these fights feel exhilarating. They’re certainly not flawless, but I think Team Cherry has been able to wrought a lot of good fights through this somewhat punishing design choice.
But what do I know? I’m not a game designer. Well, I guess technically I am. But my game doesn’t have contact damage, so I don’t even have to worry about this kind of stuff.
Number 14 – Lace 1
Hornet’s rival, Lace, finally makes her appearance at number 14. Lace is the first boss on this list to have less than 1% of respondents rate her 1 out of 5, and less than 5% to rate her 2 out of 5.
I honestly don’t have much to say about Lace 1. I first fought her back in 2019 at PAX Australia. She took me quite a few tries back then. But I beat her first try on my first playthrough when Silksong launched. She’s an all around solid fight, and a great parallel to Hornet 1 from Hollow Knight, but you can make easy work of her as an early game boss. Lace 1 is just a taste of what’s to come.
Number 13 – Clover Dancers
Waltzing into number 13 on the list is Clover Dancers. Their high scores are somewhat offset by their middling consensus ranking of 21st place, implying their position on this list isn’t quite as settled as the bosses around them.
The Clover Dancers are in a weird spot. It seems they’re generally considered a good boss fight, but out of all the repeat bosses across both Hollow Knight and Silksong, the Clover Dancers is one of the few fights to feel like a downgrade to its predecessor. It works alright on paper, with one of the dancers being replaced with an invulnerable spectre, but it lacks the narrative punch found in Cogwork Dancers fight. The fight has less phases and just feels less fleshed out than their Act 2 counterpart.
Also, I personally think the runback to Clover Dancers is the worst runback in the entire game. Waiting for the Elegy of the Deep transition sucks for all of the Old Heart bosses, but Clover Dancers also has a whole area you have to run through after that. It feels like a bigger waste of time than the Last Judge and Groal runbacks, which actually provide a challenge to the player instead of just being boring.
Number 12 – Grand Mother Silk
At number 12 it’s Grand Mother Silk, the final boss of Silksong’s base game, and the first boss on this list to score an average above 4.0.
Mechanically, Grand Mother Silk is a fun fight. She encourages using Clawline, which will always be a big plus in my book. Positioning Hornet in ways where she can both avoid Grand Mother Silk’s needles while also sneaking in extra hits is satisfying and plays well to Hornet’s toolkit.
My main criticism with this fight is that while the fight itself is good, and Grand Mother Silk’s lore in general is good, her lore doesn’t fit this fight for one specific reason; she’s just too easy. Grand Mother Silk is a Higher Being, a Pale Being even, and yet she’s an easier fight than both Lace 2 and the High Halls Gauntlet, both of which are mandatory to reach her. This makes Grand Mother Silk feel like a total pushover.
Her fight has two phases, and the second phase starts with her dropping rocks on you. Rocks. Seriously, who does she think she is? Skull Tyrant? How dare you stand where he stood. Why is this god-like being attacking us with rocks?
Grand Mother Silk also doesn’t fare well when we compare her to the final bosses of Hollow Knight, the Hollow Knight and Radiance. The Hollow Knight and Grand Mother Silk have quite a few parallels. The Hollow Knight fight has also been criticized for being too easy. And both Hollow Knight and Silksong’s base endings can feel very anticlimactic. But I think the Hollow Knight takes the edge here with the narrative moments planted into the fight itself. The sudden tragic turn the fight takes when the Hollow Knight begins impaling itself does a lot to pull you into the story of the character. Grand Mother Silk does get a great scene with Lace in the Snared Silk ending, but the base fight feels a bit lacking to me.
Also, Hornet challenging this silk ball just doesn’t have the aura of the Knight challenging the Sun. And it’s so rare for the Knight to outdo Hornet in that coolness factor. So I couldn’t help but take notice of that.
All that said, it’s still a fun fight, and I do like it. The problem is I’m comparing it to the Hollow Knight and Radiance fights from Hollow Knight, and I don’t think Grand Mother Silk quite lives up to those encounters. It makes sense for her to be ranked this high, but I personally just didn’t vibe with it as much as I did with many other fights lower on this list.
Number 11 – Trobbio
Making his explosive debut at number 11 is the Red Tornado himself, Trobbio, a boss beloved by all. Women, and non-women alike have hailed Trobbio as a certified all-timer of the Silksong boss roster. In fact, over 80% of respondents gave Trobbio a score of 4 or higher.
Silksong’s story feels much more urgent and present than Hollow Knight’s, which makes it all the more bizarre that this random theater kid that likes throwing explosives around like they’re cans of soup is a mandatory boss fight. Trobbio has pretty much nothing to do with Silksong’s main story and he probably has even less to do with any of Silksong’s themes. His whole existence is just silly.
But Trobbio leans into that silliness. The way he randomly strikes poses during the battle, and moves around through trap doors sell the player on just what this guy is all about. And we can’t forget about his death sequence. If I ever die, I hope I’m at least half as entertaining as this guy.
Oh, and the fight itself is pretty good too. It’s a bit chaotic, but completely manageable as long as you pay attention to your positioning.
Trobbio does so many things well. It almost feels criminal for him to be this low on the list, but that’s only because the last 10 bosses we’re going to talk about are so good, there just wasn’t enough room left for poor, little Trobbio. At least not in his current form. Something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of Pharloom’s final thespian.
Number 10 – Shrine Guardian Seth
Kicking off the top ten is Shrine Guardian Seth. From here on out, every single boss has a mode of 5, meaning they got more 5 votes than any other number.
Before players can challenge Nyleth and claim her heart for the Red Memory, they must defeat Shrine Guardian Seth. Seth is a unique boss fight in Silksong, being created by Seth Goldman, a young Hollow Knight fan who passed away in 2020. Seth got the opportunity to meet Team Cherry, and they let him design a boss for Silksong. Shrine Guardian Seth is the result of that meeting, and he stands as a loving tribute to a young Hollow Knight fan whose memory will live on through this boss.
Seth himself is unrelentingly aggressive, moving around quickly and forcing the player into a more defensive playstyle, similar to what we saw with Second Sentinel. The change of pace mixed with the solemn music sets the mood for an atmospheric duel between two bugs at the end of the world.
Seth himself appears after the fight, seemingly unaware of his time serving Nyleth. Which naturally leads players to ask a lot of questions. Where is this guy from? How did he become friends with a plant? What happened to the other Shrine Guardians Seth talks about. Is there a reason his name is so similar to Nyleth’s? Was there another Shrine Guardian named Beth?
As much as I’d love a full breakdown of who exactly Seth is, the mystery surrounding him is part of what makes him such a cool character. I’m glad Team Cherry added Seth to the game and he’s probably one of my favorite fights in the entire franchise. He just hits in a way no other boss fight can.
Number 9 – Last Judge
The Last Judges explodes into number 9 on the list with 85% or respondents scoring them 4 or higher.
Before players can gain entrance to the Citadel, they have to fight one of two separate bosses. Last Judge is the boss most players will find first on their playthrough, with their path being a little easier to find than Phantom’s. And they are no pushover. The Last Judge’s moves come out quickly, leaving practically no down time between attacks.
The Last Judge is probably best known for their somewhat tricky runback, which became the subject of much debate in the early days of Silksong’s release. I struggled quite a bit with this runback because I didn’t realize you could just run past this annoying little fly, but being forced to do this runback certainly made Last Judge feel all the more imposing.
Great boss with great theming and great attacks. They do have the tendency to jump around the room like a maniac, but if I could jump that high, I would probably be doing that too.
Number 8 – Tormented Trobbio
The 8th spot on this list has been claimed by none other than Tormented Trobbio. He’s the first boss to get a median score of 5, meaning over half of all respondents gave Tormented Trobbio a score of 5. But he ranked a bit low on the consensus ranking, all the way down at number 26. But that should be no surprise given how his fight actually works.
His attacks are more aggressive, more overwhelming, more flamboyant. This fight works so well as a follow up to the first Trobbio fight in Act 2. The way his antennae go from being shaped like a heart, to drooping down over his face is an inspired design choice.
That said, this boss might be the most egregious about RNG. His fireworks and smoke bomb attacks can overlap with his tornado attack to create situations where taking damage feels unavoidable. You can hit the smoke bombs away, but you don’t have full control over where they go.
But despite Tormented Trobbio having potentially the most bullshit design in the entire game, everything else about this boss is so good that he still manages to land high on this list. This is the true power of Trobbio.
Number 7 – Phantom
Number 7 on the list belongs to Phantom, Lace’s Silk-fading sibling. With Phantom, we’ve truly hit the undisputed champions of Silksong’s bosses. These 7 bosses all land at the top of the consensus ranking, and were overwhelmingly scored 5 out of 5 by respondents.
Phantom serves as an alternate entrance to the Citadel, making the Last Judge fight optional. Mechanically, Phantom feels similar to the Hornet fight from Hollow Knight. They like to jump into the air, throw their pin, and then dive downwards towards it. One big difference, however, is Phantom’s grand slam move that covers almost half the screen. The fight also ends with this wild moment where Hornet counters Phantom’s attack, dealing a killing blow that causes them to spew silk like they’re in a Kurosawa film.
Team Cherry went with this whole Phantom of the Opera theme, giving Phantom a massive organ that actually affects the flow of steam in the Citadel. Defeating them not only turns off the steam in parts of the world, but it also removes the Mist from the map entirely.
And then there’s Phantom’s lore, being the discarded child of Grand Mother Silk, forced to toil underneath the Citadel and operate the Exhaust Organ. Not only is Phantom fighting against the deterioration of their own body, but they also get treated as undesirable for reasons outside of their own control. So not only is Hornet going after the gays, she’s also got it out for handicapped too. What is this girl’s problem?
Now, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the issue of Phantom’s gender. In my first lore video on Silksong I exclusively referred to Phantom as female. But I should have made clear that Phantom’s gender is more open ended than that. I took this thread memory line of “Why us, sister?” as Lace calling Phantom her sister, but the game doesn’t make it explicit who is talking here.
Hornet uses the gender-neutral pronoun “their” for Phantom in the Hunter’s Journal, leading some to speculate that Phantom is non-binary. Now, Silksong is a bit weird in that there are a few instances where Hornet uses different pronouns for characters than the characters themselves use. There’s even one instance with Sister Splinter where the pronouns Hornet uses changes between sentences. But even if that is the case, in instances where it isn’t made 100% clear elsewhere, I think it makes sense to default to whatever Hornet says in the Hunter’s Journal. Since words like “they” and “their” are gender neutral, that leaves room open for a non-binary interpretation of Phantom’s character.
And of course, this wouldn’t be a first for the Hollow Knight franchise, which already featured multiple non-binary characters, like… the Hollow Knight. When asked directly if they support players reading the Knight as non-binary, Ari Gibson said the following:
Absolutely we support this! And it’s fantastic that players could feel empowered in such a way.
There’s a lot that could be said about Silksong and gender and how the community interacts with this aspect of the lore, but my main goal right now is to make it clear that Phantom’s gender is more open to discussion than my first Silksong lore video implied. My goal with these videos is to invite lore discussion, not close it off. Moving forward, I’ll try my best to handle these aspects of the lore more thoughtfully and gracefully.
Number 6 – Lace 2
Lace 2 is fucking bussin’. Her spot at number 6 should be no surprise to anyone who finished this game.
We’ve been seeing this fight in Silksong’s marketing since 2019, and it felt so surreal to finally watch the cutscene of Hornet ascending the lift to face off against Lace at the top of Pharloom. The setting for this fight is iconic: a field of flowers surrounded by a maze of industrial pipes spewing steam and air and sending petals into flight.
And the fight itself is a strong evolution on Lace’s moveset from Act 1. Her attacks are faster, more threatening, but she still leaves plenty of opportunities for Hornet to sneak in additional hits in the middle of her moves.
This is also when we finally learn the truth about Lace’s nature, that she’s a being made of silk, desperate for her mother’s approval and jealous of Hornet for being the object of Grand Mother Silk’s desire. Lace 2 is the emotional core of Silksong, introducing us to the depth of Hornet’s rival, as well as setting the stage for Act 3 both thematically and literally.
Number 5 – Widow
Weaving her way into the fifth spot on the list is Widow, the mad Weaver responsible for haunting the bugs of Bellheart.
This feral beast is when we start to get a strong idea of what’s truly going on in the land of Pharloom, as Widow hopes to claim Hornet as an offering for Grand Mother Silk.
I’d consider Widow the first truly challenging fight in the game. She is constantly throwing projectiles at Hornet, and it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the barrage of bells. But once you feel comfortable, the whole fight clicks and it becomes a mad dash to smack Widow around as she uses her silk to set up her next attack.
Widow rewards the player with Needolin, which serves as a central item in Hornet’s toolkit, both in terms of the game’s emphases of silk and song and in terms of reaching the Citadel. Widow is the Silksong fight of Act 1, and Team Cherry absolutely knocked it out of the park.
Number 4 – Cogwork Dancers
Locking into number 4 on the list are the Cogwork Dancers. This is the third mandatory boss in a row and the last mandatory boss on this list to achieve Silksong’s base ending. Given that 7 of Silksong’s 9 mandatory-ish bosses ranked in the top 12, it’s clear that Team Cherry put a lot of care and attention into these fights. And it’s not like the other two fights are even that bad. They’re just on the easy side.
The Cogwork Dancers were first revealed during Summer Games Fest 2025, shortly before Silksong was released. And as soon as we saw this fight, we all knew it was going to be an all-timer. The immediate comparison you can draw with this fight is the Mantis Lords, themselves a standout boss from the original Hollow Knight.
Much like that fight, the Cogwork Dancers fight starts off slowly, introducing you to the attacks and preparing you for what’s to come. As the fight progresses, the attacks increase in speed, and eventually the Dancers desync, as attacks come one after another with hardly a chance to stop and catch your breath. The fight finally crescendos with the destruction of one of the dancers. It’s at this point in the Mantis Lord fight where the tension gets diffused and the player has to clean up the remaining Lord.
Cogwork Dancers turn this slightly awkward moment found in Mantis Lords on its head, instead using this part of the fight as a dramatic and tragic moment where one dancer is forced to continue without their partner. It’s one of the highlights of the entire game, and a prime example of great Team Cherry boss design. While not at the top of the list, I think one could argue that Cogwork Dancer is a perfect fight. I seriously can’t think of a single thing I would change.
Well, that’s not true. The next obvious next step is to replicate Sisters of Battle and turn the Cogwork Dancers into a polycule.
Number 3 – Lost Lace
Lost Lace rises up from the Abyss to claim number 3 on the list.
Lace is such a good boss fight, Team Cherry decided to use her thrice. But out of the three, Lost Lace shakes things up the most. The arena is much wider, Lace’s attacks have been given Void alterations , and she even has brand new Void focused attacks. She can also teleport all over the place and will do so quite often.
I said of Grand Mother Silk that she lacks some of what made the Hollow Knight and the Radiance stand out. And I’m happy to report that Lost Lace does not fall into this trapping. I’d say she exhibits a lot of the beloved boss design elements found in the Radiance fight. That is to say, her attacks can overlap in bullshit ways, and it can sometimes be difficult to know what attack she’s even performing. The wider arena also introduces the issue I discussed earlier with bosses like Shakra and Shrine Guardian Seth. Yeah, Lost Lace is a hard fight, and she can feel a bit unfair at times. But once you get the feel for what she is doing, the fight is fun. Dodging all the massive Void Tendril attacks and smacking the all-consuming Void off Lace’s stupid face feels rewarding.
And of course there’s the lore surrounding this fight. Maybe the Void stuff in Act 3 comes out of nowhere, but I think the game uses it to explore Lace’s relationship with her mother in a compelling way. Grand Mother Silk’s final sacrifice to help Hornet, ie. the lady who killed her, rescue her daughter is a great finale to Silksong’s story.
As a true final boss, I think Lost Lace is pretty good. I don’t even care that this is the third Lace fight. Give me a fourth one, where she’s mucked or something. Let me fight her in space. Put Tony Hawk in there somewhere.
Number 2 – Skarrsinger Karmelita
Taking center stage as the runner up champion of Pharloom’s boss roster, Skarrsinger Karmelita claims the number 2 spot on the list.
It’s a little insane how much higher on this list Skarrsinger Karmelita is than any other Old Heart. But her ranking is well deserved because this fight is amazing. The presentation here goes a long way to selling just how grand a figure Karmelita was to the Skarr. Her singing in this massive hall as legions of ants watch on in awe literally sets the stage for this fight. And the way her singing continues throughout the fight, save for when she is staggered, adds to the atmosphere as well.
Karmelita is an aggressive fight, especially during her third and final phase. Some of the best fights in these games feel like a dance, and Skarrsinger Karmelita is no exception. She’s easily the best of the Old Heart bosses and absolutely worthy of her placement on this list.
Number 1 – First Sinner
And beating out 45 other bosses to take the crown as the best fight in the entire base game of Silksong is none other than First Sinner. Out of all the entries on this list, First Sinner has the highest consensus ranking. The simple truth is everyone knows this fight is the pinnacle of Silksong bosses.
Fighting a fully powered Weaver after seeing them hinted and teased at for so long was truly cathartic, and her moveset lives up to the Weavers’ supposed strength. The First Sinner is fast and ferocious, forcing Hornet to position well and react quickly to her onslaught of attacks.
But where the fight truly shines is once First Sinner starts spamming her needle weaving attack. It’s at this point where you can just let loose and start clawlining her over and over. Split-second reactions and positionings between clawlines become your primary focus as these two Weavers find themselves caught in a silken dance of death. This is peak Silksong.
But the fight is just half of it. First Sinner’s lore is also top notch. Despite Hornet’s proclivity to explain the history of Pharloom to anyone that will listen, First Sinner’s lore still manages to stay shrouded in mystery. She’s found caged up in The Slab, but it’s not exactly clear who is responsible for her imprisoning and why she was even locked up in the first place. But despite there being no single straightforward answer, the game gives us just enough details to construct our own narratives about what happened. That’s when the lore of these games is at its best.
First Sinner’s lore also plays into the fight as well. Remember how I said Plasmified Zango was one of two bosses that could heal themselves. First Sinner is the other one, capable of using the same binding ability that Hornet uses. It’s an easy attack to punish but its inclusion makes the boss feel that much more unique.
First Sinner plays into everything that makes Silksong a great game. From the fast-paced gameplay, to the music and sound, and of course the lore surrounding the fight, First Sinner delivers on all fronts, making her an easy pick for Silksong’s greatest boss.
Outro
And that’s all of Silksong’s bosses rated by the community. And here’s my personal rankings as of right now. Yeah, I’m putting Bell Eater in top tier. This is just a glimpse into my dark and twisted mind.
The only bosses I think are truly bad are Plasmified Zango and Summoned Saviour, and even they have at least somewhat interesting lore. But even bosses like Broodmother and Savage Beastfly are, you know, fine. They might not play to the strengths of what makes Silksong fights fun, but they still provide an engaging challenge to overcome.
Of course, I’m releasing this video before any of Silksong’s content packs are released. And as of right now, we aren’t sure if Team Cherry is going to give Silksong a Godhome-type boss rush mode for this game. Lorewise, you could probably put a boss rush inside a thread memory, but gameplay wise, I’m not sure how Team Cherry would handle all the minion waves they added to fights like Broodmother and Crawfather. I’ll be honest, forcing us to fight enemy spawns like this might make a potential Pantheon of Pharloom painfully annoying to playthrough. There have been a lot of complaints about the tedium found in the Pantheon of Hallownest and I wonder how Team Cherry might change things this time around, given that feedback.
But if we do get an update like Godhome, there’s a chance for some of these bosses to get a nice glow up in some way. We could get a more developed Clover Dancers, a more difficult Crust King Khann, or, God willing, a more caked up Lugoli. Above all, I hope we get a new Grand Mother Silk fight akin to Pure Vessel or Absolute Radiance from Hollow Knight. She’s just too easy right now. And besides, you need to look no further than this very ranking to realize that Silksong fans love women who can kick their asses.
Link to data:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uz_NttfH1X-i3-Mlnrx6z6V4D13sj7ErhbgHHELlzog/edit?usp=sharing
Songs used (song names are internal Silksong file names unless stated otherwise):
Cloak Rescue
Boss Battle 1 (HK)
H182 Chapel Ambient Battle Layer
Grind Main Layer
RIP AND SHRED
Creepy Main
H82 Hinters Trail v4-47 ACTION
H49-102 ACTION
Bonetown_main
Abyss Battle Loop
H196-25 Strive
Tomb
H211 Bit Dreamy
Sad Wanderer - Main
H117 Wilds-30 MAIN
Groose's Theme - Skyward Sword
Coral Ruins Sub
H116 Coral Steps-42 MAIN ALT
H121 Enclave Split Main
S18 Enemy Battle-02 LOOP (HK)
H108-71 Greymoor v4 MAIN
Coral Tower Battle-12
H177 Bell Beast with Live-17
H80-12 PEAK MAIN
Shellwood_main
H49-102 MAIN LAVA
DeepDeepDocks
Petals v2
H204 Generic Enemy Battle A Track
H85 Coral Boss v2-170
Bellhart
H92 Chorus
Cogwork Core v2 MAIN
H15-111 MAIN
Clover Dancers Revision-12
H191-09 SILK A
GG10-53 Vessel (HK)
S59055 Final Stage 1 (HK)
H144-71 WIP Trobbio
Seth
H118 Final Judge v2-105
Tormented Trobbio v2-06
Monster - Skillet
H78 Phantom of the Organ RESTRUCTURE-33
H159_MistMazeSub
H54-220 Lace Battle
Shreddy Game
H181ClockworkDancers1stPhase
H181ClockworkDancers2stPhase
H181ClockworkDancersSting
H181ClockworkDancers4thPhase
Final Fight v2-10 Phase 1 v2
H87 Flower Live Vox-117 Game ORCH STEM w intro vox
Shreddy Re-arrangement 2nd phase
H207 OpenUp only additional layer
Title
Among Us Drip Theme
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