Silksong is all about the bosses. With over 40 fearsome enemies to take on in Pharloom — and some of them are really mean — you might be looking for the place to find them all.
Well, we have a list of every boss you'll fight in Silksong, including optional fights. We've broken these up into acts, too, so you know which bosses you can seek out and when. If you're aiming to complete the Hunter's Journal, you'll want to fight all of these.
This should go without saying, but this guide will contain huge spoilers for all of the bosses, including the final boss.
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Act 1 Bosses
These are all the bosses you can find in the first section of the game, Pharloom.
There are some surprisingly tough foes early on, including the very last boss before entering the Citadel.
Mandatory Bosses
Act 1 has the most mandatory bosses of all three acts, and they're a good way of teaching you how to play the game.
| Boss Name | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Moss Mother | Moss Grotto | N/A |
| Bell Beast | The Marrow |
Silk Heart, transport across Pharloom via Bellways |
| Lace | Deep Docks, after you get Swift Step | N/A |
| Fourth Chorus | Far Fields, after getting the Drifter's Cloak | N/A |
| Sister Splinter | Shellwood |
Access to the Weaver statue with Cling Grip |
| Widow | Bellhart | Needolin |
| Last Judge* | Blasted Steps | Access to the Citadel and Act 2 |
- *Last Judge can be skipped if you choose to enter the Citadel and start Act 2 by going through Sinner's Road and The Mist, but for most people, she's required. It's a tough one, but a good one. If you do skip it, you can go back and fight her in Act 2 if you approach the Citadel via the Blasted Steps.
Optional Bosses
The optional fights in Act 1 start off a little gently; well, maybe there are two exceptions here. But for the most part, like the maine bosses, these are all about teaching you how to play.
| Boss Name | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Moorwing* | Greymoor, in the southwest part of the map | N/A |
| Savage Beastfly | Hunter's March, Chapel of the Beast | Beast Crest |
| Skull Tyrant |
The Marrow, via The Terrible Tyrant Wish (You'll fight him a second time randomly while resting on a bench at Bone Bottom) |
Heavy Rosary Necklace |
| Moss Mother Duo | Weavenest Atla, west of the bench | Weavelight Tool |
| Great Conchflies** | Blasted Steps, on the left side of the large room leading to the top of the area |
Access to the Pinstress, Sands of Karak |
| Phantom*** | Exhaust Organ, accessible by going through Sinner's Road's western path and making it through The Mist | Cross Stitch |
- *Moorwing is technically an optional boss, yes! While most players will fight him as he blocks the path to the next major location, there are a number of ways you can completely bypass him in Act 1.
Firstly, if you've found 5 Lost Fleas and spokent to Mooshka in The Marrow, you'll complete The Lost Fleas Wish. The caravan will then move to the area where you fight Moorwing, effectively banishing him. Secondly, if you use a Simple Key on the door above Bone Bottom, you can access Bellhart via the Wormways and Shellwood by coming from the west. He will reappear in Act 2 outside of the Greymoor Bellway if you miss him
- **Great Conchflies are technically optional, but if you're aiming to reach Act 3, then you will absolutely need to defeat them as they are blocking the path to the Sands of Karak, a required area in the final act of the game
- ***Phantom is a secret boss, but if you choose to explore Sinner's Road instead of the Blasted Steps, you can actually start Act 2 this way rather than fight the Last Judge. It's a very good boss and worth fighting, too, so go back and fight her if you skipped over it
Act 2 Bosses
The second Act of the game is maybe the biggest, almost doubling the size of the map and ramping up the danger.
Despite the fact only a handful of bosses are mandatory, some of the game's optional fights are some of the best. So we urge you to seek them all out.
Mandatory Bosses
Amazingly, there are only three required bosses in Act 2 despite how much bigger the map gets. Thank goodness all three of these are outstanding.
| Boss Name | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Cogwork Dancers | Cogwork Core | Start of the Threefold Song Main Quest |
| Lace | The Cradle | Silk Heart |
| Grand Mother Silk | The Cradle | N/A |
Optional Bosses
As you gain more Silk Skills and Ancestral Arts, the map blows wide open, meaning you can explore pretty much everywhere in Pharloom.
One thing to note, while these bosses are optional, if you want to do anything beyond the Normal Ending, then some of these are required. If you want to hit 100% Completion, then almost all of these are required.
| Boss Name | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Trobbio* | Whispering Vaults, The Stage, accessed via the west side of the Vaults | Claw Mirror Tool, Psalm Scroll |
| Savage Beastfly | Far Fields, via the Savage Beastfly Wish | Mask Shard |
| Groal the Great** | Bilewater | Seeker's Soul (in the hut in the next room) |
| Broodmother | The Slab, via The Wailing Mother Wish | Heavy Rosary Necklace |
| Disgraced Chef Lugosi | Sinner's Road, once you have Double Jump | Pickled Muckmaggot, required for The Great Taste of Pharloom |
| Forebrothers Signis and Gron*** | Deep Docks, accessed by using a Simple Key on the locked door underneath the Forge Daughter's store | Shortcut to Forge Daughter, access to Diving Bell |
| Raging Conchfly**** | Sands of Karak, right before the Coral Tower | Access to Coral Tower, Conchcutter Tool |
| Father of the Flame | Wisp Thicket, which you can reach with Double Jump via Greymoor | Wispfire Lantern Tool |
| Second Sentinel | High Halls, at the end of the Final Audience Wish | Reserve Bind Tool |
| Shakra | Greymoor, after completing the Trail's End Wish (Act 2 only, does not count towards your Hunter's Journal or completion) | N/A |
| Unravelled | Whiteward, after using the Surgeon's Key | Silk Heart |
| First Sinner | The Slab, after using the Key of the Apostate | Rune Rage |
- *Trobbio is, amazingly, completely optional, because you can reach the Vaultkeeper's Melody without fighting him. Beating him will unlock another boss fight in Act 3, however, so it's worth doing; it's one of our favourite bosses, too
- **Groal the Great has a runback for the ages (not in a good way!); sadly, if you're attempting to get the Bad Ending and reach Act 3, you need to defeat him to access the Seeker's Soul
- ***Forebrothers Signis and Gron can be done in Act 2 or Act 3, but you should do them in Act 2, otherwise the extra enemies Signis summons will be a lot more dangerous. Again, while technically optional, you do need to defeat them to reach the Diving Bell, required for Act 3
- ****Raging Conchfly is another boss you can fight in either Act 2 or Act 3. If you're aiming for the True Ending, then you'll have to fight this grieving partner to access the Coral Tower and one of the three Old Hearts
Act 3 Bosses
The final act — accessible only if you complete the Silk and Soul Wish — has some of the toughest bosses, but also some of the easiest.
Like in Act 2, there are way more optional fights than mandatory here, and you'll need to use your very last Silk Skill to reach them all.
Mandatory Bosses
One last crop of obstacles to get past to reach the True Ending; some of these fights will put your skills to the ultimate test.
| Boss Name | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Shrine Guardian Seth | Grand Gate, via a hidden passage west of the Underworks | N/A |
| Nyleth | Grand Gate, via a hidden passage west of the Underworks, use Elegy of the Deep | Pollen Heart |
| Crust King Khann | Coral Tower, Sands of Karak, use Elegy of the Deep | Encrusted Heart |
| Skarrsinger Karmelita | Far Fields, via a new path unlocked with Silk Soar from Hunter's March. Use Elegy of the Deep | Hunter's Heart |
| Lost Lace | The Abyss, after gaining the Old Hearts and the Everbloom | N/A |
Optional Bosses
As you'd expect from a world plunged into chaos, some have been corrupted by the Void, while others are taking advantage of the mess.
Many of these bosses have some great rewards, and with your final Silk Skill, you should have no trouble finding them.
| Boss Name | Location | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Eater* | Any Bellway, though you're likely to fight it in Choral Chambers' Grand Bellway | Bellways re-open, unlocks Beastling Call |
| Crawfather** | Greymoor, house on the east after receiving the Craw Summons | Craw Memento, Crawbell |
| Palestag | Lost Verdania, use Elegy of the Deep to access | Light orbs, needed to fight the Clover Dancers |
| Clover Dancers*** | Lost Verdania, use Elegy of the Deep to access | Conjoined Heart |
| Gurr the Outcast | Far Fields, via The Hidden Hunter Wish | Grass Doll, which gets you a Mask Shard |
| Lost Garmond | Blasted Steps, via Hero's Call Wish | Hero's Memento |
| Voltvyrm | Sands of Karak, east of the Coral Tower, accessible with Silk Soar | Volt Filament Tool |
| Tormented Trobbio | Whispering Vaults, The Stage, via Pain, Anguish and Misery Wish | Dark Mirror, which upgrades the Claw Mirror Tool |
| Pinstress | Mount Fay, via Fatal Resolve Wish | |
| Plasmified Zango | Wormways | N/A |
| Watcher at the End | Sands of Karak, use Silk Soar in a secret nook next to a Memory Locket to reach a hidden area | Grey Memento |
- *Bell Eater is one of those fights that feels like it's mandatory, but it isn't. However, not fighting it makes travelling around Pharloom a little more laborious as it locks you out of using Bellways in Act 3 and you won't get what is essentially a fast travel back to any Bellway, as long as you're on solid ground
- **Crawfather is a little bit hidden; you need to get the Craw Summons, which you can get semi-randomly after sitting on a bench and reloading the game (or drying and respawning) after completing the Dark Hearts Wish
- ***Clover Dancers can actually substitute for one of the other three Old Hearts, which is a good thing to note if you're having trouble with Nyleth, Khann, or Karmelita. The Conjoined Heart replaces any one of the three other hearts, basically. Otherwise, it becomes a Memento for your Bellhome.
That covers every single boss in Silksong! For more tips, lists, and collectibles. check out our Hollow Knight: Silksong walkthrough hub for more collectibles, equipment, and other guides.