Video Games
Silksong Boss Tier List Maker
Rank the Hollow Knight bosses, from False Knight and Hornet to Nightmare King Grimm and the Absolute Radiance.
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Meet every boss (37)
These 37 bosses load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the boss is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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False Knight
A main boss who holds the City Crest needed to open the gates to the City of Tears. He is a Maggot wearing the armour of Hegemol, one of the Five Great Knights, and Failed Champion is his dream form.
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Hornet
The princess-protector of Hallownest's ruins and the deuteragonist, who wields a needle and thread. As a boss she appears as Hornet Protector in Greenpath and Hornet Sentinel in Kingdom's Edge.
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Mantis Lords
An optional boss made of three sisters who lead the Mantis Tribe in the Fungal Wastes. Beating them grants safe passage through Mantis Village, and the Sisters of Battle are their stronger form.
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Soul Master
The main boss and leader of the Soul Sanctum, who sought to expand bugs' minds. Defeating him grants the Desolate Dive spell, and the Soul Tyrant is his dream variant.
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Dung Defender
A main boss who defends the access to Isma's Grove, once known as Ogrim, the most loyal of the Five Great Knights. His bad scent was as renowned as his skill, and the White Defender is his dream variant.
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Broken Vessel
A main boss that blocks the way to the Monarch Wings. It is one of the Vessels who escaped the Abyss like the Knight, but died tragically in a windy cave in the Ancient Basin.
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Brooding Mawlek
A hidden boss found alone in the Forgotten Crossroads, sitting amid fossilised remains of its kind and calling for them to breed. It is also a Colosseum of Fools mini-boss.
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Crystal Guardian
An optional boss, one of the miners of Crystal Peak who died of the Infection and were reanimated. It is larger than other husks, with crystal on its back, and the Enraged Guardian is its second form.
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Watcher Knights
A single main boss made of knights who guard Lurien the Watcher, one of the three Dreamers. They died while standing guard and left their shells behind, and the fight takes place at the Watcher's Spire.
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Nosk
A hidden boss and shape-shifting, Infected beast hunting in Deepnest, who can mimic the faces of loved ones from bugs' memories. Winged Nosk is its flying form, and beating it yields Pale Ore.
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Uumuu
A main boss that guards Monomon the Teacher, one of the Dreamers. It is an Infected being similar to the Uomas and Oomas of Fog Canyon, and appears from the acid pool before the inner chamber.
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Traitor Lord
A main boss who blocks the path to the White Lady in the Queen's Gardens. He was a leader of the Mantis Tribe with his sisters, and he resented the kingdom of Hallownest.
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Flukemarm
A hidden boss, the mother of all Flukes infesting the Royal Waterways. Her body is a nest for young Flukefeys, and she can't leave her cave. Defeating her grants the Flukenest charm.
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Grimm
The Troupe Master of the Grimm Troupe, a mysterious travelling circus, who is both a quest NPC and boss. The Troupe travels from the Nightmare Realm wherever the Nightmare Lantern is lit.
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Hive Knight
An optional boss introduced in Lifeblood, the most valiant knight of the Hive. He guards his dead queen, hoping she will wake, and defeating him grants the Hiveblood charm.
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The Collector
A hidden boss, a Void creature who lives in the locked Tower of Love among a collection of bugs preserved in glass jars. Defeating it grants the Collector's Map.
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Gruz Mother
An optional mini-boss sleeping at the bottom of the Forgotten Crossroads, blocking the path to an abandoned village. When she falls, her stomach bursts open to release a swarm.
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Vengefly King
An optional mini-boss in Greenpath, a territorial patriarch of Vengeflies found hanging from the ceiling and chewing on Zote. Harming it makes it release Zote and fight the Knight.
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Massive Moss Charger
An optional mini-boss off the Pilgrim's Way in Greenpath that first appears as a large bush. It shakes as the Knight approaches and then roars before giving chase.
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Oblobbles
A dual boss at the top of the Trial of the Conqueror in the Colosseum of Fools. They are larger relatives of the Obble, and killing one enrages the other.
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Sisters of Battle
A quest boss introduced in Godmaster, a form of the Mantis Lords where all three sisters battle together. They first appear in the Pantheon of Hallownest.
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Markoth
A Warrior Dream boss, the only moth to carry a weapon besides Thistlewind. He went to Kingdom's Edge to meditate, and his spirit appears above his cave after the Knight gets the Dream Nail.
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Xero
A Warrior Dream boss, a warrior of Hallownest who turned against the Pale King after his mind was infected, and was executed. He was buried in the Resting Grounds.
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Gorb
A Warrior Dream boss in the Howling Cliffs, a mystic with a distended brain who claimed to be all-knowing. Their remains lie on a hill with a tombstone carved in their image.
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Elder Hu
A Warrior Dream boss, a travelling sage who sought to purify the borderlands of the Infection. His own infected mind made him see the Mantis Tribe as plagued, and they killed him.
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Marmu
A Warrior Dream boss, the innocent-minded yet strong protector of the Queen's Gardens, who died before the Queen could teach her to fly. A totem marks her grave.
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No Eyes
A Warrior Dream boss, a warrior who stripped out the eyes of others and her own to avoid the dreams infecting her mind. She was laid to rest in the dark Stone Sanctuary.
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Galien
A Warrior Dream boss, a brave and undefeated warrior who claimed to be the strongest in Hallownest. He travelled to Deepnest to test his strength and found death, and fights with a spinning scythe.
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Failed Champion
A hidden boss and the Dream variant of the False Knight, faster and tougher than his counterpart. Contact and physical attacks now deal two Masks of damage.
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Lost Kin
A hidden boss and the Dream variant of the Broken Vessel, with the same basic attacks at a much faster pace. It has 1200 health.
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Soul Tyrant
A hidden boss and the dream variant of the Soul Master, using the same attacks much faster. Its two phases total 1250 health.
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Nightmare King Grimm
The optional final boss of The Grimm Troupe and the Dream form of Troupe Master Grimm. The fight requires the Grimmchild charm equipped and is much faster paced.
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Pure Vessel
A quest boss introduced in Godmaster, the alternative version of the Hollow Knight at the top of the Pantheon of the Knight. Its moves include Soul Daggers.
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The Hollow Knight
A main boss central to the story, the Vessel chosen by the Pale King to seal away the Radiance. Like its siblings, it was born in the Abyss as a child of the King and Queen.
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Radiance
The true and secret final boss, a higher being of light and the Void's ancient enemy. Despite appearing in only three of five endings, she is the main antagonist of Hollow Knight.
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Absolute Radiance
The final boss of Godmaster and the perfect form of the Radiance, at the peak of the Pantheon of Hallownest. Her attacks are much faster, with an altered final phase.
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Zote
Zote the Mighty is an NPC, a traveller from outside Hallownest who came to fulfill a promise of glory for himself. His nail, named "Life Ender," is made of shellwood and cannot deal damage.
Silksong Boss tier list questions
Does this Hollow Knight list contain spoilers?
Yes. The write-ups mention lore, endings and the final bosses such as the Radiance, so it is best used after you have finished the game, or at least skipped the entries you have not seen.
Which bosses are from DLC?
Hive Knight was introduced in the Lifeblood update, the Grimm Troupe bosses came in their own update, and the Sisters of Battle, Pure Vessel and Absolute Radiance came with Godmaster.
How should I rank Hollow Knight bosses?
Common criteria include difficulty, fight design, music, lore and how fun the fight is. Many fans rank main bosses, Warrior Dream bosses and Godhome bosses separately because they are built for different challenges.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .