How to Beat the Cogwork Dancers in Silksong

There are no shortages of bosses in Hollow Knight: Silksong, both mandatory and optional. Every player will come up with their favorite or the one that is giving them the most trouble. For many, Savage Beastfly is one of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s toughest bosses, but thankfully, it’s optional.

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Unfortunately for those having trouble, the Cogwork Dancers in The Citadel are not optional in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Thankfully, there are ways for players to prep for this boss fight to make it much easier. With the right Trinkets and Tools equipped, this fight should be no problem with a little luck, patience, and the right strategy.

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The Best Prep

What to Equip for the Cogwork Dancers Boss Fight

If players build up Songclave good enough and take on The Wandering Merchant side quest, they can get Jubilana, one of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s many merchants, to appear. There are two things players should buy for this boss fight. Spool Extender is a Trinket that will extend the spool of Hornet’s Silk, while Ascendant’s Grip will let players cling to walls. Ascendant’s Grip is such a clutch item that there is no doubt it’s a signal from Team Cherry to buy it, which will become apparent once players enter the arena.

The Spool Extender is a great way to have a little extra Silk for healing purposes. Also, if players purposely due during the boss fight and leave a cocoon behind, that’s like a free spool of Silk players can save until it is absolutely necessary to use. That’s a tip players can use in any boss fight in Hollow Knight: Silksong from Moorwing to Sister Splinter. Finally, for Tools, the Threefold Pins are great because a well-timed throw can hit both at once. Plus, if players have the Pollip Pouch Trinket equipped, then they can coat the Threefold Pins in poison to do damage to the Cogwork Dancers over time.

The Best Route to Cogwork Dancers

How to Avoid the Grand Reeds

The Cogwork Dancers are located to the West of Songclave. From the bench, players will have to climb up a wall to the left and then exit above the left of this area. On this route, they will find three Grand Reeds, who are some of the trickiest enemies to take down in The Citadel. The best tip here is to not engage and instead run underneath when they jump up.

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Avoid all three Grand Reeds, and then on the next screen, players will encounter the boss room. The only thing that makes this route tricky is the enemies, and sometimes they seemingly refuse to jump. If players want to engage them, then attacking the Grand Reeds with the poisoned Threefold Pins is an easy way to do it without getting too close, even though that wastes ammo for the boss fight. As always, patience is a virtue that Soulslike fans need to learn, as Hollow Knight: Silksong is pretty close to a Soulslike.

Getting Through the First Two Phases

Cling to the Walls

One of the most useful things about this boss is that it will always tell players what their next moves are going to be, almost like a turn-based battle in an RPG. There will be an almost invisible outline, and players should avoid their line of movement at all costs. The Fourth Chorus in Hollow Knight: Silksong has similar tells, but the Cogwork Dancers are definitely more blatant with their strategies. There are four phases to this boss battle, with the first two operating almost the same.

The best strategy for these two rounds is to attack either boss as they are up in the air from down below. The hardest attack to avoid is their specialty, which covers the entire area with wire-like lines, similar to Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Widow boss fight. This is where the Ascendant’s Grip Trinket comes into play. Players can cling to a wall without sliding down, so, in most cases, hugging the mid to upper section of the left or right wall will keep players safe from danger. If the wires do happen to intersect with where players are hiding, then they simply have to let loose on the controller a little to slide down into the safer zone.

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In fact, players may be able to cheese the entire boss fight with this strategy, although it will take a lot longer. If players choose a corner to cling to, they can attack one of the bosses when they inevitably leap into that area. If they attack downward, that will leave them up for attack too if players choose to cling to the middle of the walls. It’s a good strategy to turn Hornet into the spider-like creature that she is, awaiting her prey in the very corners of a room.

The Last Two Phases

This Is Where Things Can Go Wrong

After the first two phases, things change up in the third act for the Cogwork Dancers. The duo will now strut around the room, sometimes as one entity, with one hiding being the other. They will mostly act one at a time instead of simultaneously, but this makes their movements trickier to predict. That said, the wall cling strategy should still work in this phase, but players have to pay attention more to the line of sight.

After enough damage is dealt, one will die, leaving the survivor in a wild state. It will become faster and more erratic with its movements. On the plus side, it shouldn’t take more than a few hits to take it down because the mechanical bug should be in a weakened state after witnessing the loss of its partners. Overall, Hollow Knight: Silksong players need the right Tools, Trinkets, and patience to get through the Cogwork Dancers' fight.

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