After venturing through much of the lower portion of Pharloom in Silksong, Hornet will arrive at the entrance to the Citadel. Talk to a couple of bugs standing outside the gate, then play the Needolin to ring the bells on the entrance. But the door does not open. Instead, an ominous figure appears in the background – the Last Judge, the final test Pilgrims must face before being allowed entrance to the Citadel.
Hollow Knight: Silksong - Interactive Map (Pharloom)
Our interactive map for Pharloom in Hollow Knight: Silksong. All the skills, tools, benches, and more found in the game.
One of the hardest boss fights in Silksong, the Last Judge is a filter for pilgrims in-game and Silksong players alike. This guide explains how to beat The Last Judge in Silksong, what happens after it is defeated, and the best Last Judge runback route to safely get back to the boss without taking damage on the way.
How to Get to The Last Judge in Silksong
At the Top-Right of Blasted Steps, Guarding the Citadel
In Silksong, the Last Judge boss fight can be found at the very top of the Blasted Steps, a brutal wasteland with high winds that is connected to the Shellwood area, to the left of Bellhart. You must make your way through much of the zone to get here, taking care not to fall into the leech pits which will deal two Masks of damage.
After you reach the Bellway Station in the middle of the zone, carefully sprint, dash, float, and wall jump your way through the large, dangerous room directly to the right of the Bench.
Last Judge Runback Shortcut Location
In the wide-open room that leads to the Citadel entrance, look for a breakable wall on the left side of the bell jump just before the safe middle section between both halves of the room. Break this wall to unlock a shortcut above the first Judge enemy.
This shortcut cuts out many enemy-filled areas of the Last Judge boss runback, making it significantly easier to get back to the Last Judge.
Optimal Last Judge Runback Route
To get back to the Last Judge without running into any enemies, Silksong players should start from the Blasted Steps Bellway Bench. Use Swift Step to sprint to the right, jump over the gap, then continue right into the wide-open room at the top-right of the Blasted Steps.
From here:
- Hold down your sprint input, then jump at the edge of the first ledge. Immediately jump upon landing on the platform, then dodge in mid-air to get to the right side of the pit.
- Jump onto the golden, floating platform on the right, jump to the ledge on the left with a Judge enemy, then jump back to the ledge on the right.
- Sprint and dodge to the left to get onto the wall above the Judge enemy, then wallclimb through the shortcut you unlocked previously.
- Hop across the gap by downward slashing on the bell, then activate Swift Step to start sprinting when you land.
- Leap at the edge of this middle area, dodge once in the air, then use the Drifter's Cloak to float to the far-right bell below. You should avoid coming into contact with the flying enemy that normally spawns here.
- Bounce off the bell aiming right, then walljump upward. Go left at the top of this wall, bell-hop to reach the left side, then walljump up.
- Jump to the right, then dodge once, to reach a bell between the wall and the entrance to the Citadel. Successfully cross this gap to make it back to the Last Judge without encountering any enemies.
Make sure to check out our full interactive map for Silksong right here.
Complete Last Judge Boss Walkthrough
How to Beat The Last Judge in Silksong
The Last Judge Moveset, Attacks, & Counters
|
Attack Image |
Move Name |
Visual Cues |
Counter |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Throw Flail |
Raises its arm without spinning its flail, then launches it forward in an arc, landing with a thud about half a screen away. The Last Judge will retract the flail, dealing damage on the way back, too. |
Either dodge to the left of the flail (if you are confident you won't accidentally dodge into it), or dodge toward the boss to get a couple of hits in. Watch for the boss to retract its flail and jump over it. |
|
Downward Slam |
Jumps into the air above Hornet, then slams down with its flail, dealing damage in a small area. |
Walk to either side of where the boss will land to avoid being hit. This is an excellent opportunity to attack. |
|
Flail Spin |
Spins its flail, then rapidly swings it in a circle, dealing damage in a close-range AoE. |
Dodge the opposite direction of the boss before it swings its flail outward – there is no opportunity to attack with this move, just get out of the way. |
|
Roar / Trigger Phase Two |
Stands tall, roars, then summons a flame within its flail. This significantly upgrades the Last Judge's attacks. |
Attack the boss as much as possible as it roars and summons its flame. This intermission lasts for a solid four or five seconds, which is enough time to get about a dozen hits in with the |
|
Throw Exploding Flail |
Same as Throw Flail, but the flail will explode in a huge area about a second after landing. |
Dodge away from the flail, but do not get close to it until it explodes. If you are in a corner and the flail lands close to you, wall jump upward and dodge away to get out of the explosion radius. |
|
Exploding Slam |
Same as Downward Smash, but the Last Judge will spawn a wave of fire on the ground that blankets the entire arena. |
Jump up when the boss lands, then use the Drifter's Cloak to stay airborne as the flames appear and dissipate. If you are careful, you can get a few attacks in as you jump up to avoid the flames. |
|
Flaming Flail Spin |
Same as Flail Spin, but now waves of fire will slowly radiate out from the Last Judge's spinning weapon. |
Watch the smoke to figure out where each heat wave will spawn, then stand in between them. After taking enough damage, the boss will perform this attack four times in a row, forcing players to quickly jump between safe spaces. |
|
Charge & Summon Fire Pillars |
Rears back, charges toward Hornet (covering the whole arena, if necessary), then summons up to three flame pillars in its wake. |
Jump over the boss, float in mid-air, and look for where the fire pillars will spawn. Land between them to avoid taking damage. If no fire pillars spawn next to the boss, try to land next to it to take advantage of about a two-second attack window. |
|
Leap |
Slightly squats down, then leaps into the middle of the room, slamming down without spawning fire on the ground. |
Dodge underneath the boss as it jumps to stay out of its way. |
As soon as you deal the killing blow to the Last Judge, immediately run away from the boss. After a few seconds, the Last Judge will roar, explode in an enormous area, then die. This explosion can easily kill Hornet and reset the boss fight, forcing her to defeat the Last Judge again.
Silksong Last Judge Boss Tips & Tricks
-
Go back to Greymoor and complete the Chapel of the Wanderer sub-area to earn the
Wanderer Crest. This Crest gives Hornet a very fast, but short-range, moveset with a Hollow Knight- like downward pogo attack.
- Use this, and you will be able to get more hits on the boss during the all-too-brief Last Judge attack opportunities.
-
Though Tools can help maintain damage on the Last Judge, most of its attacks will instantly destroy any Tools it encounters or that are thrown into it.
-
At the very least, do not use Tools when it is spinning its flail, as this completely neglects anything thrown toward it. Instead, rely on your Silk Skills like
Silkspear
to deal extra damage between normal attacks.
-
At the very least, do not use Tools when it is spinning its flail, as this completely neglects anything thrown toward it. Instead, rely on your Silk Skills like
-
There are not very many opportunities to heal during this fight.
- During Phase Two, when the boss charges toward you, jump over and Bind in mid-air for a few safe seconds of healing (as long as you are not over a fire pillar location, that is).
- Another good opportunity is during the Flail Spin attack in either phase, as the boss will stand still for about two seconds while you safely stand to the side.
What Happens After Beating The Last Judge in Silksong?
After you beat the Last Judge, Silksong players will have finally earned passage into the Citadel and officially enter Act 2, titled "Citadel of Song". Act 2 takes Hornet to numerous new areas in the top half of Pharloom, including the Citadel itself.
If you are worried about locking yourself out of Act 1 content by defeating the Last Judge, don't fret – in the Choral Chambers area of the Citadel, you will discover the Grand Bellway, where Hornet can call the Bell Beast to take her back to previously-discovered Bellways.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Released
- September 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Engine
- Unity
- Franchise
- Hollow Knight
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- PC Release Date
- September 4, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
