Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Last Judge boss battle is the capstone challenge of Act 1 and one of the game’s toughest fights to that point, assuming you’re following the traditional Silksong walkthrough. That’s not even taking into account the lengthy runback that takes you through one of the Blasted Steps’ more difficult obstacle courses, too.

Our Silksong Last Judge guide breaks down how to handle the runback, lists the Last Judge’s moves and counters, and offers some advice on how best to prep ahead of the fight. We also explain how to skip The Last Judge by taking the Sinner’s Road route. If you’re not sure where that region is, head over to our Silksong interactive map to get your bearings.

Last Judge location in Hollow Knight: Silksong

The Last Judge is at the Blasted Steps’ eastern end, just outside the Grand Gate, and it’s impossible to miss them since the in-game map marks their location with a main quest objective icon. Unless you take the alternate route to the Citadel (which we’ll discuss later), there’s only one way to approach Last Judge — ascend the Blasted Steps. At the top, head left and activate the Bellway and bench in the next room. This will be your runback point.

The Last Judge runback is one of the most challenging in Silksong up to this point. It takes you across several stretches of sand filled with sandcarvers, narrow locations with conchflies whose projectiles richochet off the floors and ceilings, and open spaces where judges wait to bash you on the head. Your first instinct might be to rush through and reach the boss. Don’t. It’s much easier in the long run if you complete the runback several times to get the feel of it and learn how to make it through faster.

It’s possible to clear the entire room and reach the Last Judge without fighting a single enemy. Dash and jump off the platform where the first conchfly appears before it launches an attack. The judge on the platform above you is inessential, since you get nothing but some rosary beads for defeating them, so ignore them and glide to the platform on your right. Pogo across the bells — if you’re using the Hunter’s Crest, activate the Drifter’s Cloak after bouncing off the bell to give yourself some space to control your momentum for the next diagonal bounce.

Use Cling Grip to climb the wall, and ignore the conchfly that pops out from above you. Pogo off the judge’s head to get behind them without having to fight, then do a dashing jump to reach the next platform. Pogo off the bell — or off the conchfly first, if you have to — and then the next platform is free of enemies and obstacles. There’s another pogo challenge on the other side, but you can glide over it and then, at the last minute, dash to reach the wall and climb up it. If you’re not comfortable with that, glide to the last bell, then bounce off it to reach the wall.

The last stretch is free of enemies. The judge is just a husk, and you can pogo off the bells, cling to the wall, then pogo off the higher bells to reach the area’s end.

If that no-combat method doesn’t work for you, just know that you can, at least, skip the judges in this room, which also cuts down on the time it takes to reach the Last Judge again.

Last Judge’s moveset

The Last Judge fight has two phases, and the Judge’s moves change during the fight’s second portion. The way they’re telegraphed remains mostly the same, but the moves have different effects that require different evasion tactics.

First phase moves

Last Judge has three moves in this first phase. Learning the animations that signal which move they’re about to use is essential, as recognizing the difference between the Judge hoisting the censer (the bell-shaped, incense-burning thing the boss carries) to spin it or pulling it back to throw is much more important for your evasion strategy than it sounds. However, being patient is just as important. This is a fight you’ll win by being careful and judicious in your attacks — not by rushing in and trying to deal as much damage as possible.

Leaping smash: Last Judge jumps into the air and slams their censer on the ground. While the move’s range is limited in this first phase, the safest way to dodge this is by dashing under them to the other side. For example, if they’re on your left when they jump, dash to the left to avoid getting caught by the slam. The second or two after Last Judge lands is the best window of opportunity to attack, and you can get in two or three hits before they wind up for another attack.

Censer swing: Last Judge holds the censer up and spins it, then whirls it in a wide circle that catches you if you get too close. When you see the initial spin, dash away to safety. If the Judge uses this move when you’re near the edge of the arena, it’s basically impossible to escape in time, so try staying away from the walls as often as possible. The tell that this isn’t going to be the censer throw move is that Last Judge’s other hand is pointing upward.

Censer throw: Last Judge pulls their hand back and tosses the censer bell out. It damages you if it hits you, but also if it touches you when the Judge pulls it back in. Dash beyond its reach to avoid it, and if you’re at the edge of the arena, use wall cling to climb out of its reach. You can tell this won’t be the censer swing move by noticing the Last Judge’s other hand is facing inward.

It’s possible to dash in and attack right after Last Judge finishes either censer attack, though you need to pay careful attention to what they’re doing with their hands so you can evade whatever attack is coming next. If you do attack, just go in for one hit before retreating.

Second phase moves

After you land enough hits on Last Judge, they let out a roar, add fire to their existing skills, and use a new attack. The phase kicks off with the censer swing’s new variation, and from then on, Last Judge uses a mix of fire-infused attacks and, occasionally, some of the first phase’s moves. Like with the first phase, your best bet is to take it slow, and learn to recognize which move Last Judge is going to use based on the animations that precede the attack.

Holy smokes: Last Judge swings the censer in a wide circle and creates rings of fire that fan out across the arena. Lines of smoke mark where the fire will appear before it ignites, so make sure you’re standing in a safe spot. The fire moves slowly before it dissipates, which means you’ll need to move with the safe space to avoid taking damage. The animation is the same as the censer swing move from the first phase.

Flame charge: Last Judge crouches, then charges across the arena and causes pillars of fire to erupt behind them. Jump to avoid the charge attack, and try to land in a space between the pillars. Smoke will show where they’re going to erupt before the fire actually appears, so you have about a second to move to safety. If you’re feeling brave, you can aim to land between the Judge and the first pillar, which gives you a chance to land some hits. Alternatively, if you land on the other side of the Judge, you can avoid the pillars entirely and just attack until the boss moves again.

Flaming smash: Last Judge leaps into the air and slams down, the same as in the first phase. This time, however, they create a wave of flame that rushes outward from the impact site and covers the entire ground. Dodge the initial slam as usual, then jump and use the Drifter’s Cloak hover to avoid the flame. Use the moment after landing to attack Last Judge.

Flaming censer throw: Last Judge ignites their censer, then throws it, the same as in the first phase. The censer creates a small explosion a second after landing, so remain a few steps away to keep from taking damage.

After dealing enough damage during the second phase, Last Judge roars again and whirls the flaming censer for much longer, sending out three waves of fire rings. This is the only time in our experience that they have done this, however, and it’s not the start of a third phase.

After you land the final hit on Last Judge, they start shaking and muttering while a cloud of smoke emanates from them. Move beyond the smoke as quickly as possible, as the Last Judge will explode violently after a few seconds.

How to prep for Last Judge

Timing and patience might be the most important part of making it through the Last Judge fight, but there are other things you can do to give yourself a better chance. One of them is using the right crest. We recommend the enhanced Hunter’s Crest or the Reaper’s Crest for this fight.

You can enhance the Hunter’s Crest by using the Needolin in Moss Grotto to unlock the Weaver door and access Weavenest Alta. The enhanced version lets you deal extra damage after you strike a foe enough times, which lets you whittle down the Last Judge just a bit faster. The Reaper’s Crest is your reward for clearing the Reaper’s Chapel in Greymoor, just above the arena where you fight Moorwing. This crest generates additional silk orbs after you heal, which is handy for maintaining a steady flow of healing or silk skills during the fight.

If you’re struggling with the Last Judge runback’s pogo challenges, stick to the Reaper’s Crest. Its downward strike makes it easier to bounce over the sands.

Your offensive tool choice doesn’t matter terribly for this fight, though if you do use tools, make sure they cover a fair distance and have multiple uses. The Straight Pin and Longpin are the easiest ones to use without putting yourself in danger, though make sure you don’t use them when Last Judge is throwing the censer around, as it blocks incoming attacks.

We also recommend completing “The Alchemist’s Wish” in the Wormways region, which rewards you with the Plasmium Phial. This red tool lets you inject Hornet with plasmium three times, with each injection granting her a temporary mask. If you have six masks already — which we recommend you do before this fight, though it’s not essential — the most efficient way to use the phial is to use one injection while at full health, so Hornet has seven masks. Almost all the Last Judge’s attacks deal two masks of damage, so it’d take four hits to defeat Hornet this way, instead of three.

For blue tools, you’ll want to equip the Magma Bell, which you can purchase from the Forge Daughter in Deep Docks, to reduce Last Judge’s fire damage. Evading is preferable, but at least this way, you won’t take as much damage if you make a mistake.

Finally, it’s a good idea to record footage of your Last Judge runs if you can. The option to learn the boss’ attacks without trying to not be killed by them makes things much easier.

How to skip the Last Judge

If all of this is just too much, you can still enter the Citadel by taking another route, though it’s not an easy route. The path takes you through Sinner’s Road, The Mist, and the Exhaust Organ. This path takes you through plenty of obstacles, including a stretch of fog you have to use the Needolin to get through, and makes you defeat another boss, Phantom. Despite being challenging, Phantom isn’t quite as overwhelming as Last Judge. After you defeat Phantom, head up the elevator into the Underworks and continue along the path to enter the Grand Bellway Station in the Choral Chamber.

If you do take either path into the Citadel, Last Judge will still be at the end of the Blasted Steps region for you to challenge later.

Last Judge rewards

If you count satisfaction for defeating a tough boss as a reward, you get that. If not, the only thing Silksong gives you for this fight is an achievement (Judge) and unfettered access to the Citadel.

Looking for more Silksong help? Check out our essential beginner tips and top rosary bead farming locations if you’re just getting started, and if you’re running up against a few locked doors, our simple key locations guide is the one for you.

While you’re exploring and completing quests like the “Rite of the Pollip” wish or “Silver Bells” request, make sure to spend some time progressing the main story as well, as you’ll get some upgrades that make battles easier. After “The Threadspun Town” quest, for instance, you can upgrade your needle to deal more damage.