How to defeat the Last Judge in Hollow Knight: Silksong? When fighting this boss, don't get pinned against the wall

Last Judge is the final boss of the first act in Hollow Knight: Silksong. He is waiting for you at the end of the Blasted Steps location and guards the main entrance to the Citadel, where the second act takes place. Although this enemy poses a serious challenge, all of his moves can be easily learned as they have recognizable and intuitive animations. In this text, we described how to defeat Last Judge and have included a video showing a successful fight with this boss.

You can find more useful information in our short guide:

1. Hollow Knight: Silksong starting tips

How to defeat Last Judge?

The fight with Last Judge is divided into two phases. In both phases, the most important thing is not to let yourself be cornered. The boss's attacks have a long range and the boss itself quickly follows you. If you let yourselves be cornered, you will have no room to dodge. Always pay attention to the background, and if you notice that you are approaching the edge of the arena, jump over the boss or go under him to have more space.

In the first phase of the fight, the boss has three attacks. You can avoid air attacks by going under the boss or moving slightly away. When the boss raises the flail behind his back, it means he is preparing for a long throw. The boss only damages with the tip of his weapon, not the chain - get close to the boss and let him throw the flail, deal a few blows, then jump before he pulls the flail back into his hand. When the boss starts spinning the flail, he will soon perform several spinning attacks - get away as quickly as possible. In a crisis situation, you can also parry a pirouette - keep pressing the attack button as quickly as possible, and with a bit of luck, you will parry all the blows.

The second phase of the fight will begin when the Last Judge lights the flail. Strike him a few times and back off immediately after that - the flail will explode in his hands in a moment, damaging you if you are too close. At this stage, the boss's all previous attacks receive an additional fire effect. Spinning the flail creates waves of fire - step back and stay between the embers, which show where the fire will appear. When the boss throws the flail, it creates a fiery explosion at the point of impact - it won't hit you as long as you're close to it and jump in time. After the air attack, the entire floor will be covered in fire - you have to back off or go under the boss and jump immediately. The boss will also receive a new attack - he will crouch and charge at you. You have to jump over it, then move aside to avoid one of the remaining fire pillars.

The Last Judge has a lot of health, but two of his attacks (air attack and flail throw) leave him very open to your blows. This means a lot of opportunities for attacking and collecting silk. We therefore advise against using the Crest Reaper due to its slower attack speed - Hunter, Beast or Wanderer will perform much better. All boss attacks deal two points of damage, so healing should be your priority - fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to heal. Heal yourself after dodging or sufficiently distancing yourself from the boss. If you have full health and a lot of silk, use the Silkspear spell to deal ranged damage. You can also equip yourself with the Magma Bell accessory, which can be purchased from the Forge Daughter in Deep Docks - it reduces fire damage.

The Last Judge always starts the second phase with a fiery spinning attack, and when his health drops to a very low level, he will use it several times in a row. When the boss dies, immediately move as far away from him as possible. In a few seconds, the Last Judge will explode, dealing as much as three points of damage over a large area. If the explosion kills you, you will have to repeat the fight. After defeating the boss, you will gain access to the Citadel and officially start the second act.

See also:

1. How to defeat Savage Beastfly in Hollow Knight: Silksong?

Hollow Knight: Silksong

September 4, 2025

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