Silksong Last Judge boss guide, strategy and weaknesses

Hornet confronts the Last Judge in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

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Tips and tricks
Attacks patterns
Shortest runback

The Last Judge is Silksong's final boss fight for the game's first act, a powerful foe who uses spinning attacks based around a fiery censer that they swing on a chain to try and knock Hornet down. The Last Judge actually has two phases, and the first one is simple and short enough that you might be lured into thinking that Hollow Knight Silksong is going easy on you – but you'd be wrong as the second phase kicks in. Below, I'll explain how to beat the Last Judge, with all the weaknesses, strategies and exploits you need to know about for bringing down this mandatory boss fight.

How to beat the Last Judge in Silksong

Hornet runs at the Last Judge in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

The Last Judge in Silksong is broken into two phases – a basic one where they swing their Censer around, and a second, far more deadly one where they imbue fire attacks into their moveset, learning new powers and enhancing old ones. Here are some basic tips to keep in mind:

Use the Magma Bell badge. Sold back in Deep Docks, this reduces damage taken from fire.
Equip the Thread Storm. The Last Judge moves around too much to be easy to hit with the Silkspear, this is preferable.
The Flea Brew is more useful than any weapon tool. The potion earned through finding the first Silksong fleas is better than throwing pins or traps, as the speed boost also improves your evasion and defence.
It's risky to do more than two attacks. The Last Judge pauses between attacks, but never for long. Use quick, regular attacks rather than trying to do long-term combos.
The closest bench is back by the Silksong Blasted Steps fast travel point. Yes, that ascent up the mountain is mandatory each time, sorry to say. Try to build up your Silk charge along the way, but don't risk getting hurt.
Make sure you've spoken to the Pinmaster in Bellhart. The small damage increase you get from him at this point in the story could be what makes the difference.

Obviously there's more to keep in mind than this, as we'll go into below, but these are some useful things to keep in mind in terms of general advice when fighting one of the most infamous Silksong Bosses.

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Last Judge attacks and moves

Below I'll lay out all the specific attacks that the Last Judge does, and the specific counterattack and means to escape each one.

The Last Judge throws their Censer in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

The Judge throws their Censer forward before rapidly drawing it back.
- Dash towards the Judge so it passes over your head, then jump so the pullback takes it beneath you.

The Last Judge spins their Censer in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

The Judge spins their Censer in a circle around them.
- The Judge can't be hurt while doing this, so the moment you see them begin to twirl it, dash and back away!

The Last Judge tries to squash Hornet in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

The Judge jumps in the air and attempts to land on Hornet.
- Dash beneath the Judge so that they pass over your head and slash at them.

The Last Judge sends out waves of fire in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

The Judge spins their Censer in a circle around them, sending out waves of fire. (Phase 2)
- Back away from the Judge, and look for rings of smoke that indicate where the fire is going to be, then place yourself between them.

Hornet avoids an exploding attack from the Last Judge in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

The Judge throws their Censer forward before rapidly drawing it back. It explodes a second after it lands. (Phase 2)
- Avoid it as per the Phase 1 version of the attack, but make sure you keep extra far away from the Censer after it hits the ground, as that explosion covers a healthy distance.

The Last Judge charges and leaves behind fire in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

The Judge crouches and charges forward across the arena. They leave pillars of erupting fire behind them. (Phase 2)
- The warning crouch doesn't take long, so be careful. Pogo jump on the Judge's head as they pass beneath you, then look for the columns of smoke that mark where the fire is about to erupt.

Hornet bounces on the Last Judge in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

The Judge jumps in the air and attempts to land on Hornet. A ground-level wave of fire ripples out from them. (Phase 2)
- Dodge the slam with a dash, then stay in the air! Pogo jump on the Judge, use your drift, dash or heal – whatever you need to do to wait out the ripple of flame.

Shortest Last Judge runback in Silksong

Runback to the Last Judge in Silksong — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

As it's a clear point of contention, I'll be clear – the shortest runback to the Last Judge boss is from the bench next to the Fast Travel station, as shown on the map above. There is no closer checkpoint or shorter route to the boss beyond the standard ascent through the Blasted Steps. I recommend evading the enemies along the way if they're proving difficult, but ultimately you're likely to get very used to fighting them with how many attempts this boss takes most people…

Need more Silksong help? Check out our walkthrough to be guided through the terror of the Silksong Hunter's March region, or see how far you are from finding the Silksong double jump!