The Last Judge is the final boss of Act I in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and it won’t be easy. You will encounter this boss after finding all five Grand Bells that are linked to the benches in Greymoor, Bellhart, The Marrow, Shellwood, and Deep Docks. After that, approach the Citadel Gate in the Blasted Steps area to fight the infamous Last Judge. This guide will provide you with all the necessary tips and tricks on how to beat this boss in each of the three phases.
Prepare for the Battle
The Last Judge, indicated by the white circle in the map below, is basically a giant insect with an armored body, so it would be best to target his head rather than his torso. In either case, you need to come fully prepared to this difficult battle, including the following upgrades:
- Upgrade your Needle at Pinmaster Plinney in Bellhar. This is a crucial step, as you’ll need all the range and damage you can get for this fight.
- Although Last Judge is massive in size, he’s quite agile, so you need to be faster than him. That’s why you’ll need the Wanderer Crest, which you can find inside the Chapel of the Wanderer (Bonegrave, Mass Grotto).
- This boss will use fire damage in the latter phases, so bring along the Magma Bell to reduce the incoming fire damage. You can purchase it from Forge Daughter for 110 Rosaries in Deep Docks.
Last Judge Boss Fight (Phase 1)
In the beginning, the Last Judge mostly focuses on midrange melee attacks. You can expect four different moves in this phase, and here’s how to deflect them:
- He will spin his flail weapon, which you can avoid by either jumping over the low sweep or dashing behind it.
- Once he’s ready to throw the flail at you, be careful not to stand between the boss and the bell, because he’ll be pulling it back up, which may hurt you.
- Expect him to jump up and slam down, which creates a shockwave, so just back away as much as you can.
- Once he starts jumping towards you, dash underneath him and attack from behind, which is very effective.
Last Judge Boss Fight (Phase 2)
Once you drop his HP below 50%, the next phase of the battle begins with a strong fiery blast. Now his flail weapon will be caught on fire, adding more damage to it, so be sure to equip that Magma Bell. Here’s what you need to do next:
- As usual, he starts with the flail spin, but this time creating fiery rings, which you can dash through the gaps or jump over.
- He will also use his bell slam, and this time it’ll add fire to the floor. Avoid it by jumping and double-jumping into mid-air.
- Note that his attacks will get faster, which forces you to increase your won speed, especially when he starts approaching the final quarter of his health pool.
Last Judge Boss Fight (Phase 3)
As soon as his HP drops below 25%, you’ll start seeing sporadic pillars of fire breaking through the floor upwards. Here, you must be extra careful, as you never know where the flames will explode this time. Here’s how to finish off the boss:
- The boss will now use mostly his flail spin with even more fiery rings spreading around, so use dashing to catch the gaps between the rings to avoid damage.
- Here, constant movement is crucial until the Last Judge finally breaks down, allowing you to strike him in the head for lethal damage.
- Note that as soon as you deliver the final blow, make sure to immediately dash in the opposite direction, as the boss will literally explode.
If you don’t escape that final explosion, it’ll kill you, and you’d have to restart the whole fight, so keep this in mind. Once the Last Judge is defeated, the second act of the story will unlock and open the Citadel Gate. You will also unlock the Rivalry achievement and Pale Oil, which boosts your damage.
