The worst boss in Hollow Knight: Silksong is widely considered by the community to be The Pinstress, closely followed by Groal the Great and The Pale Stag. Players rank these encounters at the absolute bottom of the game due to glitchy hitboxes, frustrating gimmicks, and terrible runbacks.
The definitive list of the five worst bosses includes:
1. The Pinstress (Most Mechanically Flawed)
The Gimmick: She constantly drifts backward out of reach, forcing tedious waiting periods.
The Flaw: Broken, glitchy hitboxes frequently trigger accidental parries or deal unfair contact damage, making the combat feel highly unpolished.
2. Groal the Great (Worst Runback & Setup)
The Gimmick: The arena consists of tiny platforms over a poison pool, and a green slime debuff severely slows down Hornet’s movement.
The Flaw: It features the most punishing bench runback in Pharloom, forcing you to fight through a lengthy, obnoxious enemy gauntlet in Bilewater after every death.
3. The Pale Stag (Most Disruptive Mechanic)
The Gimmick: The boss floods the screen with a spammy buzz saw hazard.
The Flaw: During its final phase, the stag teleports rapidly and constantly away from you. This completely breaks the rhythm of the battle, turning it into a boring game of tag.
4. Savage Beastfly Rematch (Worst Hazard Clutter)
The Gimmick: This Act 2 rematch forces you onto a crumbling, breaking floor suspended over a pool of lava.
The Flaw: The fight relies on artificial difficulty by forcing you to manage tight platforming, massive contact hitboxes, and infinite fire-spitting minions all at once.
5. Plasmified Zango (Most Boring DPS Race)
The Gimmick: A hidden late-game encounter that features a massive health bar that actively regenerates over time.
The Flaw: It is essentially a glorified normal enemy. Without a hyper-optimized damage build, it devolves into a mindless, repetitive endurance test with zero mechanical depth.