How to beat Widow in Hollow Knight Silksong (original) (raw)
Learn how to counter all of Widow's attacks
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry
Is the Widow boss in Haunted Bellhart giving you trouble in Hollow Knight Silksong?? You wouldn't be alone. As the first true two-phase boss fight you're likely to encounter, fighting Widow is all about escalating pace, mechanics, and attacks. Like all bosses in Silksong, however, mastering her fight is not only possible but almost certain, provided you know what you're looking for.
That's what this guide is all about. Below, we'll walk you through every one of Widow's attacks across her two phases, how to deal with them, and roughly how many times you'll need to hit her to win, and free Haunted Bellhart from Widow's clutches.
How to beat Widow in Hollow Knight Silksong
Challenging Widow is unlike any other boss you've fought up to this point in Act 1 of Silksong. She's more aggressive, has a wider range of attacks, and, most importantly, has two distinct phases with two health bars to cut through. The first phase demands more of you on the damage front; but in the second phase, it's far tougher to avoid damage, as her attacks increase in speed and randomness.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry
If we assume each attack with your Needle deals one damage (for simplicity), it takes around 50 hits to beat Widow's first phase. You can increase or decrease this number with good Tool and Silk Skill usage, though. Her second phase has around 25 health, using that same number value, and Tools and Silk Skill work the same way.
Widow shares some attacks between her two phases, but some she gives up for phase two in favor of harder-to-predict variations on the theme. Expect to be dodging bells of all kinds for about three minutes for the win.
Widow phase 1 attacks
Widow actually has a larger attack variety in phase one, with slashes, bell drops, arena hazards, and drop kicks among the things you'll need to avoid. Here's the full rundown.
Down Slash
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After pausing in the air and winding up the attack, Widow slashes at a diagonal toward you. The easiest way to avoid the attack is to dash toward and underneath Widow so she lands behind you. She almost always follows up the down slash with a set of charging slashes.
Charging Slashes
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Widow uses this attack after landing from a down slash, charging across the screen while slashing the space in front of her. You'll lose two masks of health if you get hit by this attack, but you can jump over Widow and do a down slash of your own to deal damage or clash with Widow's claws.
Vertical Bell Drop
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Widow stands still and weaves some silk into the ceiling of the arena, causing two vertical lines to appear. Shortly after, two large bells will drop from the ceiling, bouncing once before disappearing. You can avoid this attack as long as you're not in the path the silk lines drew.
Diagonal Bell Drop
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Much like the Vertical Bell Drop, Widow will stand still and weave silk into the arena's ceiling, calling down two bells in an intersecting diagonal path. You'll need to head to either edge of the arena to avoid the two bells, or you can carefully jump between them, depending on your position.
Spiked Floor Bells
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For this attack, Widow weaves five sets of silk strands from one end of the arena to the other, pulling up large chunks of spiked bells from beneath the floor. You can either jump toward the direction she's coming from shortly before the bells appear. The bells are metallic, so you can down slash to pogo off of them, or you can float toward Widow and never deal with the dangerous floor at all.
Center or Corner Bell Wall
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Widow gains access to this attack after she's reached about 50% health in her first phase. As with the other bell drop attacks, she'll stand still and weave lines of silk from the ceiling. They can either be five across in the middle of the arena or two sets of four at the arena's edges. She sometimes stands underneath where the bells will fall, so you'll have a free shot with any ranged Tool.
Widow phase 2 attacks
Widow's phase two has fewer attacks to deal with, but essentially doubles the pace they come out. She also likes to chain attacks together, particularly those that leave you with minimal space to maneuver. Expect there to almost always be falling bells on the screen.
Four Bell Drop
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This attack functions the same way as Widow's phase one bell drops, with two exceptions. First, there are now four bells that drop equidistant to each other. Second, Widow almost always uses this attack twice in quick succession with different drop locations each time, meaning you'll need to be quick with your maneuvering to avoid them.
Phase Two Charging Slash
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This version of the charging slash is identical to the phase one version, except Widow can use it at any time without needing to down slash. She'll most often use it after the second four-bell drop, and you'll have about a half-second to see it coming.
Phase Two Diagonal Bell Drop
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The big difference with this attack is the bells fall parallel to each other rather than their paths intersecting. This fact makes them a bit easier to dodge, but aren't already close to Widow. She likes to follow up her bell attacks with the charging slash, and you can easily get caught as she moves across the arena.
Bear in mind that Widow can chain any of these attacks together in her second phase, in any order, and with significant speed. The bells also like to bounce in random directions, making it tough to gauge exactly where you should stand if you're in their path. With practice, though, you should get a handle on things.
Widow is one of the first major skill checks in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and while there are greater challenges to face later in the game, take heart that once you've beaten Widow, you'll have cleared a major hurdle.
Widow is a major skill check for an earlier boss, and while there are greater challenges to face later in the game, take heart that once you’ve beaten Widow, you’ll have cleared a major hurdle. You can make the fight easier by equipping gear like the Curveclaw. Finding all the Silver Bells beneath Bellhart will also give you a quick boost in resources to spend on gear and upgrades, should Widow or a future boss dip into your savings too fiercely. Knowing how to farm rosaries can also be a boon if you find your stocks running low.