The 7 Worst Runbacks in Hollow Knight: Silksong That Still Haunt Players in 2026

Three years after Hollow Knight: Silksong finally graced our screens, one truth remains as unyielding as a Crystal Guardian’s laser: runbacks in Pharloom can be positively soul-crushing. Not the bosses themselves—no, those are often masterpieces of dance-like combat. It’s the commute. The dreadful, nail-biting, sometimes rage-inducing journey from the nearest bench to the fog gate that separates the merely difficult from the genuinely infuriating. Team Cherry, in their infinite wisdom, seemed to ask themselves, “What if we made every death a miniature pilgrimage?” And oh, did they ever deliver.

While the game’s sprawling map and silky-smooth movement eventually make veteran players feel like gods, certain runbacks stand as eternal monuments to poor checkpoint placement. What was once a heated debate in 2025 has now, in 2026, congealed into bitter communal agreement. Some of these routes are so painful that speedrunners have built entire donation incentives around them. So, which are the absolute worst? Buckle up that Needle, because we’re ranking the seven runbacks that make you wish Pharloom had a proper public transport system.

7. Father of the Flame – The Invisible Sniper Gauntlet

Kicking off our list is a boss that itself is a whirlwind of brilliant design: Father of the Flame, a blazing inferno that puts every ounce of Hornet’s agility to the test. But to get there? One must first survive Wisp Thicket. On paper, the area is small. In practice, it’s a masterclass in passive-aggressive level design. Why are there homing flames that follow you with the precision of heat-seeking missiles? Why do they seem to spawn just when you’ve committed to a dash?

Players rarely arrive at the arena with less than full health, but only because they’ve become paranoid mathematicians, measuring every pixel of movement. The real insult? These flame wisps are invincible. You can’t kill them. You can only dodge, dodge, and dodge again, all while a timer in your head ticks down to the moment Father burns you to a crisp and sends you right back. It’s not the longest runback, but its annoyances are so perfectly calibrated that it earns a spot here—a testament to how a few well-placed, untouchable enemies can sour an otherwise fantastic encounter.

6. Last Judge – Blasted Steps and One Misplaced Bug

Ah, the Last Judge. A boss fight so intense it should come with a health warning, and a runback that the community loves to hate—a little too much, perhaps. Let’s be honest: the platforming across the Blasted Steps is actually exhilarating, forcing players to master Hornet’s pogo and dash in ways that make the fight itself easier. So why is it on this list? Meet the Driznit. This one single, infuriatingly placed bug stands directly in your path, and its aim is absurd.

Is it really that hard to dodge a single projectile? No. But after the tenth attempt, when your nerves are frayed and that Driznit snipes you mid-heal, you’ll understand. Without that one enemy, this runback would be a highlight reel. With it, it becomes a meme. Still, compared to what’s coming, the Last Judge’s commute is merely a warm-up act.

5. Savage Beastfly – The Boring Boulevard of Nothingness

The first encounter with the Savage Beastfly is a double punishment. First, the boss itself is a forgettable, flailing mess that offers a reward nobody cares about. Second, the runback is a soul-sucking trudge across multiple empty screens. Imagine discovering the secret bench mechanism—feeling smart—only to realize you’re still separated from the arena by a corridor of pure, unadulterated filler. No enemies, no platforming challenge, just running. And falling. And running some more.

Could Team Cherry have placed a single interesting thing along this route? A piece of lore? A quirky NPC? Anything? Apparently not. It’s the video game equivalent of a long, straight highway with no scenery, leading to a destination you already know you hate. For many players in 2026, this runback has become the poster child for “skip on repeat playthroughs.”

4. Skarrsinger Karmelita – The Unskippable Ceremony of Pain

Skarrsinger Karmelita is widely considered one of the best boss fights in all of Silksong—a rhythmic, heart-pounding duel that defines the game. So why does getting to her feel like a punishment reserved for the damned? Simple: unskippable everything.

You must ride the Needolin (a slow, ponderous transport). You must endure a short-but-agonizing cinematic. You must run around the entire arena for no logical reason other than to enter from the “correct” side. And if you dare want to switch your Crest build? Hope you enjoy running back to a bench that’s even farther away. It’s a painful echo of Hollow Knight’s Dream Boss problem, but somehow worse because Karmelita demands countless attempts. Every second of this runback is a second not spent mastering her sublime patterns—and that, dear reader, is a tragedy.

3. Raging Conchfly – When the Journey Is Harder Than the Fight

Sands of Karak is a fascinating area with a central gimmick that punishes anyone who can’t parkour under pressure. The Raging Conchfly boss fight is relatively straightforward—but the runback? It’s a marathon of sand traps, collapsing platforms, and enemies that never miss. A shortcut exists, but it doesn’t shorten the distance; it merely reshuffles the same agonizing obstacles onto a slightly different path.

What makes this runback so infuriating is the sheer dissonance. The boss is cool! The atmosphere is unique! But after your fifth death, you’ll find yourself wondering why the game seems to actively hate you for wanting to retry a fight. If the platforming gauntlet were just a little shorter, or the environmental hazards a touch more forgiving, this could have been a beloved challenge. Instead, it’s a cautionary tale about concept over execution.

2. Clover Dancers – Green Prince, Red Face

Verdania is stunning. It’s a visual masterpiece, a verdant dreamscape that takes your breath away. It also has a bench distribution that feels personally vindictive. The Clover Dancers boss is locked behind the Green Prince’s mind, requiring you to use the Needolin to enter a memory realm. Once inside, you must then navigate even further through real platforming and hyper-aggressive mantis enemies. The result? One of the longest, most demanding runbacks in the entire campaign.

The tragedy here is balance. Team Cherry tried to make the area itself a memorable adventure, which it is, but they also made it a mandatory obstacle between you and a brutally hard duo fight. Can you truly enjoy Verdania’s beauty on your twentieth trek through it? Most players in 2026 have learned to appreciate it only in retrospect, after the Clover Dancers have been felled and the region can finally be explored in peace.

1. Groal the Great – Pilgrim’s True Hell

We’ve reached the summit of suffering. If the other runbacks are mildly annoying or disappointingly long, the path to Groal the Great is a work of malicious art. Bilewater is an area that inspires something close to Stockholm Syndrome—you hate it, yet you can’t help but respect its commitment to being the absolute worst.

Why is it number one? Let’s count the ways. It’s the longest runback in the game. It’s drenched in poisoned water that chip away at your health. It’s riddled with traps that seem to shift just to spite you. The enemies are unpredictable, their attacks nearly unavoidable. And the nearest bench? Laughably hidden, as if the developers were playing a cruel joke. Even after finding it, the misery doesn’t end; you still have to wade through a wave of maggots before Groal even deigns to fight you. This runback feels designed to make you quit. It is the only one that deserves a unilateral, full-throated condemnation. In 2026, players still share horror stories about it in hushed tones on forums, and some say the ghostly wails heard near Bilewater aren’t just the game’s ambiance—they’re the echoes of shattered controllers past.

So, do these runbacks ruin Silksong? Of course not. They’re part of its masochistic charm, threads in a tapestry that reminds us victory is earned through suffering. But would we mind if a future patch added a bench or two? Let’s just say Pharloom’s pilgrims would finally know peace.

As players continue to navigate the challenges and triumphs of Silksong, one thing remains clear: the thrill of overcoming seemingly impossible odds is what keeps many coming back for more. Whether you're battling through Verdania's lush yet treacherous realms or braving the punishing depths of Bilewater, there's an undeniable allure to mastering these obstacles. As you prepare for your next epic journey in Pharloom, finding the best deals on games can enhance your gaming experience without breaking the bank.

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