How do you beat Widow in Silksong? This boss has Bellhart caught up in its sticky web, and it’ll take all your efforts to ensure that Hornet doesn’t join them. The Silksong Widow is relentless, and her aggression is enough to give the most seasoned Hollow Knight veterans a run for their rosaries.
Widow is one of the main Silksong bosses, so there’s no getting around it – if you want to progress in the Metroidvania game, you have to beat her. It’s also the main condition to save Bellhart and rescue the townsfolk from Widow’s silken threads. We’ve got her exact location on the Silksong map and the best boss strategy to beat her easily.
How to get to Widow
The Silksong Widow is located above Bellhart, but the boss room can only be accessed via Shellwood.
You need to pick up the Silksong Wall Jump ability to reach the path that leads to the boss room. Hop up the vertical line of green ledges on the left of the main bench in Shellwood, then follow the route up and around to the right-hand side.
Head right past the elevator, then hop up the platforms and destroy the false wall to access the secret bell tunnels on the right. Proceed down through the tunnels, avoiding the spikes and enemies as you go, until you reach an open path on the left. Drop down, then turn right until you reach the gap in the floor that leads to Widow.
If you find the bell tunnel route takes too long, you can also open an optional shortcut from the bench that skips the bell tunnel. Instead of dropping down to the platform above Widow, continue left and break the false wall to open a secret shortcut. Continue left, then break the vines to emerge on the left-hand side of the central bench.
How to beat Widow
The Silksong Widow boss fight is an exercise in greed management and positioning, so be prepared to master both if you want to beat it.
Widow’s primary attack involves her leaping into the air to perform a diagonal downward dash towards Hornet’s position. Dodge under her to avoid it, then immediately jump towards her to avoid her follow-up dash-strike.
If you have the Wanderer or Reaper Silksong crest, you should be able to pogo off Widow while leaping over this follow-up dash, but we don’t recommend attempting this with Hornet’s basic moveset. It’s also a good opportunity to heal in mid-air if you need it, especially in her second phase.
Widow uses bells as AoE attacks similar to the Silksong Bell Beast, though her attack patterns are far more variable and aggressive. When Widow begins pulling silk from thin air, that’s your split-second warning before bells start raining from the sky. On the plus side, this is a good opportunity to sneak in a free hit or two.
You can predict which direction bells will come from by the silk threads that appear over the boss room, but be aware that they bounce once on impact. The diagonal bells are much harder to avoid than the vertical bells; you can dash under their trajectory and remain stationary to reliably avoid them. In the latter half of the fight, Widow occasionally summons a hail of three to seven bells at once. Move to a safe spot that’s far from her position to avoid getting pinned down by her dash-strike.
Whenever Widow dashes from one side of the room to the other, sprint in the opposite direction and use Cling Grip to evade the bells that burst from the floor. You can also use the Drifter’s Cloak to slow your descent. It’s very easily avoided, and you can sneak in a free hit to Widow as she goes.
Widow’s second phase is even more aggressive. She cycles through the same attack patterns that appear in phase one, but her melee attacks continue as the bells fly. It’s crucial to avoid jumping unnecessarily at this point, since you can easily leap into their trajectory.
There are two pretty reliable safe zones in this boss room: the middle, and the far-right corner. It’s not foolproof, but the bells are less likely to bounce on these positions, giving you a second to heal before the next barrage. However, try to stay in the mid-range so you have enough wiggle room to dodge Widow whenever she dashes forward.
Silksong Tools aren’t strictly necessary for the Widow fight, but they can certainly help you continue to deal damage while staying on the defensive. We recommend the Sting Shard, but Straight Pins and Tacks also work in a pinch.
The Silkspear is also a reliable way to deal ranged damage, but to be honest, you’ll need all the silk you can muster to heal – especially in the final beats of the boss fight.
After you beat the Silksong Widow, return to Bellhart and pick up the Silksong Needle upgrade before you continue fighting through Pharloom. There’s also a Silksong Pollip and Lost Flea to be found on the route to Widow, so don’t forget to pick them up while you’re here.
