Widow is one of the key story bosses in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and at first, she can feel overwhelming. Her movement seems erratic, and her attacks might look complicated. But once you break them down, her patterns are simple, and with the right strategy, she becomes very manageable.
Phase 1: Learning Her Patterns
In the first phase, Widow has four main attack types. This is the time to play aggressively and get familiar with her moves, since they’ll be much faster and harder in phase two.
Dash Attack
Widow hovers briefly, then dives down and follows up with a second dash toward you. Both hits deal 2 Masks of damage. To counter, step toward her, then perform a downward strike to parry the second dash. Practicing this early is essential for success in phase two.
Bell Attack
Widow stands still and projects glowing wires that show where bells will be thrown. This is her most vulnerable moment, so it’s a great chance to attack. Just stay alert for the bouncing bells so you don’t get clipped.
Bell Burst
She charges at you and then triggers a series of explosive bells across the floor. Either hop over her or pogo off her dash. For the eruptions, you can take a risk by timing a normal jump and hover, or stay safe by climbing a wall and descending once the bells are gone. This move even leaves you a small window to heal.
Heavy Bell Slam
With a longer animation, Widow summons a cluster of heavy bells that slam down on the arena. This move is easy to dodge and gives you another opportunity to punish her.
Phase 2: Defensive Play
Once phase two starts, you’ll need to switch gears. Widow unleashes constant streams of bells and faster dash attacks, so playing reactively is key.
Vertical Bell Attacks
These drop straight down and are easy to dodge. They also give you the safest openings to punish her in this phase.
Diagonal Bell Attacks
Jumping makes this harder—bells often rebound into your path. Instead, stay grounded and weave between them. This also keeps you ready to dodge her dashes.
Dash Attacks
Her dashes are far deadlier in phase two, still dealing 2 Masks of damage. The best counter is an aerial parry. Watch for the wind-up and respond quickly; getting hit here is costly.
Your core plan:
- Punish during vertical bell attacks.
- Stay grounded against diagonals.
- Parry her dashes consistently.
Once you settle into the rhythm, the fight becomes much more manageable.
Extra Tips
- You can deflect incoming bells if dodging feels too risky.
- The Poison Tool Charm (earned after the Rite of the Pollip quest in Shellwood) helps shorten the fight by adding damage over time.
- In phase one, take advantage of her long recovery times. Use them not just to attack, but also to safely heal.
- Don’t just jump over dash attacks—focus on well-timed aerial parries for reliable counters.
Summary: Widow looks intimidating, but her patterns are straightforward once you learn them. Be aggressive early, stay defensive later, and use parries wisely—before long, you’ll cut her down without much trouble.
