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?

cheapest steam keys

#game