Silksong’s Most Infuriating Bugs: A 2026 Survivor’
Hollow Knight: Silksong’s most frustrating enemies create brutal arenas, drain resources, and make Pharloom’s journey an unforgettable nightmare.
Hollow Knight: Silksong has been out for a while by 2026, and its reputation as a punishing metroidvania has only hardened. Players still expect a few bugs in a game about bugs, but Team Cherry’s sequel delivers an overwhelming swarm of them. Not technical glitches—these are intentional, exquisitely designed nightmares. They block paths, drain resources, and turn small arenas into deathtraps. For anyone revisiting Pharloom or finally picking up the sequel, here is a third-person tour of the critters that have caused the most frustration. 
Kilik
Kilik looks small. It looks weak. That is the trap. This bug appears throughout early areas and can be summoned by the Savage Beastfly to shrink an already cramped arena. Its spikes, however, shoot out much farther than its body suggests. A narrow tunnel with a Kilik becomes a stop sign. Floor and ceiling Kiliks create a skewer. Hornet’s needle cannot always reach the inner body, so players must wait, dodge, and chip away. It is a lesson in patience that nobody asked for.
Savage Beastfly
The ordinary beastflies are annoying. The Savage Beastfly is a digital war crime wrapped in a rotund bug body. It is an optional boss, but that does not make the fight pleasant. The arena is tiny. The Beastfly is huge. It dashes around at heights that sometimes feel unavoidable, and it summons extra bugs to make the space even smaller. Oh, and it has an obscene health pool. In 2026, guides may recommend certain tools or strategies, but the memory of that first encounter still stings.
Overgrown Pilgrim
Early areas like Mosshome introduce the Overgrown Pilgrim, a victim of Pharloom’s Haunting who now makes that everyone else’s problem. The Pilgrim spits at Hornet, then leaps away. It interrupts jumps toward platforms. It hops off ledges, forcing a chase and a restart of the platforming section. The damage is not the issue; the disruption is. Every spit feels personal. Every leap feels like a taunt.
Snitchfly
Wealth is scarce beneath the Citadel of Pharloom, and the Snitchfly is determined to redistribute it—to itself. This thief does not deal much damage, but it can leap onto Hornet and tear away loose rosaries. Defeat it, and the rosaries return. Die or leave the area, and they are gone. Snitchflies are basically the Citadel’s bigwigs with worse manners and better jumping. Few enemies feel as personally offensive. 
Flintflame Flyer
Deep Rock is full of bugs in protective gear, toiling around magma and harvesting flintstone. Their helmets stop attacks from above, but most are slow enough to handle. Then comes the Flintflame Flyer, a demolitions expert who throws incredibly explosive bombs. Send a bomb back? It blocks. Those helmets are thick. The explosion is massive enough to black out the screen and wipe out Hornet in one hit. It is a bug immune to its own bombs, and that feels deeply unfair.
Skarrgard and the Skarr Bugs
Hunter’s March brings color back to Pharloom: red shells, greenery, water. It also brings Skarrgard and every other Skarr bug. These are trained killers. They carry weapons, dash, burrow, fire projectiles, and wear helmets. What are they fighting that requires this much defense? The player, apparently. The learning curve in Hunter’s March is cruel, even if the bugs themselves are brilliantly designed. Loving them and hating them can happen at the same time.
Swamp Squit
Bilewater is already a nightmare: no map, barely any light, maggots that eat silk. Then the Swamp Squits arrive. They swarm, dash, and explode after defeat. Worse, they respawn almost instantly. Flying enemies can be fun because they push Hornet’s agile combat style, but the Swamp Squit pushes too far. It is a bad bug. Many players learn to simply avoid them, which is not a compliment to their design.
Stilkin
Another Bilewater introduction, the Stilkin hides in everything and is one of the few bugs not killed by water. It hops out of grass, dives beneath the surface, and shoots poison darts that explode. It keeps hopping. It is nearly impossible to swipe with a needle. Sinner’s Road has tough enemies, but Bilewater’s Stilkin are on another level of evasion and annoyance.
Pharlid
Around the Blasted Steps,
