Worst bossrun so far was probably the judge which was only like 2 screens when you think about it.
I think you can theoretically get the fleas to move in right before the boss room, but I don’t know how many of them you need to find for that to happen. Maybe killing the boss is also a trigger, so in that case this won’t work.
I do feel that the game was created with players like me in mind, someone who did all pantheon, steal soul mode as well as all achievements in hk but is a little bit rusty from the long wait.
I feared they might do something like this, but don’t think they did. I finished Hollow Knight twice, last time was almost six years ago, never did any Pantheon or challenge stuff, same with other Metroidvanias. The game is difficult, but don’t think it’s unreasonable (I’m also in Act 2, maybe the beginning).
So looks like I forgot about at least one bench.
spoiler
First is in a house, that you need to pay to enter, with a bench and vendor inside.
The ones I originally meant are below the Citadel, there are a few rooms, with two or three benches each, but you have to pay 15 every time to use the bench for a short time.
Dunno which one of those you mean, that can be made permanently free, or if there’s even others I forgot or haven’t found myself.