The Hollow Knight is an integral character in Team Cherry's game. Similar to the Knight, the Hollow Knight is a void creature and was chosen by the Pale King to be the vessel that seals the Radiance, thus freeing Hallownest from the infection. He is an absolutely interesting character and one of the best boss fights in Hollow Knight.
As one of the final bosses in the game, getting to the Hollow Knight is far from straightforward. How one deals with the fight and the process they do to get there will also affect the campaign's ending. Here are the steps the player needs to take to get to and fight the Hollow Knight.
Spells And Abilities Needed To Complete The Task
While it's advisable to have every single spell and ability in the game before attempting to get to the Hollow Knight, some are also necessary so that players can get to certain places they need to go before reaching the Hollow Knight. Here are the spells and abilities the player must first acquire before moving forward:
- Monarch Wings – This is useful in reaching higher platforms. It can be picked up in the Ancient Basin after the Broken Vessel boss fight.
- Shade Cloak – A better version of the Mothwing Cloak. This will allow the player to dash through Shade Gates. It can be acquired in the Abyss.
- Mantis Claw – Found in the Mantis Village. Useful for grabbing and jumping off walls.
- Isma's Tear – Found in Isma's Grove on the southeastern part of the Royal Waterways. This will allow the player to swim in acid pools.
- Crystal Heart – Found in Crystal Peak. This will allow the player to dash through wide chasms. It is also helpful in getting to the Monarch Wings.
Collect The Dream Nail
The first thing the player needs to do is to collect the Dream Nail, which is located in the Resting Grounds. There are multiple ways of getting to this place. Here are all the paths the player could take to get to the Resting Grounds:
- Using the Tram from the Forgotten Crossroads. Players will first need to acquire the Tram Pass, located in the Failed Tramway in Deepnest, to use the Trams.
- Enter via the Blue Lake, east of Salubra's Hut.
- Jump down the chasm in Crystal Peak.
- Use the eastern lift in the City of Tears.
Once the player arrives at the Resting Grounds, they'll find a statue of the three Dreamers. Inspecting this will send them to the Dream Realm. They can then receive the Dream Nail from a giant Moth after doing a little platforming.
Find The Three Dreamers
Once the player acquires the Dream Nail, the location of the three Dreamers will appear on the map. The player will need to destroy the bodies of the three Dreamers to gain access to the Temple of the Black Egg, the resting place of the Hollow Knight.
Lurien The Watcher
Lurien the Watcher sits atop a sub-area of the City of Tears called the Watcher's Spire. This area can be accessed by riding a lift right of the statue of the Hollow Knight. From there, the player must simply work their way up until they reach the boss room of the Watcher Knights, the final hurdle in reaching Lurien.
The player will need to defeat six Watcher Knights to complete this encounter. However, they can minimize this to five by breaking a ceiling just before the boss room, climbing up, and breaking a chandelier that drops down to destroy one Watcher Knight. After they are defeated, the player can continue heading upwards until they reach the sleeping body of Lurien.
The next step is to simply Dream Nail Lurien's body. This will send players to the Dream Realm where the Dreamer's vulnerable form is found. They must then attack the Dreamer until he perishes. They must then absorb him by using focus, and the deed is done.
Monomon The Teacher
Monomon is found in the Teacher's Archives, located in Fog Canyon. The Archives can be easily seen on the map as long as the player already has the map for the Fog Canyon and has traversed its vicinity. The player must enter the area from its right entrance since the left one is blocked off.
Once they make it inside the Teacher's Archives, they will first need to defeat a boss before they can make it to Monomon's sleeping body. The boss here is Uumuu, a giant jellyfish who will zap the player with electricity. The best thing to do here is to simply avoid the boss's attacks until Quirrel comes in and incapacitates the boss, leaving it open for the Knight to continue attacking him. After defeating Uumuu, the player can continue going deeper into the Archives to find Monomon the Teacher.
Herrah The Beast
Herrah the Beast is located in Beast's Den, which is found in the Distant Village in the most western part of Deepnest. The player will eventually reach this place by simply continuing to go left from the Deepnest bench that's next to the hot spring.
Once they enter the Beast's Den, players will be met by bugs who'll urge the Knight to sit at the bench. Doing so will take the Knight deeper inside the Beast's Den, where Herrah sleeps. They must navigate this dark area, fighting a couple of enemies along the way, until they reach Herrah's body.
Go To The Temple Of The Black Egg
Once all the Dreamers are dealt with, the seal that blocks the Temple of the Black Egg will be broken. The player must simply head inside to finally face the game's eponymous character, the Hollow Knight.
Defeating The Hollow Knight
By this point in the game, the player will have faced most of the game's bosses, making the Hollow Knight fight seem at least a tad familiar. However, he is still one of the more challenging bosses in the game. Here are the Hollow Knight's phases and the attacks the player should watch out for:
Phase 1
- Triple Slash – One of the Hollow Knight's most common attacks is his triple slash move. This can be easily dodged by simply dashing away from the Hollow Knight. A window of opportunity for attacking can also be taken advantage of by jumping behind him and attacking him after the attack is done.
- Lunge Attack – The Hollow Knight will often perform a forward lunge attack. This can be avoided by jumping over him or dashing through him. The Shade Cloak ability is useful for this tactic. When jumping over him, the player can also sneak a downward attack.
The Hollow Knight will also often teleport throughout the duration of the fight. To avoid unpredictable attacks, it is advised that the player move away from him when he teleports behind them. He will also occasionally parry the player's attacks so it is better to attack him when his guard is down.
Phase 2
During Phase 2, the Hollow Knight will still perform the triple slash and lunge attacks, with new additional ones.
- Infection Orbs – This is when the Hollow Knight hovers slightly in the air and expels a barrage of infection orbs towards the player. While dodging this attack is a little unpredictable, it can be avoided by standing directly outside the line of fire or by simply dashing right through one. If the player happens to make it behind the Hollow Knight while he is performing this attack, they can perform a series of attacks on him until he gathers up again.
- Flame Pillars – When the Hollow Knight jumps or teleports in the air, the player should keep their eyes on the ground and anticipate where the pillars are rising up from. Standing in between two pillars should keep the player safe, and will even give them the chance to attack the Hollow Knight with Vengeful Spirit or Shade Soul. This attack will deal two Masks of damage, making it one of his most powerful.
Phase 3
The Hollow Knight will keep his attacks from Phase 2 during the next section of the fight, but he'll stop doing the triple slash and lunge attacks.
- A Variation of the Infection Orb Attack - This is similar to the prior infection orb attack but on a much bigger scale. The Hollow Knight will hover in the air and shoot infection orbs everywhere. This can be very difficult to dodge, but through careful horizontal movement, it can be avoided completely.
- Bounce Attack – The Hollow Knight will float in the air and start to bounce around the room. He will track the Knight's movement so dodging this attack will require meticulous timing. If the player can time it right, they can hit the Hollow Knight as he slams himself on the ground.
- Self-inflicted Stabs – At one point, the Hollow Knight will continuously stab himself in the chest. This is a very good opportunity to either heal or barrage him with attacks.
Phase 4
This is the Hollow Knight's final phase. The only attack he will use here is the Bounce attack. He will also continue stabbing himself in the chest during this phase.
One noteworthy attack he tries but fails to do is a triple-slash, but at this point in the fight, the Hollow Knight is too weak to do so and falls to the ground instead. When he does this, the player can close in and attack him continuously until he is finally defeated.