Boss Guide#

Main Story Bosses#

False Knight#

Location: Forgotten Crossroads — the arena Recommended charms: Soul Catcher

Phase 1 strategy:

• Stay at mid range and bait the slam attack
• After the slam, the head is exposed — that’s your attack window
• Once it takes enough damage the boss falls down — unleash everything
• Watch out for rocks falling from the ceiling

Phase 2 strategy:

• The boss jumps and slams far more often
• Walls break open to reveal new escape routes
• The fight speeds up — stay calm

Hornet (First Fight)#

Location: Greenpath Recommended charms: Steady Body

Hornet is the Knight’s first real skill check. Fast and agile, she attacks with her needle and thread.

Hornet is the first true technical test the Knight faces. She moves with remarkable speed and agility, striking with her needle and thread.

Strategy:

• She bounces around the room constantly
• Her needle throws can be predicted and dodged
• Duck or dash under her thread attacks
• Your window is the brief pause after her attacks
• Don’t overcommit — wait for her attacks to leave an opening

Soul Master#

Location: City of Tears — Soul Sanctum Recommended charms: Quick Focus, Dashmaster

Soul Master is the first wall many newcomers hit. It has multiple spell attacks and teleportation.

Phase 1 strategy:

• The soul orb barrages can be dodged with dashes
• The ground shockwaves require jumps
• After it teleports, reposition quickly and strike from the side
• Never stand directly below it — you’ll eat the falling slam

Phase 2 strategy:

• The boss becomes a phantom and chain-dashes
• Wait in the center of the room and counter after each dash
• The phantom dashes follow a fixed rhythm you can predict

Watcher Knights#

Location: City of Tears — the Watcher’s Spire Recommended charms: Quick Slash, Mark of Pride, Fragile Strength A gauntlet of 6 armored knights, usually 2 at a time. Extremely challenging.

Strategy:

• Jump-slash is your main attack; jump to evade
• During their rolling attacks you can pogo off them
• Open up distance and pick them off one at a time
• Use the ropes above to drop one knight out early
• Their shields can be broken by pogoing (but it’s very hard)
• This fight is a DPS check — the more attack power the better

Dream Bosses#

Failed Champion#

Location: False Knight’s arena (dream form) Recommended charms: Quick Slash, Fragile Strength

An empowered False Knight — more damage, faster rhythm.

Strategy:

• The pattern is basically the same as False Knight, but phase transitions come faster
• After the slam, dream energy chases you
• Attack windows are shorter — your damage must be more precise
• Spells are recommended for safe damage

Grey Prince Zote#

Location: Dirtmouth — Zote’s tent Recommended charms: Quick Focus, Shaman Stone

Strategy:

• Jump and pogo over his ground dashes
• His aerial shockwaves telegraph before landing
• Clear the mini-Zotes he summons first
• At higher levels phantom Zotes join the fight
• Watch for delayed ground explosions

Nightmare King Grimm#

Location: Howling Cliffs — The Grimm Troupe DLC Recommended charms: Sharp Shadow

Strategy:

• The fire-bat barrages demand mixing jumps and dashes
• His ground dash-stab needs precise jump timing
• After his dive he lingers in place — attack window
• Hide in the gaps between the fire pillars
• The rhythm of this fight is defense — counter — defense
• Sharp Shadow turns your dash into extra damage

Final Bosses#

The Hollow Knight#

Location: Temple of the Black Egg Recommended charms: Quick Slash, Mark of Pride

Phase 1 strategy:

• Back off from the three-hit combo
• Jump over the ground stabs and counter
• Move fast to dodge the tentacle attacks
• The Hollow Knight stabs itself, generating lots of SOUL

Phase 2 strategy:

• The floor erupts with infection tendrils
• The boss attacks faster
• Punish it hard while it stabs itself
• Heal after the tentacle attacks

The Radiance#

Location: The dream / inside the Temple of the Black Egg Recommended charms: Shaman Stone

Phase 1:

• Keep moving constantly against the light-sword barrages
• Dodge the light pillars by watching the ground warnings
• Attacking the head is the only way to deal damage

Phase 2:

• Platforms appear — fight by hopping between them
• Spiked orbs track you
• Her window is after the dive attack

Phase 3:

• The Radiance becomes a giant form — only the head can be hit
• Massive light barrages cover the whole screen
• Howling Wraiths works wonders here
• Keep rising — never get pinned to the bottom

Pantheon Bosses#

Remaining Story and Side Boss Essentials#

Gruz Mother#

Location: Forgotten Crossroads — deep in the nest Key points:

• Pogo off her as she drops from above to break her shell fast
• Dash sideways when she explodes
• An overall tutorial boss — the point is practicing your pogo timing

Mantis Lords#

Location: Fungal Wastes — Mantis Village Recommended charms: Mark of Pride, Soul Catcher Key points:

• The three Lords fight you one duel at a time, each faster
• Counter their aerial dash attacks by pogoing off them
• Their ground stabs have obvious windups — jump early
• Beating all three duels earns the Mantis Claw (wall climbing)

Soul Warrior#

Location: City of Tears — above the Soul Sanctum Key points:

• An empowered Soul Master with a higher attack frequency
• Use the falling shaft in the Soul Master’s room to chip it down repeatedly
• Stay at mid range and unload spells the instant it teleports in

Uumuu#

Location: Fog Canyon — the Teacher’s Archives Key points:

• It lurks in the jellyfish bloom and lunges out when approached
• Beating it grants a charm upgrade
• Clear the nearby lesser enemies before the fight — don’t get swarmed

Hornet (Second Fight)#

Location: Queen’s Gardens — deep in the gardens Recommended charms: Quick Slash, Steady Body Key points:

• Compared to the first fight she adds aerial spinning dashes and area thread attacks
• Interrupt her diagonal dash-stabs with pogo hits
• Windows are shorter — survive first, damage second

Hive Knight#

Location: The Hive — deep in the hive Key points:

• His aerial dash ambushes come fast — keep moving
• Clear the worker bees first when he summons them
• Beating him grants the Hiveblood charm — excellent healing efficiency

Charm Loadout Recommendations#

By Boss Type#

General Loadout Principles#

• Early on your charm notches are limited — carry a single core damage charm instead of greedily stacking many.
• Healing charms beat damage charms when meeting a hard boss for the first time.
• Nail-binding and charm-binding challenges disable your loadout — fundamentals carry you there.
• Before the Pantheons, fix two favorite loadouts and practice switching between them — less fumbling mid-run.

Pantheon Challenge Essentials#

Pantheon of Hallownest Sprint Strategy#

• Every Pantheon before the final one is a stepping stone — clear the first three before grinding for the last.
• Charms and status don’t carry over inside a Pantheon — bring long-duration loadouts (Hiveblood, Dream charms).
• Against Absolute Radiance, don’t get greedy on the phase-two platforms — the gap after her dive is the safest damage window.