In this Hollow Knight Bosses Locations Guide, we will guide you on different bosses encountered in Hollow Knight. Hollow Knight features tons of unique bosses that you will be required to fight and defeat to complete the game.
Hollow Knight Bosses Locations
The sheer amount of bosses in the game and the much harder difficulty makes this game a solid Dark Souls contender. We have detailed all the bosses in our Locations Guide so that you can view vital information about them and know where to find them and what will you get for defeating them.
Since each boss is unique, you must know their strengths and weaknesses if you want to take them down and our guide takes care of that.
Broken Vessel
Broken Vessel is a shattered corpse who has been brought back to life by infected parasites.
Location: Ancient Basin
HP: 525
Reward: Monarch Wings
Boss Moves
- Slash – Dashes forwards quickly to slash you with the nail.
- Aerial Slash – Jumps up and quickly crashes down to slash you.
- Leap – Leaps in any direction around the arena.
- Flail – Swings its nails overhead multiple times in both directions.
- Slam – Leaps up and performs a slam attack while also spawning blobs.
- Headbanger – Fills the arena with infectious blobs that fly upwards.
- Balloon – Spawns a Balloon blob that flies slowly towards Knight. Causes damage on impact.
Brooding Mawlek
Hollow Knight is a very ferocious creature. It is also a social creature but it can be aggressive if it unable to adjust with other creatures of its own species.
Location: Forgotten Crossroads
HP: 300
Reward: Mask Shard
Boss Moves
- Slash – Slashes downwards on the Knight if it gets too close.
- Spit – Spits a couple of blobs towards the Knight while also moving.
- Leap – Jumps upon the Knight then quickly leaps back to the start position.
- Vomit – Vomits cumbersome blobs towards the Knight while standing idle.
Crystal Guardian
The Crystal Guardian is a heavyset miner based in Crystal Peak who has been overcome by a crystal growth. You’ll have two encounters with the boss, each with varying difficulty and reward. Both HPs and rewards are mentioned below.
Location: Crystal Peak
HP: 280/450
Reward: 385/550
Boss Moves
- Laser Beam – Shoots an energy beam at the Knight.
- Sky Beam – Showers a couple of energy beams from above.
- Hop – Hops to move around the arena.
Dung Defender
The Dung Defender is a huge beetle boss who is a skilled warrior underneath. It attacks its enemies with balls of compacted dung and hence boasts a decent attack range.
Location: Royal Waterways
HP: 700
Reward: Defender’s Crest
Boss Moves
- Toss – It tosses a ball that bounces around the arena for 5 seconds. Can be broken if sufficient hits are landed on it.
- Burst – Goes underground for a few second, as it comes above ground, it shoots 4 ball just like toss.
- Dive – Dives into the ground coming up and then back down in waves.
- Zeal – Goes into rage at about half HP and chains a series of fast burst attacks.
- Evade – Rolls into a ball to get away from the Knight.
False Knight
False Knight is a huge maggot and looks terrifying holding a giant bolder attached to a stick as a weapon. It also has a strong armored shell, which is rumored to be stolen from another creature. Its body parts have different HPs; the main body has 65 HP while the head has its own HP of 40.
Location: Forgotten Crossroads
HP: 65+40
Reward: City Crest
Boss Moves
- Slam – Slams it mace into the ground causing a shockwave through the arena.
- Leaping Slam – Jumps up and towards the knight slamming its mace when close to the ground.
- Rage – Goes into a rage when its armor is shattered. Slams mace in both directions, causing rocks to fall from the ceiling.
Flukemarm
The Flukemarm keeps its young inside it so it is mostly filled with its own babies. It also reproduces at an alarming rate.
Location: Royal Waterways
HP: 350
Reward: Flukenest
Boss Moves
- Spawn – Spawns two Flukefeys every couple of seconds that attack the Knight.
God Tamer
God tamer excels at training other creatures and will always be found fighting next to them. She is also a veteran warrior herself belonging to the Colosseum of Fools. Her mount has 450 HP while she has 600 HP.
Location: Trial of the Fool
HP: 450+600
Reward: nil
Boss Moves
- Leap – The tamer leap into the air and hurls it lance down on the Knight.
- Rolling – The tamer’s beast rolls across the arena as a ball and flies into the air to land on the Knight when it hits the wall.
- Spew – It spawn cumbersome blobs of infections that travel in different direction covering the arena.
Gruz Mother
Gruz Mother has no chill and it attacks by hurling her body at the enemies. This is even stranger as it carries her babies in its belly. You can encounter it at two places. If you encounter it at Forgotten Roads, it will have 90 HP and give you 50 Geos as reward. If you encounter it at Colosseum of Fools during the Trial of Warrior, it will have 120 HP.
Location: Forgotten Crossroads, Colosseum of Fools
HP: 90, 120
Rewards: 50 Geos, nil
Boss Moves
- Charge – Charges at the Knight.
- Zig Zag Slam – Slams wildly between the wall and the floor slowly moving ahead. Covers whole arena.
The Hollow Knight
The Hollow Knight contains the plague’s heart inside its body and is the fully-grown vessel. It comes with four phases of boss fight. Each phase will be unique and The Hollow Knight will change its move set.
Location: Temple of Black Egg
Hp: 1000
Boss Moves
- Triple Slash – Slashes its nail quickly thrice.
- Lunge – Jumps into the air and tries to land where the Knight stands.
- Parry – Block the Knights attack and quickly follows with an offensive.
- Flame Pillar Dive – Leaps into the air and land where the Knight is, makes a flame pillar to gush out of the ground.
- Contrition – Reduces the amount of damage it takes when its health is at the lowest.
Hornet Protector
Hornet is equipped with a needle and thread and does hesitate to kill anyone foolish enough to storm the Hallownest’s Ruins which it protects. It has 225 HP during the first encounter and 700 health during the second encounter.
Location: Greenpath, Cast-Off Shell, City of Tears, The Abyss, Beast’s Den, Temple of the Black Egg
HP: 225, 700
Rewards: Mothwing Cloak or King’s Brand
Boss Moves
- Lunge – Lunges at the Knight with its needle.
- Aerial Lunge – Jumps and lunges at the Knights with its needle.
- Gossamer Storm – Unleashes a storm attack with area affect that is centered around itself.
- Throw – Throw its needle towards the Knight than retracts it back. Can cause damage when retracting as well.
Mantis Lords
Mantis Lords is a combination of three leaders of the Mantis tribe. They are extremely quick and they are equipped with nail-lances. They are exceptionally good warriors. During the fight, they will have 210 HP during the first phase and 160+160 HP for the second phase.
Location: Mantis Village
HP: 210, 160+160
Rewards: Mark of Pride, Hallownest Seal or 620 Geos
Boss Moves
- Dash – Dashes towards you quickly from either side of the arena.
- Drop – Hover over the Knight for a moment then quickly drop down with its lance.
- Boomerang – Throws its weapon that roams the arena boomeranging back to it.
Nosk
Nosk is a deceiving boss because it can mimic the shape of different creatures to lure unsuspecting enemies to its lair. It then devours them without any remorse.
Location: Deepnest
HP: 680
Reward: Pale Ore
Boss Moves
- Charge – Quickly charges in your direction.
- Leap – Jump into the air and crashes down upon you.
- Eruption – Come to the center and shoot infectious blob covering the whole arena.
- Rain – Jumps up into the ceiling and disappeares from site. Then drop infectious blobs from above every few moments.
Soul Master
Soul Master is the head of the Soul Sanctum. It hoards the souls of other creatures in order to stave offHallownest’s affliction. He has 275 HP for the first phase and 110 HP for the second phase.
Location: Soul Sanctum
HP: 275, 110
Reward: Desolate Dive
Boss Moves
- Dash – Dashes across the arena, quickly towards the Knight.
- Orb – Shoots an infectious orb towards the Knight.
- Clock – Conjures orb that rotate around the Soul Master as he flies around the arena.
- Slam – Slams onto the ground sending impact waves across the arena.
- Fake Out Slam – Fakes a slam is coming then changes position with the Knight’s movement.
The Collector
The Collector is locked inside the Tower of Love where it loves to collect and preserve different creatures. He specially loves Grubs but also preserves other Hallownest’s creatures.
Location: Tower of Love
HP: 750
Reward: Collector’s Map
Boss Moves
- Jar – Jumps onto the ceiling and makes glass jar rain down. The jar shatter when they fall ad release Vengeflies, Baldurs or Aspid Hunters. When its health is low, it rains more glasses and summons more monsters.
- Grab – Leap towards the Knight and grabs him to cause damage.
The Radiance
It is considered as the forgotten light. It comes with a large move set which is used during the boss fight.
Location: Temple of Black Egg
HP: 1,700
Reward: nil
Boss Moves
- Beam Burst – Shoot multiple beams around itself.
- Sword Burst – Shoot numerous swords running in all directions.
- Sword Rain – Rains pillars of swords from the ceiling.
- Sword Wall – Creates a wall of swords that travel across the arena.
- Orb – Summons orbs to attack the Knight.
- Wall of Light – Summons a light wall that traverses the whole arena.
- Spike Floor – Creates spikes on sections of the floor that disappear after a while
- Big Beam – Shoot massive energy beam at the Knight,
Traitor Lord
The deposed Traitor Lord used to be a Lord of the Mantis tribe until it turned dark. It embraced infection and turned sour to his sisters and his tribe.
Location: Queen’s Garden
HP: 800
Reward: White Lady
Boss Moves
- Dive – Jumps into the air and tries on dive straight onto the Knight.
- Dash – Dashes quickly towards the Knight to hit him.
- Dancing Glaives – Shoots spinning blades at the Knight that cover a large area.
- Radiant Waves – Causes shockwaves in the ground the travel in both directions.
Uumuu
Uumuu resembles a jellyfish but it is a very intelligent being who is responsible for guarding the inner chamber of Teacher’s Archives.
Location: Teacher’s Archive
HP: 300
Reward: Monomon Teacher
Boss Moves
- Burst – Creates a burst of light that fills the arena
- Chase – Creates light bursts that chase the Knight as he tries to evade.
Watcher Knight
This is actually a discarded shell of a Watcher Knight, which has been brought back to life by a swarm of infected flies. Comes equipped with a sword and does rolling attacks as well.
Location: Watcher’s Spire
HP: 1320
Reward: 650 Geos, Hallownest Seal or Lurien the Watcher
Boss Moves
- Double Slash – Slashes its swords at the Knight twice, quickly.
- Roll – Curls up into a ball and rolls across the arena to knock the Knight.
- Bounce – While as a ball, it bounces across the arena and tries to hit the Knight twice.
Warrior Dreams
These bosses can only be challenged once you have acquired the Dream Nail. Defeating them rewards you with handsome amount of essence.
Elder Hu
Elder Hu is nothing more than a lingering dream of a fallen warrior. It has travelled around the world trying to help the infected.
Location: Fungul Wastes
HP: 200 or 650
Reward: 100 essence
Boss Moves
- Teleport – Warps quickly around the arena to catch you off guard.
- Ring Slam – Summons energy rings that slam down on the gound from above.
- Ring Curtain – Creates a layer of rings that cover most of the arena. Then slam them on the ground.
Galien
Galien is yet another lingering dream of a fallen warrior. It however, wants to become a Knight and has been trained in the wilds surrounding the kingdom.
Location: Deepnest
HP: 200 or 650
Reward: 200 essence
Boss Moves
- Scythe Spin – Control a scythe that hovers around trying to slash the Knight.
- Scythe Ricochet – A huge scythe bounces around the arena.
- Soul Scythe – Several smaller scythes bounce around the arena covering most safe areas.
Gorb
Another dream of a fallen warrior which is a mysterious life form and contains all the knowledge of the world in its brain.
Location: Howling Cliffs
HP: 200 or 570
Reward: 100 essence
Boss Moves
- Warp – Teleport around the arena quickly to catch you off guard.
- Spear Cast – Shoot multiple spears in your direction.
Markoth
Markoth is the last remaining fighting member of his forgotten tribe and is a lingering dream of a fallen warrior.
Location: Kingdom’s Edge
HP: 200 or 705
Reward: 250 essence
Boss Moves
- Teleport – Warp instantly from one place to another.
- Nail Summon – Summons nails to dart them at the Knight.
- Shield Cyclone – Creates shields that spins around it in a wide radius.
Marmu
Another lingering dream of a fallen warrior who also happens to be the protector of Queen’s Gardens.
Location: Queen’s Garden
HP: 200 or 570
Reward: 150 essence
Boss Moves
- Roll – Curls up into a ball and rolls towards the Knight trying to knock him.
No Eyes
No Eyes disappeared during the plague yet it is another lingering dream of a fallen warrior.
Location: Greenpath
HP: 200 or 570
Reward: 200 essence
Boss Moves
- Spirit Summon – It summons multiple spirit that moves up and down on waves spawn a lot of the area. When its health is low, the spawn rate increases.
- Teleport – It warps around the arena to change position.
Xero
Xero was executed for crimes against the king but now remains back in the world as a lingering dream of a fallen warrior.
Location: Resting Grounds
HP: 200 or 570
Reward: 100 essence
Boss Moves
- Nails of Light – Summons between 2-4 nails to dart at the Knight. The number of nails increase as its health depletes.
Failed Champion
Failed Champion is encountered in Forgotten Crossroads. Its body has 360 HP while the head has separate HP of 40.
Location: Forgotten Crossroads
HP: 360+40
Reward: 300 essence
Boss Moves
- Slam – Jumps up and slams the ground at the Knight’s position creating shockwaves all over the arena.
- Leaping Slam – Much quicker and much more potent than the regular slam.
- Rage – Slams its mace on the ground causing boulders to fall from above.
Lost Kin
Location: Ancient Basin
HP: 1200
Reward: 400 essence
Boss Moves
- Slash – Dashes towards the Knight while slashes with its sword.
- Aerial Slash – Jump up and come crashing down to slash the Knight with its sword.
- Leap – Quickly moves around the arena from one side to the other.
- Flail – Slashes its sword quickly in both directions multiple times.
- Slam – Jumps up and slams down on the Knight’s position while also spawning blobs that can slam the Knight.
- Balloon – Creates a balloon of infection that slowly flies towards the Knight causing damage on contact.
Soul Tyrant
It is found in Soul Sanctum. It will have 900 HP during the first phase of the boss fight and 350 HP during the second phase of the fight.
Location: Soul Sanctum
HP: 900/350
Reward: 300 essence
Boss Moves
- Dash – Dashes across the arena, quickly towards the Knight.
- Orb – Shoots an infectious orb towards the Knight.
- Clock – Conjures orb that rotate around the Soul Master as he flies around the arena.
- Slam – Slams onto the ground sending impact waves across the arena.
- Fake Out Slam – Fakes a slam is coming then changes position with the Knight’s movement.
Grey Prince Zote
Every time he is defeated, he becomes much stronger. He is now a remaining figment of an obsessed mind and nothing else.
Location: Dirthmouth
HP: 1200 or 1500
Reward: 300 essence
Boss Moves
- Frantic Swings – Cashes the Knight while swinging its sword and also slams the ground to create shockwaves.
- Zotling Summon – Summons Zotelings that independently attack the Knight.
- Shadow Slam – Warps to appear right above the Knight, then crashes down and creates shockwaves.
- Leaping Slam – Jumps up and crashes down to create shockwaves.
- Retreat Slam – Jumps backwards and creates shockwaves.
White Defender
White Defender is only a figured remain of a fondly remembered past. It also becomes stronger after every defeat.
Location: Royal Waterways
HP: 1600
Reward: 300 essence
Boss Moves
- Dung Toss – Tosses 2-3 dung balls that bounce around the arena.
- Bouncing Beetle – Curls up in a ball and bounces across the arena.
- Dung Eruption – Disappears underground for a while then throws multiple dung ball on both sides of the arena.
- Dung Dives – Dives in and out of ground going across the arena like a fish.
- Dung Eruption – Slams the ground to pull out pillars that scatter Dung balls on the arena.
- Zeal – Goes into a rage, perform Dung Eruption multiple times in a row.
Grimm
Grimm is the master of the Grimm Troupe, located in Dirtmouth.
Location: Dirtmouth
HP: 800 or 1000
Reward: Notch or Grimmchild (Level 3)
Boss Moves
- Dive Dash – Leaps into the area and turns into a screw to crash down upon the Knights position.
- Dashing Puch – Dashes towards the Knight punching him at the end while leaving flames in its trail.
- Cloak Spike – Creates spikes on the ground by throwing its cloak.
- Flames – Comes to the center of the arena and spawns flames all over the arena.
- Evade – Evade Knight’s attack and follows with an offensive.
- Batmation – Turns into a swarm of bat that attack the Knight.
Nightmare King
Nightmare King is a twisted specter of a scarlet flame. He excels at fire attacks and is found in Dirtmouth.
Location: Dirtmouth
HP: 1500
Reward: Grimmchild (Level 4)
Boss Moves
- Firebat Teleport – When summoning bats, if the Knight comes to attack, it instantly teleports to the otherside of the arena and releases a swarm of bats.
- Flame Pillars – Hovers over the ground and causes flames pillar to rise from the ground for a few moments.
- Dive Dash – Leaps into the area and turns into a screw to crash down upon the Knights position.
- Dashing Puch – Dashes towards the Knight punching him at the end while leaving flames in its trail.
- Cloak Spike – Creates spikes on the ground by throwing its cloak.
- Flames – Comes to the center of the arena and spawns flames all over the arena.
- Evade – Evade Knight’s attack and follows with an offensive.
- Batmation – Turns into a swarm of bat that attack the Knight.
Hive Knight
Hive Knight protects Hive’s Queen with its life and is a ferocious fighter although it cannot fly.
Location: Hive’s Queen
HP: 800
Reward: Hiveblood
Boss Moves
- Bee Cannon – Spawn Hivelings that fly towards the Knight from above.
- Lunge – Dashes along the ground in a lunge position with the spear in front.
- Beenades – Summons 3 spiked ball of explosive that burst near the Knight.
- Teleport – Quickly warps around the arena.
- Leaping Ball – Curls into a ball then leaps onto the Knight
