How To Beat Mantis Lords in Hollow Knight

This guide will help teach you how to beat the Mantis Lords in Hollow Knight and show them who is the boss.

In the mysterious world of Hollow Knight, an exhilarating and challenging encounter awaits anyone who ventures into the Mantis Village. The three formidable insect warriors, the Mantis Lords, stand as formidable guardians, testing the strength of any adventurer who dares to challenge them. With their lightning-fast strikes and intricate patterns, defeating the Mantis Lords is no small feat.

With the right strategy, determination, and a dash of skill, the Knight can overcome this daunting trial. This victory then unlocks the secrets hidden within the Mantis Village. In this guide, we will walk you through how to beat the Mantis Lords in Hollow Knight.

We will delve into the details of the battle, offering invaluable tips and strategies to emerge victorious in this showdown. Prepare to hone your reflexes and embark on a journey to conquer the Mantis Lords in Hollow Knight!

The Mantis Lords

In Hollow Knight, the Mantis Lords are an optional boss battle that the Knight can take on. They are three sisters that govern the Mantis Tribe far inside the Fungal Wastes area. Beating the Mantis Lords allows the Knight to proceed through the Mantis Village unharmed.

According to in-game lore, Despite the banishment of their sibling and his supporters, who decided to embrace the Infection voluntarily, the Mantis Lords could fend off the Infection across Hallownest. The Mantis Lords have kept the inhabitants of Deepnest confined to their domain, eliminating those who would cross over to the area.

This responsibility was included in a truce with the Kingdom that was kept even as it fell. Nonetheless, the Mantis Lords, as with the other members of their Tribe, consider themselves fierce warriors. They grant entry into Deepnest to anyone who can defeat them in a fair contest in a makeshift arena inside the throne room.

The Mantis Lords’ Location

The Knight can find the Mantis Lords inside their throne room in the bottommost part of the Mantis Village. This is a sub-area in the southernmost part of the Fungal Wastes area. The Knight must open a large entrance to reach the Mantis Lord’s location.

Requirements To Face the Mantis Lords

The Knight must use the Mothwing Cloak ability to reach the Mantis Village and the Mantis Lords. This ability allows the Knight to execute a horizontal dash forward. However, the Knight will obtain and use the Mantis Claw ability on the way. This ability enables the Knight to cling to walls and jump from them.

In addition, the Knight will have to be good at Nail-bouncing. The Knight will have to Nail-bounce on purple mushrooms to traverse the area.

Enemies Found Before Facing the Mantis Lords

On the way to the Mantis Lords, the Knight will face several enemies. To be more specific, the Knight will come across Fungoons, Funglings, Fungified Husks, a Husk Hornhead, Sporgs, Shrumal Warriors, Shrumelings, Shrumal Ogres, Mantis Youths, and Mantis Warriors.

Path to the Mantis Lords

To find the Mantis Lords from the Queen’s Station, the Knight must do the following:

1. Beginning from the Queen’s Station Stag Station, exit to the right. Ascend the little platforms in the center of the room. Go to the right at the top, then jump and dash to a platform using the Mothwing Cloak ability. To leave the room, head right.
   
2. The Knight will then enter the Fungal Wastes. Go to the right and leap over the acid-filled gap. The Knight will come across a Fungoon here. Keep going to the right and jump across another acid-filled gap. Turn right and jump to the tiny platform on the right. The Knight will come upon two Funglings above. Keep heading right after jumping to the platform above on the right.
   
3. The Knight will come across another Fungoon here. Fall the gap, then to the right off the tiny platform. The Knight will then come upon a Husk Hornhead and a Fungoon. Keep going to the right to discover a Fungified Husk. Climb the platform above, then jump to the ledge on the right. Take the first right exit.
   
4. Next, use the little platforms to ascend this room. The Knight will come across three Sporgs on his way up. Take the exit on the right near the top of the room before an Ambloom.
5. Following that, proceed to the right to meet a Shrumal Warrior. To discover another Shrumal Warrior, proceed up the slightly raised platform.
   
6. Continue to the right and climb another somewhat raised platform. Jump up the little platform on the left above, then up another platform on the left above. To the left are two separate Shrumal Warriors. Cross another opening on the left to reach the exit.
   
7. Then, proceed to the left and strike the lever on the ceiling to activate a shortcut. Take the first exit on the right. Then, using the platforms, proceed to the right. After that, the Knight will be locked in a room with a few Shrumelings and two Shrumal Ogres. To proceed, the Knight must fight the foes. The Knight will receive a Charm Notch after conquering all of them. Exit the room by going to the right.
   
8. After that, go to the right while dashing over acid pools. Take the exit at the path’s end. From then, jump over the gap on the right to get to a large platform. Here, a Shrumal Warrior will face off against the Knight. To find another Shrumal Warrior and several Shrumelings, head to the right and jump over the gap. Turn right, drop down the gap, and exit on the right.
   
9. The Knight is going to come across a Fungoon on the right. Continue down the right gap, then turn back to go down another. Use the small platforms to guide you along the path. The Knight will run into a Sporg on the left. Drop down to the bottom of the right-hand gap, where the Knight will locate another Sporg. Turn left and continue down the path via the two little platforms.
   
10. The Knight will come upon another Sporg on the right. Exit the room by descending the ledge on the left. To leave the room, turn left. Move to the left and descend the gap to find several bouncy purple mushrooms. To achieve a higher jump, head to the left and nail-bounce on top of the purple mushroom near a wall. Land on the elevated platform to the left.
    
11. Next, there is an acid pool and two purple mushrooms. To get to another safe platform on the left, nail-bounce on the purple mushrooms above the acid pool. Drop down the little platform to the left and the safe platform near the acid pool. The Knight will run into a Fungified Husk at the end of the gap on the right. Turn right, drop down the gap, go to the left, and leave the room on the right.
    
12. The Knight will run into two Amblooms on the platform below. Take the path to the left to find a purple mushroom, then go to the path to the right to find a Sporg. Proceed down the next gap on the right to reach the room’s bottom. The Knight will encounter a Fungoon and another Sporg on the way down. At the bottom, exit the room on the right.
    
13. To get to the platform on the right, go to the right and nail-bounce on the purple mushroom over an acid pool. A Mantis Warrior will confront the Knight on this platform. Turn right to reach a platform, then jump and dash across the acid pool below.
    
14. A Mantis Youth will battle the Knight here. When the Knight continues to the right, they will encounter another Mantis Warrior. To discover another Mantis Youth, climb an elevated platform and drop down a gap. Exit the room through the door on the left.
    
15. Afterward, proceed to the left, drop down the gap, and descend the platforms to a small platform. The Knight will come upon another Mantis Youth at the bottom left. Move to the right, down the gap to a tiny platform, and then to the left to a large platform.
    
16. The Knight will come across yet another Mantis Warrior. Exit via the door on the left. After that, proceed to the left. Jump and dash to the platform above on the left at the end of the platform. Climb the left platform, then dash above the acid pool to a platform below. The Knight will come upon another Mantis Youth here.
    
17. Next, Continue to the left, and the Knight will arrive in the first room of the Mantis Village. Keep going to the left, where the Knight will find a Mantis Warrior, another Mantis Youth, and another Mantis Warrior. The Knight will find a switch above at the end of the platform. Hit the switch, and a passage above will open.
    
18. Return to the right until the Knight reaches the acid pool again. Head up the platforms above on the left to find a Mantis Warrior. The Knight will come upon a Mantis Youth at the platform’s end. Jump and dash over the gap to the next platform. Another Mantis Youth can be found here. Jump and dash across the gap at the left end of this platform to another platform.
    
19. Then, turn left and climb the path via the platforms and ledges. The Knight will encounter a Mantis Youth on the way up. Head to the right at the top and descend the gap. The Knight will come across something shining. Inspect the shining item, and the Knight will gain the Mantis Claw ability!
    
20. After that, head up the wall on the left using the Mantis Claw ability. At the top, go to the left and head down the path. At the bottom, head to the right, then jump and dash towards another platform. Climb up the next shaft and take the next path on the right. Jump up the wall above on the right and climb up. On top, head to the right and drop down the gap.
    
21. Then, jump towards the wall on the left. With the help of the Mantis Claw ability, slide down the wall, then quickly dash towards the small platform on the right before the Knight hits the spikes below. From here, slightly jump and dash to the right to reach a wall and climb up. On top, jump across the gap and follow the path on the right.
    
22. At the end of the path, drop down the platforms. At the bottom, head to the left and drop down the platforms. Here, the Knight will find a switch on the ceiling. Strike the switch, and it will open the entrance to the main part of the Mantis Village. Also, the wall on the left will open and reveal a Geo Deposit and a gap. Drop down the gap, head to the left, and drop down the gap to go through the newly-opened exit.
    
23. Next, head to the left, drop down the gap, and dash to the right before hitting the spikes below. Drop down the gap on the right and, while falling, move to the left. On the way down, the Knight will come across a Mantis Youth. The Knight will then land on a ledge. On this ledge, head to the left, slightly jump over the spikes, and dash to the left to reach a wall. Climb slightly up the wall and, before the spikes above, jump towards the top of the platform on the right.
    
24. Then, jump across the gap towards the wall above the spikes on the right. Climb up the wall and, at the top, jump towards the platform on the left. Jump over the gap on the left and head slightly to the left. To open a shortcut to the area, the Knight can head up the shaft and hit a switch. To continue, drop down the shaft and land on a ledge.
    
25. From here, drop down the gap on the right, where the Knight will find another switch for another shortcut. Drop down the gap on the right to land on a very thin platform. Drop down the gap on the right to land on a platform.
    
26. Here, the Knight will find another switch for a shortcut on the right. Head to the left, drop down the gap, and dash to the right before hitting the spikes below. Continue to the right, where the Knight will find a Mantis Warrior. Follow the path above and take the exit on the right to find a Bench. To continue, drop down the gap.
    
27. Finally, at the bottom, go to the left, and the Knight will arrive at a very large throne room. Here, the Knight will find the Mantis Lords!

How to Beat the Mantis Lords

The Mantis Lords remain passive once the Knight enters the throne room in the Mantis Village. If the Knight approaches the Deepnest gate on the far left, they will order it to be closed. If the Knight challenges them, the Mantis Lords pay attention. The arena is then mechanically prepared, and the fight starts.

Read: Hollow Knight: How To Upgrade Dream Nail

To emerge victorious against the Mantis Lords, the player must be familiar with their moves and behavior:

The Mantis Lords’ Moves

The fight against the Mantis Lords is split into two parts. In the first part, just one of the three Mantis Lords will fight the Knight, and her moves will be as follows:

• Lance Dash – The Mantis Lord will charge across the arena with her lance from either side. The attack’s range encompasses the entire arena.
  
• Lance Drop – The Mantis Lord will appear briefly above the Knight’s current location before dropping straight down with her lance.
  
• Blade Boomerang – The Mantis Lord will launch a blade resembling a boomerang while holding onto a wall. The spinning blade can go in one of two directions:
  • If the Mantis Lord is near the bottom of the wall, the blade’s arc will begin low, rise to the opposite side of the arena, and then curve back.
  • However, if the Mantis Lord is on a higher part of the wall, the blade’s arc will begin high and glide down to the other side of the arena before curving back.

After defeating one of the Mantis Lords, the remaining two will drop down to battle the Knight. This is now the second part of the battle. Their movements will be as follows:

• Dash – The same as the Lance Dash attack, but two Mantis Lords can simultaneously use this move from opposite sides of the arena rather than just one at a time.
  
• Drop – Similar to the Lance Drop attack, however, the Mantis Lords combine it with the Dash attack.
  
• Boomerang – The two Mantis Lords will cling to opposite arena walls and launch their blades like a boomerang. The spinning blade may go in one of two patterns:
  • The spinning blades will travel in a broad arc to the opposite end of the arena before returning to meet at the center, just above the ground.
  • On the other hand, the spinning blades will follow a shorter arc, meet at the center of the arena, and remain locked together for a brief moment while gliding down. They then split just above the ground.

Tips for Beating the Mantis Lords

Once the Knight challenges the Mantis Lords, a steel cage with spikes on each side descends, and the battle begins. Before attempting to defeat the Mantis Lords, having at least one Nail upgrade would be advantageous.

As previously stated, just one of the Mantis Lords will descend to combat the Knight. She will attack with one of the listed attacks and teleport after each. To deal damage, avoid the attack fast, and attack before the Mantis Lord vanishes. Her attacks get faster as the Knight diminishes the Mantis Lord’s HP.

The Mantis Lord’s Blade Boomerang attack is simple to avoid yet takes a long time to complete. This could be an opportunity to heal. The Quick Focus Charm may prove useful because it allows the Knight to heal faster.

After conquering the first Mantis Lord, she will return to her throne, and the second part will begin. As previously stated, the other two Mantis Lords are going to come down to attack the Knight at the same time. The fight flow is roughly the same, except that attacks are more frequent, and the Boomerang attack shifts patterns.

When the Mantis Lords perform a Boomerang attack with a narrower arc, standing in the middle allows the Knight to evade it. This could be an opportunity for healing. In addition, with the sole exception of the Boomerang attack, the Mantis Lords will strike independently of one another. 

Maintain the battle on whichever side of the arena. This is to force the Mantis Lord on the far side to use the Boomerang attack while the Mantis Lord closest to the Knight uses melee attacks. This part is essentially a more difficult version of the first part.

The battle will be easier after defeating one of the two Mantis Lords. This is because fighting the last surviving Mantis Lord will be similar to the initial half of the battle.

Charms are extremely useful in fighting against the Mantis Lords:

Conclusion

Beating the Mantis Lords is a testament to perseverance and adaptability. Through trial and error, you will learn the intricacies of their attacks, develop a keen sense of timing, and master when to dodge. As you claim victory over these formidable foes, you’ve unlocked the secrets hidden within the Mantis Village and proven your prowess as an adventurer in the enchanting world of Hollow Knight.

Remember, the challenges within this game are designed to test your limits and reward your determination. This makes each triumph all the more satisfying. So, with the Mantis Lords beaten, go forth with newfound confidence, for in Hollow Knight, your journey is far from over, and even greater adventures await.