How To Beat the Soul Master in Hollow Knight

Learn how to beat the Soul Master in Hollow Knight!

Adventurers encounter tough challenges at every step in the perilous depths of the kingdom of Hallownest. The Soul Master is one of the game’s many powerful foes. This boss fight in the highly regarded video game requires skill and strategy from those bold enough to face it because of its relentless attacks.

This guide will delve into the tactics and techniques necessary to beat the Soul Master and emerge victorious in this harrowing encounter. Prepare yourself as we unravel the secrets to beating the Soul Master in Hollow Knight and claim your triumph in the kingdom’s darkest recesses.

Who is the Soul Master?

Soul Master is one of the main bosses in Hollow Knight. The Knight can find this boss in the Soul Sanctum in the City of Tears.

According to in-game lore, Soul Master is the leader of where he can be found, the Soul Sanctum. Here, they looked for methods to expand the minds of bugs to attain pure focus. Sometimes, when the Infection began, the Soul Master concluded that the Soul was the cure for the disease afflicting their minds.

Soul is the energy that powers both bugs and beasts. Soul Master, however, disregarded the Pale King’s criticism of his work and failed to recognize the influence of his Infected mind.

As Soul Master consumed and hoarded Soul, he developed new Soul powers. He and his devotees survived the Infection, unlike most of the creatures living in the kingdom of Hallownest. He became obsessed with getting eternal life, though, and lost his mind while attempting to get near the light that was leading him in his mind.

After defeating Soul Master, the Knight will get the Desolate Dive Spell. This spell allows the Knight to strike the ground with concentrated Soul. This, then, breaks breakable floors and deals damage to enemies.

How to Find Soul Master

A screenshot showing the location of the Soul Master in Hollow Knight

The Knight can encounter the Soul Master at the top of Soul Sanctum in the City of Tears.

Enemies

On the way to the Soul Master, the Knight encounters many enemies. These enemies are Winged Sentries, Lance Sentries, Heavy Sentries, Follies, Mistakes, and Soul Twisters. Not only that, but the Knight will also encounter the Soul Warrior, a mini-boss, in the area.

Abilities

To reach the area where the Knight can face Soul Master, there is an ability that the Knight must have first. The ability required is the Mantis Claw ability. This ability allows the Knight to cling to walls and jump off them. Alternatively, the Knight can also use the Monarch Wings ability instead. This ability allows the Knight to perform a second jump while in mid-air.

Path to Soul Master

To find the Soul Master, this is what the Knight must do

From the Bench in the City Storerooms Stag Station, go to the left, and exit the room. Proceed to the left and drop to the bottom of the room. At the bottom, go to the left, then drop down to the next exit.
Then, go to the bottommost part of the room using small platforms. On the way, the Knight will face Winged and Lance Sentries. Exit the room on the right.
After that, head to the right and exit the room at the right end of the room. Jump across the gap, and here, the Knight will find a Bench. The Knight can sit on the Bench to heal and save your progress.
Next, go to the left, drop down the gap, and exit the room at the bottom. Go to the right, where the Knight will encounter a Heavy Sentry. Exit the room on the far right end.
Then, go to the right, head up the small platforms, and take the exit on the top right side of the room.
The Knight has arrived in the Soul Sanctum. Go to the right and head up the platform above using the Mantis Claw or Monarch Wings ability. Ride the elevator on the left to head upwards; at the top, go towards the path on the left, and ride the elevator up.
Next, at the top, go to the right, where the Knight will be trapped in the room and face the Soul Warrior, a mini-boss in the game. The Knight must first eliminate the Soul Warrior to continue. After the Knight has eliminated the Soul Warrior, exit the room on the right.
Then, go up using the small platforms where the Knight will face a Soul Twister. At the top, head to the right, drop down the gap, strike the lever to open a shortcut, and ride the elevator on the right to head up.
Afterward, go to the left, and head up the platform above, where the Knight will encounter a Mistake. Go to the right, head up to the next platform above, where the Knight will face another Mistake, and exit the room on the left.
Next, go to the left, jump across the gap, jump across another gap, and exit the room on the far left side of the path.
Finally, go to the left, drop down a narrow shaft, go to the left again, and here the Knight will encounter the Soul Master!

Soul Warrior: Moves

To find Soul Master, the Knight must first go through Soul Warrior, one of the mini-bosses in the game. Soul Warrior will use the following moves:

Teleport – Soul Warrior will teleport around the room to perform an attack or avoid the Knight
Skitter – this mini-boss will slowly walk forward or backward and then perform an attack. If the Knight approaches the Soul Warrior when executing Skitter, the Soul Warrior may dash backward. After that, Soul Warrior may immediately perform an attack.
Dive-Slash attack – Soul Warrior will reappear above the Knight and slash down with its pin blade. The Soul Warrior will always begin the battle using this attack.
Dash-Slash attack – this mini-boss will raise its pin blade, then dash and slash towards the Knight’s position.
Conjure Orb attack – this mini-boss will fire a Soul orb that follows the Knight. This attack resembles the Soul Twisters’ and Soul Master’s attacks.

Soul Master: Tips

Whenever the Soul Warrior uses the Dive-Slash attack, it will remain in mid-air for a moment before diving. Because of that, the Knight can dash, using the Mothwing Cloak ability, out of the Soul Warrior’s landing spot to dodge this attack.

Whenever the Soul Warrior uses the Dash-Slash attack, it winds up first before dashing and slicing at the Knight. The Knight can then jump over the Soul Warrior and dash away to avoid this attack.

Soul Warrior will also wind up when it executes the Conjure Orb attack. The Knight can either continue avoiding the Soul Orb until it hits a surface, or the Knight can attack it to destroy it quickly. The created orbs are easily predicted because the Soul Warrior will remain on the floor.

When the Soul Warrior uses the Summon attack, the Follies will spawn regardless of whether the Soul Warrior is moving or attacking. It is best to eliminate the Folly as soon as possible before another one appears. Otherwise, dodging both the Soul Warrior and the constantly appearing Follies will be more difficult.

The best time to attack the Soul Warrior is following its Dive-Slash attack or after it executes its Dash-Slash attack. This is because both attacks cause it to pause for a brief period. The Knight can attack it as much as it wants after it performs the Dive-Slash attack before it recovers. The Knight can also jump and attack it from above when it executes the Dash-Slash attack.

The Vengeful Spirit Spell is the most useful since it is a fast spell that will fly forward and hit enemies. Casting this spell and hitting the Soul Warrior and the summoned Follies simultaneously would be excellent.

How to Beat Soul Master

A screenshot showing the Soul Master in Hollow Knight

The Knight’s battle with the Soul Master can be divided into 2 phases:

First Phase

In the first phase, Soul Master will use these moves:

Dash – Soul Master will dash across the arena and deal contact damage.
Orb – This boss will fire an orb of Soul from his head to follow the Knight. The orb will only stop if it contacts the Knight, the wall, or the floor.
Clock – Soul Master will float across the room with four orbs surrounding him. The orbs will move clockwise around Soul Master if he is floating toward the left side of the room. On the other hand, the orbs will move counterclockwise around Soul Master if he is floating toward the right. After floating across, Soul Master will disappear, but the orbs will remain and float across the room again.
Slam – this boss will target the Knight and then slam on the ground. The slam will then create a shockwave that will ripple on both sides of the room.
Fake Out Slam – This attack begins similarly to the Slam attack. However, halfway down the slam, Soul Master will reset and perform the Slam attack on the Knight’s current position in the room. This attack will also create a shockwave that will ripple in the arena.

First Phase Tips

Soul Master will teleport to move around the arena or at least once before performing an attack.

The Knight can jump and dash using the Mothwing Cloak ability to dodge the Dash attack.

The starting attack animations of the Orb attack and the Dash attack appear similar, so do not be deceived. If the Knight is next to the Soul Master, the Orb attack will not hit the Knight. However, if the Knight is far from Soul Master, the Knight can jump or dash away to dodge the Orb attack.

The Knight can easily attack Soul Master during the Clock attack, but be watchful of the orbs around him.

Be wary of the reset in the middle of the Slam attack. This indicates that Soul Master will perform the Fake Out Slam.

To deal damage to Soul Master, attack him from below while he conjures orbs for the Orb attack. Alternatively, the Knight can also attack Soul Master during the Clock attack by trying to move at the same pace as him and attacking him from below.

However, there will be multiple options to heal, particularly when Soul Master is staggered and deflates. This will occur after severe damage is inflicted on Soul Master. After the Clock attack, there is another chance to heal. Stay in the center, where the Knight will be safe from any orbs.

Second Phase

After a specific amount of damage is dealt to Soul Master, he will appear defeated. During this, Soul Master will leave behind the Desolate Dive spell for the Knight to take. However, as soon as the Knight attempts to absorb the spell, Soul Master will reappear and slam on the ground. This will change the arena to the area below.

Soul Master will unleash the following attacks during the second phase:

Altered Slam – Soul Master will follow the Knight and slam into the ground, causing a massive blast instead of a shockwave. Soul Master can perform this strike in rapid succession.
Fake Out Altered Slam is similar to the original Fake Out Slam attack. However, it will also cause a large blast instead of a shockwave.
Altered Orb – Soul Master will float and remain in an area briefly before summoning orbs on different parts of the arena. These orbs will still follow the Knight.

Second Phase Tips

The Knight can dash away from the blast zone to avoid Soul Master’s Altered Slam attack.

Watch out for the reset in the middle of the Altered Slam attack. This is because, like in the original Fake Out Slam attack, this is the sign that Soul Master will execute the Fake Out Altered Slam. The Knight can also dash out of the blast’s range to avoid getting hit by Soul Master’s Fake Out Altered Slam.

As Soul Master will not move during the Altered Orb attack, this could be an opportunity to attack Soul Master. Just watch out for the homing orbs.

Anticipating and avoiding attacks is critical during this phase because the Knight will have fewer opportunities to heal. Despite the changes to Soul Master’s attacks, this phase will be easier than the previous one since it is simpler to anticipate his attacks.

Also, there are more windows to attack when Soul Master uses the Altered Orb attack. Do not be too greedy with attacking Soul Master during this window, as you should still be able to handle the orbs homing in on the Knight.

The Knight can also equip Charms to help in the battle against the Soul Master. Obviously, at this point in the game, the Knight will not be able to equip that many Charms, so choose wisely. The following are the recommended Charms to equip against Soul Master:

Charm	Effect
Quick Focus Charm	Helps the Knight heal at a faster rate.
Fragile Strength Charm or the Unbreakable Strength Charm	Raises the damage output of the Knight’s Nail by 50%(by 15% for Longnail Charm and by 25% for Mark of Pride Charm).
Mark of Pride Charm and/or Longnail Charm	Raises the damage output of the Knight’s Nail by 50%(by 15% for Longnail Charm and by 25% for Mark of Pride Charm).
Spell Twister Charm	Decreases the amount of Soul required to cast Spells.
Shaman Stone Charm	Raises the size and damage output of Spells.
Soul Catcher Charm and/or Soul Eater Charm	Raises the amount of Soul that the Knight will get when striking enemies.
Grubsong Charm	The Knight generates Soul every time the Knight receives damage.
Stalwart Shell Charm	Raises the invincibility time and decreases the recoil every time the Knight receives damage.
Spore Shroom Charm	Helps by releasing damaging spores around the Knight.

Soul Master may appear intimidating initially, but you’ll better understand his behavior with each attempt. This then allows the player to anticipate his attacks and counter or evade them accordingly. Just remember to hit as much as you can while avoiding his moves. Following that, The Knight will get the Desolate Dive spell. This time, it’s for real.