How to Defeat the Flukemarm in Hollow Knight

Learn how to defeat the Flukemarm in Hollow Knight!

Team Cherry’s Metroidvania action-adventure game, Hollow Knight, follows the journey of a nameless warrior called the Knight as he travels through Hallownest, now a kingdom ruined by a supernatural disease. As the Knight journeys through Hallownest, he will encounter different enemies, bosses, mini-bosses, and even hidden bosses. One of these hidden bosses is Flukemarm.

Flukemarm is a hidden boss in the game that will give the Knight a new charm after defeating her, which is the Flukenest charm.

According to in-game lore, Flukemarm is the mother of all Flukes found in the Royal Waterways. Flukemarm was infected and made to become aggressive, but her body is used to nest young Flukefeys, who are also infected. Because of her current condition of nesting young Flukefeys, Flukemarm can not leave her cave.

In this guide, you will learn how to defeat Flukemarm in Hollow Knight!

Location

Flukemarm can be suspended inside a hidden cave southwest of the Royal Waterways. To reach Flukemarm’s location, the Knight must first have the Desolate Dive or the Descending Dark spell to break the breakable floor to get to the area.

Upon reaching the area where Flukemarm can be found, Flukemarm stays inactive except when the Knight attacks her. Then, the battle will start.

Unlike several other bosses in the game, the Knight is not locked in the arena when fighting Flukemarm, which means the Knight can leave or escape at any time.

Moves

In battle, Flukemarm will only perform one move:

• Spawn

Flukemarm will spit out two Flukefeys from one of the holes in her body. A maximum of six Flukefeys can be spawned at once.

Strategy

The primary strategy for defeating Flukemarm is to defeat the spawned Flukefeys as fast as possible and then attack Flukemarm in between the spawning of the Flukefeys. Then, once the Knight has enough Soul to attack the Flukefeys, the Knight can cast the Vengeful Spirit spell or the Shade Soul spell to deal huge damage to Flukemarm.

Another strategy for defeating Flukemarm is by continuously Nail-bouncing at the top of Flukemarm and simultaneously killing the Flukefeys as they fly toward the Knight to attack. However, this strategy would require the player to be good at Nail-bouncing and attacking different enemies simultaneously.

It is recommended that the Knight’s Nail is upgraded to at least the Channelled Nail, as this can kill Flukefeys with one hit, even without the boost of charms.

The most important thing that the Knight must not do is fall into the water below as the Knight will not be able to attack while swimming in the water, which makes the Knight completely vulnerable.

Some abilities can help in dodging Flukemarm’s and the Flukefeys’ attacks, like the Mothwing Cloak ability, which allows the Knight to dash forwards, the Shade Cloak ability (the upgrade of the Mothwing Cloak ability), enabling the Knight to dash forwards through enemies and their attacks, Monarch Wing’s ability allowing the Knight to perform a double jump, and the Mantis Claw ability allowing the Knight to cling to walls and jump off of them.

The Knight can also use the Cyclone Slash Nail Art, which will cause the Knight to spin around like a cyclone and continuously attack enemies around the Knight while falling down the side of Flukemarm, which can damage Flukemarm and the Flukefeys even as they spawn.

As for Spells, the Vengeful Spirit Spell or the Shade Soul Spell (the upgrade to the Vengeful Spirit Spell), as mentioned above, would be useful as these are quick spells that will shoot out a spirit (or shadow in Shade Soul Spell’s case) that fly forwards and hit enemies in its path. The Howling Wraiths or the Abyss Shriek spell (the upgrade to the Howling Wraiths spell) would also be great as this spell will release Soul and deal damage above and around the Knight. 

Charms are also very beneficial in fighting Flukemarm: the Quick Focus Charm can be great as it can help the Knight heal faster. The Mark of Pride and Longnail Charm can help by increasing the length of the Knight’s Nail, and the Shaman Stone Charm can help by increasing the size and damage of Spells.

The Soul Catcher and Soul Eater Charm can help by increasing the amount of Soul that the Knight will gain when hitting enemies, and The Kingsoul Charm can help by regenerating Soul every two seconds. The Grubsong Charm can help by gaining Soul every time the Knight takes damage, and the Spell Twister Charm can help by reducing the amount of Soul needed to cast Spells.

The Stalwart Shell Charm can help by increasing the invincibility time and decreasing the recoil every time the Knight takes damage. In contrast, the Thorns of Agony Charm can help by sprouting out thorny vines that can damage enemies once the Knight takes damage.

The Fragile Strength Charm or the Unbreakable Strength Charm can help by increasing the damage output of the Knight’s Nail by 50%, which, if paired even with the Sharpened Nail, is enough to kill Flukefeys with one hit.

You mustn’t get greedy in attacking Flukemarm, as this will result in the Knight being trapped by the Flukefeys. Learn when to attack, when not to, and when to dodge; you will defeat Flukemarm in Hollow Knight in no time.