Learn how to defeat the Hive Knight in Hollow Knight!
The Knight encounters a plethora of enemies in Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight. One of these enemies is the most brave and skilled knight of the Hive, the Hive Knight.
The Hive Knight is an optional boss and is the protector of the Hive Queen Vespa. Even though it is apparent that the queen in the background has already passed away, the Hive Knight still protects her in hopes that she will wake up again. The Hive Knight is bound to this duty by the Bees’ hive mind.
Defeat the Hive Knight, and the Knight will gain access to the Hiveblood Charm, which can heal the last Mask lost without having to use Focus and makes the enemies in the Hive passive to the Knight.
This guide will teach you how to defeat the Hive Knight and obtain the Hiveblood Charm.
Location
The Hive Knight is located in the easternmost part of The Hive, directly below Kingdom’s Edge. The Knight can only reach The Hive after obtaining the Tram Pass from Deepnest and using the Tram to get to Kingdom’s Edge.
Attacks and Behavior
It is important to understand how it moves in battle to defeat the Hive Knight in Hollow Knight.
These are the Hive Knight’s attacks:
- Lunge
The Hive Knight will lunge towards the Knight with his weapon, which covers around 65% of the ground.
- Leap
The Hive Knight will leap to move around the arena. The Leap stretches can reach the arena’s top but do not track the Knight.
- Surprise Slash
The Hive Knight will teleport on either side of the Knight and attack with his weapon, covering around 35% of the arena while moving slightly forward. The Hive Knight can also perform this attack in the air if he teleports near the Knight and the Knight is in the air. The range of the attack would be slightly wider if this happens.
- Honey Spikes
The Hive Knight will stab his weapon into the ground and create three orbs of honey filled with spikes that will float in the arena and then burst in the order they formed every half second after the third honey orb’s spikes come out. The honey orbs will form one after another quickly, and no two orbs will occupy the same row or column as they vibrate in their positions.
Each of the three honey orbs contains eight spikes that will travel in the direction they are pointing when it bursts. The Knight cannot destroy the honey orbs but can be moved by hitting them with the Knight’s Nail. The Hive Knight will only perform this attack once his HP is depleted to 780 HP, and he will perform the Leap attack right after the first honey orb bursts.
- Swarm Release
The Hive Knight will spawn 12 Hivelings from his mouth. The Hivelings will go up and disappear above the top of the arena. Then, seven Hivelings will descend in shallow arcs from random spots at the top of the arena while slowly tracking the Knight’s current position.
During the Hivelings’ attacks, the Hive Knight will perform the Lunge attack, Leap, and another varying attack. The Hive Knight will only perform the Swarm Release attack once his HP has been depleted to around 550 HP. If the Hive Knight dies after the first Hiveling begins the attack, the other Hivelings will continue their attack, all while the Hive Knight dies.
Strategy
After dealing enough damage to the Hive Knight in Hollow Knight, He will collapse onto the ground while murmuring. This is the Hive Knight’s “staggered” state and can be a great time to heal.
The battle with the Hive Knight will be much easier if the Knight has obtained the Shade Cloak beforehand, as this can help the Knight dash through enemies and their attacks. The Shade Cloak would especially be helpful to dash through the Hive Knight’s Surprise Slash attack (as it would be nearly impossible to dodge it without the Shade Cloak), Lunge attack, and Swarm Release attack (the Shade Cloak makes it easier to handle the Hivelings).
Cyclone Slash Nail Art is very effective against Hive Knight since the Knight can move horizontally while repeatedly pressing the Attack button.
As for the Charms, the Quick Focus Charm can be great to have as it helps the Knight heal faster, and fortunately, there are a lot of windows to heal in the battle with the Hive Knight like the start of the Swarm Release when the Knight is out of range of the Lunge or even Surprise Slash attack, and, of course, when the Hive Knight is staggered.
Another useful Charm would be the Sharp Shadow Charm, as it helps deal damage to enemies when dashing through them with the Shade Cloak. Additionally, it also increases the length of the dash.
Another useful Charm worth noting is the Steady Body Charm, which prevents the Knight from being knocked back when attacking. The Quick Slash Charm allows the Knight to hit enemies more times while dealing increased damage. The Mark of Pride Charm deals damage even a few steps further away from the Hive Knight, and the Heavy Blow Charm knocks back enemies even more when the Knight hits them, which is useful for attacking the Hive Knight’s Hivelings.
