Learn how to defeat Hornet Sentinel in Hollow Knight!
In Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight, once the Knight reaches the entrance to the Cast-Off Shell in Kingdom’s Edge, the Knight will face Hornet once again to test their drive and strength to save Hallownest, but this time she will go full strength and use all her tools with her Sentinel form.
Hornet Sentinel is Hornet’s second form as a boss in the game. To unlock Hornet in the Knight’s Journal Entry, she must be defeated twice, and this can be done by defeating both forms: first by defeating her Protector form in Greenpath and, this time, her Sentinel form in Kingdom’s Edge.
Location
As mentioned above, Hornet’s Sentinel form can be found just at the entrance of Cast-Off Shell in Kingdom’s Edge, located east of Kingdom’s Edge.
Attacks and Behavior
Hornet’s Sentinel form also uses her Protector form’s attacks and behavior. However, she will perform these attacks more rapidly. Hornet’s base attacks are still:
Run
Moves around the arena.
Leap
Jumps within the arena.
Lunge
Hornet thrusts forward with her needle in hand.
Aerial Lunge
Hornet leaps into the air, aims at the Knight, and rushes downwards.
Gossamer Storm
Hornet releases a larger (compared to her Protector form) area-of-effect attack centered on herself, slicing anything around her using her thread. This can be done in mid-air.
Throw
Hornet launches her needle forward and then pulls it back. The attack range is a little smaller than the width of the battlefield. It can inflict damage on the Knight as it goes back.
As stated above, Hornet Sentinel will use all her attacks and tools, which means she will use additional attacks. The additional attacks are as follows:
Parry
Hornet will hold her needle defensively and block any of the Knight’s attacks. If the Knight attacks her while using Parry, she will giggle and release a counter slash with a wide range.
Spike
Hornet will use her thread to suspend six spiked balls in mid-air. These spiked balls will deal contact damage if the Knight is hit and remain in the arena unless destroyed with the Knight’s Nail or Spells.
There is a very small window to attack after she makes her Lunge attack, which can easily be dodged by jumping out of her way or moving out of the attack’s range. As for her Aerial Lunge, Hornet’s aim is locked onto the Knight as soon as she jumps. Move away right after she locks her aim.
It is worth mentioning Hornet’s Gossamer Storm and Throw attacks both take time to execute and have a limited range. Although small, this can be a window to heal. To dodge Hornet’s Throw attack, move out of range or, if you do not have time, jump to the middle of Hornet and her needle after she throws it, then quickly jump away when she pulls it back. As for her Gossamer Storm, she usually makes this attack when the Knight is close to her. Move or jump away from the range of the attack.
Additionally, Hornet Sentinel will only use her Spike attack once her health is depleted to around 480 HP, and it would be better to get rid of the spikes as early as possible. It is also worth noting that the spikes can be Nail-bounced on.
After dealing enough damage to Hornet Sentinel, she will stagger by pausing and leaning over while breathing heavily. This can be a great time to heal if you lack health. After that, Hornet will always perform her Leap attack when recovering from a stagger.
The Knight’s Spells can help in the battle with Hornet Sentinel: the Desolate Dive or Descending Dark Spell can help shield the Knight from damage. At the same time, it is being cast and is effective after dashing over Hornet after she performs her Lunge attack. The Vengeful Spirit or Shade Soul can also be helpful as it can be used from a distance while dealing good damage. It may also push Hornet back.
When fighting with Hornet Sentinel, the Knight must be equipped with the right charms: the Quick Focus, Soul Catcher, or Soul Eater Charms can be great to have as with these, the Knight can heal faster (Quick Focus Charm), and the Knight can gain Soul faster (Soul Catcher and Soul Eater Charm).
The Shaman Stone can also be a great help as it can increase the damage output of the Knight’s Spells; the Quick Slash Charm can be useful to deal faster attacks; the Grubsong Charm can also be useful so the Knight will gain Soul every time the Knight takes damage.
Although not necessary to defeat Hornet Sentinel, Great Slash or Dash Slash Nail Art can be effective as it can be hard to hit Hornet Sentinel for more than two Nail hits. Performing these Nail Arts should be timed well; performing them will cause the Knight to be stationary for a short time and, therefore, vulnerable to attacks.
