Hollow Knight: How to Obtain the Mask Shard in the Hive

Hollow Knight, a Metroidvania action-adventure game developed by Team Cherry, recounts the adventures of a nameless warrior known as the Knight as they traverse over Hallownest, which a dreadful disease has decimated.

The Knight can earn new items, abilities, spells, and charms as the Knight travels around Hallownest, allowing the Knight to explore new places and battle opponents.

An example of this item is Mask Shards. These Mask Shards are needed to improve the Knight’s health Masks.

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The Knight must acquire four Mask Shards to construct one Ancient Mask. After completing one Ancient Mask, the Knight’s health will be increased by one Mask.

Because the game has 16 Mask Shards, the Knight can have four more Masks of Health for nine total (excluding Charm effects and Lifeblood Masks).

Only one Mask Shard can be found in the Hive, and this guide will teach you how to obtain the Mask Shard in the Hive area!

The Hive Mask Shard

The Mask Shard in the Hive can be found behind a breakable wall near the middle of the map of the Hive.

In the Hive, the Knight will fight a variety of enemies. Still, on the way to the Mask Shard, the Knight will particularly encounter the following enemies: Hivelings, Husk Hives, Hive Soldiers, and Hive Guardians.

Read: How To Obtain the Mask Shard From Bretta

Before the Knight can find the Mask Shard, the Knight must first have the Mantis Claw ability, the Mothwing Cloak ability, and the Monarch Wings ability.

They must also have the Vengeful Spirit spell or the Shade Soul spell (the upgrade to the Vengeful Spirit spell). Finding the Mask Shard in the Hive will be a breeze with this spell and these abilities.

To find the Mask Shard in the Hive, this is what the Knight must do:

1. Starting from the Bench inside the Tram in the southwesternmost part of Kingdom’s Edge, exit the Tram. Head to the right and head inside a narrow path. Then jump and dash or perform a secondary jump over the spike pit and land on a platform below on the right.
   
2. Continue heading to the right, where the Knight will encounter two Hivelings above a spike pit and kill the Hivelings. Then, with the Soul gained from defeating them, cast the Vengeful Spirit spell or the Shade Soul Spell on the wall on the right to break it and reveal a path.
   
3. After that, jump towards the newly-opened path, head to the right, and take the exit.
   
4. Next, the Knight has now arrived in the Hive! Head to the right, where the Knight will run into two more Hivelings, then a Husk Hive. Jump up the slightly elevated platform. In the middle of this platform, jump up.
   
5. Then perform another jump with the help of the Monarch Wings ability. Head up the wall above on the right with the help of the Mantis Claw ability. The Knight will find another Hiveling at the top head to the right before taking the exit.
   
6. Then, head to the right, where the Knight will find another Hiveling. Jump down to the platform below on the wall on the right. Then jump to the small platform slightly below on the left, where the Knight will run into two more Hivelings.
   
7. From there, jump down to the ledge below on the wall on the left. Then jump down to the small platform slightly below on the right. The Knight will find three more Hivelings before you drop down the smaller platform below on the right.
   
8. The Knight will then run into two more Hivelings and drop to the bottom of the room. It is important to mention that there is a Bench inside the exit on the left to heal and save. However, the Knight will also find a Hive Soldier inside.
   
9. Afterward, head to the right, and jump to the slightly elevated platform where the Knight will find another Husk Hive. Jump up towards the platform on the right and drop down the gap on the right.
   
10. Climb up the tall platform on the right with the help of the Mantis Claw ability. There the Knight will find a Husk Hive. From there, jump towards the platform above on the left. Then jump and dash or perform a secondary jump towards the small platform on the right.
    
11. Jump up the platform above on the right using the Mantis Claw ability. There the Knight will run into a Hiveling and a Hive Soldier. Then jump up twice with the help of the Monarch Wings ability to the platform above on the left. From there, jump up the platform above with the help of the Mantis Claw or Monarch Wings ability.
    
12. There the Knight will run into another Hive Soldier. After that, jump and climb up the platform above on the left using the Mantis Claw ability. The Knight will find another Hive Soldier there. After that, jump down and head towards the platform above on the left. There the Knight will find three more Hivelings.
    
13. Next, continue to the left, and jump up the platform. There the Knight will run into another Hiveling and another Husk Hive. Continue to the left, jump up the platform, continue to the left, and take the exit.
    
14. Then, head to the right, where the Knight will run into two Hivelings. Pass through a narrow passageway. Head up the wall on the right using the Mantis Claw ability. There the Knight will find a Hive Guardian.
    
15. Jump to the small platform above on the left, and jump twice using the Monarch Wings ability towards the platform above on the left. There the Knight will find a Hiveling. Then jump and dash or perform a secondary jump towards the platform on the left.
    
16. The Knight will then run into another Hive Guardian and a Hive Soldier. Jump to the platform slightly above on the left, where the Knight will encounter a Hiveling. Then jump up to the exit above.
    
17. After that, head to the right, where the Knight will find a Hive Soldier and another Hiveling. Jump towards the small platform, jump, and climb up the platform above. There the Knight will run into a Hive Guardian and a Hiveling.
    
18. Jump to the platform above on the left using the Monarch Wings or Mantis Claw ability. From there, jump up and head to the path above by using the Monarch Wings ability or the Mantis Claw ability. Then head to the right, where the Knight will find a HIveling, and take the exit at the end of the path.
    
19. Next, head to the right, and drop down the platforms on the right two times. Jump across the gap towards the platform below on the right. Drop down the ledge below on the right and then drop down another platform on the right.
    
20. Head to the right, where the Knight will find a Hive Soldier. From there, drop down the gap on the right to land on a small platform, and drop down the left to land at the bottom of the room. There the Knight will find a Hiveling and a Hive Soldier.
    
21. Behind the wall on the left, the Knight will find a Mask Shard, but the wall cannot be broken by striking it with the Knight’s Nail. To break the wall, head to the right to find a Hive Guardian, lure it back to the wall with the Mask Shard, and let it hit the wall on the left to break it.
    
22. Finally, jump up the newly-opened path on the left and towards the Mask Shard to obtain it!

Now that the Knight has acquired the Mask Shard in the Hive, the Knight now only needs three more Mask Shards to add one more Mask to the Knight’s health!