Hollow Knight, a Metroidvania action-adventure game developed by Team Cherry, recounts the adventures of a nameless warrior known as the Knight as he journeys across Hallownest, which is now a ruined kingdom due to a strange infection.
The Knight can earn new items, abilities, spells, and charms as he travels around Hallownest, allowing him to explore different places and battle creatures.
Mask Shards are an example of these items in the game. These Mask Shards are required to improve the Knight’s health Masks.
The Knight must collect four Mask Shards to complete one Ancient Mask, which contributes one Mask to the Knight’s health.
Read: How To Obtain the Mask Shard in the Hive
There are 16 Mask Shards in the game, meaning the Knight can have four more Masks of Health for nine Masks (excluding Charm effects and Lifeblood Masks).
There are three Mask Shards that can be found in the Forgotten Crossroads. This guide will teach you how to obtain the Mask Shard in the Forgotten Crossroads area!
Forgotten Crossroads Mask Shard 1
One of the Mask Shards in the Forgotten Crossroads can be found in a hidden area in the western part as a reward for defeating the Brooding Mawlek, a hidden boss in the game.
On the way to the Brooding Mawlek and the Mask Shard, the Knight will encounter Aspid Hunters, Tiktiks, and Gruzzers.
The Knight needs the Mantis Claw ability to find the Brooding Mawlek and the Mask Shard. Although not required, it would also help if the Knight had the Mothwing Cloak ability. With these abilities, finding the Brooding Mawlek and the Mask Shard will be no challenge.
To find the Brooding Mawlek and obtain the Mask Shard, this is what the Knight must do:
- Starting from the Bench next to the hot spring near the southern part of the middle of the Forgotten Crossroads. Head to the left to exit the room and drop down the gap on the left. Drop down the small platform where the Knight will encounter two Aspid Hunters.
- From there, drop down the small platform below. Then drop down another platform on the left. Jump up the small platform above the left and then jump towards the platform on the left. Head to the left. From there, head up the shaft towards the platform above on the left and head to the left to exit the room.
- Next, head to the left and jump up the small platform above. Then jump up another small platform above. From there, jump up another small platform above on the right. After that, jump towards the platform above on the left.
- Head to the left and jump up the next path upwards on the platform on the left. Jump up the small platform above, jump up another small platform above, then take the exit above.
- Then, head up the room using the small platforms in the middle. There the Knight will encounter a bunch of Tiktiks and Gruzzers. Jump towards the ledge on the left wall. Strike the wall on the left several times to break it and reveal a hidden exit. Then take the small exit.
- Afterward, head to the right and jump towards the small platform on the left (be careful not to fall). Jump towards the next small platform on the left, and jump towards the platform on the left. There the Knight will find a Gruzzer above.
- Jump towards the small square platform on the left. Then jump towards the small platform on the left. The Knight will run into another Gruzzer there. Drop down the platform below on the left, where the Knight will encounter another Gruzzer.
- Next, head to the right, where the Knight will find a shaft filled with spikes. Jump towards the safe, spikeless part of the left wall of the shaft. Then jump off it with the Mantis Claw ability toward the spikeless part of the right wall of the shaft. Next, jump off of it towards the platform on the left.
- Jump towards the middle of the shaft on the left so the Knight doesn’t hit the spikes on the sides. Head to the left to exit the room.
- Afterward, head to the left, and drop down towards the small platform. Jump towards the next small platform on the left (watch out for the spikes below). Then jump towards the opening below on the left and land on a small platform.
- Next, drop down the smaller platform below on the right. Jump towards the spikeless part of the floor below on the right, which will break and drop the Knight below. Head to the right, jump across the spikes and take the exit on the right.
- Then, head to the right and drop down the platform. Head right, passing through a narrow pathway. The Knight will then be locked inside a large room where the Brooding Mawlek appears. The Knight must now defeat the Brooding Mawlek.
- After defeating the Brooding Mawlek, a Mask Shard will appear from its body. The Knight can now jump toward the Mask Shard to acquire it!
Brooding Mawlek Tips
The Brooding Mawlek will perform the following moves: Slash, where the Brooding Mawlek will slash down at the Knight with one of its claws. It will only do so if the Knight is close to it; Spit, where the Brooding Mawlek will spit blobs of Infection that fly up and crash down on the ground while traveling slowly across the arena’s ground.
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It will spit Infection in the direction of the Knight’s position in the arena and will spit three to four times before completing the Leap or Vomit attack; Vomit, where the Brooding Mawlek will launch a barrage of Spit attacks at the side of the arena where the Knight is standing, and it will remain in place until all of the Infection has reached the ground; and Leap, where The Brooding Mawlek will leap towards the Knight and land around where the Knight was when the attack began then return to the position it was in at the start of the fight.
You should hit the Brooding Mawlek several times and move out of its way once it raises its claws. Especially since the Brooding Mawlek can counterattack with the Slash attack after being hit in close range. You can also Nail-bounce on it to get to the opposite side of the stadium.
When the blobs of Infection are on the highest point of the throw, the Knight can dodge the Brooding Mawlek’s Vomit attack by dashing away or moving to the other side of the arena, which can be done by jumping and dashing over the Brooding Mawlek, or the player can, again, perform a Nail-bounce over the Brooding Mawlek to inflict some damage. If everything else fails, there are still safe spaces, albeit extremely small, in between the blobs of Infection.
By immediately fleeing or dashing out of the Brooding Mawlek’s landing zone, the Knight can avoid the Brooding Mawlek’s Leap attack.
As previously stated, the landing zone is on the Knight’s position at the start of the attack. The Knight can also attack the Brooding Mawlek mid-leap because it can not attack in the air.
Forgotten Crossroads Mask Shard 2
Another Mask Shard in the Forgotten Crossroads can be found at the end of a maze filled with Goams in the southern part of the map of the Forgotten Crossroads area.
The Knight will encounter many enemies in the Forgotten Crossroads, but the Knight will run into the following enemies on the way to this Mask Shard: Aspid Hunters and Goams.
Read: How To Obtain the Mask Shard in the Royal Waterways
Before the Knight can obtain this Mask Shard, it is required that the Knight must have the Mantis Claw ability, which allows the Knight to cling to walls and jump off of them.
Although not required, it would also be beneficial if the Knight had the Mothwing Cloak ability, which allows the Knight to perform horizontal dash forwards, and the Monarch Wings ability, which allows the Knight to perform a secondary jump in midair.
With these abilities, obtaining this Mask Shard will be no challenge.
Finding the Mask Shard
To find this Mask Shard, this is what the Knight must do the following:
- Starting from the Bench next to the hot spring near the southern part of the middle of the Forgotten Crossroads, head to the left to exit the room. Then head to the left and drop down towards the bottom of the room. There the Knight will find two Aspid Hunters. Head to the right to exit the room.
- Next, jump across the gap, another right, and head to the right. Jump up the next path upwards with the help of the Mantis Claw ability. Head to the right, jump up the ledges on the right where there will be a Goam poking out. Wait for the Goam to retract and quickly head to the right. Jump up the platform above on the right, where another Goam exists.
- Then, wait for the Goam to retract to the wall on the right. Quickly head to the right and jump up the small opening above towards the platform on the right. Head to the right, where there is another Goam. Wait for the Goam to retract, quickly drop down the shaft, then head to the right.
- After that, jump towards the platform above on the right, where is another Goam above. Wait for the Goam to retract to the wall on the right, and then quickly jump up the small opening. Head to the left and jump up the platform above on the left.
- Next, head to the left, where there are three more Goams with small spaces in between. Wait for the Goams to retract, then quickly head to the left between the middle and left Goam. Wait for the Goams to retract up again and quickly jump towards the platform on the left.
- Then, head to the left, where there are three more Goams. Wait for the Goams to retract, quickly head to the left and drop down towards the narrow space. Head to the left and jump up the platform above on the left. Head to the left, drop down the gap on the left and continue to the left. Next, jump up the platform above on the left.
- After that, wait for the Goams below to retract and drop down the shaft quickly.
- Finally, at the bottom, the Knight will find a Mask Shard on the left. The Knight can now jump toward the Mask Shard to obtain it!
Forgotten Crossroads Mask Shard 3
Another Mask Shard can be obtained as a reward from the Grubfather for finding five Grubs. The Grubfather can be found in the northwesternmost part of the Forgotten Crossroads.
On the way to the Grubfather, the only enemies that the Knight will run into are Gruzzers, Crawlids, and a Tiktik.
Read: How To Obtain the Mask Shard in the Queen’s Station
Fortunately, the Knight will not need any abilities or spells to reach the location of Grubfather.
Again, the Knight must find at least five Grubs from any area in Hallownest to be rewarded with the Mask Shard.
Once the Knight has found at least five Grubs and is ready to obtain the Mask Shard from the Grubfather, this is what the Knight must do:
- Starting from the Bench up in Dirtmouth, and head to the right. Pass through the shops, and drop down the next exit down the well.
- The Knight has now arrived in the Forgotten Crossroads! Head to the left and jump across the gap. Continue to the left and jump across another gap where the Knight will find a Tiktik and a Crawlid below. Then jump across another gap on the left, and take the exit.
- Next, head to the left and jump across the gap towards the platform below on the left. There the Knight will run into a bunch of Gruzzers and a Crawlid. Continue heading to the left, jump across another gap, and take the exit.
- Then, finally, head to the left, and there the Knight will find the colony of Grubs. The Grubfather and the rescued Grubs will celebrate with joy, and the Grubfather will reward the Knight with the Mask Shard for rescuing five Grubs!
Now that the Knight has obtained all three Mask Shards in the Forgotten Crossroads, the Knight now only needs one more Mask Shard to add one more Mask of Health!
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