A friendly NPC that players can encounter in Hollow Knight is Cloth, a cicada warrior that will lie in wait underground to ambush her enemies, or uses the comfort of the earth as a bed. She wields a large club, made from the tooth of a beast, and slams it down in a devastating attack.
Much like other characters, Cloth can be found in multiple areas across Hallownest. Interacting with Cloth will progress her quest, but depending on what players choose to do for one encounter will determine Cloth’s ultimate fate.
Cloth Questline in Hollow Knight
As players travel towards the Mantis Village for the first time, Cloth will be found along the path in the Fungal Wastes, near the entrance of the City of Tears. Cloth’s presence will be indicated by the ground rumbling in a similar fashion to breakable surfaces, but she will jump out and players can speak to her.
Cloth introduces herself as an adventurer and warrior, looking for a challenge in combat. She will also warn the player about the fierce Mantis Tribe that inhabits the area. Following this, if players have not yet found Cloth in the Ancient Basin, she can instead be met in Deepnest at the Failed Tramway.
She will be resting after having fought her way through the dark caverns of Deepnest, but admits that she would rather find somewhere less scary to be.
Cloth’s path will diverge depending on what players do when they reach her location in the Ancient Basin. At the far end of the Tram tunnel, players can find an area infested with Aspid Hunters and Lesser Mawleks.
Using Spells such as Vengeful Spirit/Shade Soul will deal significant damage to the Lesser Mawleks, and players will only need to be careful of their projectile attacks at a distance.
After defeating the enemies, Cloth will emerge from her hiding place and admit that she is ashamed of getting into a fight that she couldn’t handle. Because of the Knight’s display of bravery, Cloth becomes inspired and decides that she must continue her journey through Hallownest.
If players do not save Cloth from the Ancient Basin, she will next appear in Dirtmouth where players will find her resting next to Sly’s shop. She explains to the Knight that she plans to leave Hallownest and will leave after the player has listened to her dialogue.
Alternatively, if players choose to save Cloth, she can be found at the entrance of the Queen’s Gardens. This area of Hallownest is inhabited by more Mantis enemies, but they are specifically noted to be traitors. To the northwest of the Queen’s Gardens, players will find an arena that they will be sealed inside, and Mantis Traitors will appear that must be defeated.
Part way into this battle, Cloth will appear after she has been rescued in the Ancient Basin, and following her will be the Traitor Lord. All but one of the Traitor Lord’s attacks will deal two masks of damage. Due to his enormous size in such a small arena, the Shade Cloak is an essential part of the player’s arsenal during this fight, which can be combined with the Sharp Shadow Charm to extend the range and deal damage. Cloth will also deal 15 damage for every hit that she lands against him with her club.
However, Cloth’s arrival spells an unfortunate end for the warrior. The Traitor Lord will fatally wound Cloth, but she will make sure to bring him down with her. If players have the Dream Nail, it is possible to interact with Cloth’s spirit after the battle, where she reassures the Knight that she has fulfilled her purpose.
Although unsure of herself at times, Cloth will have proven her tenacity and bravery during her journey by the end of it.
Hollow Knight is available on PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
