As players explore the vast interconnected caverns of Hollow Knight, they will face many types of foes unique to each biome. A lot of the major areas of Hallownest also include a boss. These powerful enemies will impede the player’s progress and must be defeated before they can move on. Alongside opening new paths, players can also earn other rewards such as spells and new abilities to increase their survivability.
One of the first bosses that players will encounter is the False Knight, who is found at the center of the Forgotten Crossroads. It is possible to reach the False Knight by heading to the passage immediately north of the Stag Station and continuing to the left.
Tips for Defeating the False Knight
After entering the arena, the False Knight will drop from the ceiling and begin attacking the Knight once their name appears on-screen. The False Knight wields a large mace, covering a wide range of the arena, but players can overcome them by carefully timing their dodges and strikes. Each of the boss’ attacks deals one mask of damage, including contact damage.
Slam
This charged attack will see the False Knight lean backward as they prime their mace before slamming it into the ground, creating a shockwave that travels in the direction they are facing. Players must jump over the shockwave to avoid taking damage.
Leap
This maneuver is used when the False Knight is repositioning themselves, and can also be used in conjunction with preparing a Slam attack. Players must avoid the False Knight as they land, which can be done by quickly running under them in the opposite direction or stepping further out of range.
Leaping Bludgeon
The False Knight will jump into the air before bringing their mace down where the player was standing when they initiated their jump. As players may not yet have access to the Mothwing Cloak, they'll need to react quickly to avoid being hit by this attack.
During the third phase of the fight, the Leaping Bludgeon will also cause debris to fall from the ceiling. Players can either dodge these objects or hit them with their Nail to knock the debris into the False Knight and deal more damage.
Charge
If the player is too far from the False Knight, they will close the distance by running towards the player before launching into a Leaping Bludgeon attack. Players can avoid this either by staying within range of the False Knight, or dodging as they approach.
Rage
After they have been staggered, the False Knight’s head will pop out from within the armor, giving players ample opportunity to get some free hits in before they get back to their feet. The False Knight will then throw a tantrum and begin slamming their mace left and right, creating more falling debris that can either be dodged or knocked into the False Knight to deal damage.
When players have successfully defeated the False Knight, they will be rewarded with 200 Geo, which will be waiting for them in a chest. Additionally, players can pick up the City Crest from the False Knight’s armor, which is needed to open the way to the capital city of Hallownest, the City of Tears.
Skipping the Battle
It is possible to skip the encounter with the False Knight, but this will prevent players from receiving the Geo and City Crest reward until they have defeated them.
To the far left, players will see wooden support beams above the gate that closed to lock them into the arena. These become weakened after the False Knight uses their Rage attack for the first time, allowing players to hit this section of the wall and break through.
Leaving the arena will lead to the Ancestral Mound, where players can obtain the Vengeful Spirit spell and either return to defeat the False Knight or move on to the next major area: Greenpath.
Dream Battle: The Failed Champion
Once the player has obtained the Dream Nail, they can return to the False Knight’s arena and challenge the Dream variant of this boss by using it on the discarded armor.
Although their move set is largely unchanged, the Failed Champion is much faster than their base-level counterpart and now deals two masks of damage when players are hit with physical attacks or make contact with them. Debris will also fall during each phase of the battle, and the shockwave created during their Slam attack is taller, making the Shade Cloak an essential piece of gear for players taking on this challenge.
Defeating the Failed Champion will reward players with 300 Essence, the resource needed to awaken the Dream Nail.
Hollow Knight is available on PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.