From fellow warriors to helpful vendors, players can meet and interact with several NPCs throughout the course of Hollow Knight. Friendly faces are few and far between in Hallownest, especially as many that remain in the ruins of the city choose not to venture far.
Found in an obscure corner of the Fungal Wastes, close to the Mantis Village, is a lost beetle quietly murmuring to herself. Players can choose whether to save Bretta, but leaving her here will lock players out from a reward and a hidden boss battle.
As players explore the Fungal Wastes, they will eventually come upon the territory of the Mantis Tribe, indicated by the Mantis enemies that patrol their borders. After entering the outskirts of the Mantis Village, players can collect the Mantis Claw, which will allow players to cling onto walls to climb up or slide down them. This ability is needed to save Bretta, who is not too far from the Mantis Village.
To the southeast of the Fungal Wastes, players can find one of the few benches in the area. Going directly to the left from this bench, dashing or jumping over the acid pool, players will spot Bretta in the next room with a suspicious orange substance formed around her head, but she is closed off from the player in her current position.
Players should continue following the path to the left and descend further into the chamber until they reach a statue. If players have not done so already, the Dashmaster Charm, can be collected here. While it may appear to be a dead end, there is a hidden path to the left of the statue that players can walk through. Inside will be Shrumelings and Shrumal Warriors, which players can choose whether to dispatch.
To the far left is a wall that players can scale using the Mantis Claw, leading to a series of platforms that the player must dash using the Mothwing/Shade Cloak to reach, being careful of the Sporg that shoots explosive projectiles. It is possible to skip the first part of the platforming challenge if players already have the Monarch Wings.
Players will then need to navigate narrow columns, avoiding the spikes as they go before reaching Bretta. Interacting with Bretta will break her out of her trance, and the ground to the right of her location will break, providing an exit.
After saving Bretta, she will return to Dirtmouth and her house will be open to explore. Players will be rewarded with a Mask Shard after entering her house for the first time. Players may also notice that Bretta has accumulated a collection of dolls of the Knight, as well as writing fanfiction that players can read.
Rescuing Bretta also directly links to another NPC quest that players can opt to pursue. Zote can initially be saved in Greenpath, and if players continue his quest he will eventually appear in the Colosseum of Fools. After a crippling defeat, Zote will go to Dirtmouth where he and Bretta develop a relationship.
If Zote and Bretta are in Dirtmouth, a secret room in Bretta’s home will open and players can challenge a secret boss battle against Grey Prince Zote, an exaggerated form of Bretta’s perception of the traveling warrior. When the player defeats Grey Prince Zote, Bretta will decide to leave Hallownest as she embarks on a journey to meet her true love.
Hollow Knight is available on PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.