Hollow Knight is filled with interesting boss fights to master. The Hollow Knight False Knight is just one of those bosses, but it’s easily one of the meatiest in the game. This enemy has some very distinct behavior that will keep you on your toes for the entire fight, and you’ll never truly feel comfortable fighting it. In this guide, we’re going to give you some tips for taking the enemy down and mastering the battle. We’ll even throw in some details you may not have known before.
What is the Hollow Knight False Knight?
The False Knight is actually a stolen shell. It’s inhabited by a maggot that’s been driven mad by a strange force it doesn’t understand. In the world of Hollow Knight, small creatures love to steal the power of larger ones. This is a great example of that, and it’s why this fight is so interesting. This is a main boss in the game, and you’ll have to fight it to get the City Crest in order to advance in the story. the Failed Champion is the faster and stronger dream form of this boss, a phenomenal foe.
He’ll drop from the ceiling before your fight, killing the other enemies in the area before turning his attention on you. If you kill him, he’ll fall to the floor. That’s when you inflict the final blow on the maggot and kill it forever. You can actually find the maggot’s corpse here if you return later in the game. He’s behind a hidden wall and his brethren are mourning him. This is where you can fight him in his dream form.
Attacks and Strategies
The False Knight has quite a few different attacks. This boss isn’t a gimmick, it’ll come at you thick and fast and attempt to destroy you. Here, we’ll go through all of its attacks and explain exactly what you can do to avoid taking damage during them.
Leap
This is a move that the False Knight uses right before a Slam Attack. If you see him jump across the room to another point, prepare for something else to come your way. There’s always a reason for the attack. The False Knight can’t Leap twice in a row, so you can guarantee that the attack will come, dodge it, and them get some additional damage dealt to him once he’s finished.
Charge
This is a move that gets the boss closer to you. If you’re too far away, it’ll Charge and perform a Leaping Bludgeon afterwards, hitting you and causing damage. You can dodge this by jumping over it or dashing through it. Always be on the lookout for this attack if you’ve moved away to heal. When it comes, be fast and get out of the way quickly.
Slam
This is an attack with the False Knight’s mace. He’ll lift it up, prepare it for a second or so, and then bring it crashing back down to the floor. The impact travels across the entire arena and is devastating if it hits you. In phase 2, this attack not only does all that, but also causes barrels to fall from the sky. In phase 3, more barrels than before fall down, all of which can deal damage to you as they fall.
Leaping Bludgeon
Here we have the attack that usually comes after a Leap. The boss will jump up and bring his mace down hard. The area that he hits will explode and deal damage to you if you’re caught there. The targeting on this move relates to your position as the boss leaps up. If you move whilst he’s in the air, he’ll miss you. He won’t home in on your position as you move. In phase 3, this attack also causes barrels to fall from the sky. This is a tough move to dodge, but you can easily get out of the way if you dash underneath the False Knight. As for the barrels, you’ll have to avoid taking damage from them as best you can.
Rage
Once you’ve dealt enough damage to the boss, it’ll stagger and the armor will peel away. This reveals the maggot inside and gives you a glimpse at the true enemy here. This attack only comes once the maggot is exposed. After you’ve hit it enough, it’ll stagger again. Then, the attack will start again. Once the maggot has had enough, it’ll jump to the middle of the arena and the False Knight will pound the ground with his mace, causing more barrels to rain down. If you leave the maggot alone, however, the False Knight will start up his usual attacks once more.
Best Strategy
The most important thing to remember here is that the False Knight itself doesn’t restore SOUL, only the maggot does. Save your SOUL for if you get some hits in on the maggot. There’s nothing else special that you need to know though. Thie Hollow Knight False Knight is so early on in the game that there’s not much you can do tactically against it. All you can do is fight it, dodge the attacks, and get the damage in when you can. Make sure that you focus on hurting the maggot when it appears, since this is the real key to finishing the boss fight.
False Knight Lore
We’ve already been through most of the lore in the article above. As you know, this is a maggot wearing stolen armor, not an actual knight. The armor is that of Hegemol, one of the Five Great Knights of Hallownest. The maggot uses the armor as a way to protect its siblings, who live in a storeroom in the Forgotten Crossroads. The maggot wasn’t mad when it found the armor at first but over time it has become mad. That’s why you find it under the infection’s control, unable to do anything other than attack and become angered by everything around it. This is a sad tale really because the maggot had such noble intentions. It’s also a good hint at where to find the dream form later in the game, as long as you explore every area thoroughly.