It takes dozens of hours for most players to finish Hollow Knight and a few dozen more to realize that they've "gotten gud". At that point, finishing the game is likely not enough, and luckily, there's more of Hollow Knight to be had. Players can either replay the game and fix their mistakes from the blind first playthrough or challenge themselves in the Pantheon or Hall of Gods.
Either way, some advanced combat and gameplay tips, and tricks will surely help anyone in such a pro-gamer undertaking. Because even with about a hundred hours of gameplay time, some players might find that there is more to learn in the game. These pro-tips for Hollow Knight just might help with the Hall of Gods, and it will certainly help beginners.
10 Dodge More, Attack Less
It takes a while for beginners to realize that the practice of mashing attacks is counterintuitive to most of the combat encounters in the game. Hollow Knight and its world are more about patience and observation than out-damaging an enemy, after all.
For boss fights, patience is even more important. Because some of them can damage players just by bumping into them. That's why being more reactive to the enemy's actions than just going straight for the offensive will save time and result in less failure. It's best to treat most boss battles like endurance fights. Pretty soon, the muscle memory will kick in.
9 The Nail Has Longer Range Than It Appears
If players must attack, then they ought to do so at a safer distance than what the Nail implies. The Nail is deceptively short, which is why a lot of newbie players commit the mistake of hugging the enemy during attacks. Attacking with the Nail offers a brief glimpse of its range, and it's certainly longer than the idle weapon model.
If players want to practice safe attack distances, they can always perform some back steps or stepping in the opposite direction after an attack. This is to ensure that they don't over-commit with the attacks and bump into the enemy. It might take a while to get used to, but the payoff is worth it.
8 Spike Bounce Trick
Speaking of Nail tricks, some players might have discovered this one already while panic-mashing before falling into some spikes. Because slashing downward before hitting the spike will result in players bouncing off the spikes.
This will also count as an additional jump, and players can even propel themselves to safety using a maneuver. If players want, they can even use the Nail as a pogo stick, bouncing off spikes to get to safety. In any case, it's almost a necessary trick when it comes to performing some tricky platforming.
7 Quick Cast Is More Superior
As an additional combat tactic that will save many lives, the Quick Cast function is simply better in Hollow Knight. It's one of the two ways to cast a spell; the other one is the Focus Cast which the game will read as an input that can go two ways. The game will usually wait to see if the Focus Cast will be held or is simply a tap to determine whether it's for healing or spell.
Meanwhile, the Quick Cast has no secondary "hold" function for healing. Hence, it will fire off the spell right away, reducing the time players need to cast the spell. This makes spells and abilities less dangerous to perform. The Quick Cast is usually mapped to R1 in controllers or "E" on keyboards.
6 Bench "Fast Travel"
Benches are the respawn points in Hollow Knight but they can be more than that. Players can use them as some kind of pseudo-fast travel option; because quitting to the title screen and then loading the game again will spawn the players at the previous bench they used.
If it's a far away bench, then that's an even more convenient way to "fast travel." Players can use this trick strategically to shorten or eliminate their backtracking. If not, then it's also a convenient option for when players are locked behind some walls and need to go back to a safer place.
5 "Conserving" Geo
While on the topic of makeshift conveniences, a Geo bank or storage would have made the game a little too easy. That's why it's not included in the game. However, there's a certain merchant in the game named Relic Seeker Lemm in the City of Tears who will buy some stuff from the players, and he's generous.
He can pay as much as 1200 Geo for an Arcane Egg. So what players can do is treat these items as some kind of stored Geo and instead of stocking up Geo on the usual Geo counter, they can carelessly spend it or let it waste away since the real Geo they hold is in the items they can sell to Lemm.
4 Desolate Dive Has An I-Frame
Now, back to combat tricks. This time, it's for self-preservation. Apart from the Shadow Dash, players can also employ another move that lets them i-frame through the damage. That would be the Desolate Dive's Descending Dark upgrade.
While performing this spell, players can't be damaged for a short period— around a split second, give or take. It might not sound like much, but it's enough as a clutch move against some devastating boss moves. Paired with Shadow Dash, it's a reliable way to survive some sticky situations.
3 Use Dream Nail On Staggered Bosses
Players often sleep on Dream Nail due to its lackluster damage potential, but it has some nifty uses, especially during boss fights. It will refill Souls, usually enough for one heal or spell. It can be dangerous to perform for such a small reward, that's why it's best to take advantage of this ability whenever the boss or a tough enemy is stunned or staggered.
It's a decent alternative to simply just attacking, more so if the fight will go on longer once the boss shakes off the stun. Players can even upgrade the Dream Nail further so that it replenishes more Souls, allowing the Knight to last longer in endurance fights.
2 Cyclone Slash Is Powerful When Used Right
Cyclone Slash is also another underrated Nail ability due to its bad mobility. However, it's meant to be used as some kind of burst damage or big move for when the boss or a tough enemy is stationary or not attacking.
That's because players can mash the attack button during the Cyclone Slash animation in order to prolong the spin. This will deal massive damage (perhaps the highest in the game), and players will be pleased to know that they can use this while suspended mid-air. So it pays to practice zipping in and out of Cyclone Slash during combat.
1 Bosses Only Have A Few Moves
Bosses in Hollow Knight are the most intimidating aspect of the game, but they're not exactly as intricate or as violent as something like Dark Souls or Elden Ring bosses. In hindsight, they only have a handful of moves that they don't mix and match or keep many secrets, unlike in the aforementioned Souls games.
Most bosses in the game typically only have three to five moves, making them easy to read and remember. Players need only be patient and watch the boss unveil all these moves, so they can plan their reactions accordingly.
Hollow Knight is available on PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.