1 UNIQUE TIP vs EVERY Hollow Knight Boss

Including some of the hardest bosses in the game such as Radiance, Pure Vessel, and even Nightmare King Grimm himself! Here is one unique "big brain" (not really) tip on how to defeat all of the bosses in Hollow Knight!
MUSIC: Official Hollow Knight Soundtrack by Christopher Larkin
All footage was captured by me or taken from this channel's "Hollow Knight Quarantine & Chill" series.
Written, Voiced & Edited by Rusty.
Hollow Knight Discord:
discordapp.com/invite/hollowk...
I hope the sudden upswing in content isn't too overwhelming for anyone! CPM has been way down lately as an immediate effect of the virus, so I've been pumping out content a little more so than usual.
Thank you for your time.

[@Rusty._]

OTHER TIPS: -If you're bad at fighting Sly in his last phase, equip Stalwart Shell and just face tank him. -Despite being mentioned only a couple times, using Descending Dark for i-frames is honestly a good tactic for any boss. Vengeful Spirit has a chance to hit twice on any of these boss fights: -Hornet -Broken Vessel/Lost Kin -Winged Nosk (when swooping) -Vengefly King (when swooping) -Traitor Lord (when backsteeping) -Grimm (when backstepping) -Hive Knight (when backstepping) -Dung Defender/White Defender (when backstepping) With Shaman Stone equipped, Vengeful Spirit almost ALWAYS hits twice on these bosses: -Soul Master/Soul Tyrant (when swooping) -Soul Warrior -MMC -Sisters of Battle (they're almost always lined up in some way) -No Eyes -Markoth (when still) EDIT: I also forgot to mention in the video, the lifeblood cocoon above Galien is accessed by going all the way to the left of the boss, then hopping up the wall from there and to the right.

[@nadejdachernitsova8996]

Too much for me too handle

[@legobuilder8994]

Vengeful spirit can also occasionally hit Sly twice- it’s how I finally managed to beat him. (Sly may have been staggering)

[@cashbanooka5642]

Rusty, you know vengefly king and mmc are mini bosses too right?

[@unlimited8410]

You can hit markoth twice without the shaman stone, if he is in the middle of the arena and is still doing the focus shield attack. It sure helped me beat him on radiant.

[@ianoliver2224]

Absolute Radiance: Uhh... Git gud.

[@watashinihayumegaarimasu7609]

"he's just a bush with a face, if you get killed by this guy then put the game down and play something else." Me with my god awful reflexes: ....

[@marakimerm6368]

Yeap, unfortunately that's me too

[@barry4293]

But all you gotta do is hit. Not even dodge. Just hit alot and he dies first

[@sharkdoggo7808]

~~you can beat the boss without moving~~

[@christianp.7675]

*Me taking about a half dozen attempts in order to get Radiant on the moss charger*

[@theballoonfamily9539]

You don't need reflexes... (Hands you one quickslash and one Grubberfly's Elegy)

[@gamercrew5190]

"...basically a fat Mantis Lord." Traitor Lord:

[@kernel_sand3rs428]

The dream bosses are like introverts in their thoughts

[@mmmyes7422]

Omg ur right

[@pinkythepinkslime6170]

Except (not memorizing every single title) Grey Prince Zote, who is an extrovert inside an introvert's mind (since the fight is in Bretta's dream world)

[@Hexqbe]

i dont need a callout post today

[@OwOw_it_Lily]

...without considering low self-esteems.

[@snivyboy168]

TRUE

[@Vampy_Bat_]

The one and only true tip: "git gud"

[@unlimited8410]

I don't think that applies to markoth though...

[@Vampy_Bat_]

@@unlimited8410 I didn't had the pleasure to fight him yet... And I think I never will

[@DarkEinherjar]

And in case you cant "git gud" enough and have no pride... use the invincibility glitch.

[@amberkemeys2721]

Hornet told us that tip

[@dantefromdevilmaycry9857]

Brought to you by Hornet "GIT GUD!"

[@NightfallNhilist]

Heres my personalized tip for Absolute Radiance: Play against her once, realize how absolute shit you are at the game, then cry in the corner.

[@mystic_pizza]

woah thank u

[@courtneycherry5582]

I've gotten pretty good with this, thinking about trying a speedrun. 😂

[@Guys._.]

A tip for abs rad: don't

[@thezestfall1st107]

What?

[@laziwastaken]

@@thezestfall1st107 the tip for fighting absolute radiance is to not fight absolute radiance

[@joacoyco8324]

Cry for mercy

[@thanks721]

Nah but for real use quick slash and at the second phase wait for abs rad to come to you at the bottom platform

[@loreslaed5061]

For absolute radiance i just equip shape of unn and the crystal charms for dodging while healing and sharp shadow for the extra dash range

[@sauceinmyface9302]

Tip for only dung defender: desolate dive is able to knock him out of the ground for a stun at any point that he is digging underground. This includes his frenzy. This does not work on white defender.

[@Croissantcreep]

However, if you have low soul, this should be the move. The better play is to do what Rusty said to apply much more damage.

[@sauceinmyface9302]

@@Croissantcreep I haven't done the math but I feel like the amount of time he spends underground negates the extra damage you'll be doing to him with fireballs, at least in a regular playthrough. In godhome with max upgrades, I'm almost certain that the best strat is to immediately use desolate dive as soon as he goes into the ground and keep wailing on him.

[@codybarnhill506]

Yeah I figured this out my first time around and it was the only I could beat the dung defender. I just spammed that shit. It does a lot of damage early game. I had the weaker soul eater (I forgot the name of it) and shaman stone. EZ win. Haven't fought the other defender though.

[@sauceinmyface9302]

@@codybarnhill506 IF you're on your first playthrough, enjoy! And take your time, any situation you dig yourself into is something you can overcome.

[@codybarnhill506]

@@sauceinmyface9302 I definitely am enjoying it so far. I just got the dream nail and I have a little hour than 35 hours played so far. Ots so fun searching for everything. It's a great game and it's only getting better from where i am.

[@navivan768]

Rusty: "choose one attack from NKG to capitalize on" me:*equips sharp shadow* "I CHOOSE ALL OF THEM"

[@black_m1n825]

Same but no Sharp Shadow.

[@juicecakes2458]

Same but I died too fast for sharp shadow

[@bmx9757]

Same

[@Skykayava]

Same

[@SMAB2007]

Can I make a discord server where I can make sharp shadow as essential as Karen's oils? I don't bother with winged nosks hotbox, I just sharp shadow. And Watcher Knights, markoth, pure Vessel, traitor lord, Grimm and nkg are all made easier

[@evagarcia865]

Radiance: “Don’t panic heal and just focus” Me: *But if I focus, I’m healing* Okay, I’ll leave now.

[@reptilebirb4252]

That's true

[@dotsyt7765]

the dung defender hi fake dung defender

[@juicecakes2458]

Just use shape of unn and quick focus

[@Wowimsick]

@@juicecakes2458 *s p e e d*

[@grimm3995]

@@juicecakes2458 speedmaster dashmaster shape of unn quick focus balder shell sporeshroom

[@jackschnabel856]

... I have played through this game 4 times now and I never knew about the chandelier with the watcher knights

[@thattimestoppingvampirewho4364]

o o f

[@nikoza8790]

same

[@esteemedcharacteractressma58]

I didn’t... what does it do?

[@GabrielMcKean]

@@esteemedcharacteractressma58 Right before the fight there's a breakable ceiling. Go through that and there's a chain holding up the chandelier you can break. This will destroy one of the sets of armor and permanently reduce the number you have to beat in the fight.

[@cz1822]

I broke the chandelier because of curiosity. I had no idea it did anything to the fight.

[@vivienne6703]

I got killed by the massive moss charger a couple of times in greenpath... I only managed to kill it by panic attacking and spamming spells. Yeah its sad.

[@Generic_Gaming_Channel]

Lol

[@barry4293]

Thats the only way to kill it

[@GlitchKnight113]

I dont remember when you get there but in God home grab steady body, heavy blow, and quick slash and with luck (that they dont jump) just MASH X,or Y if your on switch or □ if your on a Ps4/5 or your custom key that its on if on PC

[@vivienne6703]

I'm already at 5th pantheon and know how to beat it but thanks for trying.

[@GlitchKnight113]

@@vivienne6703 oh

[@yes5181]

I will never stop making the “elder who?” Joke to myself. Never.

[@pluto3194]

Don't worry you aren't alone

[@theoatmaster7501]

I didn’t actually know who elder hu was until I had to fight him to unlock a pantheon

[@ananimoselty2234]

@@theoatmaster7501 Same

[@Playstrike]

Elder Whomst.

[@OwOw_it_Lily]

"I'm the Doctor."

[@deepsoft7829]

You forgot about Tiso. Tip: Just wait and Brooding mawlek will do everything by itself.

[@sophiebubbles07]

Congratulations You beat Tiso

[@diannovita5569]

Thanks! I was stuck on him for daysss wayward compass is also a really good counter to his attacks

[@aaronking2020]

This tip is kinda bad because surviving Tiso long enough for Brooding Mawlek to take him is really inefficient and a waste of time. I usually just end up killing Tiso before Mawlek even arrives because Tiso does so much damage that it's just more efficient.

[@grimm3995]

@@aaronking2020 yeah, gathering swarm also helpss with that

[@Krispy_King]

No, just equip Grimmchild

[@Enneamorph]

In case you haven’t seen Rusty’s other videos where he talks about the Watcher Knights and don’t know what he’s talking about with the chandelier, listen up-there is literally _no reason you shouldn’t be allowed to know this._ Just before you enter the arena, go up and to the right. There should be a destructible object. Break it, and a chandelier will fall onto one of the Knights’ corpses, *_completely removing it from the fight._* Please make use of it. And thank YOU, Rusty, for making this known, it saved both my first playthrough and my dwindling sanity.

[@spookynoodle3843]

Same, I only realized this on my 7th try. I was on my way to the dreaded fight once again when I noticed a breakable ceiling. I remembered someone saying something about a chandelier falling down, and I finally realized what it was.

[@hollowknightfan2379]

I did it on my first run...because I knew about it already.

[@DerpyPloo]

I heard this so many times before I fought the watcher knights, yet still forgot to capitalise upon it, and ended up smacking my head against a wall.

[@animebabe4107]

First time hearing about this but I've already beat them

[@Rayneworld]

i didnt know this my first play through, but it literally saved my ass during achievement runs like speedruns or steelsoul.

[@darwinrodriguez5485]

"He's a bush with a face! If you die to this one, go and play another game!" Me who died to it 3 times coz i didnt know i cud hit down or knock him back: :(

[@prismaticpaul]

Tip that I still have to learn myself: use descending dark. I just get so pumped when fighting bosses that I forget to use spells and just whack em with my nail till they die.

[@Phirestar]

The #1 tip I have for any & every boss: utilize spells. I know that literally everybody that played this game for the first time went all-in on doing damage with the nail and only using Soul to heal. You are throwing away so much power by doing this. Spells are extremely powerful, _especially_ with Shaman Stone and the void counterparts of each spell. One of my favorites is the Failed Champion. Go into this fight with full Soul, Shaman Stone + Dream Wielder, and Abyss Shriek. It takes only three Abyss Shrieks (or sometimes 3 Abyss Shrieks + 1 Shade Soul) to stagger him. Use the Dream Nail on the armor to fill yourself back up when he’s down - very easy with Dream Wielder - then bring him back into the fight and immediately spam two Abyss Shrieks, and walk toward him at the center of the arena and fire a third one. Rinse and repeat. Boom: one of the hardest vanilla game bosses, trivialized.

[@lamihadamshareef5270]

Yeah iused the spells to absuloute salt

[@upsettedfizz]

Spells are great and they definitely do more damage than the nail could ever do but I see this and raise you the unbreakable strength and quickslash charms and a “git gud” at dodging close range

[@misirtere9836]

You don't actually need Dream Wielder for this. One quirk about the False Knight and the Failed Champion is that pogoing off of its armor, despite not dealing any damage, will reset the timer on his stagger, which leaves you with plenty of time to Dream Nail him or heal before you reset the timer again by pogoing him again.

[@martha9670]

@@upsettedfizz yeah honestly it really depends on the person. I personally had a harder time learning to use spells on nkg than using only my nail and just dodging on pv (both radiant). Not saying nkg is harder than pv, but pv relies more on nail damage and parrying while nkg relies more on spells and patience. I just find that spells throw me off my rhythm most of the time.

[@darkkitty2830]

For Failed Champion I just equipped the minion build, and used the Crystal Heart to cling to the wall.

[@nova-ce9vt]

Here are the bosses, in order: 0:10 Broken Vessel 0:22 Brooding Mawlek 0:49 Brothers Oro&Mato 1:03 Collector 1:16 Crystal Guardian 1:30 Dung Defender 1:46 Elder Hu 1:53 False Knight 2:01 Failed Champion 2:15 Flukemarm 2:23 Galien 2:39 God tamer 2:54 Gorb 3:06 Grey Prinze Zote 3:27 Grimm 3:49 Gruz Mother 3:57 Hive Knight 4:10 Hollow Knight 4:26 Hornet Protector 4:41 Hornet Sentinel 4:47 Lost Kin 5:02 Mantis Lords 5:19 Markoth 5:28 Marmu 5:42 Massive Moss Charger 5:50 Nightmare King Grimm 6:15 No Eyes 6:23 Nosk 6:47 Oblobbles 7:04 Paintmaster Sheo 7:20 Pure Vessel 7:39 Radiance 8:00 Sisters Of Battle 8:21 Sly 8:42 Soul Master 9:02 Soul Tyrant 9:26 Soul Warrior 9:41 Traitor Lord 9:57 Uumuu 10:06 Vengeful King 10:17 Watcher Knights 10:39 White defender 10:56 Winged Nosk 11:08 Xero EDIT: typos

[@eliaswilliams971]

Thanks

[@TheDiamondMc88]

thank you very much helped me alot

[@reptilebirb4252]

Thanks

[@halo7172]

What about Hera?

[@michaelbilotta1567]

@@halo7172 Dreamer not boss.

[@jcplays5831]

Just one tip for any noobies (if there still are any): on your first ever play through, you will die to almost every boss at least once, so don’t let that get you down.

[@kaiburrus3190]

The only boss I beat first try was hornets first encounter. I got to laugh at my friend cause he spent hours and barley got past.

[@necroprogaming6851]

@@kaiburrus3190 I have three bosses I've never lost too, Soul Tyrant (no idea how) Vengfly King and Xero.

[@zamany7596]

@@necroprogaming6851 I havent died on almost any boss and I did it in a week. Almost every boss that isnt a dream variant or isnt relevant to the story has only 3 to 4 moves

[@geckobra]

@@kaiburrus3190 I beat her on 5 tries or so. False knight was tougher imo as it was the first ever boss

[@dighad3824]

oh shit i thought i'd never take damage in this game. thanks a bunch

[@Zomborg-uz8gu]

Rusty: ‘1 unique tip for every boss’ Also rusty: ‘for hornet sentinel, do the same thing as you did with hornet but... faster’

[@jeeeeeeeeeeezus]

BUT FASTER is unique.

[@theSato]

@@jeeeeeeeeeeezus "do something but better" isn't a tip, thats like saying "pro tip for that game you're playing -- don't let your HP reach zero and you won't lose"

[@jeeeeeeeeeeezus]

@@theSato but it's unique lol, who cares if it's a tip.

[@theSato]

@@jeeeeeeeeeeezus the phrase was "1 unique tip for every boss" lol

[@skyblade7438]

For Broken Vessel and Lost Kin, use Defender's Crest. It makes things way easier, especially for Lost Kin.

[@black_m1n825]

Spore Shroom helps as well

[@cyrus2395]

Yes! Defender's Crest best charm fite me

[@santimorales6486]

@@black_m1n825 The Spore Shroom carried me in that fight. And Rusty says it's useless... pff

[@bryanlemmens68]

@@black_m1n825 i mean yeah but paired with quick focus, in the lost kin fight you rarely have time to pull it off

[@alguienqueescribe1761]

Recently, I was playing in my game of steel soul and had just entered the dream plane to defeat lost kin for extra essence, with my cousin accompanying me and said: "I challenge you to pass it without charms" I threw myself into the void and went to the bench, taking off defender crest and spore shroom. I never thought it would take me more than 10 minutes in that battle, I was almost 2 hours, in one of my last attempts, I killed him and one of his minions came from behind, I did nothing since I believed that at that point it no longer mattered, and it did not count as if it were a victory and I had to make about 3 more attempts. (By that point I only had 6 masks, the nail with the 250 geo upgrade and with vengeful spirit, although I had descendink dark and when I could gather enough soul, I finally destroyed lost kin by repeatedly using the spell).

[@thecosmicjester4024]

A tip that helped me beat radiant pure vessel: using flukenest with shaman stone at the right angle can deal more damage than a vengeful spirit while he's staggered. This is because the flukes from the flukenest charm won't make PV stop being staggered as opposed to the vengeful spirit/shade soul, meaning you can get more damage in that way.

[@thecosmicjester4024]

@Raichu is Suprised at What You Have Done hello

[@bryanlemmens68]

You beat radiant pure vessel? Bro you absolute madlad

[@doubletrouble9923]

@@bryanlemmens68 bro I’m not even capping I have more trouble with no eyes than pure vessel.

[@mrdoodlefarts4118]

2:16 Flukemarm tip, legit just go on top of him and nail pogo on him till he is dead, I did this in my first playthrough, it was pure instinct, and it worked, maybe use nail charms like quick slash and long nail

[@michaelhenry3234]

I did the exact same. I was kinda confused after the fight, like "is that it?"

[@patrickma4220]

SHE

[@HollowM0th]

HER*

[@connerfiliatreault8907]

a faster strat is equipping MOP & quickslash, and you can pogo off her side and get a regular nail strike right after

[@SirLukHipolito]

it legit works. Specially if you got mark of pride. I did the same in my first playthrough

[@dbgr9875]

Rusty: "If you lost to massive moss charger just put the game down and play something else" "He's a bush" Me who lost to him three times and 1000 geo: 🙃 Update: I swear I'm not that bad guys I beat the radiance a couple months ago

[@cheyenne6699]

Trust me the game gets Soo much freaking ridiculously harder then the bush with a face :/

[@dbgr9875]

@@cheyenne6699 I have now beat the game! (It was way harder then the bush with the face)

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@@cheyenne6699 In the early game Bush with face is the hardest thing by far.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

@@bobinator133 That's because Hornet screamed get gud.

[@jeeeeeeeeeeezus]

I beat nearly a third of the bosses on the first or second try. Most of the dream warriors (not knowing I can upgrade my nail didn't actually hurt for once), both hornet fights, vengefly, nosk, that bee thing, crystal guardian, failed vessel, the hollow knight, and even radiance, none of them took me a thrid try. Plus probably a few I can't remember. It took me five tries to beat the bush the first time I met it in Greenpath. FIVE. That bush isn't fucking around.

[@acupofcoffvii8034]

You can also use defender's crest in the Lost Kin battle to insta-kill the floaty-blobs

[@MyNameIsHeyo]

Here’s another one for Grimm, when he does his leap into 5 fire balls attack, the fireballs always spawn in the same place relative to where Grimm is so you can predict where they’ll land by watching where Grimm is

[@doubletrouble9923]

Shadow dash through them or I think youre always safe if you stand where he teleported away

[@sarah-janeszabo1859]

6:35 when NOSK jumps into the roof stand next to the entrance and the blobs NEVER hit you because they fall just barely out of range

[@loikids3160]

Yeah, I like doing that. After a few more blobs fall, I jump then dash away so he doesn't crush me.

[@hideshiseyes2804]

My advice for every single boss is settle in, accept it’s going to take many attempts, and work on nothing but defence until you can keep evading and not get killed more or less indefinitely, then figure out when and how to deal damage.

[@ShadowBaby13]

"It's a bush. If you die by him you should put the controller down and pay something else." *weeps heavily*

[@internetsavage8733]

A personal tip for Grim specifically: always have your nail charged. This is easier with custom controls or keyboard and mouse, but nail arts can do a lot of extra for free if you have them charging during every attack he throws.

[@condor2279]

I played on a regular PS5 controller. Jumping and dodging while holding square with the tip of my thumb was really difficult, took a lot of practice, but it's certainly learnable.

[@FourEyesYT]

I'll never stop stressing this tip for The Radiance and Absolute Radiance fight: Her spike floors count as an attack, not a hazard. They also disappear when you touch them, not when they damage you, but when you enter their hitbox. This makes moments in the fight where she camps over the spike floors a lot less tedious, since you can abuse your i-frames to Shadow Dash or Descending Dark into them to free up half the arena until they respawn.

[@Sam-vr9oe]

These are some amazing tips I found amazing for some bosses, which you didn't use in your video: Use Desolate Dive every time the Dung Defender enters the ground before jumping high. It will guaranteed stagger him, allowing for easy free follow-ups/healing. This doesn't work against White Defender, or the short movement forward he sometimes uses (that looks like he's diving into a pool). Against White Defender, I'd highly recommend using Howling Wraiths instead of Vengeful spirit when he uses Zeal (frenzy mode), which Rusty mentions at 10:50). It's way more damage, and if you time it correctly while stood close enough, you can easily land all the hits. Against the Collector, if you stand RIGHT up close to him, he can't hurt you. He always jumps directly over you, priming you to slash his back a few times. He only swipes in front of him after jumping anyway, so that also can't hurt you from behind. When you stagger Failed Champion, you can easily get 1-2 dream nails (at least 2 if you have dreamwielder) for easy soul, and still get all of the hits required to hurt the maggot head. Be careful not to hit certain bosses from above when staggered. From memory, Hornet (both) and Broken Vessel/Lost Kin have a tendency to jump immediately after being hit out of the stagger, which can easily get you hit if you're above them. Stay grounded, under/away whenever they jump. Dream Shield completely deletes many projectiles, including the Mantis Lords' slow boomerangs. This clears them off the screen when they should be around for a long time, and can leave them very vulnerable for some easy hitting. This one is pretty well known, but Massive Moss Charger can be kept in the grounded attack for quite a while by repeatedly slashing. Quick Slash is VERY useful, but even if you don't you can let yourself move backwards very slightly between hits, and kill them in the distance across the arena. Pure Vessel was really hard for me, but I'd really recommend jumping over and pogo'ing the dash and triple slash attacks. Be careful of the deceptively large hit boxes that the triple slash has, but you can easily hit him once or twice during each of these moves. If you accidentally trigger a parry, like at 7:36, use shade cloak TOWARDS him instead of away. He lunges forward a lot, and you can easily step through him, instead of backing into the swing.

[@brendanhk3984]

its been so many years and Flukemarm is still a sexy beast.

[@jandvorsky3622]

I hate you.

[@dominickrobinson332]

Okay but you forgot to cover the hardest boss in the game: regular Zote.

[@jugbueno]

The tip:literally just hit him, he can’t even damage you

[@mr.sniffly5297]

You can only damage him with wayward compass

[@GB-sr9kv]

@@jugbueno woooooosh

[@EllieBirchh]

It’s been at least a year of me playing hollow knight and ten minutes ago I finally killed NKG for the first time! Thank you for these tips they really helped!

[@scaledbeast12]

also in grimm fight you can smack the little pet when he is in his "stun" phase and i believe it does damage to him

[@Fuq_you]

When hollow knight boss starts stabbing itself, all damage is reduced to 1, but all soul gathering remains the same, so even though you are doing no damage, it is a good time to stock up on soul if you need a refill.

[@JackNick2000]

If you’re using Soul Catcher, Soul Eater and/or Quick Slash then yes. But usually Dreamnailing them is good enough, especially if you need the soul to heal and you don’t want to accidentally end their stagger

[@assbutt123]

Also: A) for Collector you can use defenders crest, spore shroom, and dreamshield. this way you can just sit on one side of the arena and have plenty of healing time B)for watcher knights you can use a spell loadout and just sit on on side of the arena as a tank. C) for False Knight/Failed Champion always dash under him when he jumps. D)Lost kin's infection ghost bois cant hit you if you use Defender's Crest. E) On both hornet fights just pretty much constantly be jumping

[@spookynoodle3843]

I have one for the collector on ascended and radiant. Equip fragile/unbreakable strength and your golden. If you have the strength charm, the Collector’s precious friends will die in one hit. This next one is NOT recommended for radiant, but if you can get right beside the collector or position yourself so that the collector lands right beside you when he jumps. Make sure your on the direction he’s jumping to, or else you won’t get all the potential damage. Once you are positioned right, abyss shriek/howling wraiths him. This deals massive amounts of damage to the collector, and if you have Shaman Stone equipped, you will absolutely destroy him. The second tactic is great for spell builds because of the sheer amount of damage it does.

[@shantanunene4389]

Also for Flukemarm: go on top of her and keep downslashing. Something like Glowing Womb helps with the flukeflies.

[@alextheconfuddled8983]

Another useful tip for Mantis Lords: When the door to the left is closed, use it to wall jump up the left wall. There is a breakable wall there with a hidden lifeblood cocoon that gives 2 extra masks. It really helps. Also a good time to heal is when the two boomerangs come to the middle and hover above you but dont hit you. If you practice this enough you can stand between them and get a heal in.I just beat them today so im just sharing some tips :)

[@NintendoGamer789]

Someone's probably gonna get triggered from Rusty calling Flukemarm "him"

[@mlombard1999]

Lmao me

[@vincentfrick6880]

In the hall of gods Flukemarm is basically called a MILF.

[@codybarnhill506]

@@vincentfrick6880 lmao I only know this because of moss.

[@pluto3194]

Also Brooding Mawlek

[@outspade]

The comment directly above this is exactly that. 👏

[@Boomerkbom57]

I know that this video isn't about that this but when fighting Sly on radiant you can just equip quickslash and guberfly's elegy for some nonsense. When he does the combo that starts in the air you can stay a little bit outside of the range of his second attack and he is guaranteed to do the second attack, if your too far away hill end the combo. When he is stunned he will wait a while before checking whether or not you hit him yet and you can mash him. Once he does get up he still takes a bit to start attacking and you can still hit him.

[@gressorialNanites]

Last time I was this early, the Hollow Knight was still sealing the Radiance strong. ...yeah, I already used this one. Oh well.

[@brickmastere5535]

1:53 How. How have I never known about this.

[@spidr9437]

I’m surprised you can keep making good content on this game after so long. Guess It just goes to show how great it is. Anyways nice work!

[@ehtomicgaming1721]

Played the game through yet here I am watching videos on it still. This game is just too good. Great video!

[@kitcatharrington7631]

I think these will really help me getting past the two fights I've been stuck at. Thank you for making such a helpful video

[@NewgirlNola]

In my first play through I put off fighting the watcher knights for so long, that by the time I finally fought them I had already gotten all the charms, abilities and upgrades. I ended up beating them on my first try.

[@danielz6177]

My tip for new players is to be patient. Take time to learn the boss’s move set instead of killing it as quickly as possible.

[@Rayneworld]

I had this in my recommendeds and never seen a vid from you before. Was expecting something lame that was pretty much "use x charm" or "dodge" or "get good", one line for each boss. Boy, was I wrong. This was an extremely well done video with really great tips. Thanks so much for making it!

[@genericuser5523]

The tips for NKG helps me with that fight I was struggling a lot trying to do damage thanks for the help :D

[@naterivers6107]

NKG broke me. I took on the Trial of the Fool, kicked Radiant's ass beat The Hollow Knight in 20 seconds and somehow enjoyed White Palace, finished Hunters Journal and even loved the base Grimm fight, but NKG is just too damn much. I can't even begin to imagine trying to get to Adbsrad which requires not only beating NKG, but every other boss as well. Though given NKG is basically universally accepted to be the hardest boss in the game, I'm fine with him being my breaking point.

[@HandmadeGoose97]

Here's a tip, if you equip Quick Focus you can actually heal as soon as he does his 5th flame pillar attack. Nkg is a dance, if he spawns in the air he'll drill down in flames. If he spawns on the ground he'll charge at you and upwards creating flames. If your having trouble I'd honestly watch a video of the fight first

[@unlimited8410]

Actually I find collector ascended (also in pantheon of hallownest), markoth, pure vessel and absrad all harder than him. Its a hard fight, sure, but once you learn all his attacks, thats it. He becomes a breeze after that, which i cannot say especially for markoth.

[@harrison1735]

All I can say about NKG is that I spent nearly an hour worth of attempts never even managing to get him below 50% and then the first time I did so was the kill. It's the kind of fight that just eventually clicks but you'll spend a lot of time feeling like you're making no progress.

[@dreadknight2439]

Daniel Staples You can actually heal regardless of having quick focus or not, it just requires better timing.

[@naterivers6107]

@@unlimited8410 I actually had a pretty easy time with markoth. He did the spin attack while being so close to the ground I just stood next to him and got to wail on him for 5 seconds straight with quick slash equipped. I'l definately keep the NKG stuff in mind.

[@aiyko3372]

FYI for dung defender: Use decending dive while he’s underground, it will force him out and he will be stunned, ez heal or hit

[@danieltube6344]

As someone who has done every boss on Radiant I can confirm these tips are very helpful! Nice video!

[@thegranddipshidiot4917]

This is amazigly helpful, I knew alot of them by now but they are extremely helpful none the less the knockback with the nail on the bee Knight fight was one I didn't know about though

[@theamazthingthing1637]

2:24 "Galien's Grave" sea of thieves outpost

[@nixkw]

Yeah haha, it's called galleon's grave isn't it?

[@Vampy_Bat_]

Me: "well, it's 2am, but I want to stay awake till 5:30, because I really want to watch that stream there... But I don't know what to to in these three hours... *sees upload* Well, at least I know what I'm gonna do now...

[@nadejdachernitsova8996]

Its 5: 25 for me

[@cloudiideii4271]

Ein kleines Anna It’s 11:30 for me, but I have to wake up early :’). I’ll try to make it!

[@nepinemi8885]

Click the time stamp😂

[@Nova-_-]

I love how a number of these tips (not all of them) are just general tips for any situation where you're struggling. gonna use that NKG tip in multiple places, that's for sure

[@Galiazzoo]

Thanks for the tips, you’ve helped me beat pantheons and radiance! Thx

[@marsjvas]

I defeated Grimm today!! So proud hehe :)) Thanks for the awesome video lolol

[@MilesWilliams88]

Nightmare King Grimm, or regular Grimm?

[@marsjvas]

Miles Williams Regular :), imma head for Nightmare today

[@MilesWilliams88]

@@marsjvas Nice! He's such a great boss. Have fun!

[@marsjvas]

Miles Williams Thanks!

[@prizewinner124]

One tip I have for lost kin which really helped me is to equip the defenders crest. the golden gas instantly kills the orange enemies he summons. This makes healing through the fight much easier

[@howlinghellgar2214]

This is actually going to be super helpful when I finally get around to doing the pantheons! Having strategies for them will probably take off some of the pressure of fighting 46(?) bosses in a row in P5

[@ohshmup6599]

i love how dung defenders theme is playing in the background. because it is clearly the best theme

[@l0sts0ul72]

For No Eyes, the middle of the bottom platform will ensure you're not hit once, so stand there if you're low on health and wait for No Eyes to teleport close to you for Soul and return to the middle of the platform to heal.

[@murasakirenea9290]

Tip I found out a few days ago! When fighting the moss and when it dashes twords you just keep attacking,its super light so its got knock back,just spam attack and you'll be fine

[@rigelstarz6032]

2:20 Also pogoing on flukemarm is great since your nail most of the time also hits the flukefey

[@enderjora]

I've been watching so many of your Elden Ring videos, I almost forgot you were a great Hollow Knight youtuber.

[@coolbeans5911]

Abs Radiance tip: wayward compass & gathering swarm

[@kiyutuuin]

and fragile greed

[@creeeamy7133]

No point without fragile greed, you need to collect the extra geo.

[@brennanruiz1803]

Guys you're forgetting the strongest charm: Kingsoul (admittedly you can't have Kingsoul and fight either version of the Radiance, but that's not the point here)

[@spookynoodle3843]

Sporeshroom. Spore shroom works wonders against the HK, PV, Rad, And Abs Rad. (It actually does nothing, but memes)

[@buddyboltgaming8269]

For soul tyrant I like to hug the left edge, it makes it easier to dodge the homing balls and you can get a couple hits in on the spiny orbs when you jump through them

[@harrison1735]

My advice for the homing attacks of both Soul Tyrant and Radiance phase one is don't try to jump over them. Stay on the ground and dash under them so they arc toward the ground and despawn faster.

[@aldguton]

Hugging the left edge also makes that 6 fireball attack easier

[@jugbueno]

FINALLY, I knew I wasn’t the only one who did this

[@DrexelQuake]

I had sharp shadow equipped for NKG and that helped immensely as I could dash through him and damage him at the same time. I only ever found time to actually hit him during the bats attack and that was with nail arts. Most death I had at him were my fault for either miss judging what attack was coming or not paying attention and literally walking into one of the spikes he uses. Was so glad when I finally got him. I barely used a spell in the fight. Spent most time just trying not to die

[@nekolucielto4225]

I saw this video and I was ready for the sarcasm in some of these tips. I was surprised by how helpful these helpful tips were. Thanks Rusty.

[@VulturHS]

0:55 "He's just dead." 1:00 *bows*

[@hadetmis221]

Anyone how does not make the knight bow by looking down when an npc bows, you are dead to me

[@n00bowser]

I can add onto your tip for Dung Defender and White Defender. If you have Nailmaster's Glory equipped, you have enough charging time to hit him with Great Slash when he goes into rampage mode (as opposed to Shade Soul as per Rusty's recommendation). This increases your soul instead of depleting it and does massive damage to boot. Works like a charm.

[@Thetheproto]

Man i was having so much trouble with galien in the pantheons but your tips really helped

[@nazispy4537]

I looked at the recommended section and saw this video uploaded 25 seconds ago and was like WOW

[@nadejdachernitsova8996]

Me 2

[@VladDascaliuc]

It's been like 447 days without Silk Song. I shall not lose hope.

[@joetrident]

I'm on my second playthrough of the game, some of theses foes I've never even seen! Some of the ones I fought were with the exact method you're suggesting here, it made me feel smart :b

[@TrashbagTheReal]

Another neat tip/glitch for the collector: (btw you need thorns of agony for this to work) Crystal Dash into the arena. You'll run into the collector and thorns will activate. For some reason you no longer stunned during the collector's war cry and you can whack him a bunch.

[@Ronny33140]

My man Rusty really be putting them in alphabetical order

[@finn488]

after seeing his play through I'm not sure I should be taking tips from this guy

[@logizom5335]

I mean there's footage of him beating PoH floating around somewhere. He's good at the game he just said he hadn't played it from start to finish in a while

[@finn488]

@@logizom5335 I guess you could say he's pretty RUSTY at the game :)

[@logizom5335]

@@finn488 there it is lol

[@jamespotter1436]

Rusty only swore once during the entire video! Good job mate!

[@daniellim1309]

For Moss Charger & Flukemarm, try Grubfly's Ellergy x Unbreakable Strength x Steady Body x Quick Slash I literally just stood there and slashed my way through the Radiant version of them.

[@pulim-v]

5:42 that's rude. I didn't have Sly yet so heavy blow was out of the question. I also take some time to adapt to boss patterns, no matter how easy they are

[@Generic_Gaming_Channel]

You don't even need heavy blow for a bush with eyes

[@Generic_Gaming_Channel]

Best way to kill it? Usually standing in front of him and slash spamming works

[@anonmouseandsadshroom1470]

Just.. hit him? You don’t need heavy blow.

[@pulim-v]

SORRY I AM AN IDIOT. Doing the strategy you recommended didn't work the first time and idk how. I do agree that it was easy after I had an actual moveset and actual charms and an actual nail because I am a stubborn fucking idiot

[@Generic_Gaming_Channel]

Yes it worked for me just jump over occasionally

[@elderbugisacooldude1171]

Do this except with modded bosses

[@jack-o-lantern32]

Thank you Rusty very cool

[@tomaliothetomato439]

So efficient with time... No annoying intro... Subbed

[@karlarhodes4211]

im sad because im stuck at home this made me happy.

[@Gary-lg4ml]

i can easily defeat the broken vessel by just pogoing on him when he does the blob and avoiding the blobs its ez it only goes on 2 patterns

[@zanzazetkin7529]

Finally beat NKG for the first time, your tip helped a lot, thanks!

[@karlcossaboon7072]

general tips: use rt instead of the focus button to quick cast spells, your spells now come out frame 1 instead of frame 20 or so use descending dark for a whole lot of invincibility frames if you don't have your shade cloak active. focus more on dodging the bosses attacks first, then once you know how to dodge them, figure out when you can get your hits in, most bosses (even the harder ones) only have a few different attacks (nkg only has 6 attacks for example)

[@sinimeg]

I’m stuck with the Nightmare King, I can’t win him TTwTT Someone has more tips for him? I’m desperate TTwTT

[@DarkEinherjar]

If you can avoid taking damage from him for more than 12 seconds, you may want to consider Hiveblood. The regeneration will essentially cut his damage in half, giving you more opportunities to memorize his attack patterns and improve your reactions to them.

[@sinimeg]

DarkEinherjar Thank you very much

[@UmiTheEevee]

If you like healing in battle, I found I can squeeze one in with quick focus during the floor spike attack

[@sinimeg]

Takku NoTori I see, thanks for the tip ^^

[@ThyLordOfPotatos]

I’m a simple potato. I see Hollow Knight, I click.

[@LieutenantLettuce]

for NKG I found that during his flame pillar attack if you are using sharp shadow you can dodge the first 2 pillars, hit him, shadow dash through him, and then immediately turn around and hit him again, for a good amount of damage.

[@gaborreszegi3035]

This video was very usefulll thanks mate

[@canyoneternal]

second hornet fight PRO tip: cry

[@tohruearth3580]

Massive Moss charger is IMPOSSIBLE. I've spent thousands of hours on that fight alone and still haven't made ti more than three seconds, RAD ABSRAD was easier than it, thank god MMC is an optional boss.

[@bertaelisabustosgarza5727]

sarcasm??

[@valaarmardonn4131]

If we're talking boss tips, i also have a few Broken vessel : during his headbang attack, spam descending dark near him, not VS. The i-frames make you invincible and 3 cast should get you through the entire attack. Oro and Mato : the double slash has so little tracking you can outspace it and heal right in their face. But if you want to end the fight quickly, don't worry about that, stand between the brothers, bait a slam attack from both and spam abyss shriek while face tanking their attacks. Crystal Guardians : shadow dash through everything they do Dung Defender : using desolate dive when he is burrowed underground staggers him and interrupts his attack. This trivializes the fight but doesn't work on White Defender. Failed Champion : you can easily dash under him when he jumps. Also, he never uses the same attack more than three times in a row, which makes him predictable. You can also get multiple shade soul hits when he does his frenzy attack in the center if you time your casts well, which can skip everything but the first phase if done correctly Flukemarm : abyss shriek deletes her Gorb : fight him with a non upgraded nail, get shade soul (tip for that later), equip shaman stone and he litterally dies in 4 casts. Markoth : phase 1 isn't too hard, so don't use any spells, just build up your soul-meter. Then in phase 2, focus on dodging until he starts spinning his shields, and use this opportunity to blast him with as many shade souls as you can. Sly : only one hit per opening in phase 1. In phase 2, stand in the middle of the arena, when he comes near you dash away, get one hit in as soon as the spinning stops, rinse and repeat. Soul master : i wouldn't recommend doing hallownest's crown before soul master. not only is that area relatively difficult, way more than the boss fight itself in my opinion, but you also need some crafty platforming to make up for the absence of monarch wings at this point in the game (involving pogoing off a background object to enter the sub-area, then luring a crystal hunter to even reach the summit Soul Warrior : the one with the follies can be fought with a non upgraded nail if you have shaman stone and descending dark. If you do, stand near a wall to bait his slash attack and when he does, descending dark him. He should go down in no time, and the upgrade is worth it. Traitor Lord : if you're close to him, you litterally don't need to do anything when he does his jump attack, stand in place and use abyss shriek. Vengefly King : if you step down from the main platform on one of the lower ones, it totally messes up with his AI and he will nicely line up for some easy fireballs (and also he'll stop attacking entirely) Watcher Knights : stand near a wall and every time they do an attack that looks slightly troublesome to dodge, use descending dark, and they die in no time. Alternatively, when they use their bounce attack, face tank it but spam abyss shriek.

[@sirlightningpotato]

Tip for flukemarm because I remember dying to it a couple times in early play throughs, if you have decent nail bounce timing, just bounce on its head, it should die before you can get hit more than a couple times