Hive Knight is a Boss in Hollow Knight. Bosses are special Enemies that feature their own arena, a large amount of health, and a variety of unique moves and abilities. You will need to perform multiple attacks such as using The Nail and Nail Arts along with the Spells and Abilities in order to defeat them. Some bosses are capable of entering into a state of stagger after landing a number of attacks on them.
As soon as you encounter a boss, its name will appear on the screen, the music will change into a boss battle theme, and usually, paths connecting the arena will close or will be blocked leaving you no choice but to face these devastating and unique foes.
Loyal protector of the Hive's Queen. Flightless but ferocious in battle.
Some creatures are born with duties and loyalties marked indelibly upon their minds. They are strong, but they are also slaves.
Hive Knight Location
Hive Knight Rewards
Hive Knight Strategies
Strategy Writeup
For this battle, we recommend that you have the Shade Cloak ability before jumping in the battle. This will allow you to phase through Hive Knight's attacks easily especially once you are caught up in a sticky situation. In conjunction with this ability, it is best to have Sharp Shadow so that you can also deal damage at the same time while phasing through the Hive Knight and its attacks.
Your spells will also be your best ally in this battle since most of the time you will be keeping your distance from the aggressive Hive Knight. Shade Soul or Vengeful Spirit is best to deal with damage from a distance, Desolate Dive or Descending Dark is also useful if you want to deal damage after leaping into the air and of course, Abyss Shriek or Howling Wraiths will help to clear out the Hivelings - just be sure to have the following Charms that can buff your Spells and SOUL recovery, Shaman Stone to strengthen your spells, Spell Twister to reduce the cost of SOUL and Soul Eater or Soul Catcher to increase the number of SOULS recovered from striking an enemy with The Nail.
Now as far as your basic attacks, it is best that you upgrade and maximize the power of The Nail, so be sure to visit the Nailsmith when you can. Equipping charms such as Mark of Pride and Quick Slash will allow The Knight to execute fast attacks with The Nail and also increases its reach - with this you'll be able to still deal damage while maintaining a distance from the Hive Knight.
Attacks & Counters
| Attack | Counter |
| Phase 1 | |
| Lunge Attack | Hive Knight performs a lunge attack where it covers almost half of the arena. Simply jump above or dash through the attack. |
| Teleporting Slash | Hive Knight teleports behind The Knight and follows up with swinging his needle forward. The attack covers a wide range and allows the hive Knight to move forward, you can either jump, dash away or dash towards the attack and follow up with a counter-attack. |
| Summoned Spikes | This attack only occurs if you've taken about 4% of Hive Knight's HP. Hive Knight slams his needle onto the ground causing three orbs with spikes to spawn in the arena. After a brief moment, it will shoot out the spikes engulfed around the orb. The orbs appear randomly and cannot be destroyed, however, you can strike it with your nail to change its position before it sets off. |
| Swarm of Hivelings | Hive Knight spews out Hivelings where after a brief moment, these Hivelings will fly down to the ground in random positions. You can use this opportunity to recover SOUL by striking it with The Nail - they can also be killed. Just be mindful to also shift your attention towards the Hive Knight since it will also telegraph an attack while the Hivelings keep you busy. |
Hive Knight Lore
A skilled and seasoned combatant who has dedicated his wellbeing to protecting Queen Vespa and The Hive. The Queen Vespa has been dead for a long time, as her ghost will inform you upon defeating the Hive Knight. He apparently protects her corpse and chamber, as well as the Hiveblood charm, hoping that one day his queen will wake up and rebuild The Hive.
Hive Knight Notes & Trivia
- Hive Knight can be fought for the 2nd time around in Godhome
- Hive Knight's overall health depends on the type of Nail The Knight has.
Anonymous
Poor guy. He’s such a loyal honeybee drone knight. One of the most noble characters and best, truest knights. He must have been Queen Vespa’s drone. Shame you can’t save and befriend him. Honeybee drones do technically sacrifice themselves for the queen bee of the hive. In a different way, but Hive Knight’s role makes sense here. (I also like how he screams a lot like Grimm with a wide open mouth showing his mandibles - hehe.)
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