The wasteland border at the northwest edge of Hallownest. Hosts Nailmaster Mato’s hut, Joni’s Repose grotto, Gorb’s tombstone, the Stag Nest, and the Grimm Troupe Nightmare Lantern.
Howling Cliffs is the northwest edge of Hallownest, a sparsely populated wasteland that borders "the desolate plains" outside the kingdom. Per the wiki, the ground is littered with husks and corpses of bugs; the wind never stops, and Cornifer himself describes the air as "bracing."
According to the wiki, the region is a short, content-dense detour rather than a long arc. Three pickups make the trip worth it: Cyclone Slash from Nailmaster Mato, Joni’s Blessing from Joni’s Repose, and Baldur Shell from the Elder Baldur arena in the south. Gorb is the Dream Boss; the Stag Nest closes the northwest corner.
The wiki notes the cliffs also house the Grimm Troupe’s Nightmare Lantern chamber. The Lantern is a key story trigger in the free DLC; lighting it starts the Troupe arc that ends with Nightmare King Grimm or with the Brumm-aided banishment route.
This guide covers the entry from Dirtmouth via Monarch Wings and Mantis Claw, the King’s Pass alternate route, Mato’s Hut and the free Cyclone Slash, Joni’s Repose and Joni’s Blessing, the Gorb Dream Boss fight, the Stag Nest pickup mechanics, the Baldur Shell arena, the Nightmare Lantern chamber, the lore-tablet "higher beings these words are for you alone" reference, and the Cornifer map purchase.
Northwest wasteland border; short, content-dense detour.
Gorb; Dream Boss on the tombstone, 200 Essence on first kill.
Cyclone Slash + Joni’s Blessing + Baldur Shell across three sub-rooms.
Pre-Monarch Wings; the climb from Dirtmouth needs the double-jump.Per the wiki, the Howling Cliffs are "a steep cliff bordering the wasteland outside the Pale King’s domain." The region is geographically the border of Hallownest itself; the kingdom’s map ends here.
According to the wiki, the lore tablet at the western edge reads "These blasted plains stretch never-ending. There is no world beyond. Those foolish enough to traverse this void must pay the toll and relinquish the precious mind this kingdom grants." The tablet is one of the strongest in-world arguments that the Knight is meant to stay inside Hallownest.
The wiki notes the region connects to King’s Pass (the opening tutorial area), Forgotten Crossroads (via Dirtmouth shortcut), and Kingdom’s Edge (Stag Station route only). The Stag Nest at the far northwest is the only place in the game where the Last Stag’s family history is revealed.
Per the wiki, the canonical entry is from Dirtmouth. The cliff wall east of the well cannot be climbed early-game; Monarch Wings plus Mantis Claw open the route once both abilities are unlocked.
According to the wiki, the King’s Pass alternate route is a speedrun trick. Wall-jumping the King’s Pass cliff at the opening of the game reaches a breakable wall that opens directly into the south Howling Cliffs; the route skips both Mantis Claw and Monarch Wings but requires frame-tight wall-jump timing.
Per the wiki, Nailmaster Mato lives in a hut in the northeast of the Howling Cliffs, near the chasm that drops down to King’s Pass. He teaches the Cyclone Slash Nail Art on first visit and charges no Geo for the lesson.
According to the wiki, Cyclone Slash is a hold-and-release Nail Art that spins the Knight in place, dealing three rapid nail hits across a 360-degree arc. It pairs well with Fury of the Fallen (double damage at 1 Mask) and Mark of Pride (range boost) for boss bursts.
The wiki specifies Mato is one of three Nailmaster brothers: Mato in Howling Cliffs (Cyclone Slash, free), Sheo in Greenpath (Great Slash, free), and Oro in Kingdom’s Edge (Dash Slash, 800 Geo). Learning all three plus equipping Nailmaster’s Glory triggers a brothers-reunion cinematic at Sheo’s hut.
Pick up Mato before the Soul Tyrant Dream Boss rematch in the Soul Sanctum. Per the wiki, Cyclone Slash plus Nailmaster’s Glory (2-notch charm, faster Nail Art charge) is the cleanest spell-light damage rotation; the pairing also clears Markoth in roughly 90 seconds.
Per the wiki, Joni’s Repose is a sub-area east of Cornifer’s chamber, accessed via a dark cavern entrance on the cliffside. The grotto is filled with blue butterflies and an altar holding the spirit of Blue Child Joni, who grants the Joni’s Blessing charm on interaction.
According to the wiki, Joni’s Blessing is a 4-notch charm that replaces standard Masks with Lifeblood Masks. The trade is steep: Lifeblood cannot be healed with Focus, so once the Lifeblood is lost, it stays lost until the next bench. The charm pairs with Lifeblood Heart and Lifeblood Core for the fragile-tank build pattern.
The wiki notes Blue Child Joni is one of the lore-recurring Higher Beings. Lifeblood Cores in the Abyss and the Lifeblood Heart charm both connect to her arc; the wiki documents "Joni was Blessed" as the short version of her transformation into the Lifeblood form.
Per the wiki, Gorb is the Howling Cliffs Dream Boss. He sits on a tombstone in the central platforms of the region; Dream Nail on the tombstone triggers his spirit and starts the fight. First-kill drop is 200 Essence; the Hall of Gods Ascended rematch drops 700 Essence.
According to the wiki, Gorb is the easiest of the eight Warrior Dream Bosses. He floats in place and projects a ring of yellow blades that rotate slowly outward. Quick Slash plus a Mark of Pride clears the fight in under 60 seconds; the harder Hall of Gods tiers add a second and third ring at staggered speeds.
The wiki specifies Gorb is lore-confused. His Dream Nail dialogue is "I AM THE CENTRE!" - a grandiose claim that the wiki documents as pure delusion. He is one of the bugs who fell off the Pale King’s recruitment list and ended up here instead of the Colosseum.
Per the wiki, the Stag Nest is a sub-area in the northwest corner of the Howling Cliffs. It is the canonical home of the stag beetles; the Last Stag rests here on visits after the Knight purchases all Stag Stations.
According to the wiki, the Stag Nest is accessible two ways. The intended route is via the Stag network itself; every other Stag Station must be purchased first (250 Geo each, 5 stations total), then the Last Stag offers the nest as a destination. The alternate route is Nail-bouncing on a Vengefly at the cliffside edge; this skips the Stag cost but requires precise positioning.
The wiki notes the nest contains a single egg and a lore-dense Dream Nail reading that reveals the Last Stag’s family history. The egg has no item pickup attached; it is purely environmental storytelling. The visit unlocks the Metamorphosis achievement.
Per the wiki, the Baldur Shell charm sits behind a small Elder Baldur arena in the southwest of the Howling Cliffs. The arena entry requires Mothwing Cloak; jumping into the chest-shaped door leads to the chamber.
According to the wiki, the arena spawns two Elder Baldurs simultaneously (one left, one right). Defeating the right Baldur opens the chamber with the Baldur Shell charm pickup; the left Baldur drop is optional. The fight is the only Baldur arena that ships in pairs.
The wiki specifies Baldur Shell is a 2-notch charm that grows a protective shell around the Knight during Focus heals. The shell blocks one hit during the heal animation, then breaks; the charm regenerates on bench rest. The pairing with Quick Focus is the canonical safe-heal rotation.
Per the wiki, the Nightmare Lantern Chamber is the starting trigger for the Grimm Troupe free DLC. The chamber sits below Cornifer’s spot on the cliffside, behind two breakable walls; the Lantern itself is a stone pedestal with a flame on top.
According to the wiki, lighting the Lantern triggers the Troupe to set up in Dirtmouth. Grimm’s tent appears next to Bretta’s house, starting the Charged Lantern - Brumm - Nightmare King Grimm questline. Players who skip the chamber never see the DLC content.
The wiki notes the Lantern has two endings. The standard path ends on Nightmare King Grimm (the Grimm Troupe ending with Grimmchild charm upgraded to the second form). The Brumm-aided banishment route ends on the Nightmare King fight cancelled and the Carefree Melody charm awarded instead; both endings are mutually exclusive on a single save.
The Howling Cliffs tie to the Gorb Dream Boss, the Nailmaster brothers, Cornifer’s map shop, the Monarch Wings prerequisite, and the Last Stag’s Stag Nest. These spokes pick up the threads.
Game data and screenshots adapted from hollowknight.fandom.com, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Original content remains the property of the wiki contributors and Team Cherry.