All Bosses / Main + DLC / Hollow Knight (Patch v1.4.3)
A directory of every Hollow Knight boss across the main game, Hidden Dreams, Grimm Troupe, and Godmaster expansions with Hunter's Journal counts.
Total: 47 with variantsMain game: ~32DLC bosses: 15+
Per the wiki, "counting the variations, there are 47 bosses in the game. That number includes one joke boss that cannot damage the Knight (Zote), but excludes the two that are never actually fought." The Hunter's Journal entry count and the Hall of Gods entry count differ slightly, with Hall of Gods adding alternate-arena and no-hit challenge entries on top of the base roster.
According to the wiki, "bosses are unique enemies in Hollow Knight that typically have higher health or deal more damage than the standard creatures in the same area. The Knight may have to defeat a Boss to access a new area, acquire an item, complete a quest, or simply further the main story of the game." Roughly ten are strictly required for the standard ending; the rest reward Charms, abilities, or lore completion.
The wiki specifies the variant system. "Almost all the boss fights in the game have multiple variations in the Hall of Gods, including alternate arenas that change the nature of a fight, or special challenges such as beating a boss without taking a hit." The Godmaster Pantheon versions are tuned with higher HP than the Hall of Gods versions of the same boss.
This guide breaks the 47 fights into main-game story gates, optional regional bosses, Colosseum trial bosses, the six Warrior Dreams, the four Dream Boss variants, and the DLC additions across Hidden Dreams, the Grimm Troupe, and Godmaster.
Total count47 bosses with variants, per the wiki's Hunter's Journal tally.
First bossFalse Knight in Forgotten Crossroads; the canonical story-start fight.
Final bossThe Hollow Knight or The Radiance, depending on the ending path taken.
Hardest tierPure Vessel and Absolute Radiance in the Godmaster Pantheons.
Main Story Bosses
The story-required and soft-required bosses are the spine of the run. Per the wiki, "the Knight may have to defeat a Boss to access a new area, acquire an item, complete a quest, or simply further the main story of the game." The ones that gate the Black Egg path are:
False Knight. Forgotten Crossroads; drops the City Crest.
Uumuu. Fog Canyon Archives; gates Monomon Dreamer.
The Hollow Knight. Black Egg Temple; standard-ending final boss.
The Radiance. Black Egg dream sequence; Dream No More ending boss after Void Heart.
Build Tip
Per the wiki, the standard Hollow Knight fight ends the run on the Sealed Siblings ending without Void Heart equipped. The Radiance only appears when the Void Heart Charm from the Abyss is in the loadout. In actual play, this means most files beat the Hollow Knight twice: once for the standard ending, once with Void Heart for the Dream No More true ending.
Optional Regional Bosses
Optional bosses sit off the critical path but reward Masks, Charms, or Hunter's Journal completion. Per the wiki, the optional regional roster includes:
Brooding Mawlek. Forgotten Crossroads side room; Mask Shard.
Gruz Mother. Forgotten Crossroads main path; pseudo-mandatory body block.
Vengefly King. King's Pass and Greenpath; Stalwart Shell route.
The Colosseum recycles bosses inside three sequential trials. Per the wiki, "some bosses also make a second appearance in the Colosseum of Fools" and the trials end with specific climax fights:
Trial of the Warrior. Mid trial; ends with Zote on the rescue-twice save branch (deals zero damage, Rivalry achievement).
Trial of the Conqueror. Second trial; ends with Oblobbles plus combat ramps.
Trial of the Fool. Final trial; ends with God Tamer on the floor-arena climax.
According to the wiki, these trials gate the Pale Lurker NPC and grant the Carefree Melody and King's Brand achievements indirectly. Players who skip the Colosseum miss roughly five Hunter's Journal entries.
Warrior Dreams
Six dream-only fights against fallen Hallownest warriors. Per the wiki, each grants Essence for the Awoken Dream Nail upgrade chain and short lore fragments from former Great Knights and outsiders.
Tougher rematches against main-game bosses, accessed by Dream Nailing the corpse or memorial. Per the wiki, the canonical four feed the Awoken Dream Nail upgrade and the Awoken Dream Realm completion gate:
Failed Champion. Dream version of False Knight. 300 Essence.
Lost Kin. Dream version of Broken Vessel. 400 Essence and a silent-bow lore scene.
Soul Tyrant. Dream version of Soul Master in the Soul Sanctum.
White Defender. Dream version of Dung Defender. Repeatable up to five times in a single save.
DLC Bosses
Three free DLC packs added the highest-difficulty tier of Hollow Knight bosses. Per the wiki, all three count toward 112% completion and the Hunter's Journal.
Hidden Dreams (free, 2017)
White Defender. Five-stage Dung Defender rematch.
Grey Prince Zote. Bretta basement dream boss after the Zote save chain.
Nightmare King Grimm. Dream Nail rematch on the sleeping Grimm after the third Flame set; required for the Ritual ending and the Carefree Melody Charm.
Enraged Guardian. Hall of Gods Crystal Guardian with full Infection.
Pure Vessel. Pantheon of the Knight final fight; the uncorrupted Hollow Knight.
Absolute Radiance. Pantheon of Hallownest capstone; the Godmaster ending boss after 42 consecutive prior fights.
Common Mistakes
Confusing Warrior Dreams with Dream Boss variants. Per the wiki, Warrior Dreams (Xero, Gorb, Marmu, No Eyes, Markoth, Galien) are dream-only fights at physical memorials. Dream Boss variants (Failed Champion, Lost Kin, Soul Tyrant, White Defender) are tougher rematches on existing boss corpses or arenas.
Ignoring the Hall of Gods difficulty split. The wiki specifies "almost all the boss fights in the game have multiple variations in the Hall of Gods." Attuned, Ascended, and Radiant difficulty levels stack on top of the base fight, and Pantheon HP is tuned higher than Hall of Gods HP for the same boss.
Forgetting Void Heart for the Radiance fight. Per the wiki, the Radiance only appears when Void Heart is equipped during the Hollow Knight fight. A standard kill without Void Heart locks the run into the Sealed Siblings ending.
Skipping Hive Knight thinking the Hive is base game. Per the wiki, the Hive and Hive Knight were added in the Lifeblood content patch, not in the launch version. Pre-Lifeblood walkthroughs miss the fight entirely.
Treating Pantheon HP as equal to Hall of Gods HP. Per the wiki, the Pantheon versions of bosses are tuned harder. Pure Vessel has 1,600 HP in the Hall and 1,850 HP in the Pantheon of the Knight, for example.
Hollow Knight Bosses FAQ
How many bosses are in Hollow Knight?
47 counting variations. Per the wiki, the 47-boss total includes Hall of Gods variants and excludes two bosses that are never actually fought. Zote counts as a joke boss because his shellwood nail cannot damage the Knight.
How many bosses are required for the main story?
Roughly ten. Per the wiki, the strict story gates are False Knight, Hornet Protector, Soul Master, Broken Vessel, Watcher Knights, and Uumuu, plus the final Hollow Knight fight. Mantis Lords and Crystal Guardian are soft-required for region access. The Radiance only fires with Void Heart.
What is the first boss in Hollow Knight?
False Knight in Forgotten Crossroads. Per the wiki, False Knight is a Maggot wearing the armour of Great Knight Hegemol; he is the first major boss gate, rewards a Mask Shard and the City Crest, and Dream Nailing his corpse later opens Failed Champion.
What is the final boss of Hollow Knight?
Either the Hollow Knight or the Radiance, depending on the ending. Per the wiki, the Hollow Knight fight ends standard runs in the Black Egg Temple. With Void Heart equipped, Dream Nailing during the fight opens the Radiance fight for the Dream No More ending.
What are Warrior Dreams in Hollow Knight?
Six dream-only fights against fallen warriors. Per the wiki, Xero, Gorb, Marmu, No Eyes, Markoth, and Galien each fire at a physical memorial after acquiring the Dream Nail. They drop Essence for the Awoken Dream Nail upgrade and Seer completion.
What are Dream Boss variants?
Failed Champion, Lost Kin, Soul Tyrant, and White Defender. Per the wiki, each is a Dream Nail rematch on a main-game boss corpse or arena. They yield 300 to 400 Essence per kill and are required for full Hunter's Journal completion.
What is the hardest boss in Hollow Knight?
Nightmare King Grimm, Pure Vessel, or Absolute Radiance depending on the player. Per the wiki, Absolute Radiance is the final fight of the Pantheon of Hallownest, fought as the 47th consecutive boss; most completionist runners rank it as the hardest in the game.
What DLCs added bosses to Hollow Knight?
Hidden Dreams, the Grimm Troupe, and Godmaster. Per the wiki, Hidden Dreams added White Defender and Grey Prince Zote; the Grimm Troupe added Troupe Master Grimm and Nightmare King Grimm; Godmaster added the Pantheon chain, Sisters of Battle, Pure Vessel, and Absolute Radiance.
More Hollow Knight Guides
Bosses tie to the boss-order progression chain, the Pantheons, and the Dream Nail completion pass. 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.
False Knight in Forgotten Crossroads; the canonical story-start fight.
The Hollow Knight or The Radiance, depending on the ending path taken.
Pure Vessel and Absolute Radiance in the Godmaster Pantheons.
Mantis Lords. Mantis Village; soft-required for Deepnest passage.
Soul Master. City of Tears Sanctum; rewards Desolate Dive.
Broken Vessel. Ancient Basin; gates Monarch Wings.
Watcher Knights. Watcher's Spire; gates Lurien Dreamer.
The Collector. Tower of Love via Love Key; required for Grub completion.
Troupe Master Grimm. Dirtmouth tent fight after two Flame sets.