No joke, that is one of my favourite boss fights in HK. The biggest comedic relief of the game, right after one of the most challenging battles thus far; it's simply brillant.
Markoth in the base game was my favorite dream warrior because he seemed more fun than the others, and a little less "literally only one attack". Then Team Cherry realized platforms and the floor weren't great for a fight, and he became the LAST radiant boss I had to complete.
Beating Mantis Lords was the first time I felt like I had actually gotten GOOD at a difficult video game instead of giving up, like with so many difficult games before. You can't help but fall into this very zen state at the end where both remaining Mantis' are launching themselves at you from all angles and you dodge them perfectly. Such a satisfying boss in a game of very satisfying bosses!
I only fought them later and it was way less satisfying for me since my nail and Sharp Shadow seemed to melt through them, but then I got to Sisters of Battle and they are extremely satisfying to fight and beat. Then I lost to Marmu immediately afterward
I remember I never played hard games, and when I tried HK I gave up at the False Knight. I came back to it and almost gave up with Hornet. Now I'm on my way to finish the 5th pantheon! Truly a masterpiece
god, the hollow knight is such a masterpiece of a fight. sure, most people don't find it terribly difficult (except me who accidentally beat them with the minion build because I was practicing dodging) but I think that's on purpose. after all, you gotta face the radiance after beating hollow knight but from a non-combat angle, the fight is so very good. if you've snooped around enough to understand at least some of the lord, facing thk feels both like your meeting a famous hero, and tragic because said hero has fell so far and you can obviously tell they're in immense pain and are desperate. the stabbing of themselves is shocking and sad, but also this small action adds so much emotion to the fight. your sibling, the one who had one of the most tragic upbringings one can go through, the one whose entire life has been nothing but suffering, the one who was an unwilling and unconsenting hero even if they couldn't hold the radiance in forever. this sibling is doing all their falling apart, exhausted self can do to help their sibling out and save hallownest once again and the last phase is absolutely pitifully heartbreaking. they are literally being unwillingly flung around by presumably the radiance. if you look at the animation closeup you can see that not only is the hollow knight a completely limp ragdoll, but that when the infection goes down it slams hollow knight into the ground, body first as the infection crushes their body between it and the ground. then there's the very pitiful attempts at slashing, such strong storytelling. this part of the fight is very easy and you feel horrible for how easy it is to kill them. once I saw this phase I just avoided them because I didn't wanna kill this suffering, pitiful creature. the hollow knight just gives me so many feelings. also the character design is fantastic and the music made me fuckin cry
I agree that the sisters of battle would benefit from a shared healthpool. If I were to think on my top 3 bosses I think I would have gone with: 1. Pure Vessel 2. Nightmare King Grimm 3. Sisters of Battle Theyre all just so much fun!
The top 3 are all really fantastic bosses, its hard to rank them. I think PV is my favorite for sure but all three of the fights are so good its hard to rank them accurately at that point!
I honestly love the lore behind each of the "Pale Siblings" battles, like Broken Vessel, Hornet, and Hollow Knight. You're basically being set against your own family one way or another, whether it's to save your older brothers or gain your half-sister's trust and respect.
My main complaint with AbsRad is that it kind of loses some of its majesty. Radiance is a difficult boss despite having fairly slow attacks. Because of this, its attacks feel sweeping and majestic, and it feels like it doesn’t need to concern itself with you. Then AbsRad just ups the speed a ridiculous amount and wipes the floor with your face.
@@ronyrubinov7449 Ur telling me a literal god that controls an infection that took over all of Hallownest was old and a bit broken down when you face it? Gods can age?
It's more restored radiance (I like to believe anyrad is prime radiance) It's supposed to be harder and it knows your the shade lord so it takes you seriously
As someone who's faced and defeated every boss in the game except Abs Rad, Soul Tyrant is still my favorite fight. There's just something I love about facing a boss that prefers to keep their distance and takes evasive manoeuvres that actually forces you to match their speed if you want to get any damage in whatsoever.
1:15 "A version that makes you die in 1 hit, no exceptions." Well... With the exception Carefree Melody..... I considered using that charm to beat Markoth on Radiant (the last one I had left), but I just got gud instead. Btw, after watching the entire video, I think I agree with everything that you said. Except that I would place Sly above Zote, just because I REALLY enjoy his Yoda-like movement. I can tell that you put a LOT of effort into this video, it's very high quality! (And every single alliteration you've thrown in is very much appreciated)
I actually really like false knight, imo it should be higher on the list, genuinely one of my favorite fights because it's such a great introduction to the fighting you'll be doing later on in the game
Sisters of Battle is such an insane WOW moment. I think everyone that played Hollow Knight loved the Mantis Lords and then they made the fight even better. Just take my money already Team Cherry
5. Nailsage Sly 4. Radiance (regular) 3. Nightmare King Grimm 2. Sisters of Battle 1. Pure Vessel Updated top 5 a year later: 5. Nightmare King Grimm 4. Watcher Knights 3. Sisters of Battle 2. Pure Vessel 1. Absolute Radiance Updated top 5 two years later: 5. Sisters of Battle 4. Grey Prince Zote 3. Watcher Knight 2. Pure Vessel 1. Absolute Radiance Updated top 5 three years later: 5. Grey Prince Zote 4. Watcher Knights 3. Pure Vessel 2. The Collector 1. Absolute Radiance
@@isaacjones6323 Watcher Knights are a fun fight, but the fact that they can roll at you from offscreen really frustrated me at first. I have them on radiant now though, and they’re not that bad.
Some bosses like the massive moss are good for the stage you fight them at. You get the dash from hornet and now you’re forced to use that skill to dash under the massive moss charger in when he jumps. So they’re not an entirely bad boss
The "oh shit" moment when the Lords cracked their knuckles and u realized what's up is probably one of the best moments I've had in this game. Beating abs rad after so many attempts in p5 was such a satisfying and relieving moment too
I think the best part of both Radiance fights is that Radiance herself doesn't have a hitbox, so you're basically free to roam the arena with relative ease as long as you're not hit. It's probably the one thing keeping the fight from being impossible.
Grey Prince Zote holds a dear place in my heart as the boss that encouraged me to not just get good, but get GOOD, at Hollow Knight. Making the boss do up to eight masks of damage seems like fake difficulty at first glance, if not incredibly funny for multiple reasons, but the beauty of it lies in its execution. As said, Zote’s moveset is small and easily memorized to go along with the frenetic pace of battle, and if you’re gunning to finish Bretta’s questline- or unlock the golden Zote statue -you have to go toe-to-toe with him four times before things ramp up. From that point on, the game stops pulling its punches. It’s essentially saying “You’ve worked hard to get to this point, congratulations. Now put on your dancing shoes and show us what that hard work amounts to.” You don’t just get good at Grey Prince Zote; you MASTER Grey Prince Zote, and the knowledge you’ve accrued from fighting him all those times serve as the bedrock to do that. And if you’re like me, who didn’t have many mask shards, you had to beat him hitless. Twice. His moveset is fun as is, but having to avoid getting hit as much as possible adds a whole new layer of intensity to the fight as you soar and shadow dash through the air, swinging wildly as your mind goes a mile a minute trying to keep on top of how much is going on while trying to anticipate Zote’s next attack. It really did change the way I played the game, and I honestly can’t fathom fighting him without the copious amounts of damage nowadays. The atmosphere is top notch also. Being able to knock the old codger down at the height of both his arrogance and strength is an electrifying feeling after all the shit he gives you and the pathetic showing that was his fight at the coliseum. Plus, the scene of two gallant knights fighting for the eye of their fair maiden just reeks of the melodramatic old-timey chivalrous romance tale vibe that Bretta’s tales take after. The encounter is tense, blood-pumping, cathartic and hilarious all at once; it made Zote one of, if not my favourite character in Hollow Knight after an entire game of wishing I left him to die in Greenpath. I still have a few bosses to take on before I can say I’ve TRULY beat the game. Hive Knight and the remaining dream warriors notwithstanding, they’re regarded as the creme de la creme and I can’t wait to see whether they surpass the Grey Prince. An honourable mention goes to Soul Tyrant, who was the boss who got me into the game in the first place.
Heck yes! So many people dislike this boss for one reason or another, but I've always felt he was one of the game's best showings for all these reasons and more. Really glad to hear the fight was a great experience for you too - especially before the Hall of Gods (and Radiant difficulty) were released, GPZ was *the* boss that made you go hitless. And it was great.
GPZ Golden Statue is one of my favorite older memories of the game back when I got it on Switch. I believe I got the gold statue while on the john, epic moment for both Hollow Knight and the Switch indeed.
I had this experience with literllay all the dream variant bosses, especially Failed Champion. Man, he totally Crushed me and i struggled to even get to his next phase. And months later, in my first P4: Oh, it's Failed Champion. Okay, guess I'll take him down. 😁
@@TechnovoidI dislike the boss because sometimes his attacks pile up together too much to be fair, and he has few indicators of what's happening next, not to mention his mid-air adjustments he so freely flashes
One thing i have to say: Harder fights seem more frustrating when you are trying it then when you do it again, i absolutely hated NKG after i beat it for the first time, but after doing it and regular Grimm on radiant, yea i like NKG more Exeptions: Marmu, Markoth, Galien, GPZ, sly(at least for me, the second phase eliminates me almost always), i didnt do absolute radiance yet because of sly but i will include it here, marmu, markoth
@@isaacjones6323 Ascended Markoth is pretty easy, it’s just that in p5 he really wears down your hp before harder foes ahead. He’s the reason i can’t beat the pantheon of hallownest; I don’t die during his fight, i die shortly after
@@pixelation6224 oh no I never die to Markoth in P5, I always have leftover soul from soul tyrant that I can use to blast through his second phase. Ascended with double damage where you start with 0 soul is far harder to me. Just learn GPZ and how to fast best FailChamp and Markoth isn't a problem in P5
I personally thinl its okay to put an achivement behind the pantheon of hallownest. It gives a reason to get through the literally hell that is tht thing. (I also think the ending cutscene is also okay but I understand the complains). On an tangent, Sister of battle destroyed Mantis lords for me, cause now I find the latter too slow. Excellent video dude
Yeah what i would change in the pantheon of hallownest is not the dificulty nor the fact that it gives you an ending, what i would do is remove certain bosses to make it faster, like the dream bosses feel annoying in the last phanteon and guys like the massive mosscharger or the soul warrior just slow down the pantheon with really easy battles. Another change would be remove the weaker versions of certain bosses, for example you don't have to fight nosk before winged nosk, and makes more sense with the lore because if attune puts the bosses in they best moment, why we fight white defender and dung defender? except grimm because he's not the exactly the same. Another thing would be unlock absolute radiance before the pantheon. I really like the pantheon of hallownest and defeat it has been one of my best experiences but it could be a little better.
@@santiagopomares6287 yeah the pantheon would be fine if it didn't last over half an hour. One extra thing I would do is rework the breaks. The ability to undo any mistakes you made on top of changing your entire loadout up to the very last set of bosses makes 4/5 of the whole thing pointless. I would personally change it to having soul statues.
I'm very glad that mossbag made a tweet about this video. You can tell that a lot of time and effort went into it and I, being about 1/4-1/3 in, am loving it so far
Yeah I hated the boss fights in hollow knight. Just wasn't my thing. I loved the exploration and lore and I liked the bosses as more obstacles to exploration rather than actual gameplay. So when I found God home in my playthrough I explored it, got the God tuner fought vengefly and left. I would only fight for exploration or lore. There is very little lore there and no exploration. So I left and experienced the rest of the game. I am also very VERY bad at boss fights and get frustrated easily. I really loved the game btw 10/10 HOWEVER, THEN I WENT ONLINE, AND LEARNED TWO CANON ENDINGS ARE BEHIND THE HARDEST THING EVER. I was like: "no." And I still have never beaten God home. I didnt even do path of pain I'm so bad. How in the universe would I beat all of that. So I just looked up the ending cutscenes on UA-cam, watched them. Was hyped. Done.
Appreciate your fantastic segment on the hollow knight. Mechanically he may not be the best, but the music and visual design makes him one of the best for me. I also appreciate you still reading comments :)
My first time playing through the game I felt like the Hollow Knight was a huge letdown, as I had already done everything else in the game, and the repeat attempts needed to fight the Radiance made me grow tired of it quickly. But the more I play this game, the more I appreciate how incredibly well designed this boss is. I'm glad I'm not the only one absolutely in love with how it all comes together.
In my opinion, the PV fight is a tale of finally putting your brother's spirit to rest and the PV itself is meant to be him trying to carry on despite his restlessness
I just love the regular Grimm fight... it's so balanced, not very easy and not very hard. Grimm himself is a very badass character and has a cool mysterious lore. The soundtrack is epic and I love the fact that it is ominous and dark during the fight but it gets very intense and blood boiling during his fireball attack. You could say NKG is way better because he has all of Grimm's positive with much more added fun and difficulty, yes... but for me he is the best boss fight in Hollow Knight and one of the best boss fights in all the games I've played.
I agree grimm is the best, not just his fights either, his character design is really cool and even though he sounds like hes smoked 50 cigarettes every day for the past 10 years hes definatly my favourite.
I actually don't find Zote that difficult. I figured out what the AI was doing pretty early on by just anticipating where you were going to be rather than attacking a set point. So the easiest way to defeat him is to just randomly change your vector and you'll trick the AI into going to completely the wrong spot. Once you've figured this out as long as his bombs don't trap you in a way where you can't dodge a jump he was one of the easier ones for me to Radiant.
As someone who's absolutely horrible at this game, the words "It's not hard in he slightest" made me mad with the Soul Warrior lmfao I'm officially a hate account for this guy. I absolutely hated him. Had no fun at all, especially because the way the shade is placed was awful. Couldn't get it's attention without starting the encounter. I could go on about how much I Don't Like this guy but. Nobody really seems to share my opinion haha Side note about Xero since I didn't finish the whole video before writing the comment. Another semi consistent 'safe' spot it right at the edge of the platform you fight him on. If he's a decent amount away from you, then the spears just fly right over your head and don't even hit you on the way back. Found it accidentally and whenever I ran over to heal, it didn't hit me, but I can't imagine this happens every single time.
Hey no worries, we all struggle with different things! When I said Soul Warrior wasn't difficult, I meant it moreso in the context of the other bosses, most of which are more difficult by a good margin. However, Hollow Knight is overall a really hard game, so when it comes down to it most of the bosses are 'hard', its just that some are a lot easier than others.
On my first playthrough, I died to the soul warrior in the sanctum at least 5 or 6 times, but I beat soul master in 3-4 tries. There's just something about him that tripped me up.
This is a really well made video, I really appreciate the in-depth analysis and just the overall quality of this! I'm surprised you haven't gotten more attention by now :/ Thank you for making this :)
Had a ton of disagreements about the list but it was super fun and thought provoking to hear you make your case for each. You analyze and articulate the experience of battling each boss very very well. Love the video!
Great vid! Worth the full watch. I never was able to make it through the final pantheon to try absrad, and not for lack of trying. maybe one day team cherry.
BRUH hearing you had 500 subs at the time of making this made my jaw drop! If you sat me down and showed me this video with no context, I'd guess you had a minimum of 200K subs, and a max of like 5M. Seriously man. Even now you have 11K. I just found your channel so I don't know what and how much you upload, but regardless, this video alone is worth a bunch more subs. Amazing job!
So, for his entry, we stick to the fakeout from you. But instead of throwing the Mawlek away, he jumps up and slams it upside down into the floor. He then rips off one of its scythe arms, and yells. Tiso's weapons for the fight will consist of the Mawlek's arm and his shield, which can turn into blades as seen in Godhome. Phase 1 : Tiso has a few attacks. A : Tiso swings the scythe upwards and forwards 3 times, covering a large upwards area, about 2 Knights, and a mediocre forwards distance, about the length of the nail with Longnail equipped B : Tiso will jump upwards while swinging the scythe upwards. This serves as an anti-air. After he is staggered once, he gains another attack C : Tiso turns his shield into blades and dashes forwards, covering about half the stage Tiso can be staggered once more before entering Phase 2. Phase 2 will be marked by Tiso jumping back to the Mawlek's corpse and throwing away his shield. He will then RIP off the other arm, and yell again. He still has attacks B, but will get a better attack A, as well as 2 other attacks. A : Tiso will swing this scythe brutally into the ground, one after the other, moving forward as he does so. This will cover slightly more forward range than Phase 1. B : Same as Phase 1, but with 2 swings. One as he is rising, another as he spins at the peak of his jump. C : Tiso will essentially use Mato's Cyclone Slash, but instead of rising, he moves rapidly from side-to-side, bouncing off the arena walls D : Tiso will sometimes slip from too much inertia, falling over. This has as much telegraphing as Grey Prince Zote's does. It will lower his hitbox, and slide a bit. After defeating him, Tiso will collapse to the ground, then stand up with a bit of effort. He'll shake his head with visible disappointment in himself, then stand straight, look directly at you and bow like the Nailmasters. In his Ascended arena, the stage will get progressively smaller from debris caused by attacks Phase 1C, Phase 2A and Phase2C His statue will say "Lonely God of Arrogance and Humility" Note : All attacks involving scythe can be parried. Tiso will also give slightly more soul than normal to show his fighting spirit, and to allow you to use spells more often. Attuned : 1300 HP, only slightly more than the Mawlek's 1050 Ascended + Radiant : 1600 HP Tell me what you think please!
Team Cherry is competent, they'll make a good game, I'm sure. Ultimately though, there's no way Silksong can match the elegance in HK's design or the amazing atmosphere.
Your point about players who choose to dash through PV is so true. It took me hundreds of tries to shake the habit of instinctively dashing through the damn tentacles.
As someone who loves alliterations, you used so many that were executed exquisitely. I’m very much impressed. Also, the rest of the video was amazing as well
Can we talk about NKG having arguably, but not really arguably and I will not be swayed, the best boss track on this list? The music alone made dying to his faster and harder hitting move set very enjoyable!
In my opinion the grimm troupe music is the best music in the game but i think i would place the grimm troupe song over the nightmare king song as the grimm troupe song gets that epic electric guitar cover about halfway through the track
I love this list❤. I think it's close to perfect. You introduced every boss so accuracly and even gave some useful fighting advice at the same time. Great job!
My own favorite: Pure vessel (yes that silent scream is 90% the reason he is on top) Traveling troupe master Grim (this guy has the far superior music to NKG) Sisters of battle (the music stopping when the third lord stood up was epic) Yes, the music plays a larger part than the actual boss for me.
I remember when I first joined this community which was like 1 month ago I spent 1 whole day on hornet protector and now she is one of the easiest bosses
This video is a very good ranking of the bosses, considering both fun and story elements is extremely important, and other videos I’ve seen have ignored those aspects, and definitely undercut how good the bosses in this game are
God I love the Nightmare King. Haven’t fought pure vessel yet, but I’m excited. Also, I fought the watcher knights after nkg so it was very underwhelming. I do agree with fighting thk being annoying before every radiance attempt, but both fights are so good I really can’t complain.
One time I fought the collector with only two nail upgrades and using shaman stone, soul eater and spell twister. It was actually really freaking fun, using the nail exclusively for soul and positioning yourself to take out the enemies and damage the collector with the single spell you can muster is a complex, challenging, and rewarding experience
Number 1 for me will always be Sisters of Battle. I knew the moment I faced off against the Mantis Lords that that fight would be my favourite out of the base game, I was wrong however in this assessment, but the moment Sisters of Battle came on... I had everything I wanted. I am also one of those insane people that put Absolute Radiance in top 5, because i actually like the challenge that lasts just that bit longer. But I do perfectly understand why you deduct points, especially since it blocks out an ending to the game. But I do think that that is rather fair overall as the ending itself is the reward for doing such an absurd challenge, and you have a similar reward for doing White Castle. #1: Sisters of Battle - Perfect fight. The pace was never a problem for me as with full upgrades and the right charms the pacing is fast with no brakes. You die fast, they die fast. Perfection. #2: Nightmare King Grimm - Very difficult but also beautiful. #3: Pure Vessel - Significant and beautiful. Lore stuff. #4: Paintmaster Sheo - Beautiful fight. #5: Absolute Radiance - Ultimate challenge. #6: Dung Defender - Hilarious! He keeps saying something that sounds like the Danish word for dumber, and I love mechanics where I can volley ball the boss around, Marmu is in my top 15 for this reason. #7: Mantis Lords - What can I say? Sisters of Battle, but slower pace with ever so slightly worse music. #8: Hornet (OG) - Beautiful, and the first test for a new player. If I didn't suffer from snowblindness, I might have put Sentinel here, but I can hardly see shit in that fight because of all the white particle effects on the screen covering up other things. #9: Radiance - Semi-ultimate challenge. Pace is slower than Absolute so it's not quite the same ball breaking opposition that makes me love Absolute. #10: White Defender - Dung Defender, but no beach ball mechanic, still love the fight.
I think this is the greatest HK bosses ranking I've seen on UA-cam, so congrats, very on point. I still need to reach Pure Vessel on the fourth pantheon, so that's the only review I didn't watch because I wanna discover how that fight is on my own (I have no interest in doing the Pantheon of Hallownest so that's why i don't really care for Abs Radiance). Great, great vid!
after playing through this game a dozen times, i tried one entire playthrough without using spells in combat and it made me respect the one on one fights so much more. hive knight and hornet especially stand out when you have to duel them without spells, it’s so much more high stakes and elevates them where they lack a little i think it speaks to how some of the best bosses don’t give you time for spells or force you into nail to nail combat, like sisters of battle or oro and mato
Mantis Lords was the moment I knew this game was special. The music, the flow of the fight, the length of it.... One of my favorite boss fights ever
I agree
Same
Yes because you had to learn their movements and timing so precisely it’s my fav boss and I was so happy when I beat it
same, sisters of battle is def one of my favorite
I love mantis lords
"Markoth, Fun Factor: 4" I disagree, sir
Fun factor -4
Markoth is a 2 fun for me take it or leave it
Markoth no floor: Fun Factor 0
Markoth with floor: Fun Factor 3
Fun Factor: utter garbage
Edit:
Just factor: 0
Fun factor:Moth sucks
Grey Prince Zote is basically the embodiment of “If I don’t know where I’m going you sure as hell don’t”
And it makes it a frustrating mess as a result.
@@General_Ci can't get enough of it honestly. I've spent 9 hours grinding him
@@General_C Yeah it's great, Zote is one of my favorite fights
And then Broken Vessel / Lost Kin knows where you will go before YOU know where you will go. Frickin vessel instincts being so in-sync.
@@EaterOfGeese it's fucking magic I swear. Wasted 5 hours on that shit. His ost rocks tho
“Impending release of silksong”
For some reason Marmu moves a fuck ton faster when I'm fighting her than when I'm watching the fight.
Every boss
@@Xephyra fr
Same here
if you hit her upwards she basically comes back down at mach 1 speed and try to climb up your ass
Never knew that Marmu is a girl
smh, you forgot about the most important one: original Zote duel
For what its worth I did a whole meme video on The Eternal Ordeal, I dunno if that counts though haha
No joke, that is one of my favourite boss fights in HK. The biggest comedic relief of the game, right after one of the most challenging battles thus far; it's simply brillant.
@@Technovoid Where's the link bc I wish to watch it
@@moonknightproductions ua-cam.com/video/tUdyh82NdZ4/v-deo.html
@@Technovoid Thank you!
"lol hey vengefly king can i copy your homework" god winged nosk was so annoying
Markoth in the base game was my favorite dream warrior because he seemed more fun than the others, and a little less "literally only one attack". Then Team Cherry realized platforms and the floor weren't great for a fight, and he became the LAST radiant boss I had to complete.
When he is harder at radiancr than Absolute Radiance herself. I feel bad, but not really, she was an asshole and so pale king. Eat the rich
Crazy how Markoth on radiant is low-key harder than AbsRad on radiant
The most underrated Hollow Knight creator I've seen, I'm just salty about not putting False Knight higher
Nevermind you put Failed Champion high up I'm happy
Neither are even that good of bosses tbh
@@obscure_genesis yeah, it's just a bias I have bc it was so rewarding for me to beat failed champion
@@BlameJajubz nice
@@obscure_genesis both are very solid fights, false knight should probably be higher, and failed champion lower.
Beating Mantis Lords was the first time I felt like I had actually gotten GOOD at a difficult video game instead of giving up, like with so many difficult games before. You can't help but fall into this very zen state at the end where both remaining Mantis' are launching themselves at you from all angles and you dodge them perfectly. Such a satisfying boss in a game of very satisfying bosses!
I only fought them later and it was way less satisfying for me since my nail and Sharp Shadow seemed to melt through them, but then I got to Sisters of Battle and they are extremely satisfying to fight and beat. Then I lost to Marmu immediately afterward
Facts
This game despite being hard, actually makes you get good
I remember I never played hard games, and when I tried HK I gave up at the False Knight. I came back to it and almost gave up with Hornet. Now I'm on my way to finish the 5th pantheon! Truly a masterpiece
god, the hollow knight is such a masterpiece of a fight. sure, most people don't find it terribly difficult (except me who accidentally beat them with the minion build because I was practicing dodging) but I think that's on purpose. after all, you gotta face the radiance after beating hollow knight
but from a non-combat angle, the fight is so very good. if you've snooped around enough to understand at least some of the lord, facing thk feels both like your meeting a famous hero, and tragic because said hero has fell so far and you can obviously tell they're in immense pain and are desperate. the stabbing of themselves is shocking and sad, but also this small action adds so much emotion to the fight. your sibling, the one who had one of the most tragic upbringings one can go through, the one whose entire life has been nothing but suffering, the one who was an unwilling and unconsenting hero even if they couldn't hold the radiance in forever. this sibling is doing all their falling apart, exhausted self can do to help their sibling out and save hallownest once again
and the last phase is absolutely pitifully heartbreaking. they are literally being unwillingly flung around by presumably the radiance. if you look at the animation closeup you can see that not only is the hollow knight a completely limp ragdoll, but that when the infection goes down it slams hollow knight into the ground, body first as the infection crushes their body between it and the ground. then there's the very pitiful attempts at slashing, such strong storytelling. this part of the fight is very easy and you feel horrible for how easy it is to kill them. once I saw this phase I just avoided them because I didn't wanna kill this suffering, pitiful creature. the hollow knight just gives me so many feelings. also the character design is fantastic and the music made me fuckin cry
I agree that the sisters of battle would benefit from a shared healthpool. If I were to think on my top 3 bosses I think I would have gone with:
1. Pure Vessel
2. Nightmare King Grimm
3. Sisters of Battle
Theyre all just so much fun!
The top 3 are all really fantastic bosses, its hard to rank them. I think PV is my favorite for sure but all three of the fights are so good its hard to rank them accurately at that point!
im literally doing the pantheon 5 ending so that i can fight sisters of battle lol
I thin NKG, PV, and AbsRad are some of my favorite bosses, to the point where I NKG and PV on Radiant for fun
Lol, my 3 fav are the same but reversed
I honestly love the lore behind each of the "Pale Siblings" battles, like Broken Vessel, Hornet, and Hollow Knight. You're basically being set against your own family one way or another, whether it's to save your older brothers or gain your half-sister's trust and respect.
It's a different family. I'm not sure about Broken Vessel, but Hornet is from a different family from the two Hollow Knights.
@@sirbirbton p sure broken vessel is, and from my knowledge I believe hornet would technically be a half sibling to the other three.
@@sirbirbton They're actually not from very different families. After all, Hornet and the Vessels are all children of the Pale King.
@@sirbirbton no lmao wtf. All the vessels are related because their father is the Pale King
@Sir Bibton two hollow knights? There's only one
My main complaint with AbsRad is that it kind of loses some of its majesty.
Radiance is a difficult boss despite having fairly slow attacks. Because of this, its attacks feel sweeping and majestic, and it feels like it doesn’t need to concern itself with you.
Then AbsRad just ups the speed a ridiculous amount and wipes the floor with your face.
Its supposed to be radiance in its prime
it becomes a god of gods of gods
@@ronyrubinov7449 Ur telling me a literal god that controls an infection that took over all of Hallownest was old and a bit broken down when you face it? Gods can age?
It's more restored radiance (I like to believe anyrad is prime radiance)
It's supposed to be harder and it knows your the shade lord so it takes you seriously
That's why Pure Vessel is better.
Mossbag brought me here
This seems good
My literall reaction to seeing soul warrior in the hall of gods was: "bro thinks hes on the team"
Came because of mossbags tweet, im gonna enjoy the content now :D
No eyes
Fun factor:2
Im sorry, little one _dislikes video_
For real, what an annoying boss. Come here, coward!
Has more health than it should imo.
As someone who's faced and defeated every boss in the game except Abs Rad, Soul Tyrant is still my favorite fight. There's just something I love about facing a boss that prefers to keep their distance and takes evasive manoeuvres that actually forces you to match their speed if you want to get any damage in whatsoever.
"With the impending release of silksong", huh...
Me who died at Massive Moss Charger for a multiple time:
༎ຶ‿༎ຶ
I am stealing that emoticon
Also same
Bad lol
L
SAME! It was difficult because it was TOO simple.
the ONLY time I died to it was when I first entered the Greenpath and found it without dash, wings or Quick Slash.
1:15 "A version that makes you die in 1 hit, no exceptions."
Well... With the exception Carefree Melody.....
I considered using that charm to beat Markoth on Radiant (the last one I had left), but I just got gud instead.
Btw, after watching the entire video, I think I agree with everything that you said.
Except that I would place Sly above Zote, just because I REALLY enjoy his Yoda-like movement.
I can tell that you put a LOT of effort into this video, it's very high quality! (And every single alliteration you've thrown in is very much appreciated)
I actually really like false knight, imo it should be higher on the list, genuinely one of my favorite fights because it's such a great introduction to the fighting you'll be doing later on in the game
I have a soft spot for the false knight, i think that the lore behind him is quite sad and thats why i always dont kill the other maggots.
I don’t agree with everything, but the world would be boring if everyone thought the same. Cool list and very fun to watch!
Well said
You should be a Twitter knight. Go onto Twitter and have opinions, then convince people that every one can speak freely.
Yeah but also transphobia wouldn't exist so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@@totallynotaferret if everyone would think the same, no one or everyone would be trans
@@Im_Marco Yeah exactly
Sisters of Battle is such an insane WOW moment. I think everyone that played Hollow Knight loved the Mantis Lords and then they made the fight even better. Just take my money already Team Cherry
5. Nailsage Sly
4. Radiance (regular)
3. Nightmare King Grimm
2. Sisters of Battle
1. Pure Vessel
Updated top 5 a year later:
5. Nightmare King Grimm
4. Watcher Knights
3. Sisters of Battle
2. Pure Vessel
1. Absolute Radiance
Updated top 5 two years later:
5. Sisters of Battle
4. Grey Prince Zote
3. Watcher Knight
2. Pure Vessel
1. Absolute Radiance
Updated top 5 three years later:
5. Grey Prince Zote
4. Watcher Knights
3. Pure Vessel
2. The Collector
1. Absolute Radiance
Watcher Knights > Sly
@@isaacjones6323 Watcher Knights are a fun fight, but the fact that they can roll at you from offscreen really frustrated me at first. I have them on radiant now though, and they’re not that bad.
@@isaacjones6323 I don’t like sly, but I definitely don’t like watcher knights lmao
2.3.5.1.4 for me
@@KCVoid sly over PV??? Are you okay?
Some bosses like the massive moss are good for the stage you fight them at. You get the dash from hornet and now you’re forced to use that skill to dash under the massive moss charger in when he jumps. So they’re not an entirely bad boss
You can dodge his jump by just walking though, it doesn’t actually require you to dash
@@averyrealnamethatismyname9495 true, but it's easier for a person who's fighting the boss for the 1xst time to dash!
The "oh shit" moment when the Lords cracked their knuckles and u realized what's up is probably one of the best moments I've had in this game.
Beating abs rad after so many attempts in p5 was such a satisfying and relieving moment too
I think the best part of both Radiance fights is that Radiance herself doesn't have a hitbox, so you're basically free to roam the arena with relative ease as long as you're not hit. It's probably the one thing keeping the fight from being impossible.
Very thorough analysis and without "meme" placements, definitely should have more views.
Good job.
"Impending release of Silksong" this fanbase has fallen apart now.
There is no Silksong... there is only pain
@@ESparkAsterOH MY GOD LIKE THE PATH OF PAIN????!?!!!?!1!! 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
This is an insanely quality video.
because he copied it from rusty
"with the impending release of Silksong"
3 years ago
....yeah
Make that 4
"with the impending release of silksong" while the upload date says three years ago is very funny to me
Grey Prince Zote holds a dear place in my heart as the boss that encouraged me to not just get good, but get GOOD, at Hollow Knight. Making the boss do up to eight masks of damage seems like fake difficulty at first glance, if not incredibly funny for multiple reasons, but the beauty of it lies in its execution. As said, Zote’s moveset is small and easily memorized to go along with the frenetic pace of battle, and if you’re gunning to finish Bretta’s questline- or unlock the golden Zote statue -you have to go toe-to-toe with him four times before things ramp up.
From that point on, the game stops pulling its punches. It’s essentially saying “You’ve worked hard to get to this point, congratulations. Now put on your dancing shoes and show us what that hard work amounts to.” You don’t just get good at Grey Prince Zote; you MASTER Grey Prince Zote, and the knowledge you’ve accrued from fighting him all those times serve as the bedrock to do that. And if you’re like me, who didn’t have many mask shards, you had to beat him hitless. Twice. His moveset is fun as is, but having to avoid getting hit as much as possible adds a whole new layer of intensity to the fight as you soar and shadow dash through the air, swinging wildly as your mind goes a mile a minute trying to keep on top of how much is going on while trying to anticipate Zote’s next attack. It really did change the way I played the game, and I honestly can’t fathom fighting him without the copious amounts of damage nowadays.
The atmosphere is top notch also. Being able to knock the old codger down at the height of both his arrogance and strength is an electrifying feeling after all the shit he gives you and the pathetic showing that was his fight at the coliseum. Plus, the scene of two gallant knights fighting for the eye of their fair maiden just reeks of the melodramatic old-timey chivalrous romance tale vibe that Bretta’s tales take after. The encounter is tense, blood-pumping, cathartic and hilarious all at once; it made Zote one of, if not my favourite character in Hollow Knight after an entire game of wishing I left him to die in Greenpath.
I still have a few bosses to take on before I can say I’ve TRULY beat the game. Hive Knight and the remaining dream warriors notwithstanding, they’re regarded as the creme de la creme and I can’t wait to see whether they surpass the Grey Prince. An honourable mention goes to Soul Tyrant, who was the boss who got me into the game in the first place.
Heck yes! So many people dislike this boss for one reason or another, but I've always felt he was one of the game's best showings for all these reasons and more. Really glad to hear the fight was a great experience for you too - especially before the Hall of Gods (and Radiant difficulty) were released, GPZ was *the* boss that made you go hitless. And it was great.
Bretta approves of this comment.
GPZ Golden Statue is one of my favorite older memories of the game back when I got it on Switch. I believe I got the gold statue while on the john, epic moment for both Hollow Knight and the Switch indeed.
I had this experience with literllay all the dream variant bosses, especially Failed Champion. Man, he totally Crushed me and i struggled to even get to his next phase.
And months later, in my first P4: Oh, it's Failed Champion. Okay, guess I'll take him down. 😁
@@TechnovoidI dislike the boss because sometimes his attacks pile up together too much to be fair, and he has few indicators of what's happening next, not to mention his mid-air adjustments he so freely flashes
One thing i have to say: Harder fights seem more frustrating when you are trying it then when you do it again, i absolutely hated NKG after i beat it for the first time, but after doing it and regular Grimm on radiant, yea i like NKG more
Exeptions: Marmu, Markoth, Galien, GPZ, sly(at least for me, the second phase eliminates me almost always), i didnt do absolute radiance yet because of sly but i will include it here, marmu, markoth
I love how u used the correct boss fights music in each one of the rankings what a great touch
11:14 that’s a theory I’ve never actually thought about, yet it’s extremely possible
Markoth
Difficulty: 100
Fun Factor: -100000
Kingdom's Edge Markoth: difficulty 2
Ascended Markoth: difficulty 2000
@@isaacjones6323 Ascended Markoth is pretty easy, it’s just that in p5 he really wears down your hp before harder foes ahead. He’s the reason i can’t beat the pantheon of hallownest; I don’t die during his fight, i die shortly after
@@pixelation6224 oh no I never die to Markoth in P5, I always have leftover soul from soul tyrant that I can use to blast through his second phase. Ascended with double damage where you start with 0 soul is far harder to me.
Just learn GPZ and how to fast best FailChamp and Markoth isn't a problem in P5
I personally thinl its okay to put an achivement behind the pantheon of hallownest. It gives a reason to get through the literally hell that is tht thing. (I also think the ending cutscene is also okay but I understand the complains). On an tangent, Sister of battle destroyed Mantis lords for me, cause now I find the latter too slow. Excellent video dude
Yeah what i would change in the pantheon of hallownest is not the dificulty nor the fact that it gives you an ending, what i would do is remove certain bosses to make it faster, like the dream bosses feel annoying in the last phanteon and guys like the massive mosscharger or the soul warrior just slow down the pantheon with really easy battles. Another change would be remove the weaker versions of certain bosses, for example you don't have to fight nosk before winged nosk, and makes more sense with the lore because if attune puts the bosses in they best moment, why we fight white defender and dung defender? except grimm because he's not the exactly the same. Another thing would be unlock absolute radiance before the pantheon.
I really like the pantheon of hallownest and defeat it has been one of my best experiences but it could be a little better.
@@santiagopomares6287 Yeah, removing the weaker versions would really speed up
@@santiagopomares6287 yeah the pantheon would be fine if it didn't last over half an hour. One extra thing I would do is rework the breaks. The ability to undo any mistakes you made on top of changing your entire loadout up to the very last set of bosses makes 4/5 of the whole thing pointless. I would personally change it to having soul statues.
I'm very glad that mossbag made a tweet about this video. You can tell that a lot of time and effort went into it and I, being about 1/4-1/3 in, am loving it so far
17:31 Listen buddy, if you think I use descending dark in a SMART way, you have not seen me fight god tamer.
Yeah I hated the boss fights in hollow knight. Just wasn't my thing. I loved the exploration and lore and I liked the bosses as more obstacles to exploration rather than actual gameplay.
So when I found God home in my playthrough I explored it, got the God tuner fought vengefly and left. I would only fight for exploration or lore. There is very little lore there and no exploration. So I left and experienced the rest of the game. I am also very VERY bad at boss fights and get frustrated easily.
I really loved the game btw 10/10
HOWEVER, THEN I WENT ONLINE, AND LEARNED TWO CANON ENDINGS ARE BEHIND THE HARDEST THING EVER. I was like: "no." And I still have never beaten God home.
I didnt even do path of pain I'm so bad. How in the universe would I beat all of that. So I just looked up the ending cutscenes on UA-cam, watched them. Was hyped. Done.
"Impending release of Silksong"
3 years ago.
:(
Appreciate your fantastic segment on the hollow knight. Mechanically he may not be the best, but the music and visual design makes him one of the best for me. I also appreciate you still reading comments :)
My first time playing through the game I felt like the Hollow Knight was a huge letdown, as I had already done everything else in the game, and the repeat attempts needed to fight the Radiance made me grow tired of it quickly. But the more I play this game, the more I appreciate how incredibly well designed this boss is. I'm glad I'm not the only one absolutely in love with how it all comes together.
In my opinion, the PV fight is a tale of finally putting your brother's spirit to rest and the PV itself is meant to be him trying to carry on despite his restlessness
Hearing "with the impending release of Silksong" from a video released in 2020 makes me wince lmao. Been loving your videos though, very cozy stuff
Walking in the top ten not seeing PV NKG or Sisters. This is gonna be a good top ten .
I just love the regular Grimm fight... it's so balanced, not very easy and not very hard. Grimm himself is a very badass character and has a cool mysterious lore. The soundtrack is epic and I love the fact that it is ominous and dark during the fight but it gets very intense and blood boiling during his fireball attack.
You could say NKG is way better because he has all of Grimm's positive with much more added fun and difficulty, yes... but for me he is the best boss fight in Hollow Knight and one of the best boss fights in all the games I've played.
I agree grimm is the best, not just his fights either, his character design is really cool and even though he sounds like hes smoked 50 cigarettes every day for the past 10 years hes definatly my favourite.
I actually don't find Zote that difficult. I figured out what the AI was doing pretty early on by just anticipating where you were going to be rather than attacking a set point. So the easiest way to defeat him is to just randomly change your vector and you'll trick the AI into going to completely the wrong spot. Once you've figured this out as long as his bombs don't trap you in a way where you can't dodge a jump he was one of the easier ones for me to Radiant.
your use of alliteration is great! makes for an energetic and engaging script that's fun to listen to :)
As someone who's absolutely horrible at this game, the words "It's not hard in he slightest" made me mad with the Soul Warrior lmfao
I'm officially a hate account for this guy. I absolutely hated him. Had no fun at all, especially because the way the shade is placed was awful. Couldn't get it's attention without starting the encounter. I could go on about how much I Don't Like this guy but. Nobody really seems to share my opinion haha
Side note about Xero since I didn't finish the whole video before writing the comment. Another semi consistent 'safe' spot it right at the edge of the platform you fight him on. If he's a decent amount away from you, then the spears just fly right over your head and don't even hit you on the way back. Found it accidentally and whenever I ran over to heal, it didn't hit me, but I can't imagine this happens every single time.
Hey no worries, we all struggle with different things! When I said Soul Warrior wasn't difficult, I meant it moreso in the context of the other bosses, most of which are more difficult by a good margin. However, Hollow Knight is overall a really hard game, so when it comes down to it most of the bosses are 'hard', its just that some are a lot easier than others.
On my first playthrough, I died to the soul warrior in the sanctum at least 5 or 6 times, but I beat soul master in 3-4 tries. There's just something about him that tripped me up.
I died like 5 timed to him
Oh my gosh someone else who doesn't like Soul Warrior! Thank you haha
Soul twisters are harder to beat than hin
It’s nice to know something’s never change. Even two years ago hallow knight fans were begging for silk song news lol
This is a really well made video, I really appreciate the in-depth analysis and just the overall quality of this! I'm surprised you haven't gotten more attention by now :/
Thank you for making this :)
Thank you for watching it!
Had a ton of disagreements about the list but it was super fun and thought provoking to hear you make your case for each. You analyze and articulate the experience of battling each boss very very well. Love the video!
Great vid! Worth the full watch. I never was able to make it through the final pantheon to try absrad, and not for lack of trying. maybe one day team cherry.
BRUH hearing you had 500 subs at the time of making this made my jaw drop! If you sat me down and showed me this video with no context, I'd guess you had a minimum of 200K subs, and a max of like 5M. Seriously man. Even now you have 11K. I just found your channel so I don't know what and how much you upload, but regardless, this video alone is worth a bunch more subs. Amazing job!
Marmu feels more like a minigame than a boss and weirdly enough looking at it like that makes me appreciate it a little more
"the impending release of silksong" "3yrs ago" augh
great analysis, well thought out
also love the alliteration
This is the most high quality hollow knight video for such an underrated channel
You know what would have been a cool fakeout with tiso? If the brooding mawlek falls on him but then he slowly lifts him up and throws him.
That would have been cool. I think I can make a moveset idea, and make him the God of something
So, for his entry, we stick to the fakeout from you. But instead of throwing the Mawlek away, he jumps up and slams it upside down into the floor.
He then rips off one of its scythe arms, and yells.
Tiso's weapons for the fight will consist of the Mawlek's arm and his shield, which can turn into blades as seen in Godhome.
Phase 1 : Tiso has a few attacks.
A : Tiso swings the scythe upwards and forwards 3 times, covering a large upwards area, about 2 Knights, and a mediocre forwards distance, about the length of the nail with Longnail equipped
B : Tiso will jump upwards while swinging the scythe upwards. This serves as an anti-air.
After he is staggered once, he gains another attack
C : Tiso turns his shield into blades and dashes forwards, covering about half the stage
Tiso can be staggered once more before entering Phase 2.
Phase 2 will be marked by Tiso jumping back to the Mawlek's corpse and throwing away his shield. He will then RIP off the other arm, and yell again. He still has attacks B, but will get a better attack A, as well as 2 other attacks.
A : Tiso will swing this scythe brutally into the ground, one after the other, moving forward as he does so. This will cover slightly more forward range than Phase 1.
B : Same as Phase 1, but with 2 swings. One as he is rising, another as he spins at the peak of his jump.
C : Tiso will essentially use Mato's Cyclone Slash, but instead of rising, he moves rapidly from side-to-side, bouncing off the arena walls
D : Tiso will sometimes slip from too much inertia, falling over. This has as much telegraphing as Grey Prince Zote's does. It will lower his hitbox, and slide a bit.
After defeating him, Tiso will collapse to the ground, then stand up with a bit of effort. He'll shake his head with visible disappointment in himself, then stand straight, look directly at you and bow like the Nailmasters.
In his Ascended arena, the stage will get progressively smaller from debris caused by attacks Phase 1C, Phase 2A and Phase2C
His statue will say
"Lonely God of Arrogance and Humility"
Note : All attacks involving scythe can be parried.
Tiso will also give slightly more soul than normal to show his fighting spirit, and to allow you to use spells more often.
Attuned : 1300 HP, only slightly more than the Mawlek's 1050
Ascended + Radiant : 1600 HP
Tell me what you think please!
“Sly speaks softly and carries a large nail”
Okay teddy Roosevelt
The amount of alliteration in this video is absolutely beautiful, great video
“With the impending release of Silksong”
Hmm
Markoth: fun factor 0, difficulty 5
1:12:18 My broken ahh humor when you pull the "Invincible, Fearless, Sensual, Mysterious, Enchanting, Vigorous, Diligent, Overwhelming, Gorgeous, Passionate, Terrifying, Beautiful, Powerful, Grey Bufoon" 😭
My ultimate nightmare is that Silksong won't be able to live up to the hype that it produced. :(
if team cherry is behind it it’s going to be amazing
Team Cherry is competent, they'll make a good game, I'm sure. Ultimately though, there's no way Silksong can match the elegance in HK's design or the amazing atmosphere.
@@robinbernardinis hopefully
Even if it's on the same level as hollow knight, you can't really compare it fairly when silksong has ten times the expectations.
Your point about players who choose to dash through PV is so true.
It took me hundreds of tries to shake the habit of instinctively dashing through the damn tentacles.
As someone who loves alliterations, you used so many that were executed exquisitely. I’m very much impressed. Also, the rest of the video was amazing as well
“With the impending release of silk song” ….. two years laterree
Absrad difficulty: 5
Fun factor: 4
Markoth difficulty: 5
Fun factor: 4
Markoth is equally as difficult as absrad confirmed
Finishes talking about how emotional and well designed thk is
Next step: ‘number five, master yoda’
This deserves way more views
Impending release of silk song is hilarious
Can we talk about NKG having arguably, but not really arguably and I will not be swayed, the best boss track on this list? The music alone made dying to his faster and harder hitting move set very enjoyable!
In my opinion the grimm troupe music is the best music in the game but i think i would place the grimm troupe song over the nightmare king song as the grimm troupe song gets that epic electric guitar cover about halfway through the track
@@TygjcGrimm/NKG is the best boss and character in the game.
@@demonking3673 true
“With the impending release of silksong”
Silk songs imminent release 💀 that didn't age well lol
One of my personal favorites is Lost Kin. Something about that fight's movement is so satisfying and smooth to me.
number 32
tiso
difficulty: 0
fun factor: infinite
I love this list❤. I think it's close to perfect. You introduced every boss so accuracly and even gave some useful fighting advice at the same time. Great job!
1:11:21 "A whole entire cocian" I died hahahahaha
The fact that a video of such quality had at the time only 500 subscribers is incredible
My own favorite:
Pure vessel (yes that silent scream is 90% the reason he is on top)
Traveling troupe master Grim (this guy has the far superior music to NKG)
Sisters of battle (the music stopping when the third lord stood up was epic)
Yes, the music plays a larger part than the actual boss for me.
My fav boss is NKG but DAMN I WOULD LOVE GRIMM'S MUSINC IN THE HARDER VERSIONNNN
"The impending release of silksong" I'm not even sure if its coming out anymore
I remember when I first joined this community which was like 1 month ago I spent 1 whole day on hornet protector and now she is one of the easiest bosses
literally same
This video is a very good ranking of the bosses, considering both fun and story elements is extremely important, and other videos I’ve seen have ignored those aspects, and definitely undercut how good the bosses in this game are
Moss has sent me, I shall be watching it all twice
Very high quality for such a "small" channel. Great video man!
God I love the Nightmare King. Haven’t fought pure vessel yet, but I’m excited. Also, I fought the watcher knights after nkg so it was very underwhelming. I do agree with fighting thk being annoying before every radiance attempt, but both fights are so good I really can’t complain.
I really never thought the watcher knights were all that difficult. one of the bosses I took the least time to do
I thought you were a known and big hollow knight channel cause of the quality of the video, then looked at your views and subs and... why
“The impending release of silksong” did not age well
After finishing most of the game, but not starting godhome challenges yet, I agree with ranking here in 80-90%! Will see after challenging godhome.
One time I fought the collector with only two nail upgrades and using shaman stone, soul eater and spell twister. It was actually really freaking fun, using the nail exclusively for soul and positioning yourself to take out the enemies and damage the collector with the single spell you can muster is a complex, challenging, and rewarding experience
rip tiso
I’m not gonna lie I got really hyped to fight tiso and thought he would be the final boss of the coliseum of fools
Number 1 for me will always be Sisters of Battle. I knew the moment I faced off against the Mantis Lords that that fight would be my favourite out of the base game, I was wrong however in this assessment, but the moment Sisters of Battle came on... I had everything I wanted. I am also one of those insane people that put Absolute Radiance in top 5, because i actually like the challenge that lasts just that bit longer. But I do perfectly understand why you deduct points, especially since it blocks out an ending to the game. But I do think that that is rather fair overall as the ending itself is the reward for doing such an absurd challenge, and you have a similar reward for doing White Castle.
#1: Sisters of Battle - Perfect fight. The pace was never a problem for me as with full upgrades and the right charms the pacing is fast with no brakes. You die fast, they die fast. Perfection.
#2: Nightmare King Grimm - Very difficult but also beautiful.
#3: Pure Vessel - Significant and beautiful. Lore stuff.
#4: Paintmaster Sheo - Beautiful fight.
#5: Absolute Radiance - Ultimate challenge.
#6: Dung Defender - Hilarious! He keeps saying something that sounds like the Danish word for dumber, and I love mechanics where I can volley ball the boss around, Marmu is in my top 15 for this reason.
#7: Mantis Lords - What can I say? Sisters of Battle, but slower pace with ever so slightly worse music.
#8: Hornet (OG) - Beautiful, and the first test for a new player. If I didn't suffer from snowblindness, I might have put Sentinel here, but I can hardly see shit in that fight because of all the white particle effects on the screen covering up other things.
#9: Radiance - Semi-ultimate challenge. Pace is slower than Absolute so it's not quite the same ball breaking opposition that makes me love Absolute.
#10: White Defender - Dung Defender, but no beach ball mechanic, still love the fight.
This vid perfectly describes how I feel about Absolute Radiance
I think this is the greatest HK bosses ranking I've seen on UA-cam, so congrats, very on point. I still need to reach Pure Vessel on the fourth pantheon, so that's the only review I didn't watch because I wanna discover how that fight is on my own (I have no interest in doing the Pantheon of Hallownest so that's why i don't really care for Abs Radiance). Great, great vid!
after playing through this game a dozen times, i tried one entire playthrough without using spells in combat and it made me respect the one on one fights so much more.
hive knight and hornet especially stand out when you have to duel them without spells, it’s so much more high stakes and elevates them where they lack a little
i think it speaks to how some of the best bosses don’t give you time for spells or force you into nail to nail combat, like sisters of battle or oro and mato
Galien
difficulty factor: 3
Abyss shriek: am I a joke to you?