Hornet is a boss located in the northwestern region of Greenpath. The entrance to her arena is on the western wall of the room above the Greenpath Stag Station. Enter the boss arena, and Hornet will address the Knight before attacking.
Hornet is arguably the first truly challenging boss encounter in Hollow Knight. With a variety of quick attacks, boasting effectiveness at both short and long ranges, she is a formidable foe. Don’t be alarmed if it takes a few attempts to learn her patterns before you start making serious headway.
One of Hornet’s long-range attacks is her dash attack, where she winds up before quickly charging roughly halfway across the screen. Jump as she makes her charge and slash downward at her to deal damage while avoiding harm.
Another attack is her needle throw attack. With this, she will wind up and hurl her weapon ahead of her nearly the two-thirds length of the arena, then recall it.
This attack roots her in place for a short time, so if you can stay out of range, this provides an excellent time to heal. If you are properly positioned, you can also leap over the needle, strike, then jump away as it returns to Hornet, but timing must be precise.
On occasion, Hornet will leap into the air and slash all around her in a large, damaging circle. Your Nail can’t harm her during this time, so keep your distance, heal, or leap up and cast Vengeful Spirit.
Hornet may also leap into the air and then dash diagonally towards the Knight. Sidestep her landing zone, and you should be able to land one or two strikes before you need to move.
Once you deal a certain amount of damage, Hornet will become stunned, standing in place for several seconds before she recovers. During this time, you can heal up to three Masks of damage or, if you are already at full health, you can sneak in an extra, unguarded attack.
Continue to fight conservatively, and eventually you’ll defeat Hornet, causing her to flee. You’re free to loot the body in the center of the arena, scoring the incredibly useful Mothwing Cloak for your trouble.
A short scene begins after you claim the cloak. The Knight is brought to his knees as an unseen voice (or voices) speak to him, saying:
“Would it seek to break the Seals? They cannot be undone. They must be undone. Let us sleep little shadow. Return to your darkness. Allow us our peace.”
Three mysterious figures suddenly appear, and the screen soon flashes a brilliant white. When your vision returns, the Knight is unconscious on the ground. Wake him up to continue the journey.
The next step of your Hollow Knight journey is to prepare for the Fungal Wastes.
