Hollow Knight DLC: Godmaster Guide

Godmaster, the final free DLC for Hollow Knight, introduces a wealth of challenging new content. In this Godmaster guide, you’ll learn that this update adds a brand-new area, Godhome, where you can take on Pantheons—boss rush-style challenges—along with new lore, NPCs, and an ultimate test of skill.

How to Access the Godmaster DLC

Before you can challenge the gods, you must first find your way to Godhome.

Step 1: Find the Simple Key in the Colosseum of Fools

1. Go to the Colosseum of Fools (Kingdom’s Edge).
2. Enter the lower combatant area and head up to the hole near the hot springs.
3. Find and break a hidden wall to the right.
4. Jump off the bridge and swim right until you encounter a mysterious NPC—follow them.
5. Defeat the NPC in a short battle to obtain a Simple Key.

Once you have the Simple Key, head back the way you came and make your way to the Royal Waterways.

Alternative Simple Keys Sources

If you already used the Simple Key from the Colosseum of Fools, there are three other ways to obtain one in Hollow Knight:

1. City of Tears – Near Relic Seeker Lemm
   • There’s a Simple Key located just outside Relic Seeker Lemm’s shop in the City of Tears.
   • From the City Storerooms Stag Station, head right, then drop down and go left to Lemm’s shop. The key is on a ledge nearby.
2. Royal Waterways – Hidden in a Corpse
   • A Simple Key can be found inside the Royal Waterways by defeating a hidden enemy corpse.
   • From the City of Tears, drop down into the waterways and explore the left side to find it.
3. Dirtmouth – Purchased from Sly
   • Sly, the shopkeeper in Dirtmouth, sells a Simple Key for 950 Geo.
   • You must first rescue Sly in the Forgotten Crossroads, then return to Dirtmouth for his shop to open.

Since you’ll need one Simple Key to unlock Godhome, you can use any of these methods to get one.

Step 2: Unlock the Junk Pit in the Royal Waterways

1. Travel to the Royal Waterways.
2. Go to the room before Flukemarm.
3. Find the Belfly near a cracked ceiling and destroy it to reveal a path.
4. Navigate through the maze-like area, using either the far-left or middle openings to move up.
5. Drop down a long shaft, jump off the left edge, and swim left to find the Junk Pit.

Junk Pit NPC: Fluke Hermit & Shortcut to City of Tears

Before you enter Godhome, you can find an NPC in the Junk Pit who provides some additional lore. This NPC, Fluke Hermit, is located on a ledge above where you dropped into the Junk Pit from the Royal Waterways.

How to Find Fluke Hermit:

1. Head all the way left in the Junk Pit until you reach a wall.
2. Climb up the wall and use the platforms to move right.
3. Continue to the far right side to find Fluke Hermit standing on a ledge outside.

Shortcut to City of Tears:

Inside the room behind Fluke Hermit, there is a breakable wall leading to the City of Tears.

• Navigate through the room and climb upward.
• At the top, you will find a bustable wall—breaking it will unlock a shortcut connecting Junk Pit to the City of Tears.

This shortcut provides a quicker way back to Dirtmouth and other areas, making it a useful path to unlock before diving into Godhome.

Step 3: Enter Godhome

1. In the Junk Pit, find a locked cocoon surrounded by old chests.
2. Use the Simple Key to unlock it and receive the Godtuner.
3. Use the Dream Nail on the corpse inside to be transported to Godhome.

Godhome Overview

Godhome is a dream-like realm where the Godseekers test your strength through Pantheons (boss rush challenges). The area includes:

• Pantheon Doors – Five boss challenge gauntlets.
• The Hall of Gods – Practice fights against any boss.
• A Bench – Rest and change charms before Pantheon runs.
• Hidden Secrets – Including shortcuts and lore-filled NPCs.

Bench Location

To reach the bench, climb the walls near the first three Pantheon doors and jump up to a higher platform.

Pantheons – Boss Rush Challenges

Pantheons are multi-boss gauntlets where you face a series of enemies in succession. Completing them unlocks new Pantheons and ultimately the final challenge of the DLC.

Pantheon Mechanics

• Defeating a Pantheon unlocks the next one.
• Bindings can be applied to make Pantheons harder:
  • Nail – Removes all Nail upgrades.
  • Shell – Lowers health to four masks.
  • Charms – Disables all equipped charms.
  • Soul – Limits soul capacity to one use.
• Completing eight or more bindings unlocks a special area in Godhome.
• Completing all Pantheons with all bindings unlocks Land of Storms.

Pantheon Breakdown

1. Pantheon of the Master (Achievement: Brotherhood)

Location: Leftmost door on the center platform.

Bosses:

1. Vengefly King
2. Gruz Mother
3. False Knight
4. Massive Moss Charger
5. Hornet
6. Break – Hot Springs & Bench
7. Gorb
8. Dung Defender
9. Soul Warrior
10. Brooding Mawlek
    Final Boss: Nailmasters Oro & Mato

2. Pantheon of the Artist (Achievement: Inspiration)

Location: Middle door on the center platform.

Bosses:

1. Xero
2. Crystal Guardian
3. Soul Master
4. Oblobbles
5. Mantis Lords
6. Break – Hot Springs & Bench
7. Marmu
8. Nosk
9. Flukemarm
10. Broken Vessel
    Final Boss: Paintmaster Sheo

3. Pantheon of the Sage (Achievement: Focus)

Location: Rightmost door on the center platform.

Bosses:

1. Hive Knight
2. Elder Hu
3. The Collector
4. God Tamer
5. Troupe Master Grimm
6. Break – Hot Springs & Bench
7. Galien
8. Grey Prince Zote
9. Uumuu
10. Hornet (Rematch)
    Final Boss: Great Nailsage Sly

Completing the first three Pantheons unlocks Godseeker Mode and access to the Pantheon of the Knight.

4. Pantheon of the Knight (Achievement: Soul & Shade)

Location: Inside the tower to the right of the central platform.

Bosses:

1. Enraged Guardian
2. Lost Kin
3. No Eyes
4. Traitor Lord
5. White Defender
6. Break – Hot Springs & Bench
7. Failed Champion
8. Markoth
9. Watcher Knight
10. Soul Tyrant
    Final Boss: Pure Vessel

Completing this Pantheon unlocks Pantheon of Hallownest.

5. Pantheon of Hallownest (Achievement: Embrace the Void)

Location: Peak of Godhome (unlocked after completing the first four Pantheons).

This is the ultimate challenge – a 42-boss gauntlet featuring all previous Pantheon bosses, ending with Absolute Radiance.

Alternate Ending – Giving the Delicate Flower

• Deliver the Delicate Flower to the Godseeker before finishing the Pantheon of Hallownest.
• This unlocks a secret ending (minor lore changes).

Land of Storms

• Unlocked by completing all five Pantheons with all four bindings.
• Located below the 5th Pantheon’s hot springs.
• Contains the Weathered Mask, a mysterious lore item.

Hall of Gods – Boss Practice Mode

In the Hall of Gods, you’ll find a collection of statues representing every boss in Hollow Knight, allowing you to challenge them at different difficulty levels (Attuned, Ascended, and Radiant). However, these statues do not appear by default—you must first encounter or defeat the corresponding boss in the main game.

How to Unlock Boss Statues:

• A statue will appear in the Hall of Gods after you encounter that boss in the world.
• If you have defeated the boss at least once, you can challenge them in all difficulty modes (Attuned, Ascended, and Radiant).
• If you only encountered the boss but did not defeat them, you can still challenge them, but only in Attuned mode until you beat them.

Special Cases for Boss Variants:

Some bosses have additional versions that require extra steps to unlock:

• Dream Bosses (e.g., Failed Champion, Soul Tyrant, etc.) – Their statues appear once you’ve fought their Dream variant in the game.
• Pantheon-Exclusive Bosses (e.g., Sisters of Battle, Pure Vessel, Absolute Radiance) – These statues only appear after encountering them in the Pantheons.
• Unique Godhome Bosses (e.g., Winged Nosk, Enraged Guardian) – These do not exist in the base game but are unlocked after encountering them in Pantheon runs.

This system allows you to build up the Hall of Gods as you progress, making it a personal training ground for perfecting boss fights.

Hall of Gods Bench

There is a bench located in the top left corner of the Hall of Gods. Sit here to switch up charms before challenging bosses.

The Zote Room in the Hall of Gods

In the Hall of Gods, there is a hidden room dedicated entirely to Zote the Mighty, featuring his various battle forms from the Trial of the Fool and Godhome. This room serves as a comedic addition to Godhome, poking fun at Zote’s over-the-top self-importance.

How to Unlock the Zote Room

The Zote room becomes accessible once you have:

• Fought and defeated Grey Prince Zote in Bretta’s basement (after rescuing Zote and allowing Bretta’s obsession to grow).
• Encountered Zote in the Trial of the Fool in the Colosseum of Fools.

Once these conditions are met, a breakable wall in the Hall of Gods will open, revealing a dark room filled with Zote-themed statues.

Zote Boss Fights in the Hall of Gods

Inside the Zote room, you can challenge the following versions of Zote:

1. Grey Prince Zote – The same dream boss fought in Bretta’s basement, with his usual erratic movements and self-inflicted damage.
2. Different “Ascended” Variants – Every time you defeat Grey Prince Zote, he grows stronger (up to 10 times) in Bretta’s basement, and these versions are reflected in the Hall of Gods.

Fun Details in the Zote Room

• Unlike other boss statues, the Zote statues appear crude and poorly made, reflecting his exaggerated self-image.
• The nameplate of each Zote statue humorously inflates his titles, calling him things like “The Eternal Ordeal” or “The Mightiest God of Gods”.
• The room is a nod to the joke that Zote believes he is a great warrior, despite all evidence to the contrary.

This hidden area adds a layer of humor to Godhome, giving players the chance to fight increasingly ridiculous versions of Zote while enjoying the absurdity of his legend.

Godmaster is Hollow Knight’s ultimate challenge, testing your mastery of every boss and mechanic. Whether you’re aiming for 100% completion or just want to test your skills, this DLC offers some of the toughest fights in the game.

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