Resting Grounds | Hollow Knight Guide
The Resting Grounds are a key location in Hollow Knight. This location is home to a special key item called the Dream Nail that players must acquire to advance the main storyline. Like other locations there are multiple things to find here. To easily complete this area use our Resting Grounds guide below.
Resting Grounds Map
The Resting Grounds are located beneath the Crystal Peak and beside the Forgotten Crossroads. You can access this area using a couple of ways, but this guide got here by dropping from Crystal Peak via the hole by the Crystalised Mound entrance.
Statue of the Dreamers
When you arrive in the Resting Grounds you can only really go to the right. Follow the path right until you reach a statue with three masks on it. Walk up to the statue and Inspect it.
You will learn about the three bosses we need to defeat (the three Dreamers) and their locations will get marked on your map. After this happens you will enter the world of the Dreamers.
How to Get the Dream Nail
When you gain control of the Knight complete the platforming segment that leads to the right by following the Unnamed Moth. Eventually it will reach a platform where you can interact with it. Speak to the moth. After it is done speaking interact with the item it leaves to get the Dream Nail.
What Does the Dream Nail Do?
The Dream Nail cuts through the veil between the physical world and the dream world. Instead of dealing physical damage, striking regular enemies grants 66 SOUL, while hitting NPCs, corpses, or foes reveals their hidden internal thoughts.
It is essential for collecting Essence (from Whisper Roots and Dream Bosses), accessing dream realms, destroying the seals on the three Dreamers to beat the game, and unlocking the Dream Gate for fast-travel teleportation at 900 Essence.
After you get the Dream Nail you will wake up back in the Resting Grounds next to the Seer. Speak to the Seer to learn more about them. She won’t do much at this point until you collect 100 Essence.
Leave the Seer’s Hut and head right. You will be in a tall room. In this room you will find an Essence Tree you can hit with your Dream Nail to collect its Essence. Do that.
Bench, Stag Station, and Map
Once you’ve gathered the Essence make your way to the middle of the room. There will be a sign for a Stag Station on your right. Go into that room to find a Bench and the Resting Grounds Stag Station.
Unlock both. Use the Stag Station to head back to Dirtmouth and buy the Resting Grounds Map for 75 Geo. You can also buy buy new pins which mark Essence Trees and Warrior Graves. Once you’ve acquired the map return to the Resting Grounds.
Where to Get the Dreamshield Charm
Leave the Stag Station. Head directly across the room. You will see some light coming out of the wall on the left. Go through the entrance there.
Head to the left until you reach the end of the room. You will find an item on a statue. Pick it up to receive the Dreamshield charm.
What Does the Dreamshield Do?
The Dreamshield is a defensive and offensive Charm costing 3 Charm Notches that creates a single ethereal shield orbiting around the Knight.
Now What?
Head back into the previous room. Go all the way to the bottom and go the right. You will see a cracked tomb you can stand on. Stand on the tomb and use the Descending Dark Ability to break it, revealing a path below.
Go down into the path into the next room. You will be in an underground tunnel area. In this area you will need to look for breakable walls on the ceilings and walls to unlock the areas shown on the map above.
You will find the following in this section:
- Grub (14/46)
- Soul Eater Charm
- A Bench
- Grey Mourner (NPC that gives you the Delicate Flower quest)
After you’ve cleared this area head back to where we dropped down from the tomb. This time head left. Go forward until you reach the room with the lift.
How to Reach Xero, the First Warrior Dream
The lift takes you to the City of Tears (where we will be going next). Avoid it for now and keep heading to the left into the next room.
Make your way through this left room and head left until your reach platforms going up. Use the platforms to go up to the lever. Hit the lever to open the gate in the ceiling. Go through it into the next room.
Xero
We are back in the room we first entered the Resting Grounds. Jump up onto the platform above. You will see a translucent NPC there. Speak to it and accept the Warrior Dream challenge against Xero. Defeat Xero to receive 100 Essence.
If you want you can head back to the Seer. Speak to her to receive a Hallownest Seal and the next challenge to gather 200 Essence.
Now that we’ve done everything in the Resting Grounds for now. Head to the room with the lift. Take the lift down to reach the City of Tears (Right Side).
For more guides like this one check out our other Hollow Knight guides and walkthroughs in the guide hub.
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