All Dream Warriors and Bosses In Hollow Knight

• Xero
• Elder Hu
• Galien
• Gorb
• Markoth
• Marmu
• No Eyes

The Dream Warriors and Bosses are somewhat optional enemies in Hollow Knight that players can take on if they wish to collect Essence, which is further used to unlock new abilities and areas.

While the Dream Bosses’ locations can easily be found with some backtracking, the Dream Warriors are rather well hidden in Hollow Knight, and with no clue about where to find them, it can easily become a headache.

That is why I have summarized and listed the location and rewards of all the Dream Warriors and Bosses in Hollow Knight, alongside some tips, so you can spend less time looking and more time dying to the bosses.

Dream Warriors Locations

Here, I have listed the location of all the hidden Dream Warriors boss fights in Hollow Knight, alongside some tips on how to best them.

Now, even though they won’t give you as much Essence as a Dream Boss would, it is still a great alternative if you are not looking for a big challenge.

Xero

Probably the first Dream Warrior you’ll encounter after acquiring the Dream Nail, Xero’s grave rests in Resting Grounds, near the Tramway that connects it with the Forgotten Crossroads.

Xero is a rather simple boss as well. He only has one attack that launches his nail at your current position. As long as you are moving, you don’t have to worry about his nails hitting you. However, do keep an eye out for the nail’s position when Xero calls it back.

Elder Hu

Elder Hu’s grave is inside a cave located in the eastern part of the Fungal Wastes and right above the area that connects the Fungal Waste with the City of Tears.

This boss only has two attacks in his arsenal; therefore, he is a rather manageable boss. The only advice I can offer is to stay beneath him at all times and attack from there. As soon as he summons his slamming rings, stop attacking and move toward a safe zone between the rings.

The boss fight challenges your reaction time, so if you already excel at that, defeating the Elder Hu should be a piece of cake for you.

Galien

Located in the terrifying region of Deepnest that you can access after defeating the Mantis Lords, Galien is one of the toughest Dream Warriors that you will encounter on your journey.

While he also only has two attacks, his arsenal is much deadlier than that of Elder Hu. During the first phase, his rolling Scythe will be moving all over the arena trying to hit you.

In the second phase, he will summon two more dream scythes that you’ll need to focus on dodging as well. Also, Galien has a hitbox of his own, so you can’t get too to him.

My advice on beating him is to take things slow in the first phase and make sure that your health is topped. Once Galien enters the second phase, play as aggressively as possible, as you won’t be able to survive long with three scythes moving independently of each other in the boss arena.

Gorb

You can find Gorb on top of the Howling Cliffs, an area that can be accessed through the top of Greenpath.

Perhaps my most hated Dream Warrior in Hollow Knight — Gorb can be an absolute nightmare for aggressive players like me. With that being said, my advice for besting Gorb is quite the opposite of Galien.

Gorb has only one attack, which involves launching needles in all directions, and as the battle progresses, he launches more. They may seem easy to dodge, but if you are playing aggressively and closing in on Gorb, the chances of avoiding the needles are virtually nonexistent.

Therefore, you need to keep a cool head and keep your distance. Once Gorb has finished his attack, move in for a few strikes and then immediately put some distance between the two of you.

Markoth

Markoth rewards you with the largest amount of Essence out of all Dream Warriors. He resides in the Kingdom’s Edge past the Shade Gate in the Kingdom’s Edge area, so you need to acquire the Shade Cloak ability first to access this boss.

This is a boss fight that actually punishes you for jumping around needlessly, so you need to stay grounded and make use of the Shade Clock to dodge Markoth’s needles with ease.

Besides that, if you are struggling to find a heal window, the best time to heal is while Markoth is performing his shield attack, because no needles will be summoned during that time.

Marmu

Marmu is a unique boss with only one move, and can either be the easiest or the hardest Dream Warrior, depending on your strategy.

It’s found west of the Stag Station in the Queens Garden, a place reachable through the Fog Canyon area after obtaining the Shade Cloak.

As for how to beat it, you simply need to move to the corner of the arena and start timing your strikes. Marmu bounces back with each of your strikes, so if you time them right, you won’t have to worry about Marmu ever hitting you.

No Eyes

No Eyes can be found in the Stone Sanctuary, located in the Greenpath area, and you’ll need to acquire the Lumafly Lantern if you wish to explore the Stone Sanctuary area.

While it’s not a difficult boss fight, it’s not a good one either. No Eyes can only attack you by summoning spirits that move from one end of the screen to the other. They are easy enough to dodge. Also, No Eyes likes to teleport around the arena randomly.

I would recommend first learning the Great Slash ability and using it whenever you the distance with No Eyes, while focusing on dodging its attacks the rest of the time.

Dream Bosses Location

As I said before, you shouldn’t have any trouble locating Dream Bosses, as they are typically just tougher versions of some of the bosses you have already fought.

Simply go back to the boss arena and use the Dream Nail on them to access the Dream Boss fight.

Failed Champion

Return to the boss arena of the Original False Knight, located in the Forgotten Crossroads area. Use the Dream Nail on the False Knight’s corpse there to start the boss fight.

Now it may be tempting to keep your distance in this boss fight, but that is honestly the worst thing you can do. Instead, stick to him, and whenever he lifts his hammer to attack, whether while standing or jumping, always dodge away from him, never under/through him unless you are backed into a corner.

Once you successfully dodge away from him, don’t wait around to find out whether his attack produced a shockwave or not. Quickly jump and use the dash ability to the gap, and then start attacking. Keep repeating this strategy, and you’ll be able to best the Failed Champion.

Soul Tyrant

Take a trip back to the Soul Sanctum, where you will find the Soul Master’s corpse.

Now the boss itself is rather tricky to fight, so I would recommend having the Shade Cloak ability before challenging the Soul Tyrant.

Most of your strategy stays the same as the original boss fight. Only this time, the Soul Tyrant teleports really quickly, so instead of chasing him around the arena. Stay in the middle and only move to strike if he teleports to you.

The Desolate Dive skill of Soul Tyrant is also much trickier to dodge since he can sometimes fake you out, so either use the wall to aid you in your dodge or use your own Desolate Dive skill iframe to dodge his.

White Defender

After defeating the three dreamers, you can access the White Defender boss fight by returning to the Dung Defender boss room. If you keep moving to your right, you will find a weak/shaking floor. Use your Desolate Dive skill, and you’ll find the Dung Defender taking a beauty nap in his room.

Now, if you are familiar with the Dung Defender’s moveset, then the White Defender shouldn’t be much of an issue for you.

The bottom line is simply to stick to him, as most of his attacks are most dangerous from a distance. But as soon as he makes a move, dash away from him, similar to how you did in the Failed Knight boss fight.

The best piece of advice that I can give you is to wait until he turns into a ball. Destroy the dung balls with your Howling Wraiths skill, and then just start hitting the boss with your nail and keep him in the air.

As long as he doesn’t touch the ground three times, the White Defender will remain a ball, so you can keep hitting him indefinitely until he dies.

Lost Kin

Located in the Broken Vessel boss arena in the west of the Ancient Basin, the Lost Kin rewards you the most Essence out of all Dream Warriors and Bosses.

The only thing more threatening than the Lost Kin himself is the orange ghosts that he summons during the fight. While they are weak, their main strength lies in numbers and can easily overwhelm you if you don’t take care of them quickly.

So, your main priority in this fight should be to eliminate any orange ghosts as soon as they appear.

I also noticed that this fight punishes you for jumping around needlessly. If you have the Shade Cloak ability, then you can finish this boss fight without even jumping once, so stay grounded and let him come to you. Strike only after dodging his attack.

Grey Prince Zote

Grey Prince Zote is a hidden boss that you most probably missed in your first playthrough. However, he is hidden for good reason, as he is also one of the most unpredictable bosses in Hollow Knight.

Unlocking this Grey Prince Zote boss fight is a lengthy task, but I have summarized the roadmap for you.

1. You’ll need to save Zote from his predicament in the Howling Cliffs, accessible from the top of Greenpath, where he is being eaten by a Vengefly. Make sure to do this before obtaining the Mantis Claw ability; otherwise, he will die.
2. After that, head to the Fungal Wastes, where you’ll find a fake wall opposite the exit that leads to the Royal Waterways. Follow along the path past the fake wall until you reach Bretta.
3. With both Zote and Bretta saved, you’ll need to head to Deepnest to save Zote again, located south of the Bench near the Failed Tramway in Deepnest.
4. After freeing him from the spider-webs, head to the Colosseum of Fools, located at the Kingdom’s Edge.
5. Enter the Colosseum and, after barely surviving the barrage of bugs, you’ll be face-to-face against Zote. Don’t worry, he is no threat, and you can beat him with your eyes d.
6. Now, if you have already beaten the Broken Vessel and obtained the Monarch Wings (double jump), then you can head back up to Dirtmouth and enter Bretta’s basement, where you’ll find a monument to Zote.
7. Strike it with your Dream Nail, and the fight will begin.

Now, as for how to beat him, his unpredictability makes it a challenge to develop a proper guide. The only advice I could give here is to not let him corner you. Rather, stay in the middle of the arena and rely on your spells as the main source of damage.

Of course, you’ll need Souls to perform spells, so only approach Zote to get a few hits in and generate souls, then take a step back and start using spells again. Be sure to use a proper charm combo in this boss fight as well that either empower spells or let you live longer.