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[LIFEBLOOD + GODMASTER] Safe (maybe boring) way to best the Nightmare Grimm

By Angry Owl

Slow, somewhat lengthy yet safe way to beat Nightmare Grimm.

TLRD: check the video ;)

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Created by

Angry Owl
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Category: Achievements, Walkthroughs

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

12 Jan, 2018 @ 12:51pm

5 Apr, 2019 @ 12:42pm

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Guide Index

Overview

Before we start

Intro

Keybinds config used

Setup

Charms

Strategy

Radiant NKG

Comments

Before we start

README: as with any (difficult) game, overcoming the challenge through sheer skill and perseverance is the best feeling.
That being said, if you find yourself struggling way too much while spending hours upon hours without making any significant progress, check this strategy.
Please note, not flashy nor climactic, maybe even slightly cheap ;)

< OPTIONAL, kind of obsolete since Godseeker >
Let's backup your saves! We're not going to meddle with game files, it's just that NKG is fun to replay, but he disappears for good once defeated.
The "Hollow Knight" save folder is here:
C:\Users\<Your_User_Name>\appdata\LocalLow\TeamCherry

Intro

The idea behind this strategy:

somewhat tanky loadout, though we don't plan to take a lot of damage, but certainly we're not going to bother healing
Nail Arts focus (mostly Great Slash) with occasional spells (Vengeful Soul)
very little repositioning
retaliate only on the safest and slowest NKG's attack (Pillars)

In other words, we're going to go out of our way to stagger the dance by being as passive as possible.

The cons of this approach:

very little spectacle
long (around 5 mins and more). Because 90% of our damage is inflicted on one particular attack, get ready for a lengthy fight

The pros:

safe
we get to hear the masterpiece that is NKG's theme entirely
achievement

Note: you can most definitely make the fight last shorter by taking more opportunities and risks. In fact I would encourage you doing so once you're confident (or on Radiant NKG).

Keybinds config used

Here's my keybind config in case you were wondering (112% HK with it, so it's definitely serviceable):

Movement - Arrow keys
Jump - Spacebar
Nail - S
Dash - A
Super Dash - D
Dream Nail - W
Focus - Right Shift (my Enter key is sinlge-row one)
Quick Cast - Right Ctrl
Inventory - Num 0
Map - Tab

The reason I'm listing this, is because some folks appear to be having issues with executing certain actions shown in the footage (hold Nail Art + Move + Jump\Dash). This could happen due to particular keybinds config in use or their keyboard simply having a limit on maximum buttons pressed at once. If you're experiencing the same, check these keybinds and perhaps you can figure how to improve your setup.

Setup

NKG should be treated the same way as the true final boss of the game.
If you have not 100%'ed the game, then try getting these things first:

maxed out Nail
maxed out health (but you can be less, if you're confident in your dodges)
all charm notches
learned Double Jump and Shadow Dash
learned Grand Slash nail technique

These things are optional:

all soul canisters (but you can miss 1 or even 2)
fireball spell upgraded (Vengeful Soul)

Charms

UPDATE: so the original setup is no longer valid as of Lifeblood update (you now have to take the Grimmchild with you). But this is hardly an issue, as our most valuable charm here - Nailmaster's Glory - costs meager 1 notch.

Original Charm Setup:
- 'Joni's Blessing' + 'Unbreakable Heart'
- 'Nailmaster's Glory'
- 'Steady Body'
- 'Mark of Pride'

Charm

Description

'Joni's Blessing' - for health reserve. Once you've mastered the fight, you can totally chose something else instead (spell buffs perhaps)

'Nailmaster's Glory' - we need to have super quick charges to squeeze in 2 of them on pillars attack

'Sharp Shadow' - shadow dash is irreplaceable for countering the uppercut attack, so we might as well take full advantage of it. The extra reach is nice bonus too.

'Soul Catcher' - ehm, you don't need this per se. My thought process was, as I'm not going to hit Grimm too often and still want to soul him once or twice, I might as well take this charm. Take more health instead if you find youself needing it.

'Grimmchild' - Burn the father, feed the child!

Strategy

Most guides\walkthroughs advise avoiding corners and staying on the move.
But we are going to do exact opposite ;)

Here's a video I stitched together to showcase this strategy.
It may look easy (in fact, I took way more hits in the original video - see description), but that is what Godseeker does to you.
In any case, check it out:

The section below pretty much describes the video. No need to read it in case you've seen the footage.

I. Opening
After a cutscene, run to the right and get ready to dodge the Upper Cut (90% it's NKG's opener).
If he does it, do a small jump towards Grimm and dash through him then run under him and slightly to the left\right to avoid flames.
If NKG goes for another time of attack see the other attacks below.
Regardless of the opener, you need to occupy and maintain the spot by the right wall, around the round tube thing.

II. Countering NKG
With the required position taken here is how you're going to dodge attacks:

[Uppercut]: Do a small jump towards Grimm and dash through him then run back while he's in air and stop, but not directly under him, slightly to the left (or right for other side) to avoid flames.
Note: why even jump? It's redundant but it helps with the timing and allows to recover should you happen to confuse the dive kick with other attacks.
[Divekick]: Max-height jump without moving, at maximum height or when just starting to fall - do a double jump (again max height) and strafe to the center of arena to avoid the lingering flames.
[Thorns]: Stay put, or side step to the left\right. Alternatively, you can do a safe jump and adjust in air. Then get back to the spot.
[Firebats]: Again, stay put (even if Grimm spawns right next to you), jump over the first lower bat. If you have soul, throw your Vengeful Soul spell after first bat. The second lower bat will go just slightly over you so no need to jump over it.
[Flame Pillars]: This is key attack, you're going to switch sides here. When you recognize this attack, make sure you have charge art, jump (to be safe) and move towards the Grimm in "few-steps-stop" manner to throw off the pillars aim; slash at the peak of the jump. Charge art! Go under him, do a short stop (to position the pillar), Jump and try to slash through the pillar. That last slash is not guaranteed, because you need to turn around while avoiding the last pillar. In the end, you need to occupy the identical corner at the opposite side of the arena.
Note: the hit box on Grimm's cape is wider than on his head, it's easier to hit his lower part.
[Balloon attack]: Happens at 75%, 50% and 25% of NKG's HP. Just avoid the flames with short\high jumps and slight air movement. You can shadow dash through some, but take care not to dash your face straight into the next fire ball. Also be careful not to hug the wall to avoid entering the 'clawed' position.

And that's it, good luck!

Radiant NKG

By now you are probably aware of the notorious Radiant difficulty of the Godmaster update.
From my experience, it feels only health pool was buffed for NKG (aside from obvious 1-hit kills).
This means we can employ the same strategy for this challenge too!

There are only few things to note before we start:

Arena is wider (and wall\ceil-less) this time. Which brings one upside and one downside:
- + It is easier to dodge bullets in pufferfish phase
- - There is a chance that Grimm would catch you in the middle when switching sides
Overcharm! You die in one hit, so there is nothing to lose. This also means that technically your damage would be higher here in comparison to the original encounter
It's better to try and squeeze in more attacks on Grimm. The longer you fight, the higher is the chance that you're going to slip up

Charm setup:

(good old Art charm, but this time with all the magic upgrades we can muster)

Charm

Description

'Nailmaster's Glory' - we won't swing our nail unless it's a mighty charge that we're unleashing! In addition to pillars, we are going to go for one more opportunity to strike.

'Shaman Stone' - more soul damage (pretty self explanatory).

'Soul Eater' - we won't hit often, but we sure can use that extra soul

'Soul Catcher' - complements the 'eater' nicely.

'Spell Twister' - more Soul Shades! Because we're aiming for 2 soul shades on bat attacks this time, we do need them cheaper.

Recording:

(actually went faster than regular fight):

Comments on the video:

I found that the edges (akin to the original fight) don't work well in this one, mostly because arena is too wide to cross it safely during the pillars. Instead occupy the spots on the inner sides of the columns
Why no Sharp Shadow charm? Because it gives us more dash time which we don't need here. With that said, we can instead opt for, albeit inconsistent, yet more destructive Great Slash Backstab technique (the timing is tight on this one):
- hold your nail art charged
- once you've recognizing the uppercut, DON'T move towards Grimm
- do a (full) jump and dash through
- WHILE DASHING, hold the opposite direction movement button (left for right dash)
- when exiting dash you should still be midair, with nail art ready and facing Grimm's back
- TIME the Great Slash in such a manner that when you swing, Grimm takes off and flies right through your nail
For the Divekick, once you get the timing right, you don't even need to move left\right to dodge the attack - a simple double jump in one place does the trick.
Go for 2 Shade Soul attacks on Bat attack, unless Grimm spawns right next to you (then do a single one).

.. and that is it! Good luck beating the whole pantheon of Gods!

- Zenewk

33 Comments

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Angry Owl [author] 9 Oct, 2020 @ 10:00am

@GeneralDragonRD
Honestly, I went with great slash because it felt comfortable to me.
On damage:
I did 2 Great Slashes per attack each worth 2.5 nail damage, so you'd need to consistently land 5 hit on NKG on the pillars phase to stay on the same pace.
It is possible to land 5-6 hit though it requires Quick Strike and mad timing and movement skills.

I haven't tested this strategy on normal Grim, think you can simply face-tank his damage altogether with sufficient health charms, maxed out (or nearly maxed out) nail and reckless swinging.

GeneralDragonRD 9 Oct, 2020 @ 8:35am

What is the upside to using Great Slash? It only does 50% more damage than a normal hit, and I haven't gotten to nightmare king (I'm pretty bad at the game and haven't yet beaten Troupe Master) but it looks like you could get 3 normal hits in, which does the same amount of damage, gives more soul and is possible on a controller. I might be wrong, but in my experience the Nail Arts are only really useful for aspids. Please explain!

DemonAlchemist 23 Jul, 2020 @ 3:26am

How is this cheese? Aside from kind of being a pussy with the fireballs, it's literally just dodging and countering. Just because it isn't the optimal strategy doesn't make it cheesing the fight. btw, for the fireballs, just wait for the first one to go over you, jump and dash through the second high one and attack. Once you get the rhythm down. it's the easiest attack to counter.

Mr Slinky 17 May, 2020 @ 9:59pm

cat

Youx 31 Mar, 2019 @ 12:24pm

Thank you for this, I was struggling so much to get to the second bullet hell, and this strategy allowed me to beat NKG in a few tries!

It makes Grimm attacks much more predictable to stay at the same place and hold your ground, didn’t even need to heal. The worst that can happen is he launches bats from closer, but the dodge is the same.

For the columns of fire, I found it easier to jump, great slash and then shadow dash through him to the corner, but to each his own.

Awesome guide

SADevil 19 Dec, 2018 @ 3:03am

Thanks for the advise! I was already desperate to beat Nightmare King, but the guide convinced me to try again with different build. This guide was very useful to learn how to position yourself and dodge attacks. So I finished battle with full health. Also there are several opportunities to heal up in this battle.

Though I changed the build around. I didn't use any lifeblood charms and Nailmaster's Glory. But instead I put on Soul Eater and Glowing Womb. So for damage I relied on hatchlings. And if you have Salubra's Blessing then you can start the fight with all four hatchlings and full soul.

With this loadout I managed to hit KNG during fire pillar attack 3-4 times (including dash), collecting a good amount of soul. Also you have a good opening during his projectile attack. Just jump over first lower projectile, dash through the second one and you can manage to hit him 1-2 times.

Angry Owl [author] 31 Oct, 2018 @ 12:04pm

@Pigatron5000
Actually, I consider this the best case scenario: the guide providing some assistance, with the player getting creative and devising a strategy of their own.

Rolahr 30 Oct, 2018 @ 7:53pm

thx for the guide! im still trying to beat NKG, but this helped a lot! Also, i found it easier to just rush and dash-slash him in the flame pillar attack.

Angry Owl [author] 23 Sep, 2018 @ 3:55pm

UPD: Radiant NKG section added

Angry Owl [author] 22 Sep, 2018 @ 2:57am

UPD: Revised the guide (charms and video) to bring it up-to-date with the game (mostly because of the Lifeblood patch).

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