Hollow Knight Full Walkthrough - How To Beat The Mantis Lords (2024)

Up until now, on this Hollow Knight Full Walkthrough, all the bosses listed have been a bit of a walk in the park, with the possible exception of Hornet. But in the Mantis Village, there is a new challenge awaiting that will likely catch many unsuspecting players off guard.

We have only had to deal with one enemy at a time in boss fights to this point, but in the battle with the Mantis Lords, you’ll need to take on three of these powerful warriors.

It seems impossible at first, but it’s really not that bad once you understand the choreography. So, I’ll be teaching you the steps to this grueling dance. Without any more delay, here is Indie Game Culture’s Hollow Knight Full Walkthrough – How to Beat The Mantis Lords.

Hollow Knight Full Walkthrough – How To Beat The Mantis Lords

Finding The Mantis Lords

Continuing where we left off in our Fungal Wastes guide, after getting the Mantis Claw, you’ll want to use this ability to climb up a level in the Mantis Village and use a blend of jumps and dashes to get through the spiky platforming section, and then flick the switch to open a few paths in the middle of the Village.

Allow yourself to fall down there, and you’ll then need to explore this area and open the various pathways by flicking switches and killing any Mantis Youths and Warriors in your path.

Also, make a note of the room on the right, which you will not have access to due to a Mantis Warrior manning the door switch. This room will open later after the big fight.

After working your way through the room and opening the various paths, head through the bottom right path and then drop all the way down to the bottom, where you will find the Mantis Lords waiting for you.

These enemies are not hostile initially, and will only begin the fight when you challenge them. So take a moment and compose yourself.

Also, consider which Bench you have active as well. The closest one is out the East exit of Mantis Village, and then south. Believe me when I say you’ll want to go with the closer bench because chances are you’re going to die at least a few times.

How to Beat The Mantis Lords – Strategy

The important thing to know about this fight is that unless you have a quick Focus Charm or impeccable timing, healing is more of a hassle than it’s worth, and learning each attack pattern is vital.

You’ll first begin by fighting just one of the three Mantis Lords. This enemy has three main attacks: a charging stab attack that sees them move from left to right or right to left.

They also have a plunging attack, and they have a sword boomerang attack. Of all these, you need to be most careful of the boomerang attack.

The key thing to know here is that if they cling to the wall high, the projectile will go high and then loop back low. Then, if they cling to the wall low, their weapon will do the opposite.

The key here is to stay as close as possible to get 2x hits in as many times as possible, and if you lose health, don’t panic; just roll with it, as you will get a brief moment to heal between phases.

When this enemy is beaten, they will return to their chair, and then the other two will descend upon you. While this is happening, heal up.

This second phase isn’t all that different; the attacks are the same for the most part, but the gimmick here is that there are two of them in play at once.

The key to getting through this section is not being greedy with strikes when another appears, and also, you need to master avoiding the joint boomerang attack, which will either have you jumping from the middle to the edge of the arena to avoid it or from the edge to the middle. Just watch the flight pattern and react accordingly.

Just be cautious until you have taken out the first of the two, and then after that, it’s just a repeat of the first stage until you win the fight.

The Respect of The Mantis Lords

When you defeat the Mantis Lords, your reward won’t be immediately clear to you, but you do get some great stuff for taking on this fight, making it worth doing before you head to the City of Tears.

Firstly, you’ll gain access to the area left of the arena called Deepnest, but that is best left for another time, or at least until you have the Lumafly Lantern for easier traversal. Plus, you’ll also notice that the Mantis around the village are now docile and bow before you, which is a nice gesture.

However, the real reward here is hidden within the room we told you to make note of earlier. Head back to the area with all the switches above the Mantis Lords and head out the door on the right.

You will now be able to access this area, and within this area, you will find a Hallowsnest Seal, which can be sold in the City of Tears, and you will find one of the best Charms in the entire game, The Mark of Pride, a charm that vastly improves your Nail Range.

Be sure to collect these items, and then with this all tidied up, your next stop is the City of Tears.

Lord Over The Lord’s

This fight can be a tricky one to master, but with some practice, you should be able to take out all three of these Lords and grab yourself some essential loot for your tougher areas ahead.

I hope that this guide has helped you break down this tough trio, and as always, thanks for reading Indie Game Culture.