Hollow Knight: Void Heart Guide – Unlocking the Ultimate Ending

Hollow Knight, the critically acclaimed Metroidvania, boasts a rich and intricate world, filled with secrets, challenging encounters, and multiple endings. Achieving the ‘true’ ending, and witnessing the complete story, requires obtaining the Void Heart. This guide will provide you with a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough on how to acquire the Void Heart in Hollow Knight, ensuring you don’t miss any crucial steps along the way.

Why Pursue the Void Heart?

While Hollow Knight offers a satisfying conclusion without the Void Heart, obtaining it unlocks the ‘Dream No More’ ending, considered the definitive and most rewarding ending by many. This ending provides a deeper understanding of the lore, the Radiance, and the Knight’s true purpose. Furthermore, possessing the Void Heart is a prerequisite for several other achievements and challenges within the game.

Prerequisites

Before embarking on the journey to acquire the Void Heart, ensure you’ve met the following prerequisites:

• Defeat the Hollow Knight: This is the standard ending boss fight located in the Temple of the Black Egg. You must beat the Hollow Knight at least once to proceed.
• Acquire the King’s Brand: Found in the Ancient Basin, the King’s Brand is necessary to access the Abyss.
• Obtain the Pale Ore: You’ll need Pale Ore to upgrade your Nail at least once, preferably twice or more, to make the subsequent challenges easier.
• Awaken the Dream Nail: The Dream Nail needs to be awakened by collecting Essence from Whispering Roots and defeating Dream Bosses. You’ll need at least 1800 Essence in total. You can get this from a combination of Whispering Roots and Dream Bosses; completing the Seer’s quests will also assist you along the way.
• Collect at least one of the following Charms: Hiveblood, Spore Shroom, or Deep Focus (highly recommended). These charms will help you survive in the Abyss, where healing opportunities are limited. Grubsong and Quick Focus can also be helpful.

Step-by-Step Guide to Obtaining the Void Heart

Follow these steps carefully to unlock the Void Heart:

1. Defeat the Hollow Knight

As mentioned earlier, you need to defeat the Hollow Knight at least once. This initiates the process and unlocks the next stage. After the fight, you’ll be brought back to the bench outside the Black Egg Temple.

2. The Ancient Basin and the King’s Brand

If you haven’t already, travel to the Ancient Basin. This area is located below the City of Tears and can be accessed via multiple routes. The easiest route is through the Royal Waterways.

Navigate the Ancient Basin until you reach the Distant Village. From the Distant Village, head right until you find a large, sealed door. Use the Desolate Dive or Descending Dark spell on the cracked floor just before the door to break through and descend. Continue heading right, fighting enemies along the way.

You will eventually reach a large, open area with a corpse on a throne. Examine the corpse to obtain the King’s Brand. This item is crucial for accessing the next stage.

3. The Abyss

Return to the Ancient Basin and head towards the bottom-left corner of the map. Look for a large chasm filled with void tendrils. If you have the King’s Brand, a gate will open, granting you access to the Abyss.

The Abyss is a dark and dangerous area. It is highly recommended to equip the charms mentioned in the Prerequisites section (Hiveblood, Spore Shroom, or Deep Focus) to aid in survival. Fall to the bottom of the Abyss. You will eventually land in a pool of black liquid – the Void.

4. The Lighthouse and the Birthplace

From the bottom of the Abyss, head to the right. You will encounter several platforms and enemies made of Void. Navigate through this area, using your Monarch Wings (double jump) and Mantis Claw (wall jump) to traverse the platforms. Be careful of the Void tendrils and the enemies that inhabit this area.

Eventually, you will reach a large structure known as the Lighthouse. Activate the Lighthouse by hitting the lever located at the top. This will illuminate the Abyss, making navigation easier and revealing hidden platforms.

With the Lighthouse activated, continue ascending upwards within the Abyss. Look for a hidden passage on the left side of the Lighthouse. This passage leads to the Birthplace.

5. The Broken Vessel Memory

The Birthplace is a challenging platforming area. Use your abilities to navigate through the spikes, void pools, and enemies. The goal is to reach a large, cracked egg at the top of the area.

Before interacting with the egg, prepare for a challenging Dream Nail encounter. Approach the egg and use your Dream Nail on it. This will transport you to a dream realm where you will face the Broken Vessel Memory, also known as the Pure Vessel.

6. Defeating the Pure Vessel

The Pure Vessel is a significantly more difficult version of the Hollow Knight. It has faster attacks, more varied attack patterns, and deals more damage. This fight requires precise timing, quick reflexes, and a strong understanding of the Knight’s abilities.

Here are some tips for defeating the Pure Vessel:

• Learn the Attack Patterns: The Pure Vessel has several distinct attack patterns, including lunging attacks, projectile attacks, and ground-based attacks. Memorizing these patterns is crucial for dodging and countering effectively.
• Use Spells: Shade Cloak, Descending Dark, and Howling Wraiths can be incredibly useful in this fight. Shade Cloak allows you to dodge through attacks, Descending Dark provides invincibility frames and deals damage, and Howling Wraiths can inflict significant damage when the Pure Vessel is staggered.
• Practice Patience: This fight is a test of endurance and skill. Don’t get discouraged if you die repeatedly. Learn from your mistakes, adapt your strategy, and keep practicing.
• Nail Arts: Great Slash and Dash Slash can be helpful for dealing burst damage during openings. Quick Slash can also be effective if you prefer a more aggressive playstyle.
• Healing Opportunities: Healing opportunities are limited in this fight. The best time to heal is after dodging the Pure Vessel’s ground-based attacks or when it is staggered after being hit by Howling Wraiths. Deep Focus can make these healing opportunities more effective.

The charms listed earlier (Quick Focus, Shaman Stone, Spell Twister, Strength, Quick Slash) can significantly improve your survivability and damage output in this fight. Experiment with different charm combinations to find what works best for you.

7. Obtaining the Void Heart

After defeating the Pure Vessel, return to the cracked egg in the Birthplace. Interact with the egg again. This time, the egg will shatter, and the Void Heart will be added to your inventory. Congratulations, you have obtained the Void Heart!

Post-Void Heart: The ‘Dream No More’ Ending

With the Void Heart in your possession, you can now unlock the ‘Dream No More’ ending. Return to the Temple of the Black Egg and interact with the Hollow Knight. This time, when the Hollow Knight attempts to absorb the Radiance, you will be able to enter its dream using the Dream Nail.

Inside the dream, you will face the Radiance, the true final boss of Hollow Knight. The Radiance is a challenging boss fight that requires precise platforming, skillful dodging, and effective use of spells and nail attacks.

Defeating the Radiance will trigger the ‘Dream No More’ ending, revealing the full story of the Hollow Knight and the Knight’s ultimate destiny.

Tips and Tricks

• Nail Upgrades: Upgrading your Nail as much as possible will significantly increase your damage output and make the Pure Vessel fight easier.
• Charm Combinations: Experiment with different charm combinations to find what works best for your playstyle. Some effective combinations include Quick Focus + Deep Focus, Shaman Stone + Spell Twister, and Strength + Quick Slash.
• Practice Makes Perfect: The Pure Vessel fight is a significant challenge. Don’t get discouraged if you die repeatedly. Practice the attack patterns, refine your strategy, and keep trying.
• Explore Thoroughly: Make sure to explore every corner of Hallownest to find hidden items, upgrades, and secrets. These can provide a significant advantage in your quest to obtain the Void Heart.
• Utilize Dream Gates: Dream Gates can be placed anywhere, even in boss arenas, to quickly return to specific locations for practice or exploration.

Alternative Strategies for the Pure Vessel Fight

While the above strategy is effective, here are some alternative approaches you can consider:

• The Spell Build: Focus on using spells like Abyss Shriek and Shade Soul to deal damage from a distance. Charms like Shaman Stone, Spell Twister, and Soul Eater will enhance your spellcasting abilities.
• The Nail Build: Focus on using nail attacks to deal damage up close. Charms like Strength, Quick Slash, and Longnail will enhance your nail skills.
• The Hybrid Build: Balance nail attacks and spells for a versatile approach. Charms like Quick Focus, Shaman Stone, and Quick Slash can be effective in this build.
• The Defensive Build: Focus on survivability and healing. Charms like Hiveblood, Spore Shroom, and Deep Focus will help you stay alive longer.

Troubleshooting

If you’re having trouble obtaining the Void Heart, here are some common issues and solutions:

• Can’t access the Abyss: Make sure you have the King’s Brand equipped.
• Can’t activate the Lighthouse: Ensure you’ve reached the top of the Lighthouse structure within the Abyss.
• Can’t defeat the Pure Vessel: Practice the attack patterns, experiment with different charm combinations, and upgrade your Nail.
• Lost in the Abyss: Use the Lighthouse to illuminate the area and reveal hidden platforms. Refer to maps and guides if necessary.

Conclusion

Obtaining the Void Heart in Hollow Knight is a challenging but rewarding experience. It unlocks the ‘Dream No More’ ending and provides a deeper understanding of the game’s lore and characters. By following this guide and practicing diligently, you can achieve this milestone and witness the true ending of Hollow Knight. Good luck, and may your journey be filled with light!