Sisters of Battle

"Leaders of the Mantis tribe and its finest warriors. They bear thin nail-lances and attack with blinding speed. The Mantis tribe and the bugs of old Hallownest had no love for each other. The Mantises outlived their rivals though, and their civilisation still stands."

The Sisters of Battle is a quest boss in Hollow Knight introduced in Godmaster. First encountered in the Pantheon of Hallownest, they are a form of the Mantis Lords where all three sisters battle together instead of separately.

Behaviour and Tactics
Phase 1 of Sisters of Battle is identical to Phase 1 of Mantis Lords.

In Phase 2 all three Sisters will roar and drop in to fight. Sisters of Battle will use all attacks of the 2nd phase of Mantis Lords, but with an additional attack from a 3rd lord:


 * Dash & Drop: All three Sisters combine their patterns into fluid combinations. The pattern these attacks follow loosely comes from the patterns of the original Mantis Lords fight. With all three Sisters attacking: two Sisters will still follow the patterns of Mantis Lords Phase 2 and one Sister will still follow their original pattern like in Mantis Lords Phase 1. The single Mantis Lord's attack will be staggered to happen just after her two Sisters start their attacks whether it be Drop, Double Drop, Dash or Double Dash. Furthermore, the single Sister's attack will always be a Drop attack if her Sister or Sisters performed Dash attacks. In the case of Drop attacks, it is possible for all three Sisters to choose to chain this attack in quick continuous succession.
 * Boomerang: When all three Sisters are alive two will perform the Boomerang attacks on the wall while the third will perform a Drop attack a moment after the spears are thrown. The patterns for the Boomerangs have been modified as well:
 * Two Sisters will simultaneously throw their spears creating a wide arc that reaches the opposite end of the arena before coming back together to meet at the centre just at ground level.
 * Two Sisters will simultaneously throw their spears creating a short arc that meets in the middle of the arena where they will stay locked together while gliding down for a few moments before dispersing apart just above ground level.
 * Two Sisters will simultaneously throw their spears: one throwing a wide arc and the other throwing a short arc causing them to meet either of the far ends of the arena and not the centre before dispersing.
 * One Sister will throw her spear in either wide or a short arc and leave while being followed by the Drop attack.
 * The previous Boomerang pattern can be followed up with the other Sister appearing on the opposing wall after the first had finished and she will perform the same pattern.

When two Sisters are left, the Dash and the Drop attacks resume to as if it were the Mantis Lords Phase 2 but the Boomerang patterns with the single Lord will remain despite the lack of a follow-up Drop attack. While the normal "both short" and "both wide" Boomerang patterns will occur as regular. (This means only the "one short one wide" Boomerang pattern is phased out)

When one Sister remains the fight continues like Mantis Lords Phase 1. While The Sisters of Battle's attacks are quick and lethal, there are various points in the fight where there is a small window to heal. One major point where healing is possible is at the end of phase 1 and the entering of phase 2, where there is a surprisingly large window of time to heal, as the Sisters of Battle's shout does not stagger the Knight. Other than this major point, there are very few opportunities to heal, so Quick Focus and Shape of Unn are recommended to make use of the smaller windows of time in-between attacks to heal.

The Shade Cloak is extremely useful for this fight, as the continuous barrage from the Lords often leads to the player getting cornered. The ability to phase through said attacks is practically needed to avoid damage at times.

Jumping and Nail-striking the Lords as they pass is an excellent way to deal damage to them and also re-position to be in a better place to avoid and counter further attacks.

Vengeful Spirit /Shade Soul is also very helpful to deal damage to the Lords, as they can move fast and normal Nail strikes will only be able to hit them a few times before they retreat. As such, these ranged spells are good to catch one of them during the short recovery window after an attack. Descending Dark/Desolate Dive can also be useful to both deal and possibly negate damage done by the 3 Sisters when they use their Dash & Drop attack.

When The Sisters of Battle use the boomerang attack, it should be noted that the charm Dreamshield, if positioned correctly will absorb the boomerangs causing the 2 Sisters who threw them to stand still for a few moments. Allowing The Knight to get a few hits in before The Sisters commence their next attack.

Location
The Sisters of Battle can be first encountered in the Pantheon of Hallownest, after which they can also be fought in the Hall of Gods. The fight will start off with only a single Sister dropping in to attack: this is used to disguise the fight as regular Mantis Lords (even the Mantis Lords namecard will show and the Mantis Lords music will play when only fighting one Sister).

Trivia

 * If the player continuously clings to the wall, one Mantis Lord will continue to use the Boomerang attack on the opposite side of the arena until the player leaves the wall. The boomerang will be directed specifically to hit the Knight.
 * In Phase 2, all three lords will all be actively throwing boomerangs on the opposing wall.

Sorelle della Battaglia