Marmu

"Lingering dream of a fallen warrior. Protector of the Queen's Gardens. If you believe in something as hard as you can, with your eyes shut tight... eventually it will come true!"

- Marmu

Marmu is a Warrior Dream boss in Hollow Knight.

Lore Marmu was the innocent-minded yet strong protector of the Queen's Gardens. The Queen promised to teach her how to fly upon her return to the verdant retreat. Marmu passed away before that day and a totem in her memory was placed upon her grave in the gardens' wilds.

In-game events Marmu's ghost appears at her totem after the Knight acquires the Dream Nail. She proposes they play together while waiting for the Queen's return. Upon defeat, Marmu realises how long she has waited while defending the gardens. She desires to rest and asks the Knight to wake her up once the Queen arrives, wishing she could teach them both how to fly. Her ghost then shatters into 150 Essence to be collected by the Dream Nail.

Behaviour and Tactics
Marmu has only one attack and one ability:
 * Hurl: Marmu curls into a ball and hurls herself at the Knight from various angles.
 * Teleport: Used in conjunction with her attack, Marmu teleports to a random section of the arena.

Damaging Marmu knocks her back a bit. Staying underneath and attacking upward to juggle her is a dependable method of attack, especially with Quick Slash equipped. Be ready though because Marmu gains movement speed when she bumps into a wall or ceiling.

Since Marmu usually stays relatively close to the Knight, an area of effect build can be quite useful. Equipping Thorns of Agony, Spore Shroom, Grubsong, Quick Focus, and Stalwart Shell helps greatly.

Nail lengthening charms (Longnail and Mark of Pride) can help keep Marmu away from the Knight to reduce damage. The Nail Art Great Slash also has good range and is another way to keep her away.

If the Knight wants to defeat Marmu as fast as possible, using an all Spell strategy helps. Equipping Shaman Stone and spamming Howling Wraiths/Abyss Shriek when she is close can easily kill her. Marmu can bounce through the Spell and still collide with the Knight. Desolate Dive/Descending Dark is a useful Spell to escape danger and damage Marmu at the same time.

It is recommended to stick to a corner while fighting Marmu. This limits the angles from which she can attack, allowing for easier defending. Being backed into a corner is not an issue since any successful attack on Marmu knocks her backwards.

Due to the "accuracy" of Marmu's Hurl attack, it is possible to heal safely while she is attacking. Baldur Shell can be used to block any attack that happens to make its way in. The combination of Quick Focus and Shape of Unn can allow the player to heal while dodging Marmu's Hurl.

Location
Marmu is located in the Queen's Gardens, west of the Stag Station.

Trivia

 * Marmu is based on a Puss Moth Caterpillar; as seen here.
 * Zara Pellen, the backer who created Marmu, is the mother of William Pellen, one of the members of Team Cherry.

References

Марму Marmu Marmu