False Knight

Hunter's Journal
Enormous titan hiding a shocking surprise.

Behaviour and Tactics
The False Knight possesses a variety of attacks:


 * Slam: False Knight will swing their mace forward, slamming it into the ground. The impact of the mace creates a shockwave that travels forward across the whole arena.
 * Leaping Slam: False Knight will leap into the air and slam their mace down in front of them when they land. False Knight targets The Knight when they leap so they will strike where The Knight was when they started their leap. While False Knight is in the air, they lift their mace above their head and then swing it in an overhead arc before they land, bringing their large body and mace down simultaneously.
 * Rage: After enough damage is dealt to the armour, the False Knight will fall down and reveal the Maggot inside the armor. When the Maggot takes enough damage, the False Knight will start the Rage Attack. False Knight will slam their mace multiple times on their left and right. Each time the mace strikes the ground, rocks will fall from the ceiling. False Knight will continue to slam the ground with their mace for about three seconds.

When the False Knight falls over and the Maggot pops out, heal if necessary then get in as much damage as possible. This is the only time the Knight gains SOUL from attacking the False Knight.

It is important to note that attacking the armor does not award SOUL, so players should conserve their SOUL meter if they need to heal and/or use Grubsong to regain SOUL when struck.

If healing is needed, the safest opportunity is to wait until the False Knight goes into a Rage and then heal up in a corner of the room. Watch for falling rocks.

After exposing the Maggot's head three times, the False Knight will perform one more Rage attack before breaking the floor, falling to the level below and revealing the Maggot. Drop down and attack the Maggot to end the fight.

After the first time the False Knight Rages, the segment of wall above the left gate will become breakable, granting the player the chance to flee the battle if they so choose. This is useful as the player obtains the Vengeful Spirit Spell in the room immediately after the False Knight room, allowing them to either attempt the fight again with a stronger, ranged attack or simply proceed through the rest of the game and come back later. Returning to the area after escaping resets the fight.

Trivia

 * The armor and the head have separate health values.
 * The armour the Maggot stole actually belongs to Hegemol, one of the legendary Great Knights (mentioned by Nailmaster Sheo).
 * After the False Knight is defeated, the head of his mace is revealed to be another bug with an armored shell. The player can hit it, but it will not talk and simply scurries off-screen. Hitting it with the Dream Nail gives the dialogue "Free at last!" It is unknown whether or not this weapon belonged to Hegemol or if the Maggot made it itself.
 * It appears that the reason the Maggot took the armour was to protect its fellow Maggots, not because of the infection plaguing Hallownest.
 * Once the False Knight drops down from the ceiling any husks that have not been slain prior to his entrance die.

Faux Chevalier Ложный Рыцарь Falso_Caballero