Hornet

Hunter's Journal


''Skilled protector of Hallownest's ruins. Wields a needle and thread.''



''I have seen this nimble little creature. I thought her prey and pounced at her, but with a flash she stabbed me with her flying stinger and darted away. Could she be... a Hunter?''



First Encounter, Greenpath
When traveling through the area, she will appear several time, but will quickly dash away. When approached at the end of the zone, she comments that she can sense something awakening within Hallownest, and that she knows the nature of the player character, and because of that, cannot allow what the player is going to do to take place, which starts her boss fight.

Hornet has 4 base attacks:
 * Impaler: Hornet charges forward with her needle in front of her.
 * Hornet Dive: While in the air, Hornet aims at the Hollow Knight and rushes downwards.
 * Death Thread: Hornet unleashes an area-of-effect attack centered on herself, using her thread to slice into anything around her. Always done in the air.
 * Hornet Sting: Throws her needle forward, then pulls it back. The range of this attack is slightly smaller than the width of the battlefield. The needle can damage the Hollow Knight on the way back.

Due to the range of her ranged attack, it gives a short window to heal, in addition, to her thread AOE attack. She frequently leaps into the air, where she will either adjust her position, perform a charge, or use her thread attack. Once defeated, she will use her thread to get away.

The player can perform a downward slash if they mistimed their jump over the needle, allowing them to bounce off of it.

Upon defeat in Greenpath, she drops the Mothwing Cloak, which allows the player to dash sideways.



Second Encounter, City of Tears
Hornet will appear briefly outside the Fungal Wastes entrance to the City of Tears. Once the player reaches the statue of The Hollow Knight, she will appear again and tell the player to seek "the grave in ash" if they wish to seek a role in Hallownest's perpetuation.

Third Encounter, Kingdom's Edge
In order to fight her a second time, the player must go to a far east area of Kingdom's Edge which requires the Monarch Wings to reach.

Her attack patterns are the same as in Greenpath, but with 2 added attacks:

- Counter attack: when struck when using it, a sound effect of metal striking will play and she will hold her needle defensively. If struck again while she is defending, she will then unleash a wide strike with her needle.

- Weave: she will use her thread to suspend spiked balls in midair. These will damage the player if touched, and will remain until the player attacks them with their nail.

After defeating her, the player can enter the Cast-Off Shell and mark themselves with the Kingbrand, allowing entrance into The Abyss. However, once the player has interacted with the Kingbrand, the shell collapses, and Hornet saves them.



Fourth Encounter, The Abyss
After defeating her in Kingdom's Edge, going to Ancient Basin, and obtaining the Shade Cloak upgrade, she will appear at the top of the area, telling the player that there are two choices ahead of them: to prolong the world's stasis, or face the source of the plague.



Fifth Encounter, Deepnest
If the player wins against her in Kingdom's Edge and acquires the King's Brand before facing Herrah the Beast, she will appear after the player has undone Herrah's seal. Unlike other instances, she does not offer advice or clues, but is simply there to mourn the passing of her mother.



Final Encounter, Final Boss
In the final battle, if the Void Heart is equipped, she restrains the boss, allowing the player to strike him with the Dream Nail, and then to fight the Radiance.

If Void Heart is not equipped, the basic ending will be unlocked.

If Void Heart is equipped and the Hollow Knight is damaged enough, she falls to the floor and the battle continues. After that, she is sealed with the player in The Black Egg.

If the Radiance is defeated, she will live, but she sees the player's mask broken on the floor, suggesting that they died.



Trivia
"'Quick with her deadly needle, relentless in battle, Hornet is exploring Hallownest to find the answer to a riddle that has plagued her. She has so far resisted the infection, but will still cut you down if you stand in her path."
 * Hornet was revealed in one of the Kickstarter updates:

"You may catch glimpses of Hornet during your exploration of Hallownest, although she always seems to be one or two steps ahead of you. If you do manage to catch up with her, be wary! Her needle can cut a bug down from thirty yards.'"


 * One of the Kickstarter goals was for Hornet to receive her own DLC in a later update, this goal was reached. Her DLC will involve her fighting an Assassin Bug several times as a backer boss character.


 * Hornet is the child of Herrah the Beast, though whether or not she is biologically her daughter is unclear. Herrah traded her allegiance (she previously did not accept the White King) and took on the role of a Dreamer in exchange for a child.

"Hornet herself says that she shares the source of her power with the player character, though she lacks the emptiness which makes them a suitable vessel."