Baldur Shell

Baldur Shell is a Charm in Hollow Knight. It spawns a protective shell around the Knight when using Focus which blocks up to 4 hits.

Usefulness
Prevents the Knight from taking damage if hit with an attack while using Focus. The Knight will also gain invincibility frames as if they were hit normally despite not taking damage.

The shell can only absorb up to four hits before it breaks and it can only be repaired by resting at a Bench. The durability is represented by a tiny image of a blue shell that appears below the SOUL meter. As it takes hits, cracks will form on the shell, until it breaks completely.

This charm is of debatable use, as taking a hit while Focusing will still interrupt the charge and waste SOUL, rendering the protection pointless. On top of that, it can only block four hits of damage and only regenerates when resting at a Bench. Due to this, Baldur Shell is outclassed by Quick Focus and even Shape of Unn for mid-battle healing.

Its best use is against bosses that have a certain attack that is difficult to avoid. Starting to Focus during that attack can save the trouble of having to dodge it and risk losing health. Even so, its limited hits mean that it loses its effect in drawn-out battles.

Note that Baldur Shell cannot be activated if the Knight does not have enough SOUL, as in order to use Focus there has to be a minimum of 33 SOUL in the gauge.

How to Acquire
This charm is located in the southwest portion of the Howling Cliffs, where there is a chest that drops only. Jumping down into the chest takes the Knight to a cave guarded by two Elder Baldurs. Defeating the one on the right opens a tunnel filled with Elder Baldur corpses that leads to the charm.

Trivia

 * Baldur Shell was originally going to be called "Propede Shell".
 * While fighting a boss, using the shell as the boss roars will cause the shell to be visible until taking damage or healing. This works for any boss that stun roars. The shell will also still protect the Knight from damage.

References

Baldur-Panzer Панцирь бальдра Coraza de baldur Skorupa Baldura Carapace de Baldur