Broken Vessel

Hunter's Journal


Shattered corpse, reanimated by infected parasites.

'' The shape of this creature... I have seen something like it before. More than once, perhaps. It looks like the bugs of Hallownest, but not quite the same. Where did these empty little wanderers come from?''

Broken Vessel
The Broken Vessel has a moveset similar to the Hollow Knight's, it can dash then swing its nail. It also can jump, sometimes ground pounding to where the Hollow Knight is and four orange blobs will come out upwards. The Broken Vessel can also start shaking it's head, having a bunch of orange blobs come out upwards. An Infected Balloon can appear rarely. The Broken Vessel also can swing its nail, alternating left and right rapidly.

Tactics
The Broken Vessel's attacks can be hard to dodge. Quick Focus is HIGHLY recommended for this battle, Mark of Pride or Longnail can help and Spore Shroom is perfect to get rid of the orange blobs while healing as well as dealing extra damage to the boss.

Using the Descending Dark spell during its most powerful attack(when it shakes it's head and the blob comes out) will deal a lot of damage to it and prevent the player from taking damage at the same moment.

Trying to heal when it is not stunned is a bad idea.

When it is stunned, if you don't need to heal, charge the Super Slash and start the following phase either with it or the Descending Dark spell.

Don't use Joni's Blessing

Having the Honed Nail and at least 7 masks is recommended.



Lost Kin
After the battle, if you have the Dream Nail and exit and re enter the arena, you can strike the Broken Vessel's corpse with the Dream Nail and fight the Lost Kin, a stronger version of the Broken Vessel. Be warned, the Lost Kin (like the Failed Champion and Soul Tyrant) will spam its attacks near constantly. The Infected Balloons also will spawn one after another, it is recommended to get rid of these as they can hit you when you're not paying attention or focusing soul, and they provide free soul charge. The Defender's Crest is also very useful since it will kill any approaching balloon instantly.

Defeating the Lost Kin is worth 400 Essence, more than any other dream boss.

Tactics
Mostly the same as the Broken Vessel.

Stay close to it, always, but never too much.

When it does its attack that resembles the Desolate Dive, with the six ascending blobs, jump and move to the left/right slightly just enough to dodge its fall, so you will not take damage while ending in a convenient position.

Keep an eye on your surroundings during the fight, as the Infected Balloons spawn constantly during the battle. And don't forget to keep an eye on the Lost Kin itself, as it is quick.

Remember to get the double jump ability before fighting it.

Don't forget that there is no problem in leaving it and coming back later.

When entering the dream the initial platforming can be skipped by using the crystal heart to dash to the left and the using the double jump and mothwing cloak to enter the arena from the other side

Trivia

 * The Broken Vessel bears resemblance to the Hollow Knight, it also has the same screech as the Hollow Knight. This suggests the Broken Vessel is indeed a Vessel like the Hollow Knights.
 * Upon defeat, The Broken Vessel will reach out to the player before dying, and after defeating its Dream version, the Lost Kin, its ghost will bow down its head to the player before being absorbed.
 * Because it is mainly controlled by the infection, the Broken Vessel foreshadows what happens to the Hollow Knight in the normal/Sealed Siblings endings.