Mantis Lords

The Mantis Lords are an optional boss in Hollow Knight. Defeating them grant safe passage through the Mantis Village. The Sisters of Battle is their stronger form.

Lore
The Mantis Lords are three sisters who lead the Mantis Tribe deep within the Fungal Wastes. They managed to resist the Infection throughout Hallownest's fall, despite the exile of their brother and his followers, who chose to accept the Infection willingly.

Under their rule, the Lords have kept the beasts of Deepnest confined to their territory, killing those who would intrude upon the village. This duty was part of a truce with the Kingdom, maintained even as it fell to ruins. Yet the Mantis Lords, like the rest of their Tribe, remain proud warriors. They will grant passage to Deepnest to any who would defeat them in a fair challenge, in an improvised arena in their throne room.

Hollow Knight
If the Knight makes it to the throne room in the Mantis Village, the Mantis Lords remain passive. They order for the gate to Deepnest to be closed if the Knight approaches it. The Mantis Lords will pay attention to the Knight if the Knight challenges them. After doing so, the arena is mechanically prepped and the fight can begin.

At first, a single sister battles the Knight. After her defeat, she regains her chair and the remaining two join the battle together. Once all three have been defeated, they bow respectfully to the Knight, and allow them passage to Deepnest. The other members of the tribe will express the same respect and refrain from attacking the Knight. Additionally, the Knight will be able to access the rest of the village containing a Bench. They can also collect a bounty in Geo, a Hallownest Seal and a new charm, the Mark of Pride.

The Mantis Lords, like all other strong creatures of Hallownest, are summoned to Godhome by the ritual of  the Godseeker. They appear in the Pantheon of the Artist, but take the form of the  Sisters of Battle during the  Pantheon of Hallownest, where all three sisters fight simultaneously.

Behaviour and Tactics
One of the three Mantis Lords will drop into combat and will all use the following attacks in Phase 1:


 * Dash: The Mantis Lord will drop onto either side of the arena and she will charge across the arena, leading with her spear. This attack covers the entirety of the ground of the arena.
 * Drop: The Mantis Lord will appear overhead above The Knight's position for a brief moment before dropping straight down with her spear.
 * Boomerang: The Mantis Lord will appear holding onto a wall and will throw a spinning blade like a boomerang. The spinning blade will travel in one of two possible patterns:
 * If she is positioned lower down the wall the arc will start low and rise up on the opposite before curving back.
 * If she is positioned higher up the wall the arc will start high and glide down on the opposite before curving back.


 * Retreat: After performing any attack, the Mantis Lord will disappear, preparing for her next attack.

In Phase 2 the two remaining Lords drop into combat:


 * Dash: Same attack although the two Mantis Lords may sometimes use this attack simultaneously from both ends of the arena instead of alternating.
 * Drop: No Changes; the Mantis Lords will use this attack in methodical timing with the Dash attack.
 * Boomerang: Both Mantis Lords will appear holding onto the walls directly across from each other and will both throw a spinning blade like a boomerang. The spinning blades will travel in one of two possible patterns:
 * A wide arc that reaches the opposite end of the arena before coming back together to meet at the centre just at ground level.
 * A shorter arc that meets in the middle of the arena where they will stay locked together while gliding down for a few moments before dispersing apart just above ground level.


 * Retreat: No changes are made to this move in Phase 2.

In Phase 2, with the exception of the Boomerang attack, the Mantis lords can perform their attacks independent of each other, making it possible for a number of move combinations.

After a Lords has been defeated in Phase 2 the remaining one will keep fighting and the rest of the fight will play out like Phase 1.

It is recommended to initiate this boss fight after at least one Nail upgrade.

The Mantis Lords will not initiate battle until The Knight challenges them. At this point, a steel cage will prevent escape from the arena, with spiked pits to the left and right of the cage.

The battle begins against a single Mantis Lord. She'll execute one of three attacks, disappearing in a blur after each attack. The player must react quickly to dodge the attack, then strike the Mantis Lord before she vanishes.

As the Mantis Lord loses health, the attacks become faster and faster. The best moment to heal is during the Boomerang attack, as it is easiest to dodge and takes the longest time to complete. As is the case with most bosses, the Quick Focus charm is immensely helpful, despite its high cost.

Once the first Mantis Lord has been defeated, she will return to her throne. At this point, the two remaining ones will engage in tandem. The battle remains fundamentally the same, but the attacks come far more frequently and the patterns of the spinning blades change.

Once one of the two Lords goes down, the remainder of the battle becomes significantly easier, but since there is no visible difference between the two, it's impossible to focus on one over the other.

Keeping to one side of the stage or the other keeps the fight more consistent, as the Mantis Lord farther from the Knight will typically stick to the Boomerang attack and the closer one will use the melee strikes.

Dreamshield can also block the boomerangs.

It is possible to duck underneath the Mantis Lords with Shape of Unn when one of them is performing a dash attack. This makes healing significantly easier.

There is a Lifeblood Cocoon that can help with the fight at the top left corner of the room behind a breakable wall, which can be accessed by using Crystal Heart or the Mothwing Cloak + Mantis Claw.



Location
The area that the Mantis Lords are located in can be accessed after obtaining the Mantis Claw and activating a lever in the northwest part of Mantis Village.

Trivia

 * At the entrance to the Mantis Village after entering the area where the Mantis Lords are encountered, Quirrel suggests upgrading the Nail at the Nailsmith before the fight.
 * The Mantis Lords are one of few bosses to have multiple entities attack the player, the others being God Tamer, Watcher Knight, Oblobble and Brothers Oro & Mato.
 * The Mantis Lords are among the few bosses who do not die once they have been beaten. Others include, Dung Defender, Hornet, Zote the Mighty, Grimm, and the God Tamer (if her mount is defeated first).
 * If the player continuously clings to the wall, one Mantis Lord will continue to use the Boomerang attack on the opposite side of the arena until the player leaves the wall. The boomerang will be directed specifically to hit the Knight.
 * In both Phases of the Mantis Lords fight, only one lord will throw a boomerang at a time at a set interval.
 * Once the Mantis Lords have been defeated all Mantis Warriors and Mantis Youths become passive and gain new Dream Nail dialogue.