Nosk

Hunter's Journal


''Mimics the shape of other creatures to lure prey to it's lair.   ''

''In the deepest darkness, there are beasts who wear faces stolen from your memories and pluck at the strings in your heart. Know yourself, and stay strong.''

The Nosk is a secret boss found in Deepnest that guards a Pale Ore in the room beside it.

Location
A breakable wall in the room directly left of the Deepnest Hot Springs will reveal a secret section that contains a Grub. Breaking another wall behind the Grub will take you to the tunnels that lead into the Nosk's lair.

Behaviour and Tactics
The Nosk when first encountered looks exactly like the Hollow Knight.

However, when it reveals its true form, it resembles a huge spider-like creature with spikes on its back and a orange pus-filled belly. It also wears the disguise it was using to trick the Hollow Knight on it's head, with the head flipped to make the horns resemble scythe-like jaws.

The Nosk can charge at you, screeching to warn the player before it charges.

The Nosk can also jump around in a sporadic way.

While it may not seem difficult with only two attacks, the Nosk is speedy, leaving little time to heal. Quick Focus is recommended as always. Try shadow dashing if you have access to it, although it's very possible to do this fight before then.

There is a small elevated platform at the center of the Nosk's battlefield. Standing just beside it will significantly reduce the risk of the Nosk hitting you, providing plenty of time to heal.

Trivia

 * HollowKnightPlayer-0.gif a Kickstarter update there's an entry that is most likely Nosk; named"Unknown Species" with the picture of the player character and the following description: "No data available. This creature has been stalking the caverns lately. Travellers are advised to avoid it - it is potentially dangerous."


 * Using the Dream Nail on the many victims found throughout the corridors will reveal that Nosk took the shape of their lost loved ones to lure them into his lair.
 * Nosk's room has many webbed-up victims hanging from the ceiling, including a massive Stalking Devout. Curiously, some of its victims appear to be Vessels, like the main protagonist.
 * When it dies, Nosk drops the same mask the Hollow Knight drops upon death.
 * Unusually for a bonus boss that can be easily missed, Nosk has its own theme music.
 * The first time you fight Nosk, you will see a disturbing intro sequence of it transforming from its Hollow Knight form into its true grotesque form.