City of Tears



"The city looks to be built into an enormous cavern, and the rain pours down from cracks in the stone above.

There must be a lot of water up there somewhere. I suppose, if the cave roof stayed strong this long, it should hold for us."

- Quirrel

The enormous capital of Hallownest and heart of the once great Kingdom, now crawling with the husks of foolish noble bugs and guards still devoted to their duties.

Water from the massive Blue Lake above continuously leaks down, bathing the City of Tears in permanent rainfall.

The City is accessible from the Fungal Wastes by opening the main gate using the City Crest, however, there are several other ways of entering it such as from Ancient Basin after acquiring the Tram Pass.

Sub-area: Soul Sanctum


A research institution where learned bugs worked on harnessing the power of Soul to achieve immortality. The Soul Sanctum contains very powerful enemies such as Soul Twisters and Soul Warrior minibosses, as well as the formidable Soul Master, who guards the spell Desolate Dive which is required to access many areas. It also contains the Spell Twister charm and the Shade Soul upgrade to Vengeful Spirit.

Sub-area: Pleasure House


The Pleasure House is a sub Area in the City of Tears that can be opened with a Simple Key.

The entrance is located here. When taking the lift, there are 5 floors that it won't stop at.

Higher up, there is a Hot Spring and a resting Bench, where Millibelle is found later after she ran away with the deposited Geo. There is a breakable wall beside the resting bench that allows access from the lift to the Resting Grounds.

Sub-area: Watcher's Spire


Home of Lurien the Watcher, one of the Dreamers sealing the Black Egg and The Hollow Knight inside. At his side his butler can be found. Lurien must be killed to complete the game, but reaching him is no simple task as the way is barred by his elite guards, the Watcher Knights.

Sub-area: Tower of Love


The abode of The Collector, a being of The Abyss who loves capturing creatures in glass jars. Accessible from Kingdom's Edge using the Love Key (acquired from a corpse in the Queen's Gardens). After flipping a switch, it can be exited into King's Station. Defeating the Collector allows the player to rescue 3 Grubs and acquire the Collector's Map, which marks the location of un-rescued Grubs on the map.

Sub-area: King's Station


A Stag Station that lies partially in ruins. A flooded Stagway beneath the working station infested with Belflies provides access to the Kingdom's Edge.

City Storerooms
The City Storerooms are where all goods were transported into the City. They consist of two superposed caverns bordering the Fungal Wastes, above the City's entrance from the Pilgrim's Way. Cargo lifts transported goods from the Stag Station above to the storerooms below. This area also connects to the building below the Soul Sanctum and the lift to the Forgotten Crossroads.

Trivia

 * There is a notable divide between the rich and the poor in the City. It can be clearly seen between the Memorial to The Hollow Knight and Watcher's Spire. All interiors to the right of the fountain are far posher as well as containing the members of "Hallownest's high society", being the Cowardly Husks, Husk Dandies, Gluttonous Husks, and the Gorgeous Husk.
 * The richer side of the City was possibly planned to be a proper Sub-area as indicated in early maps but now is only known as "Royal_Quarter" in game files.
 * A sealed door above the entrance through the Pilgrim's Way appears to connect the City Storerooms Lift to the Fungal Wastes. This can never be opened or interacted with during the game and remains permanently shut.