 | For the  Godmaster variant, see here and also Sisters of Battle.
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| Leaders of the Mantis tribe and its finest warriors. They bear thin nail-lances and attack with blinding speed. | |
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| The Mantis tribe and the bugs of old Hallownest had no love for each other. The Mantises outlived their rivals though, and their civilisation still stands. | |
The Mantis Lords are three sisters who lead the Mantis tribe. In their throne room, there is a fourth, broken throne. This throne possibly belonged to the Traitor Lord, who was exiled after embracing the Infection. A lore tablet in the Mantis Village reveals that the Mantises had a truce with the Kingdom of Hallownest and that in return they would prevent the beasts of Deepnest from emerging. A gate opens from their throne room that connects to the Deepnest and a massive pile of dead beasts is seen nearby, with the Mantis Lords' nail-lances sticking out of them.
After The Knight defeats the Mantis Lords, they will bow to them and all Mantises of the Mantis Village will become passive.
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.
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.
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.
Hollow Knight Boss Discussion - Mantis Lords
Mantis Lords Boss Guide Video
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.
It should also be known that there is a Lifeblood Cocoon 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.
| Dream Nail Dialogue |
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Location
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Godmaster Content |
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Sisters of Battle
Sisters of Battle can be first encountered in the Pantheon of Hallownest, after which they can also be fought in the Hall of Gods. The fight will start off with only a single Sister dropping in to attack: this is used to catch the player off guard and disguise the fight as regular Mantis Lords (even the Mantis Lords namecard will show and the Mantis Lords OST will play when only fighting one Sister.
Behaviour and Tactics
Phase 1 of Sisters of Battle is identical to Phase 1 of Mantis Lords.
In Phase 2 all three Sisters will roar and drop in to fight. Sisters of Battle will use all attacks of the 2nd phase of Mantis Lords, but with an additional attack from a 3rd lord:
- Dash & Drop: All three Sisters combine their patterns into fluid combinations. The pattern these attacks follow loosely comes from the patterns of the original Mantis Lords fight. With all three Sisters attacking: two Sisters will still follow the patterns of Mantis Lords Phase 2 and one Sister will still follow their original pattern like in Mantis Lords Phase 1. The single Mantis Lord's attack will be staggered to happen just after her two Sisters start their attacks whether it be Drop, Double Drop, Dash or Double Dash. Furthermore, the single Sister's attack will always be a Drop attack if her Sister or Sisters performed Dash attacks. In the case of Drop attacks, it is possible for all three Sisters to choose to chain this attack in quick continuous succession.
- Boomerang: When all three Sisters are alive two will perform the Boomerang attacks on the wall while the third will perform a Drop attack a moment after the spears are thrown. The patterns for the Boomerangs have been modified as well:
- Two Sisters will simultaneously throw their spears creating a wide arc that reaches the opposite end of the arena before coming back together to meet at the centre just at ground level.
- Two Sisters will simultaneously throw their spears creating a short 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.
- Two Sisters will simultaneously throw their spears: one throwing a wide arc and the other throwing a short arc causing them to meet either of the far ends of the arena and not the centre before dispersing.
- One Sister will throw her spear in either wide or a short arc and leave while being followed by the Drop attack.
- The previous Boomerang pattern can be followed up with the other Sister appearing on the opposing wall after the first had finished and she will perform the same pattern.
When two Sisters are left, the Dash and the Drop attacks resume to as if it were the Mantis Lords Phase 2 but the Boomerang patterns with the single Lord will still remain despite the lack of a follow-up Drop attack. While the normal "both short" and "both wide" Boomerang patterns will occur as regular. (This means only the "one short one wide" Boomerang pattern is phased out)
When one Sister remains the fight continues like Mantis Lords Phase 1.
The Shade Cloak is extremely useful for this fight, as the continuous barrage from the Lords often leads to the player getting cornered. The ability to phase through said attacks is practically needed to avoid damage at times.
Sisters of Battle Radiant (Hitless) Hollow Knight
Achievements
| Respect |
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| Defeat the Mantis Lords |
Trivia
- At the entrance to the Mantis Village after entering the area where the Mantis Lords are encountered, Quirrel suggests upgrading the Nail 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 that 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).
- When The Knight goes close to the gate to Deepnest, and the Mantis Lords are not defeated, the Mantis Lord on the left commands the door to close.
- 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.
- In Phase 2 of Sisters of Battle, all three lords will all be actively throwing boomerangs on the opposing wall.
- Once the Mantis Lords have been defeated all Mantis Warriors and Mantis Youths become passive and gain new dream nail dialogue.
