How to survive the White Palace in Hollow Knight – Guide

Hollow Knight‘s White Palace is an intimidating and complex area of the game. It is filled with powerful bosses, challenging puzzles, and a vast number of secrets. While it is not essential for completing the game, it will certainly make the journey much easier. In this guide, we will provide you with all the tips and tricks that you need to survive the White Palace in Hollow Knight.

Getting Ready to Enter the White Palace

Before entering the White Palace, it is important that you are fully prepared. You should make sure that you have collected all the charms and upgrades, such as essences, available to you. Charms are incredibly important as they will increase your health, focus, and damage.

Additionally, make sure you have also purchased the Monarch Wings from the Dreamers Vault. This will allow you to access the secret area of the White Palace.

Best Charms for the White Palace in Hollow Knight

Hiveblood

The Hiveblood charm costs four notches. Its primary protection is that it regenerates a single mask every 12 seconds as long as you dodge enemy blows. However, the catch is that getting hit just once removes the regeneration. This charm is useful for winning the war of attrition in the palace. It can be found at the end of the Hive.

Grubsong

The Grubsong charm costs one notch. It produces soul every time you incur damage. This allows you to accrue a lot of soul for focusing, which is useful when you fall into a pit or get sawed to pieces by a buzzsaw. You can find this charm in the Forgotten Crossroads with Grubfather for the cost of 10 grubs throughout Hallownest.

Other Charms to Help You Progress Through the White Palace in Hollow Knight

Mark of Pride

The Mark of Pride costs three notches. This allows you to jump over spikes and other obstacles successfully. You can get it in the Fungal Wastes in the Mantis Village treasure room after defeating the Mantis Lords.

Fragile Heart

Costing two notches, it can provide you with two additional masks in health. A little boost in health helps you defeat foes along the way. You can purchase this charm from Leg Eater.

Sprintmaster

This charm costs one notch and boosts movement speed. This can help you react quickly to close corner spike traps. You can buy this from Sly in Dirtmouth.

How to Navigate the White Palace in Hollow Knight

The White Palace is filled with puzzles and platforming sections. To navigate this area, it is important to pay close attention to your surroundings. Some puzzles can also only be solved by using your dash, nail, and spell attacks in the correct order. Take note that there are three sections with a Bench between each other. In each section, you have to get to the lever to progress in the White Palace.

To start, look for the first bench and use it to find the mini-arena. From the bench, head east until you stumble upon a Kingsmould. Defeat it so that you can open the gates. Exit to the gate’s right, climb up the ladder and turn left for the lever. Retrace your steps and jump on the platform. This should bring you higher and you’ll find spike-laden platforms.

Once you enter the entrance to the second section, climb the passage where you’ll hear the Royal Retainers. Eliminate them and go to the top right corner of the section. You can continue eastward and go to the rooms that have saw blade obstacles. Go across them and head west when you reach the top. You’ll find more saw blades and spikes, which you have to overcome. Finally, you can find the exit and the room with the lever.

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You’ll come across two Royal Retainers that you have to defeat to pull the lever that unlocks the gate for the lift’s main switch. Head back outside and find another lever to gain access to the lift and the third section. In this part of your journey, you’ll have to overcome saw blades again as well as Wingmoulds. Dodge these obstacles again and go through a path to the switch. Follow this path until you reach The Pale King’s throne room. Hit the king’s corpse and collect pieces of the Kingsoul charm and go back to The Abyss.