How to start DLCs in Hollow Knight

The Hollow Knight DLC offers players tons of exciting content. Depending on the path you choose, you'll encounter a bunch of challenging new bosses that will get your blood pumping. It adds a unique touch to the game and can reignite your passion for the game. So how do you access this additional content?

Even if you are a seasoned Hollow Knight player, you may find it difficult to access the DLCs. To avoid any potential hassle, we'll walk you through how you can activate them and enjoy a few extra hours of exciting gameplay.

How to start DLCs in Hollow Knight

You can find several DLCs in Hollow Knight, including Hidden Dreams, Godmaster, and Grimm. Here's how to access each one:

How to Access the Hidden Dreams Hollow Knight DLC

The Hidden Dreams DLC is one of the main reasons players decide to come back to the game. One of its many highlights is a new Stag station. These steps outline what you need to do to find it:

1. Travel to Palace Park.
   
2. Break the wall and look for a large machine.
   
3. Pay the toll (300 GEO) to unlock the Stag Station.
   

Another exciting part of this DLC is the addition of two bosses. You can now face the Gray Prince Zote and the White Defender. You can fight them multiple times and the battle will be harder each time.

You can find the white defender in the secret room after going through the manure defender arena. The boss can be found in the Ground Pound, just below the platform near the Fluid Reservoir.

On the other hand, the gray prince Zote is in Bretta's house. However, you will need to complete a few missions first.

1. Obtain the Monarch Wings from the Ancient Basin after completing the Broken Vessel fight. You will need to obtain the Crystal Heart to access the location.
   
2. Save Bretta from fungal waste.
   
3. Rescue Zote and defeat him in the Colosseum of Fools.
   
4. Once you defeat the enemies, enter the basement of the house using the monarch wing.
   
5. Look for a statue that can interact with your Dream Nail.
   
6. You will immediately be taken to Prince Gris Zote, and the fight will begin.
   

Another interesting addition in the Hidden Dreams DLC is Dreamgate. It allows you to quickly travel to the location of your Dreamgate. The ability comes in handy in regions where the path to the boss is particularly boring.

Here is how to acquire the Dreamgate:

1. Collect 900 or more Essence.
   
2. Talk to the seer and exchange the essence for your Dreamgate.
   
3. If you picked up the essence, but the light is dead, the ability should unlock automatically.
   

Once you've obtained Dreamgate, it's time to activate it:

1. Hold your Dream Nail and the buttons down to configure the Dreamgate.
2. After creating it, a circular icon and the location should appear on your map.
3. Press the Dream Nail and up buttons to teleport to a created Dreamgate. Each time you teleport to your Dreamgate, you lose an Essence.

How to start the Godmaster DLC in Hollow Knight

Another free DLC you can play in Hollow Knight is Godmaster. Although not easy to find, the quest is worth the effort.

The central area of ​​the DLC is a region named Junk Pit. The bulk of the work of starting this DLC is finding the territory. But first, you'll need to get a simple key:

1. You may have already used all of your single keys since the game only had three before the Godmaster DLC. However, you can find the fourth in the Coliseum of Fools. Meet in the area.
   
2. Kill the Pale Lurker to get the key.
   

You can now access the Junk Pit:

1. Go to the Flukemarm, a huge Fluke birthing unit in the Royal Waterway.
   
2. Find the crack in the ceiling of the room outside the boss' lair.
   
3. Open it to reveal a maze-like room.
   
4. Enter the room and follow the path until you reach the Junk Pit.
   
5. Navigate through a series of creepy tunnels to access a sarcophagus.
   
6. Interact with the sarcophagus using your simple key to unlock it.
   
7. Collect the new item and fire a Dream Nail on the body, taking you to your destination.
   

Here you will find many new bosses that can make the game harder than ever: Pantheons. These are boss rushes that will allow you to successively defeat a specific number of formidable enemies. There are five Pantheons to beat in the DLC, and completing each one unlocks a new, trickier Pantheon to face.

Before challenging a Pantheon, you might first want to find a bench to act as a resting area. It allows you to prepare and change charms before engaging a Pantheon. Locating it is not too complicated:

1. Find the platform with the first three doors to the Pantheon.
   
2. Use the right or left walls to jump and reach a higher platform.
   
3. The bench is on this platform.
   

The first Pantheon you will face is the Master's Pantheon. You can access it through the first door available on the middle platform of Godhome Tower. After completing the Hall of Fame, you will unlock the Brotherhood achievement. This phase consists of 10 enemies:

• Mother Gruz
• Roi Vengefly
• false knight
• hornet
• Massive foam loader
• Gorb
• soul warrior
• Sullen Mawlek
• dung defender
• Mato and Oro brothers

If the Pantheons are too easy for you, you can bind to make them harder. The list of available links is as follows:

• Soul – Limits your Soul ability to one use, regardless of your original ability.
• Charms – Disables all equipped charms.
• Shell – Reduces your HP to a maximum of four whites.
• Nail – Removes any Nail upgrades you may have acquired. Essentially, this feature transforms your fingernail into the state at the start of the game.

Supplementing Pantheons with bindings is beneficial for several reasons. First, they are a great source of tough battles. Second and most importantly, battles give you access to the room near the gods room. Access shouldn't be too complicated:

1. Complete eight liaisons and 12 of 16.
2. After assembling your collection, find the blue dreamcatcher.
3. Use a Dream Nail to hit the object and it will unlock a bulb in the rest areas during your Pantheons.

Another reason you want to use your bindings is to access the region called the Land of Storms. The territory can be reached by completing all five Pantheons using each link. Once you've accomplished this, you'll see a crack on the left side of the hot springs under the fifth Pantheon. Interact with it to find the Land of Storms.

A fascinating item you will find here is the Aged Mask. It's a Hollow Knight journal entry with a crest that belonged to the Godseekers of the Land of Storms.

How to start the Grimm DLC in Hollow Knight

Like previous DLCs, activating the Grimm DLC is not straightforward. The path is not known from the start. Instead, you'll need to find a hidden site before starting the quest. To do this, you need to follow these steps:

1. Head to the Howling Cliffs.
   
2. Find the breakable wall near the cliffs. Break the wall to reveal a hidden passage that goes to your right. Follow the road to reach a bug corpse and a dead end.
   
3. Inspect the corpse and return to the room you accessed before you hit a dead end.
   
4. Find a bonfire and light it. Upon hitting it, the background torches should light up and the music should start playing.
   
5. Return to Dirtmouth and scan the territory. You should see a new tent.
   
6. Enter the small tent on the left side of the screen and talk to Divine. He will ask you why you summoned the Grimm Troupe.
   
7. Exit the small tent and go to the big one. Talk to the troop leader and he will ask you to leave and collect the flames scattered around the map. To facilitate your quest, the Master will reward you with a Grimmchild Charm. The charm reveals the location of the flames on the map, allowing you to complete the hunt more efficiently.
   
8. You can now prepare for the quest and complete the Grimm DLC.

In addition to summoning and talking to Troopmaster Grimm, you will be able to complete many other exciting quests during this DLC:

• Defeat all three Grimmkin Novices using the Grimmchild Charm.
• Defeat the three Grimmkin masters using the Grimmchild charm.
• Eliminate Grimmkin Nightmares using the Grimmchild Charm.
• Banish Grimm's troupe from Dirtmouth and aid Brumm.
• Help Master Grimm's troupe and complete a ritual.

Action-packed quests are closer than ever

Although activating a Hollow Knight DLC can take a lot of time and resources, it is worth it. Hidden Dreams will give you bang for your buck with the combat prowess of the Gray Prince Zote, but you'll also get the coveted Dreamgate. Godmaster is perhaps the toughest DLC, with a series of Pantheons that will put you on the edge of your seat. Finally, the Grimm missions will have you exploring enchanting regions and finding unique items.

What's your favorite Hollow Knight DLC? How long did it take you to activate all three DLCs? Would you play another one if the developers added it? Tell us in the comments section below.