Mantis Lords

"Leaders of the Mantis tribe and its finest warriors. They bear thin nail-lances and attack with blinding speed. 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 an optional boss in Hollow Knight. Defeating them grants safe passage through the Mantis Village. The Sisters of Battle is their stronger form.

Lore
The Mantis Lords are three sisters who lead the Mantis Tribe deep within the Fungal Wastes. They managed to resist the Infection throughout Hallownest despite the exile of their brother and his followers, who chose to accept the Infection willingly.

The Mantis Lords have kept the beasts of Deepnest confined to their territory, killing those who would intrude upon the village. This duty was part of a truce with the Kingdom, maintained even as it fell to ruins. Yet the Mantis Lords, like the rest of their Tribe, remain proud warriors. They grant passage into Deepnest to any who would defeat them in a fair challenge, in an improvised arena in their throne room.

In-game events
If the Knight makes it to the throne room in the Mantis Village, the Mantis Lords remain passive. They order for the gate to Deepnest to be closed if the Knight approaches it. The Mantis Lords pay attention to the Knight if the Knight challenges them. After doing so, the arena is mechanically prepped and the fight begins.

At first, a single Mantis Lord battles the Knight. After her defeat, she regains her throne and the remaining two join the battle together. Once all three have been defeated, they bow respectfully to the Knight and allow them passage into Deepnest. The other members of the tribe express the same respect and refrain from attacking the Knight. Additionally, the Knight can access the rest of the village, containing a Bench. They can also collect a bounty in Geo, a Hallownest Seal, and a new Charm, the Mark of Pride.

The Mantis Lords, like all other strong creatures of Hallownest, are summoned to Godhome by the ritual of the Godseeker. They appear in the Pantheon of the Artist, but take the form of the Sisters of Battle during the Pantheon of Hallownest, where all three sisters fight simultaneously.

Behaviour and Tactics
One of the three Mantis Lords drops into combat and uses the following attacks in Phase 1:
 * Lance Dash: The Mantis Lord drops onto either side of the arena and charges across it, leading with her lance. This attack covers the entirety of the ground of the arena.
 * Lance Drop: The Mantis Lord appears above the Knight's position for a brief moment before dropping straight down with her lance.
 * Blade Boomerang: The Mantis Lord appears holding onto a wall, and throws a spinning blade like a boomerang. The spinning blade travels in one of two possible patterns:
 * If she is positioned lower down the wall, the arc starts low and rises up throughout its path, reaching the opposite side of the arena before then curving back.
 * If she is positioned higher up the wall, the arc starts high and glides down throughout its path, reaching the opposite side of the arena before curving back.

In Phase 2, the two remaining Mantis 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 use this attack in methodical timing with the Dash attack.
 * Boomerang: Both Mantis Lords appear holding onto the walls directly across from each other and throw a spinning blade like a boomerang. The spinning blades 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 above ground level.
 * A shorter arc that meets in the middle of the arena where they stay locked together while gliding down for a few moments before separating just above ground level.

In Phase 2, with the exception of the Boomerang attack, the Mantis Lords attack independently of each other, making it possible for a number of move combinations.

After a Mantis Lord has been defeated in Phase 2, the remaining one keeps fighting, and the rest of the fight plays out like Phase 1.

It is recommended to initiate this boss fight after at least one Nail upgrade.

The Mantis Lords do not initiate battle until the Knight challenges them. At this point, a steel cage prevents escape from the arena, with spiked pits to the left and right of the cage.

The battle begins against a single Mantis Lord. She uses one of three attacks, disappearing in a blur after each one. The Knight 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 with most bosses, the Quick Focus Charm is immensely helpful, despite its high cost.

Once the first Mantis Lord has been defeated, she returns to her throne. At this point, the two remaining ones engage in tandem. The battle remains fundamentally the same, but the attacks come far more frequently, and the patterns of the Boomerang attack change.

Once one of the two Mantis Lords goes down, the remainder of the battle becomes significantly easier, but since there is no visible difference between the two, it is hard to focus on one over the other.

Keeping to one side of the stage keeps the fight more consistent, as the Mantis Lord farther from the Knight typically sticks to the Boomerang attack, and the closer one uses melee attacks. However, keeping away from the corners of the stage prevents taking contact damage from the Mantis Lords teleporting to perform the Dash attack.

The Dreamshield Charm can block the boomerangs. They can also be Nail-bounced on.

When the two remaining Mantis Lords perform a Boomerang attack with a shorter arc, it is possible to avoid the attack by standing in the centre of the arena, as the blades do not travel low enough to damage the Knight. This gives enough time for the Knight to heal two Masks, even without Charms.

It is possible to duck underneath the Mantis Lords with the Shape of Unn Charm when one of them is performing a Dash attack. This makes healing significantly easier.

There is a Lifeblood Cocoon that can help with the fight in the northwest corner of the room, behind a breakable wall, which can be accessed by using the Mantis Claw to climb up the sealed door to Deepnest. Both the Crystal Heart and the Monarch Wings make reaching the Cocoon easier.

Location
The area that the Mantis Lords are located in can be accessed after obtaining the Mantis Claw and activating a lever in the northeast part of the Mantis Village.

Trivia

 * At the entrance to the Mantis Village, after entering the area where the Mantis Lords are encountered, Quirrel suggests upgrading the Nail at the Nailsmith before the fight, just outside the Mantis Village.
 * If the Knight continuously clings to the wall, one Mantis Lord continues to use the Boomerang attack on the opposite side of the arena until the Knight leaves the wall. The boomerang is directed specifically to hit the Knight.
 * In both Phases of the Mantis Lords fight, only one Mantis Lord throws a boomerang at a time at a set interval.
 * Once the Mantis Lords have been defeated, all Mantis Warriors and Mantis Youths become passive and gain new Dream Nail dialogue.
 * A fourth, broken throne can be seen next to the Mantis Lords' thrones. This is most likely the Traitor Lord's former throne.

Лорды богомолов Señores_mantis Signore delle Mantidi Władczynie Modliszek Dames Mante