Dream Realm

The Dream Realm is a plane beyond the physical world. It is eternal, and contains the memories of living and deceased beings.

Characteristics
The Dream Realm consists of numerous dreams which vary depending on the being or landscape they are rooted to. Dreams can take the shape of those who have passed away, such as Spirits, or dreams can form based on memories. Furthermore, dreams also appear in plants known as Whispering Roots, which can be found all over the kingdom.

Essence are the fragments of light that dreams are made of. Nightmare Essence, or "flame", is unique to the Nightmare Realm and their Troupe. This type of Essence manifests itself into flames which are gathered for the ritual.

Essence can be seen as floating particles in the background of most dreams. Essence particles can have different colours depending on the dream. When Warrior Dreams or the Radiance are hit, Essence particles emit from them. After their defeat, Essence continuously spills from their bodies.

Access
A veil exists which separates dreams from the waking world. It is normally impossible to travel between these realms at will. Powerful beings such as the Dreamers can trap others inside dreams from which they can never escape. The Dream Nail, a talisman created by the Moth Tribe, can be used to cut through this veil between dreams and waking. While it allows its wielder access to almost any dream, there are some dreams that are protected from its power. The Dream Nail can be awoken when it has absorbed enough Essence, after which no dream can hide itself from its wielder.

It is also possible to use dreams to travel between locations in the waking world. The Dreamgate is an ability of the Dream Nail which allows the wielder to travel instantly through dream, provided that the area in the waking world has a strong connection to a dream.

History
The Dream Realm used to consist of both dreams and nightmares. The expanse of dream was split at some point in the past, with nightmares being in their own realm separate from other dreams.

Several Higher Beings have close ties to the Dream Realm. Unn created the Mosskin and the vegetation of Greenpath from her dream. The Mosskin are still waiting for Unn's call to return to the dream.

The Radiance is a higher being who is a light brighter than Essence. She created the Moth Tribe, who have the power to shape dreams. Some time after the moths forgot about the Radiance, she started to appear in the dreams of the citizens of Hallownest, eventually leading to the Infection.

The Pale King, like the Radiance, is a light. In the waning days of Hallownest, it is implied that he transported the entirety of his White Palace into the Dream Realm.

Dreams related to Higher Beings
These dreams are related in some way to higher beings. The dream might be created by a higher being or it is linked to one.

Dreamers Stage 1 ''A dream which shares designs with the other Dreamer Dream stages and the Radiance Dream. This first stage has an inky black sky.''

The dream of the first encounter with the first Dreamer. This dream is where the consciousness of the Dreamers resides in order to uphold the Dreamer seals on the entrance of the Temple of the Black Egg. Killing the Dreamer here breaks the corresponding seal on the entrance of Black Egg.

Dreamers Stage 2 ''A dream which shares designs with the other Dreamer Dream stages and the Radiance Dream. The second stage has hints of bright amber peeking out from just behind the clouds in an otherwise dark sky.''

The dream of the second encounter with a Dreamer.

Dreamers Stage 3 ''A dream which shares designs with the other Dreamer Dream stages and the Radiance Dream. The third stage has yellow and ambers flooding out into the sky resembling dawn.''

The dream of the last encounter with a Dreamer.

Nightmare ''Deep scarlet, it starts off resembling Grimm's tent, but slowly turns into an arena made of patchwork pieces with lanterns and pulsing patchwork veins. Grimmkin Nightmares can be found in the background, and the Nightmare's Heart watches over it all.''

This dream is the location where Nightmare King Grimm is fought. It takes place in the Nightmare Realm, separate from the rest of the dream realm. It can be accessed by using the Dream Nail on Grimm while he is sleeping. The Nightmare's Heart is the deepest power of the Nightmare Realm.

Radiance ''A dream which shares designs with the other Dreamer Dream stages. In succession from the Dreamer Dreams which simulate a sunrise, this dream is bright yellow and amber-hued accompanied by a Sun in the background representing day.''

This dream is connected to the Hollow Knight and is used to seal the Radiance and prevent her from influencing bugs. Even though she is trapped here, she can still affect the dreams of bugs due to the Hollow Knight being impure. This dream is connected to the Dreamer dreams as with each Dreamer killed the sky glows brighter and brighter until the "Sun" or the Radiance appears in the background. A death in this dream is also considered a real death.

Unn ''A deep green coloured dream with acid pools and Greenpath Lore Tablets lining a wall. The aesthetics resemble the Lake of Unn, and Unn herself can be seen as a sleeping mass in the background.''

This dream, although never truly entered at any point in the Knight's journey, is mentioned many times. It was from this dream that Unn created the Mosskin and Greenpath's vegetation. While the true appearance of Unn's dream is not clear, the Pantheon of Hallownest contains a room with unique green dream particles and the sleeping form of Unn.

Dreams linked to other powerful beings
The following dreams are connected to several powerful beings, who can be fought as a stronger variant in these dreams.

Failed Champion A dream tinted with shades of light blue and with similar themes to the Forgotten Dream.

A dream formed after False Knight was defeated. It takes place in a dream version of the area of the Forgotten Crossroads where False Knight is encountered. A stronger variant of this boss, Failed Champion, is found here.

Grey Prince Zote ''A vibrant magenta themed dream with paintings of Zote, pillows, and bunches of roses. Bretta and more Zotes can be seen in the background spectating.''

This dream came into being due to Bretta's idealisation of Zote. It is connected to a statue of Zote in Bretta's basement. This is where Grey Prince Zote is fought, and defeating him here four times causes Bretta to realise that her view of Zote was misguided.

Lost Kin ''A pale yellow dream mixed with greys. It has similar themes to the Forgotten Dream but some aspects are desaturated.''

This dream formed after the Broken Vessel is defeated. It takes place in a constructed area of regular Hallownest architecture, unlike where the Broken Vessel is defeated in the Ancient Basin. The dream version of Broken Vessel, Lost Kin is fought in this dream.

Soul Tyrant A deep purple-hued dream with similar themes to the Forgotten Dream.

This dream is formed after the Soul Master died. It contains the area of Soul Sanctum where Soul Master is fought. Soul Tyrant, a more difficult version of Soul Master, can be fought here.

White Defender ''A bright grey dream featuring a style very reminiscent of the White Palace. The silhouettes of the Five Great Knights accompanying the Pale King on his throne can be seen in the background.''

A dream which can be accessed by using the Dream Nail on Dung Defender while he is sleeping. This is a dream or memory of Ogrim's past when he was still in the Pale Court with the other Great Knights. It takes place in his memory of the White Palace. White Defender, a past version of Ogrim, is fought here.

Complex dreams
These dreams consist of multiple interconnected rooms. They generally feature unique challenges or encounters.

Godhome ''A pale golden yellow dream with floral patterned architecture and strange antenna positioned at the peak. Corinthian style Greek pillars can also be found in the background and as platforms.''

Godhome is the dream in which the Godseekers attune themselves to all the gods of Hallownest in order to find the God of Gods. It contains numerous Godseekers, although in the Junk Pit there is only one. The physical Godseeker is the host of Godhome.

Shrine of Believers A vibrant cobalt-hued dream with similar thematic pieces as the Forgotten Dream, the most notable part of this dream is the massive building it houses.

The Shrine of Believers contains utterings from another world. It is connected to a Moth statue in Spirits' Glade. The Unnamed Moth is also found in this dream.

White Palace A bright pale white dream, it consists of a series of difficult platforming sections and has motifs very unique to that of the Pale King - being his palace.

While the White Palace has completely disappeared in the waking world, it can be visited in this dream after obtaining the Awoken Dream Nail. The corpse of the Pale King can be found here on his throne along with a separate incarnation of him within a memory at the end of the Path of Pain. A death in the White Palace is considered a real death.

Miscellaneous dreams
These dreams have no single distinguishing feature which they have in common with other dreams.

Birthplace memory A dark, foggy dream with black particles floating around which takes place in the Abyss.

The Birthplace memory can be accessed by using the Dream Nail on the Knight's reflection on the egg which can be found at the bottom of the Birthplace area in the Abyss. Unlike other dreams, the Knight is seen passing out upon using the Dream Nail. This dream also does not contain any Essence floating in the background.

The dream itself is a memory of the Knight where they need to climb to the top of the Abyss while Vessel corpses fall down around them. At the end of this dream, the Hollow Knight and the Pale King can be seen on the platform at the top. They walk away after some time, the Abyss door can be heard closing, and the Knight falls back down into the Abyss.

Forgotten Dream ''A light pink hued dream filled with floating platforms, lamps and metal dream catchers. At the end of this dream is a Moth statue along with the Dream Nail.''

A dream described by the Seer as a sad, forgotten dream. It is used by the Dreamers to trap the Knight in to halt their journey to break the seals. The Knight escapes this dream after receiving the Dream Nail from the Seer.

Lifeblood ''Bright blue-hued and full of Lifeblood plants, this dream comes from an offshoot in the Abyss. Being so it has the general physical compositions of the Abyss, but with blue Lifeblood elements overlayed.''

The Dream Nail is not needed to enter this dream, however, it does take place in the dream realm as it has dream particles and clouds at the bottom. The Abyss Creature may be somewhat responsible for this dream, as its appearance in Godhome further ties its connections with dreams. Dying in this dream counts as a real death.

The Knight wakes up outside the entrance to this dream if they fall into the clouds or once they pick up Lifeblood Core.

Trivia

 * Cut black Essence sprites can be found in the game's files. The file name "Abyss_dream_particle" seems to indicate that these were originally used in some type of dream in the Abyss. However, these sprites are never used in the game itself.

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