Elderbug

"I'm afraid there's only me left to offer welcome. Our town's fallen quiet you see. The other residents, they've all disappeared."

- Elderbug

Elderbug is an NPC in Hollow Knight. He is the oldest resident of Dirtmouth and a friendly face for new travellers seeking the Kingdom. He gives advice to anyone who passes by him.

Lore
While Elderbug is the oldest bug in Dirtmouth, he was not around before the fall of Hallownest, the Stag Station of Dirtmouth being closed even before his time.

Since all of Dirtmouth's residents have disappeared down the well into the Forgotten Crossroads, Elderbug is the only remaining resident in town. These bugs followed their dreams and then never returned, making him believe that dreams are not so great after all. He has become pessimistic, seeing the world as faded, with dark thoughts creeping into his mind.

Elderbug had an old friend who is buried in the graveyard of Dirtmouth. He visits her grave occasionally.

In-game events
When Elderbug is first met, he warns the Knight to be careful if they decide to head down the well, as creatures who go there turn mad and travellers are robbed of their memories.

Throughout the Knight's journey, Elderbug gives hints on which area they should go to next. He also comments on other residents returning to Dirtmouth and buildings reopening.

When he is given a Delicate Flower, he happily accepts it and notes that he had not expected any gratitude for the advice that he gave to travellers. The flower makes him see the world as a little less faded and causes him to consider that dreams might not be so bad after all.

After the Grimm Troupe arrives in Dirtmouth, Elderbug moves from his usual spot near the Bench to a spot west of this. He comments on how the Grimm Troupe's arrival fills him with dread, and that he would best ignore it. He moves back to the Bench after this.

Once the Grimm Troupe leaves or is banished, Elderbug expresses how relieved he is that the town is quiet once more. If the Troupe was banished, he finds Nymm outside of town and invites him in. The musician's arrival delights him, as Nymm's accordion music gently breaks Dirtmouth's windy sounds.

Location
Elderbug is located in Dirtmouth, next to the Bench.

Trivia

 * Although he is a valid recipient of the Delicate Flower, giving him the Flower does not have any effect and only counts as it being destroyed. Another Flower can still be acquired from the Grey Mourner to be delivered to the grave in the Queen's Gardens, or from the grave itself if the Grey Mourner's quest has already been completed.
 * If Elderbug is ignored when first entering Dirtmouth, he calls after the Knight in surprise and, if listened to later, comments on this.
 * Elderbug was used as an example of a cut ability of the Dream Nail known as "Dream Diving". With this ability it was possible to enter the "Dream Well" of characters, which contained their hopes, fears and secrets. A video was released showing the Knight use the Dream Nail on Elderbug, which popped the top of his head off and opened a portal that the Knight could enter. Inside Elderbug's Dream Well was a young version of him that could be listened to. This ability was later cut from the game, but Elderbug's separate head sprite could still be found in the game's files prior to the Lifeblood update.

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