Kingsmould

From Hollow Knight Wiki

Kingsmoulds are enemies in Hollow Knight. They are Void constructs who were made by the Pale King to serve as guards in and around the White Palace.[1][2]

Guard construct of Hallownest's Palace and skilled wielder of the curved claw-blade. Its heavy white armour protects a fragile body.

They say the old King died long ago, but his influence echoes around us still. A creature like that... what did he desire?

Behaviour and Tactics

Kingsmoulds have two attacks:

  • Boomerang: They throw their claw-blade at the Knight that then returns to them in a similar fashion to a boomerang.
  • Swipe: They slash at the Knight in a wide arch up to three times consecutively.

Upon seeing the Knight they stomp twice and then attack. When triggered they deal two Masks of damage with every attack and attack at a very fast pace, making them a formidable foe. Contact damage only deals one Mask of damage. They do not respawn upon death except for the ones in the   Path of Pain.

Kingsmoulds are also immune to Spells if stationary and not yet activated in combat.

Dream Nail Dialogue

  • ...Defend...
  • ...Kill...

Location

Four living Kingsmoulds can be found within the White Palace. One is located outside the entrance and needs to be defeated to enter the White Palace. Another is located near the lower Bench, and the final two have to be fought at the end of the   Path of Pain. The corpse of a Kingsmould can also be found in the Palace Grounds.

 
Kingsmoulds locations within the White Palace. Unofficial map by MolaMolasses

Gallery

Trivia

  • Their Hunter's Journal entry is automatically unlocked after picking up the White Fragment.
  • The Kingsmould is one of the few enemies that never respawns.
  • The corpse of the Kingsmould in the Palace Grounds can be struck with the Awoken Dream Nail to access the White Palace. Its mind is protected by a strong seal that appears to be made of Essence, which can be seen when the unawoken Dream Nail is used on its corpse.
  • Once defeated their armour falls away, revealing a Void being that slowly melts away.
  • Team Cherry stated in a Reddit AMA that the Kingsmould is what is left of the planned "Dusk Knight" and "King's Golem" bosses.[3]
    • They are referred to as "dusk_knight" in the game's files.
  • Concept art of a Kingsmould corpse and the mould found in the White Palace's workshop are labeled "Dusk Knight (Decrepit)" and "Dusk Knight Mould" in an edition of Edge Magazine. [4]
  • Prior to the Voidheart Edition, the Hunter's Journal image for the Kingsmould showed them with orange eyes, even though their eyes during gameplay are white.

References

  1. Kingsmould Hunter's Journal entry: "Guard construct of Hallownest's Palace and skilled wielder of the curved claw-blade. Its heavy white armour protects a fragile body."
  2. The hidden workshop in the White Palace.
  3. Reddit AMA answer concerning the Kingsmould.
  4. Edge Magazine March 2019 edition, p. 96.