Crystal Guardian

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Crystal Guardian Enraged Guardian

Heavyset miner of the Crystal Peak overcome by crystal growth. Can discharge blazing beams of light from its crystalllised sic limbs.

How does the world look to this creature, gazing out from within its crystal prison? Does it see only light? Is that what drives it into a frenzy?

The Crystal Guardian is an optional boss in Hollow Knight. The Enraged Guardian is its second, stronger and faster form. Both forms have to be beaten to unlock its Journal entry.

Lore

The Crystal Guardian is part of the miners of Crystal Peak who died from the Infection and were reanimated by it.[1] It appears larger than the other husks, has crystal growing on its back and encasing both its arms and its head. It also has more mastery over the crystal's light than the Crystallised Husks.[2]

While encased in crystal, the Guardian shrieks similarly to the Radiance although at a higher pitch. When cleared of the crystal, it has a normal bug voice. Like the other miner husks, it is obsessed with the light but has grown too tired to mine it relentlessly as they do.[3]

In-game events

The Guardian is first found on a Bench outside shacks in the middle of the Crystal Peak. It appears dead but prevents the Knight from resting. Striking it wakes it up and starts the fight. If the Knight is defeated and returns, the Guardian regains its place on the Bench. Upon defeat, the Guardian's crystal growths shatter. Still animated by the Infection, it stands up and escapes by jumping through the ceiling.

The Guardian can be followed to the room above its abandoned resting place using the Monarch Wings. There, it has regained its crystal growths, but its first defeat has made it mad with anger, triggering its second form, the Enraged Guardian. Defeating it a second time breaks its crystal armour again and kills it. This also gives access to a Mask Shard, found within a large crystal deposit.

Behaviour and Tactics

The Crystal Guardian has three manoeuvres:

  • Laser Beam: The Crystal Guardian shoots a beam of crystal energy from its hand. It targets the Knight with its arm, firing a beam where they were when it started its attack. The beam is dangerous for about half a second.
  • Sky Beams: The Crystal Guardian screams, and, throughout the arena, up to four beams of crystal energy simultaneously shoot down from the ceiling. These beams each trigger at different times and stay dangerous for about half a second. This attack can happen in conjunction with the Guardian's Laser Beam attack. Each beam can be at a different angle between plus and minus 15 degrees from the vertical. The Crystal Guardian always starts the fight with this attack.
  • Hop: The Crystal Guardian randomly hops either a short or long distance to move within the arena.

Crystal Guardian can be defeated without triggering the boss fight by dealing damage from a distance.

Crystal Guardian's armour protects it from being damaged with a Nail-bounce. It is also dangerous to be directly above Crystal Guardian since it may jump into the Knight and deal damage.

The Crystal Guardian telegraphs every beam with a thin beam of light (or multiple in the case of the Sky Beams attack). Pay attention to where the lasers are directed during the Sky Beams attack. A combination of the Sky Beams and Laser Beam attacks limits safe movement the most.

The Desolate Dive/Descending Dark and Vengeful Spirit/Shade Soul Spells are useful for dealing safe damage. The Howling Wraiths/Abyss Shriek Spell can be used while right next to the Crystal Guardian, although this method is slightly riskier. One strategy is to slash at the Guardian with the Nail a few times in between Laser Beam attacks. Another strategy, which is not mutually exclusive to the previous one, is to, during a Laser Beam Attack, jump and dash over the Crystal Guardian to avoid its attack and safely strike it.

Godmaster Content

Crystal Guardian

Hall of Gods text: "I rest amongst crystals and strange machinery"
"Shining god of greed"

Pantheon Pantheon of the Artist, 2nd boss
Health Attuned difficulty 650
Ascended difficulty 900
Radiant difficulty
Arena changes The arena is much larger than the base game fight, spikes now added to the top half of both walls of the arena. Starts the fight with a random attack.

Dream Nail Dialogue

  • ...Tired... So long...
  • ...My light... My rest...
  • ...Shining... I am the light...

Location

The Crystal Guardian can be encountered for the first time in the Bench room in the centre of Crystal Peak.

Gallery

Trivia

  • When standing close to the Crystal Guardian, it sometimes shoots a laser straight into the ground. This is most likely a targeting glitch.
  • Beating the Crystal Guardian in Godmaster content Godhome does not contribute to unlocking its Hunter's Journal entry.
  • Since the Lifeblood content Lifeblood update, the Crystal Guardian has a voice when its crystal growth is shattered, and a 0.2 second longer charge up time for its Laser Beam attack.

References

  1. Husk Miner Hunter's Journal entry: "Remains of a bug drawn to the Crystal Peak for its precious crystal."
  2. Wanderer's Journal, p. 83.
  3. Crystal Guardian Dream Nail dialogue: "...My light... My rest..." "...Tired... So long..."
Hollow Knight Enemy Compendium
EnemiesBossesHealth ValuesColosseum of FoolsGodmaster content Hall of GodsGodmaster content Pantheons
Main Game
Forgotten Crossroads CrawlidVengeflyVengefly KingGruzzerGruz MotherTiktikAspid HunterAspid MotherAspid HatchlingGoamWandering HuskHusk HornheadLeaping HuskHusk BullyHusk WarriorHusk GuardEntombed HuskFalse Knight (Failed Champion) • MaggotMenderbugLifeseedBaldurElder Baldur
Greenpath MosscreepMossflyMosskinVolatile MosskinFool EaterSquitObbleGulkaMaskflyMoss ChargerMassive Moss ChargerMoss KnightMossy VagabondDurandooDurandaAluba
Fog Canyon Charged LumaflyUomaOomaUumuu
Fungal Wastes AmbloomFunglingFungoonSporgFungified HuskShrumelingShrumal WarriorShrumal OgreMantis YouthMantis WarriorMantis Lords
City of Tears Husk SentryHeavy SentryWinged SentryLance SentryMistakeFollySoul TwisterSoul WarriorSoul Master (Tyrant) • Husk DandyCowardly HuskGluttonous HuskGorgeous HuskGreat Husk SentryWatcher KnightCollector
Royal Waterways BelflyPilflipHwurmpBluggsacDung DefenderFlukefeyFlukemonFlukemarm
Crystal Peak ShardmiteGlimbackCrystal HunterCrystal CrawlerHusk MinerCrystallised HuskCrystal Guardian (Enraged)
Infected Crossroads Furious VengeflyVolatile GruzzerViolent HuskSlobbering Husk
Deepnest DirtcarverCarver HatcherGarpedeCorpse CreeperDeeplingDeephunterLittle WeaverStalking DevoutNosk
Ancient Basin Shadow CreeperLesser MawlekMawlurkBrooding MawlekLightseedInfected BalloonBroken Vessel (Lost Kin)
Kingdom's Edge BooflyPrimal AspidHopperGreat HopperGrub MimicHivelingHive SoldierHive GuardianHusk Hive
Queen's Gardens Spiny HuskLoodleMantis PetraMantis TraitorTraitor Lord
Colosseum of Fools Sharp BaldurArmoured SquitBattle ObbleOblobblesShielded FoolSturdy FoolWinged FoolHeavy FoolDeath LoodleVolt TwisterZoteGod Tamer
Warrior Dreams XeroGorbElder HuMarmuNo EyesGalienMarkoth
White Palace WingmouldRoyal RetainerKingsmouldSiblingVoid Tendrils
Story Bosses Hornet (ProtectorSentinel) • Hollow KnightRadianceShadeHunter's Mark
Content packs
Hidden Dreams content Hidden Dreams Grey Prince ZoteWinged ZotelingHopping ZotelingVolatile ZotelingWhite Defender
Grimm Troupe content The Grimm Troupe Grimmkin NoviceGrimmkin MasterGrimmkin NightmareGrimmNightmare KingSeal of Binding
Lifeblood content Lifeblood Hive Knight
Godmaster content Godmaster FlukemungaPale LurkerSisters of BattleWinged NoskNailmasters Oro & MatoPaintmaster SheoGreat Nailsage SlyPure VesselAbsolute RadianceVoid IdolWeathered Mask