Mantis Petra
 They will harass you from afar, so get close and strike quickly. Their bodies are brittle and will easily fall to your nail.  |
Mantis Petras are enemies in Hollow Knight. They are flying Infected Mantises of the Mantis Tribe who followed the Traitor Lord and were exiled from their village.[1]
Behaviour and Tactics
Hovers just outside the Knight's melee reach. It flings scythes that swoop down in a parabolic arc, slow at the apex, and then come back up.
If possible, try to get slightly above them to lure them close and hit them with a Nail Art or Spell before they hover away again. Alternatively, use Howling Wraiths/Abyss Shriek or the Grubberfly's Elegy Charm to close the distance.
They often show up in groups with another Petra or a Mantis Traitor. Get rid of them first, as their aerial attacks make fighting ground-based enemies more difficult.
Dreamshield destroys their scythes when making contact, making the Charm useful against them.
Dream Nail Dialogue 
- ...Outcast...Survive...Kill...
- ...Intruder...Destroy...
- Our lands now...
Location
The Mantis Petra are very commonly found in the Queen's Gardens, usually as a challenge in the platforming sections. Also found within the Colosseum of Fools, in the 9th, 14th and 17th waves of the Trial of the Fool.
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Locations in the Queen's Gardens
Gallery
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Idle
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Attacking
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In the Colosseum of Fools
Trivia
- Mantis Petras used to have the same Dream Nail dialogue as hostile Mantis Youths. This was fixed in version 1.5.68.11808.
- The name "Mantis Petra" is technically incorrect, since in Greek, "petra" (πέτρα) means rock or stone, while "pterix/pteryga" (πτέρυξ/πτέρυγα) means wing, the intention in this case being "winged mantis". This, however, is likely to have been a conscious choice by Team Cherry, since "mantis ptera" is more difficult to pronounce.
References
- ↑ Wanderer's Journal, p. 144.
