How to Get 2100 Essence in Hollow Knight: The Ultimate Guide
As a passionate Hollow Knight player and content creator, I am often asked: what is the best way to collect 2100 essence? This allows you to fully upgrade the Dream Nail and unlock spectacular new abilities that open up hidden areas.
Why Get 2100 Essence?
Upgrading your Dream Nail is extremely rewarding. At 1800 essence, it transforms into the Awoken Dream Nail, allowing you to access an entirely new realm! At 2100 essence, the Dream Nail unlocks its full power.
The additional range and charge time allows you to effortlessly harvest SOUL from enemies and break through barriers previously impassable. It makes exploration faster and unlocks upper areas like the White Palace, Godhome, and delicate flower quests.
So for both progression and enjoyment, getting 2100 essence is an exciting milestone for any passionate Hollow Knight player. Follow this guide to reach it swiftly!
Method 1: Defeat the Dream Bosses (1300 Essence)
Dream versions of defeated bosses offer by far the fastest essence farming. You can summon these spectral warriors by using the Dream Nail on their corpses.
Here are all the Dream Bosses and how much essence they provide:
| Boss | Essence |
|---|---|
| Failed Champion | 200 |
| Soul Tyrant | 300 |
| White Defender | 300 |
| Grey Prince Zote | 300 |
| Lost Kin | 400 |
| Nightmare King | 600 |
| Total | 1300 |
To max your essence gains, I highly recommend equipping Fragile/Unbreakable Strength and Spell charms. You‘ll crush these bosses with powered up nails and potent spells!
You can practice ordinary bosses first to learn their patterns if needed. Once ready, track down their hidden dream versions, summoned with the Dream Nail. Use the tips below to triumph and claim their sweet, sweet essence:
Failed Champion: Nail Arts like Great Slash help interrup this hulking beast‘s tantrums. time jumps carefully.
Soul Tyrant: Force him to come to you and unleash spells when he pauses. This mage is now a glass cannon!
Grey Prince Zote: Equip Steady Body and tank hits using I-frames. Focus on dodging slam waves and jump batting him when possible.
Nightmare King: Aggression is key against this king of nightmares. Dash master helps navigate the pufferfish bullets – pogo him relentlessly and USE SPELLS!
Following those strats along with Wayward Compass to find corpses, you should now have around 1300 essence after beating the Dream Bosses!
Method 2: Hunt the Dream Warriors (500-600 Essence)
While less essence per battle than Dream Bosses, Dream Warriors offer faster farming and greater numbers, providing 80-400 essence each.
Here‘s a tally of all the Dream Warriors, where to find them, and how much essence they offer upon defeat:
| Warrior | Area | Essence |
|---|---|---|
| Elder Hu | Howling Cliffs | 80 |
| Xero | Resting Grounds | 120 |
| Gorb | Howling Cliffs | 300 |
| Marmu | Fungal Wastes | 300 |
| No Eyes | Greenpath | 400 |
| Markoth | Kingdom‘s Edge | 300 |
| Galien | Deepnest | 80 |
| Total | 1580 |
These fallen warriors yearn for combat, so quench their thirst! I suggest equipping Fragile/Unbreakable Strength again along with Quick Slash to rapidly cut them down. Spells help too if you have the SOUL.
Once found, these enemies have fairly regular patterns and go down much quicker than their Boss counterparts. Master dashing through Galien‘s dung balls or double jumping over Marmu‘s smashes.
Conquer those Dream Warriors fearlessly and you should now have around 1900 essence!
Method 3: Smash Essence Crystals (200+ Essence)
The last step is locating and demolishing the arcane Essence Crystals scattered across Hallownest‘s nooks and crannies. Extend your Dream Nail‘s reach now to detect them!
The densest clusters are hidden in zones like:
- Queen‘s Gardens – Check the hidden chamber behind the bench
- Crystal Peak – Secret rooms contain explosive crytsals
- Resting Grounds – High up in the Blue Lake chamber
- Kingdom‘s Edge – Along the path leading to Kingdom‘s Edge
- The Abyss – Destroyable shadow barriers hide groups
Equip Shaman Stone and blast these crystals efficiently with Vengeful Spirit/Shade Soul. Great Slash and Cyclone Slash also excel at quickly shattering clusters and opening pathways to more essence.
Keep hunting and exterminating those glittering geo deposits wherever your Compass leads. You‘ll easily accumulate the remaining 200 essence needed to hit 2100 and full awaken your beloved Dream Nail!
Conclusion: Wield an Awakened Dream Nail
And there you have it – the ultimate guide to collecting 2100 essence for complete Dream Nail superiority! Conquer Dream Bosses, defeat the mourning Warriors, and pillage arcane crystal troves.
Fully awakened, the Dream Nail becomes a magnificent weapon allowing access to ethereal wonders and fearsome challenges. Cleave through barriers, devour SOUL, and unlock every secret. Your journey has just begun!
May this guide serve you well, brave Knight. Go proudly and boldly into dreams with nail in hand. The essence awaits!
