After unlocking Act 3, you still won’t get time to rest. There is a lot to uncover in the later stages. This includes discovering the locations of the new bosses. Nyleth is one of the secret bosses, and this fight is tied to a quest. This guide will explain where to find Nyleth and how to defeat it in Hollow Knight Silksong.
Nyleth Boss Fight Guide in Silksong
During the Old Hearts Quest, you are asked to find the Heart of the Woods in Shellwood. This takes you to a fountain where Hornet must use the Needolin skill and go to sleep, which takes you to the Nyleth boss. You can access this area in Act 3. Once in the dream, go to the lower levels to find a sleeping Nyleth. Just walk up to it and start the fight. Check our guide here if you are having difficulty reaching Nyleth.
From the start, you will notice the battle area is limited. Since you will fight Nyleth in this tight, cramped space, learn its attacks first and plan your strategy around them to make things easier.
- Dash: Nyleth will dash across the arena and hit the wall on the opposite side. The wall they land on will have spikes on it. This attack can be avoided by jumping and staying afloat. This attack has a pretty long windup and enough visual cues for you to be able to spot and avoid it easily.
- Swipe: Nyleth will perform multiple short, close-ranged swipes if you get too close. Clinging to the wall opposite the boss or gliding above will help you avoid this attack.
- Nyleth Glow: Nyleth will have a glowing aura around it. Avoid this AoE as it will detonate briefly. As soon as the attack animation is complete, you can go in and get a few attacks of your own through.
- Spike Summons: If you notice steam coming off the floor, spike balls will fly up from it. They will retreat back down after momentarily staying up, so dodging out the way or clinging to the wall will help you avoid them.
- Projectiles: Nyleth will pull its head back and release several projectiles that spread out in a circle. There are gaps between the projectiles where you could glide through tactfully, or use this chance to stay on top of Nyleth and deal attacks.
Tips to Beat Nyleth
- This is one fight where it pays to be super aggressive and be on the boss the whole time. The boss’s attack movesets are pretty telegraphed and easy to avoid and counterattack. Your main enemy here, is infact, the limited space to fight the boss.
- Before the fight, perfect the Clawline, Cling Grip, Drifter’s Cloak, Swift Step, and Faydown Cloak abilities proficiently.
- You might have to stay afloat most of the time for this fight.
- Ranged attacks and spells are preferred here to make the fight easier.
- While in the air, use the time to heal and also stay airborne for a moment longer.
- The best tactic to defeat Nyleth is to cling to the wall opposite the boss and use ranged needle attacks.
- Even the Silkshot comes in handy here, preferably the version that is crafted by you and not the other NPCs.
- When the boss is stunned, use this time to deal combo attacks.
- Don’t depend on the platform below you. This will give way a few seconds after starting the fight.
- Hence, the Clawline and Cling Grip abilities are necessary to start clinging to the walls early on.
You could use the small space available to your advantage, as this also limits the boss within your peripheral vision. A couple of ranged attacks will stun it frequently, which will quickly bring the boss down and give you the Pollen Heart reward in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
