The Secret Sentinel Boss is a hidden boss in Hollow Knight: Silksong. It’s a difficult fight, but the reward makes the challenge worth your time. The game has plenty of hidden collectibles and bosses; tackling them offers unique rewards that will make the game easier. Here is our guide to defeating the Seret Sentinel in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
The Second Sentinel Boss Guide In Silksong
You will find the secret Second Sentinel boss fight in the High Halls area. To gain access to the area, first you need to acquire the Clawline ability and then head to the Bench located in the northwest section of the Citadel. On the right side of the Bench, you can use the user Clawline ability to get to the High Halls area.
Now make your way to the Bench located in the southeast region of the High Halls. From the Bench, take the way left, climb up, and take the route right to access the Second Sentinel boss fight.
The boss will not attack you right away; you must speak to the boss after exchanging dialogue, and you will trigger the fight. Let’s first have a look at its moveset in detail, which ones to completely avoid, and the ones to use as an opportunity to get your own hits in.
Cross X Slash
Here, the boss will fly to either corner of the room and will release a twin slash in the shape of X. The attack also has a build-up before the release. You will see the boss making a small X around its arm. After a few seconds, it will release the bigger X. This twin slash attack can be deadly, but it does give plenty of space for you to stay safe from the attack. The best way to deal with it is to get to the other side of the room. If the attack gets released on the left, then get to the corner of the right, and vice versa.
If you do manage to get behind the boss as it is about to use the slash attack, then you can deal dome damage on its back. When you are low on health, this move is the perfect time to restore some health at a distance. You will get a good amount of time to either deal damage or heal up for the rest of the combat.
Slash Projectile
This attack has the boss pull two of its swords on its back and release a slash projectile in your direction. This move, compared to the last one, happens fast and will catch you off guard. The best way to avoid the attack is by jumping to the side. If the slash projectile is coming from your right, then jump to the left to completely avoid the attack. The Dash ability is also useful to get out of the way. If you manage to get under the boss, then you can do an upward slash to deal some damage.
Sometimes the boss will perform the attack right on the ground, when you are least expecting it. A common jump will easily avoid the attack, and you can hit some downward needle attacks to deal some damage to the boss. This attack can be deadly, as the boss can release this attack randomly when you are hitting the boss on the ground.
Whirlwind Attack
The Second Sentinel will perform an upward motion whirlwind attack and end the attack sequence with a slam on the ground with its sword. So not only do you have to dodge the whirlwind attack, but also stay alert when the boss is about to do a strike at the ground, speeding in your direction.
When the boss is about to perform the whirlwind attack, don’t jump; move to the side and wait for the boss to strike at your location. Here, you can either dash away or jump to the side to avoid the attack and deal some damage at the end.
Downward Slash
This one has an easy visual cue – the boss will necessarily be up in the air, and wind up one of the sword arms. As soon as you see this happening, move away from your current spot, and you should be perfectly fine. Don’t get greedy and try to land an attack immediately after this moveset, though. There is a very high chance that the boss will follow up with the Slash Projectile, or another move, very quickly, so you don’t want to be caught up in the attack animation.
Counterattack Move
If your attack gets blocked, then prepare for a jump, or you will get hit with a counterattack by the boss. Anytime the boss blocks your attack, it will pull back for its counter move. The counter move only affects the area in front of the boss, so if you jump at the right time, you will be perfectly safe. The moment the Counterattack animation completes is a great time to quickly move in and land a few hits of your own. With some practice, you will be able to gauge the area covered by the Counterattack Move.
Tips To Defeat The Second Sentinel Boss
The first two attacks will always be consistent when it comes to Second Sentinel. While the giant X slash attack can be avoided, it gives you some breathing room to restore your health or deal some damage. The second projectile slash attack will be very annoying to deal with in the game.
Like in all boss fights, as the fight progresses towards the later stages, the intensity and speed of the attacks that the boss dishes out will increase, and you will mostly be running, jumping and dodging to avoid getting hit. This is perfectly fine, don’t get greedy, and only punish in-between those movesets that you are confident of.
Always be on the lookout for the slash projectiles, as the boss will launch the attack with minimal windup. When you are planning to hit the boss in the front, prepare for the counter. After dodging it, again have your fingers on the jump button, ready for the slash projectiles.
After beating the boss, you will get the Reserve Bind Ornate Item, allowing you to heal, and the Reserve Bind will get restored when you rest on any bench in the game.
Are you having trouble finding Key of Apostate, Heretic, and Indolent? We have fantastic guides to help you pick up the item in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
