Defeating the Dream Warrior Xero in Resting Grounds | Hollow Knight Gameplay

Hello, gamers. Welcome back to my blog.

In my previous post on Hollow Knight, I showed you how I managed to escape through the dark and scary place called Hollownest and managed to kill a warrior dream boss, Galien on my fourth attempt. Also, I was successful in getting a tram pass which unlocks many parts of the map so I was very excited to play it again today.

I decided to use the stag station to return to the town on the surface. Dirtmouth is one of the first places that I visited and each time I get back there something new happens, be it a new shop unlocking or meeting with a new knight who is ready to start the journey. This time when I got there, I found Bretta, the beetle, sitting on the bench. We rescued her from the depths of Hallownest and she managed to get back.

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We talked to Elderbug and he says she speaks very highly of her saviour. And see she had a house too, which is now accessible.

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She had a freaking mask shard in her house. So, it was worth risking our life for her...lol. I need 3 more mask shards to increase my health permanently.

Not only the mask shard, she had written a beautiful poem dedicated to us (her saviour). I think she has a crush on the white knight.

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As I was near the Temple of Black Egg, I decided to pay a visit and see if I could find more clues about that area. But it was more or less in the same state that I found it the last time. I needed to collect those 3 different types of masks to open the door.

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Forgotten Crossroads connects to a lot of places and I was confused as to where I should go next, there were so many options, I could take the tram to go to the Resting places or visit the Charm lady located in the bottom right corner of the map or first go to those crystal peaks.

I decided to go to the nearest one, the grub father's room on the map by that orange egg thingy in the top left corner.

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It was not too far and I got to use my nails on many small bugs, these bugs feel like an easy task now after encountering deadly foes in some of the darkest places of Hallownest.

Grub Fathers' Gifts

After crossing the massive vertical room with a hanging platform, I managed to get to Grub Father's room. There are still many missing grubs that I need to find and free them. They are spread throughout the kingdom and with every freed grub, their father rewards me with either Geos or some charms.

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He gave me a special charm called Grubsong which gives me soul when I take damage. And soul is used for healing or casting spells. And it only costs 1 charm notch so it is cheaper to use too. I will be using it in my build but first I need more charm notches.

He also gave me 240 Geos for my troubles.

When I was leaving the place, I was distracted by a light coming off from the ceiling, I thought it looked odd and when I saw the wall was cracked, I knew it was a hidden location.

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I could access it now only because I didn't have the wall jump ability before. But now I could reach it easily. That's why I love to go back to places I already explored you would find many hidden things that you might have missed on the first attempt.

I found some Geos and a whispering root, that gives you essence. You must strike it with your dream nail and collect all the glowing orange essence.

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I collected all the essences and got to 400 essences. That old seer would be happy to see how much I have collected and will reward me too. So, without thinking much I set out to go to the Resting Grounds where I would find her.

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There are many ways one can reach the Resting Grounds, I fell from a ledge in Crystal Peaks one time and accidentally got there but now that I have the 'tram pass' I can use this tram and go there.

There was a tram on the eastern side of the Forgotten Crossroads. It was not a very short journey but I enjoyed it.

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I used the pass and activated the tram. The lights turned on and the windows started glowing with a pale orange color. You can enter the tram, there are still corpses lying on the seats xD

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You can also rest on the central bench which works as a save point and you can also equip your charms here. I equipped my newfound, "Grubsong" charm and replaced the Shamon stone with Mark of Pride, which would make my nail strikes longer.

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Resting ground is one of the least explored areas on my map, when I was last here, I found some closed doors and thought I was not supposed to be here this early and left without much exploring.

Defeating Xero

This time, I was prepared for anything, I had an upgraded nail, better movement abilities and spells. I came across a tomb with a lingering spirit, this was the tomb of a warrior called Xero. He challenged me and I graciously accepted it.

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This was an easy fight where the warrior hovers above you occasionally making lateral movements and throwing long nails at you. At first, he has 2 nails which he throws one after the other and if its health goes down the other phase triggers where he spawns 2 more nails and his attacks get a little faster.

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One of the things that makes this fight super easy is the ability to run off and heal. He won't come down from the platform that he is standing on and neither we are caged it like many other boss battles. So, if you get low you can go far or under the platform and heal yourself. This feels more like a glitch and that's how I was able to defeat this on my first attempt.

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His attacks are also predictable and well-timed, so you can dodge them easily with some practice.

He went against the Pale King and the king had him executed and made a tombstone which reminds everyone of the consequences of going against the king.

I went straight for the nearest bench and rested after the fight. A lot has to be done in the game and it doesn't feel like I am halfway through the story. I love a well-made game like this with an interesting story, super cool aesthetics and art style, and the best part is its music! I love the resting grounds OST so much. The boss design and gameplay feel fresh too.

I am in love with the game and I want to take my time with it. I have the feeling that it is one of those games which will stay with you forever. For me, it is already one of the best indie games I have ever played. Kudos to Team Cherry for this masterpiece!

Thanks for reading...

Until the next challenge...