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Grimm is one of the most iconic and beloved characters in Hollow Knight, captivating players with his enigmatic presence and unique aesthetic. As the leader of the Grimm Troupe, he offers a compelling side quest that adds depth to the journey of saving Hallownest. During these adventures, players will face Grimm at least once, and can choose to battle his more challenging version, Nightmare King Grimm, to complete the Grimm Troupe DLC. Both Troupe Master Grimm and Nightmare King Grimm are among the toughest encounters in the game, demanding precision, quick reflexes, and resilience. Equipping the right charms is crucial to successfully navigating these battles.
All charm builds for both Grimm fights in the base game require the Grimmchild charm, which occupies two charm notches.
Best Charm Builds For Troupe Master Grimm
Troupe Master Grimm introduces players to his general moveset and attack patterns. This battle is fast-paced and resembles a dance more than a brawl, requiring players to be agile and strategic in choosing their attack windows rather than simply enduring his assaults. The following builds are designed to help you conquer this challenging boss fight.
Successfully defeating Troupe Master Grimm unlocks the final Charm Notch, which is essential for optimizing your charm builds to tackle Nightmare King Grimm.
Nail Build
- Unbreakable/Fragile Strength
- Quick Slash
- Longnail
- Grimmchild (Mandatory)
This charm build is designed to maximize damage output with the Nail during brief windows between Grimm's attacks. Given the slower pace compared to the Nightmare King version, a Nail build is effective for landing multiple hits thanks to Quick Slash.
Unbreakable or Fragile Strength is essential in any Nail build as it boosts the Nail's damage. Players should aim to have at least the Coiled Nail or the Pure Nail to efficiently reduce Grimm's health.
Although Nail builds typically include Mark of Pride, Longnail serves as a suitable alternative here since Grimmchild occupies two charm slots. While Longnail offers slightly less range than Mark of Pride, it is still valuable for hitting Grimm at the end of his attacks, such as the Diving Dash and the Uppercut.
Spell Build
- Shaman Stone
- Grubsong
- Spell Twister
- Unbreakable/Fragile Heart
- Grimmchild (Mandatory)
For players who prefer using Spells or are less confident with the Nail, the Spell build is ideal for quickly defeating Grimm. By this point, players should have access to the Descending Dark, Abyss Shriek, and Shade Soul spell upgrades, with the former two being exceptionally effective against tough bosses.
Shaman Stone is crucial for any Spell-based build as it significantly enhances the damage of the Knight's spells. Combined with Spell Twister, players can cast multiple spells before needing to recharge their Soul with Nail hits.
Given the difficulty of avoiding damage in this fight, Grubsong can be extremely beneficial for maintaining a full Soul gauge. Unbreakable/Fragile Heart complements this build by providing extra masks, allowing Soul to be primarily used for casting Spells.
Best Charm Builds For Nightmare King Grimm
Nightmare King Grimm presents a formidable challenge compared to Troupe Master Grimm. He deals double damage, making every misstep potentially fatal. Additionally, he moves faster and introduces a new attack with flaming trails that also deal double damage. The flame pillars from this new attack can be exploited with Abyss Shrieks for substantial burst damage. Here are the best charm builds to help you overcome one of the toughest metroidvania bosses.
Best Build
- Unbreakable/Fragile Strength
- Shaman Stone
- Mark of Pride
- Grimmchild (Mandatory)
A pure Nail build is not viable against Nightmare King Grimm. Instead, a hybrid Nail/Spell Build is more effective, leveraging the power of Abyss Shriek and Descending Dark.
Shaman Stone is essential for maximizing Spell damage. Unbreakable/Fragile Strength and Mark of Pride enhance the Nail's effectiveness during windows where using Spells is risky or impossible.
Alternate Build
- Grubsong
- Sharp Shadow
- Shaman Stone
- Spell Twister
- Nailmaster's Glory
- Grimmchild (Mandatory)
This more defensive build focuses on utilizing Spells and Nail Arts while providing tools to evade Nightmare King Grimm's lethal attacks. As with most Spell-based builds, Shaman Stone and Spell Twister are crucial for boosting damage output.
Grubsong helps maintain a steady Soul supply. Sharp Shadow, when paired with the Shade Cloak, allows players to dash through most of Nightmare King Grimm's attacks while dealing damage. Nailmaster's Glory makes Nail Arts a significant threat, complementing strategic Spell usage to chip away at his health.
