Dung Defender

Dung Defender is the boss encounter of the Royal Waterways in Hollow Knight. This walkthrough includes directions on how you can find and beat the Dung Defender in Hollow Knight.

Where to Find the Dung Defender in Hollow Knight

Dung Defender may have a silly name, but this noble knight can shovel… well, you know… with the best of them. He is a boss of low-to-moderate difficulty, and most of his attacks involve either projectiles or attacks in which he strikes from under the ground.

You can find the Dung Defender in the Royal Waterways in a room furthest east in the location.

How to Beat the Dung Defender in Hollow Knight

One of Dung Defender's most common attacks is one where he balls up heaps of dung and lobs them at the Knight.

These balls will bounce off walls, but have no homing capability, so dodging them isn't too challenging. You can use your weapon to knock the balls of dung away if they get too close.

You can also close the distance and attack the boss during the wind-up or after the projectile is thrown, but don’t linger too long, or you may take damage from subsequent attacks.

The Dung Defender may throw several of these projectiles and then roll up into a ball and bounce around the room. During this time, he can still be damaged by Nail attacks and Spells.

Like with the dung balls, you can hit the balled-up Dung Defender to knock him away, dealing damage all the while. Try going under him when he's in ball form and attack up with your Nail, and keep striking him like you'd bounce a volleyball.

Dung Defender occasionally burrows into the ground for one of two attack types. For the first attack, he moves from one side of the arena to the other like a champion swimmer, surfacing regularly before diving back underground. Counter this move by hopping over the boss and then slashing with the Nail while following closely behind. Try using Nail Jump while following the Dung Defender's direction. You can dish out multiple hits this way.

For the second attack, the Dung Defender stays underground, swimming back and forth. On occasion, he leaps from the ground and into the air, shooting four dung balls, two on each side.

To counter this, stay close to the burrowing boss, then sidestep him once he stops moving. Slash him with your Nail as he emerges, and once again as he approaches the ground.

You can also use Desolate Dive, the Spell earned by defeating Soul Master, to force Dung Defender from the ground. Doing so leaves him on his back, stunned for a second. Use this moment to dish out some quick damage. Keep in mind that Desolate Dive only seems to work when Dung Defender is fully submerged.

After taking enough damage, Dung Defender will flop over on his back, granting you a brief opening. Use this opportunity to heal, or sneak in an additional attack if you don’t need healing.

Dung Defender can also beat his thorax and roar before going into a brief frenzy and performing repeated burrowing attacks in rapid succession. Keep your cool and follow these strategies, and you’ll soon bring an end to this "crappy boss" and claim the Defender’s Crest Charm as a reward.

The Defender's Crest, when equipped (for one Notch), causes a toxic gas cloud to billow around the Knight. Enemies that touch the cloud take damage. Wearing the Charm also unlocks additional dialogue options with certain NPCs.

With that done, the next stop on your journey is the Resting Grounds.

Up Next: The Resting Grounds

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