Deepnest - Hollow Knight Guide - IGN (2024)

This page of the IGN Hollow Knight wiki guide includes instructions on how to locate and progress through Deepnest, one of the largest areas in all of Hollow Knight.

For information on other sections, be sure to check out the rest of our Walkthrough. To learn how to obtain the various Collectibles Hollow Knight has to offer, visit our pages on Charms, Spells, Mask Shards, and more.

Take the Stagway back to Queen’s Station, then head back down to the Mantis Village and into the arena where you fought the Mantis Lords. They bar the path to Deepnest, so if you did not defeat them earlier, now is the time.

With the Mantis Lords defeated, head left into the next area and you’ll arrive in Deepnest. Wall-jump up the first shaft you find, then progress left and you’ll find Cornifer hiding from the horrors which lurk in the dark of Deepnest. Buy the map for the incredibly affordable price of 38 Geo, then head back down to ground level and proceed left.

Hop across the pits of writhing centipede young to the far left side of the area, then wall-jump up until you reach the exit at the top left. Jump up through it and into the next area, where you’ll find full-grown, indestructible centipedes patrolling the tunnels.

NOTE: Throughout Deepnest, you will be unable to “clear” areas of enemies in the same way you can in other areas. Hostile bugs will regularly emerge from the ground or skitter onto the screen from the background or foreground, so be sure to pause if you step away (or while you are reading this guide) to avoid being killed unexpectedly.

Hop up and hug the left wall as you progress through the maze, dispatching the emerging Dirtcarver and venom-spitting Deephunter enemies as you go. You’ll soon arrive at a three-way juncture after falling through a weak floor, so wait until the centipede passes, then head left.

Dash over the spiked pits and vertical shafts and continue left. Kill the Deephunter, then dash to the wall on the left and wall-jump up. Follow the path to the right, then wall-jump up the next wall. Kill or avoid the Deephunter and continue up, then left, then drop down through the weak floor. Once you land, head left and hop down the vertical shaft on your left, making sure to fall on the left side of the chasm to avoid a spiked pit. Continue to the bottom and head out the exit on your left.

Take the exit at the bottom of the screen and continue to head down until you fall through the weak floor and into a pit. Continue down the path to the left and avoid the centipedes and you’ll soon see a doppelganger of the Knight lurking in the darkness. Continue down, breaking through the weak sections of floor in the maze and avoiding spike pits and centipedes, until you reach the bottom left corner.

Hop down the hole and you’ll fall far below, into a hot springs right next to the area’s first Bench. Rest up and update your map, then head left into the next area.

NOTE: At this point creepy, crawly spider-like enemies begin to appear in the darkness, so be aware of that if you have arachnophobia or are triggered by specific types of multi-legged, skittering enemies. They aren’t as creepy as spider-type enemies in many other games, due to the almost “chibi” art style of Hollow Knight, but proceed with caution if this concerns you.

Hop up onto the elevated platform above the centipede larva pits, then jump to the ledge on the right. Follow the path up and to the left, then wall-jump up the left wall and you’ll begin to see cobwebs. At this juncture, you have a choice to make. If you want or need to leave Deepnest for whatever reason, you’ll need to head through the path leading upward until you unlock a shortcut back to Mantis Village.

To continue onwards, head through the cobweb-laden exit on the left. As soon as you enter, you’ll see a spike wall in front of you. Drop down the three small ledges on your left, then slide down the wall below and dash over the pit below and onto the ledge on the left.

Carefully proceed, jump, and dash to the left, avoiding all the spikes. Jump and dash left again and the cavern will open up. At this point you will begin to encounter more Corpse Creeper enemies, which will reanimate the bodies of the recently deceased. Don’t let your guard down or you may be swarmed by these fast-moving enemies, which are especially dangerous due to the restricted movement in the tunnels.

Continue to the left and you’ll encounter the powerful, shielded enemies; the Stalking Devout. These enemies will fill up tunnels, so you won’t be able to pass them. They also wear defensive masks and approach slowly, before dropping their defenses to deliver a flurry of attacks.

Wall-jump to the top portion of the screen before you reach your first Stalking Devout, then follow the path to reach the exit up and head into the next area. Wall-jump up the lengthy vertical shafts and continue to follow the maze upwards, taking the top exit again, and you’ll arrive in the Failed Tramway sub-area.

In this area you’ll encounter large flying enemies called Carver Hatchers. They will fly and harass the Knight on their own, and will sporadically spit out Dirtcarvers as well, so take them out early with Vengeful Spirit or Nail attacks, to avoid being overwhelmed with enemies.

Head left and you’ll soon find a crashed tram and the old tram station just beyond it. Head into the abandoned station, then head up. Wall-jump up the left wall to reach a hidden Lifeblood pod if you need extra health, then hop back down and drop into the hole in the floor. You’ll land in an old tram car, but the gate on the left is closed, so head right and hit the lever to open it, then proceed through the exit on the left.

Dispatch the Carver Hatcher, then hop up on the platform on the left. Jump and dash to the ledge on the right and hit the lever to unlock the shortcut to the area entrance, then head back towards the left until you reach the final tram car on the left. Hop up on top of it, then down through the hole in the car and claim the Tram Pass which is sitting on the floor at the front of the car. This will allow you more ways to travel between areas, including an area we’ll be heading to very soon.

Head back to the right and through the newly opened gate into the next area. Travel all the way to the right, past the passageway back down into the Deepnest tunnels, and go through the Tramway gate into the next area on the right.

Hop over the gap and you’ll find our old friend Cloth and an area Bench. After you have talked to Cloth and rested at the Bench, go left and hop down into the gap. Follow the path to the right and break the weak ground on the far right side to unlock a shortcut between the Tramway and the earlier sections of Deepnest, then wall-jump back up to the top and head back through the Tramway gate to the left.

Dispatch the Carver Hatcher and take the bottom exit back down into the Deepnest tunnels, proceeding back through the maze of spikes and sliding down the left-side wall until you reach the bottom. Hop down into the bottom exit, then follow the path left, dropping down twice to reach the bottom.

Once you reach the bottom, dash left over the pit of centipede larva, then wall-jump up and take the small tunnel to the left to skip the Stalking Devout. Continue left and you’ll enter the next area.

In this area, you’ll begin to encounter Little Weavers, spider-like enemies which seem to fly, but are actually traversing the tiny spider webs which criss-cross the entire region.They can appear at any time, so exercise caution when initiating the tricky platforming sections in this area, as some falls can set you back quite a ways.

Drop down the small ledge as you first enter the area, then wall-jump up the small vertical shaft and dispatch the tiny Deeplings enemies you find there. Hop up on the ledge to the left, dash across the spike pit, and continue left. Hop out onto the tiny platforms suspended over the pit, then dash to the far left side. Kill the Deepling and continue left and the floor will begin to give way, revealing spike pits beneath.

Continue all the way to the left and drop down into a hidden shaft. At the bottom you’ll find a yellow bulbous formation. Destroy it to obtain a Rancid Egg, then head right and destroy the wooden bracing to unlock a shortcut to the ground floor. Hop back up the shaft you just dropped down, dash across the spike pits, then wall-jump up the wall to reach the area above.

NOTE: At this point, you can head right across the pit, past a Stalking Devout, through a destructible wall, and into the Weaver’s Den. Inside, you’ll find the Weaversong Charm, which summons tiny Weaver companions which attack enemies.

Whether you claim the Weaversong Charm or not, head left until you reach another wall leading up. Wall-jump up into the next ledge, then head left and into the next area.

Continue as far as you can, then wall-jump up the vertical shaft and follow the path up and around until you drop back down to the floor, which will give way to a spike pit. Continue around the path, killing the Deephunters as you dash and wall-jump between the walls and ledges until you reach another weak floor.

Jump down the newly-made hole and slide down the right-side wall, then dash across the spike pit to reach the ground, which will quickly give way. Slide down the wall, avoid the spike pit at the bottom, then head right and destroy the wooden bracing. Continue and wall-jump up and destroy the wooden bracing there to unlock a shortcut back to the previous area.

Backtrack to the shaft you just slid down, wall-jump back up, and continue left. A short way down the columned path, the ground will give way, so jump and dash to avoid falling in the spikes, then continue left and into the next area; the Distant Village.

Hop across the small elevated platforms and head to the upper right corner of the area, then head into the area to the right to find a suspiciously destroyed Bench and the Stagway. Pay the 250 Geo to unlock it, then return to the large web-covered cocoon at the center of the village. Enter, heed the advice of all the suspicious robed figures, and sit down on the Bench.

You’ll soon be mired in spider webs, the robed figures’ betrayal revealed. Try to move and they will close in on you, the screen will go dark, and the Knight will awaken in the Beast’s Den, suspended in a cocoon. Use your Nail to free yourself, then head right. Keep walking until you see a ledge above, then jump up and kill the Stalking Devout. Continue left, then wall-jump up and follow the path around. Kill the Deeplings and continue to the right.

Soon the ground will give way, but hop over the hole and continue to the end of the tunnel, then wall-jump up and kill the Deephunter before dashing across the chasm to the ledge on the left. Continue up through the winding tunnels and you’ll soon drop down next to a Grub.

Continue left and wall-jump to the top of the shaft, then head left. Kill the Stalking Devout and continue left, then wall-jump up the next shaft until you reach the top. Head right, kill another Stalking Devout, then continue right to find a Dreamer. Use your Dream Nail to strike them and enter the dream realm.

Head right and you’ll find the Beast, patiently waiting for its end. Strike it down with the Nail, then charge your Soul to absorb their essence and break the first of the Black Egg Temple’s three seals.

When you awaken, head left and follow the far left wall all the way down to the bottom, then head right and you’ll soon find another weak section of floor and another Bench. Drop down and you’ll find the party has died down a bit since you left.

Head to the left and out of the cocoon, then head all the way back to the area’s Hotspring. Depending on whether you’ve interacted with him before, you may find Quirrel there. Recharge in the soothing water, then head to the right, through the long corridor and into the next area.

Here you’ll find a rapid succession of centipedes burrowing through the tunnels, so time your journey as you work your way to the top right side of the area, then drop down and work your way to the exit on the bottom right. In the next area, you’ll find the Tramway, so insert your pass, head inside, and press the glowing button on the right side of the car to travel to get it moving.

Once the Tram comes to a stop, exit and you’ll find yourself in the Ancient Basin.