Quick Links
Grimm is a cornerstone of Hollow Knight, captivating players with his enigmatic allure and stylish design. As the leader of the Grimm Troupe, he plays a pivotal role in the Knight's journey to restore Hallownest, offering a compelling side quest that adds depth and closure to the Troupe's narrative.
Engaging with Grimm involves battling him at least once in his Troupe Master form, with the option to confront the even more formidable Nightmare King Grimm to fully experience the Grimm Troupe DLC. Both encounters are among the game's toughest, demanding precision, swift reflexes, and determination. Equipping the right charms is crucial to overcoming these challenging fights.
All charm builds for both versions of Grimm in the base game necessitate the use of Grimmchild, which occupies two charm notches.
Best Charm Builds For Troupe Master Grimm
Facing Troupe Master Grimm for the first time, players get to grips with his attack patterns and moveset. This battle is a graceful dance rather than a brute-force slugfest, requiring players to seize precise moments to strike. The following charm builds are designed to help players navigate this challenging encounter successfully.
Defeating Troupe Master Grimm unlocks the final Charm Notch, essential for optimizing builds against Nightmare King Grimm.
Nail Build
- Unbreakable/Fragile Strength
- Quick Slash
- Longnail
- Grimmchild (Mandatory)
This build focuses on maximizing Nail damage output during windows of opportunity. Given the slower pace compared to Nightmare King Grimm, a Nail-centric approach allows for numerous hits, especially with Quick Slash enhancing attack speed.
Unbreakable or Fragile Strength is vital for boosting Nail damage. Ideally, players should wield at least the Coiled Nail or Pure Nail to effectively reduce Grimm's health.
While Mark of Pride is a common choice in Nail builds, Longnail serves as a practical alternative due to the space taken by Grimmchild. Although it offers a slightly shorter range increase, it's effective for landing hits at the tail end of Grimm's moves like the Diving Dash and Uppercut.
Spell Build
- Shaman Stone
- Grubsong
- Spell Twister
- Unbreakable/Fragile Heart
- Grimmchild (Mandatory)
For players leaning towards spellcasting or less confident with the Nail, this build offers a swift path to victory. By this stage, players should have mastered Descending Dark, Abyss Shriek, and Shade Soul. These spells are key to tackling some of the game's toughest bosses.
Shaman Stone is indispensable in any Spell build, significantly amplifying spell damage. Spell Twister complements this by allowing more frequent spell usage, which can be replenished through Nail hits.
Given the challenge of dodging Grimm's attacks, Grubsong ensures a steady Soul supply. Unbreakable/Fragile Heart adds extra masks, enabling a focus on spell-based offense.
Best Charm Builds For Nightmare King Grimm
Nightmare King Grimm escalates the challenge significantly. He inflicts double damage, moves with increased speed, and adds flaming trails to his attacks, making missteps fatal. A new attack spawning flame pillars offers a strategic opening for powerful spells like Abyss Shriek. Below are the recommended charm builds for this formidable opponent.
Best Build
- Unbreakable/Fragile Strength
- Shaman Stone
- Mark of Pride
- Grimmchild (Mandatory)
A pure Nail build is less effective against Nightmare King Grimm. A hybrid approach, combining Nail and Spell strategies, proves more successful. Shaman Stone is crucial for enhancing spell damage, particularly with Abyss Shriek and Descending Dark.
Unbreakable/Fragile Strength and Mark of Pride bolster damage output during moments when spells are risky or impractical.
Alternate Build
- Grubsong
- Sharp Shadow
- Shaman Stone
- Spell Twister
- Nailmaster's Glory
- Grimmchild (Mandatory)
This build adopts a more defensive stance, leveraging spells and the often-overlooked Nail Arts. Shaman Stone and Spell Twister are essential for maximizing spell damage.
Grubsong ensures a consistent Soul supply, while Sharp Shadow, when paired with the Shade Cloak, allows for safe dashes through Nightmare King Grimm's attacks, dealing damage in the process. Nailmaster's Glory enhances the effectiveness of Nail Arts, providing another avenue to chip away at Grimm's health alongside strategic spell use.
