"Top Builds for Grimm in Hollow Knight"

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• Best Charm Builds For Troupe Master Grimm

• Best Charm Builds For Nightmare King Grimm

Grimm, a standout character in Hollow Knight and the broader metroidvania genre, captivates players with his enigmatic presence and distinctive style. As the leader of the Grimm Troupe, he draws the Knight into a compelling side quest that adds depth and closure to the troupe's narrative. Throughout these adventures, players are challenged to battle Grimm, facing both Troupe Master Grimm and the formidable Nightmare King Grimm. These encounters rank among the game's toughest, demanding precision, quick reflexes, and unwavering determination. Equipping the right charms can significantly enhance your chances of success in these challenging confrontations.

To engage in these boss fights, players must always have the Grimmchild charm equipped, which occupies two charm notches.

Best Charm Builds For Troupe Master Grimm

Your first encounter with Troupe Master Grimm offers a chance to learn his moveset and attack patterns. This fight is characterized by its fast pace and demands a dance-like approach rather than brute force. Players need to be strategic, choosing the right moments to strike rather than simply enduring his attacks. The following charm builds are designed to help you navigate this challenging battle successfully.

Defeating Troupe Master Grimm rewards you with the final Charm Notch, which is crucial for tackling Nightmare King Grimm with the best builds.

Nail Build

• Unbreakable/Fragile Strength
• Quick Slash
• Longnail
• Grimmchild (Mandatory)

This charm build maximizes your Nail's damage output, allowing you to strike effectively between Grimm's attacks. Given the slower pace of this fight compared to Nightmare King Grimm, a Nail build is highly effective for landing numerous hits, especially with Quick Slash.

Unbreakable or Fragile Strength is essential for any Nail build, boosting the damage dealt by the Nail. Aim to have at least the Coiled Nail or the Pure Nail before this fight to efficiently deplete Grimm's health.

Although Nail builds typically include Mark of Pride, Longnail is a suitable alternative here, considering the two notches occupied by Grimmchild. While the range increase is slightly less than Mark of Pride, it's still beneficial for hitting Grimm during the later phases of his attacks, such as the Diving Dash and Uppercut.

Spell Build

• Shaman Stone
• Grubsong
• Spell Twister
• Unbreakable/Fragile Heart
• Grimmchild (Mandatory)

For players who favor spellcasting or are less confident with the Nail, this Spell build offers a swift path to defeating Grimm. By this stage, players should have mastered the Descending Dark, Abyss Shriek, and Shade Soul spells, with the first two being particularly effective against tough bosses.

Shaman Stone is indispensable in Spell builds, significantly enhancing the damage of your spells. Combined with Spell Twister, this setup allows for multiple spell casts per rotation, with Nail hits used to recharge Soul.

Given the difficulty in avoiding Grimm's attacks, Grubsong is a valuable addition, helping to maintain a healthy Soul gauge. Unbreakable/Fragile Heart complements this build by providing additional masks, allowing you to focus Soul primarily on spellcasting.

Best Charm Builds For Nightmare King Grimm

Nightmare King Grimm presents a significantly heightened challenge compared to Troupe Master Grimm. He inflicts double damage, making him a formidable adversary where even a single mistake can end the fight abruptly. His increased speed and the addition of flaming trails to most attacks, along with a new flame pillar attack, make this encounter incredibly demanding. However, the flame pillar attack also provides a strategic opportunity to unleash powerful spells like Abyss Shriek for massive damage. Below are the top charm builds for conquering this daunting metroidvania boss.

Best Build

• Unbreakable/Fragile Strength
• Shaman Stone
• Mark of Pride
• Grimmchild (Mandatory)

A pure Nail build isn't viable against Nightmare King Grimm due to his speed and damage output. Instead, a hybrid Nail/Spell build is the most effective approach, leveraging the power of Abyss Shriek and Descending Dark.

Shaman Stone is essential for maximizing spell damage, while Unbreakable/Fragile Strength and Mark of Pride enhance your Nail's effectiveness during windows where casting spells might be risky or impractical.

Alternate Build

• Grubsong
• Sharp Shadow
• Shaman Stone
• Spell Twister
• Nailmaster's Glory
• Grimmchild (Mandatory)

This more defensive build focuses on spells and the often-overlooked Nail Arts, while providing means to evade Nightmare King Grimm's deadly attacks. Shaman Stone and Spell Twister are crucial for amplifying spell damage, and Grubsong helps maintain a steady Soul supply.

Sharp Shadow, when paired with the Shade Cloak, allows you to dash through most of Nightmare King Grimm's attacks and deal damage simultaneously. Nailmaster's Glory enhances the effectiveness of Nail Arts, making them a potent tool alongside strategic spell use to whittle down Nightmare King Grimm's health.