Complete Hollow Knight White Palace Walkthrough

The White Palace in Hollow Knight is the abode of the Pale King and is a necessary area for those searching for an ending alternate to the basic ending. Hollow Knight is a game that can be tricky to beat, with many platforming challenges and secret areas, and the White Palace takes that earned reputation of Hollow Knight and dials it to eleven.

You will visit the White Palace for one reward: a White Fragment. The game has two White Fragments—one with the White Queen and the other with the Pale King. This guide will help you obtain the White Fragment with the Pale King, but first, you need access to the White Palace.

Spoiler Warning: This article will explain some minor details related to the secret ending.

Accessing the White Palace

Gaining access to the White Palace isn’t as straightforward as in some other regions of this beloved metroidvania. There are three conditions you must meet before you are allowed into the White Palace:

1. Dream Nail
2. Monarch Wings
3. Awakened Dream Nail

You will find the Dream Nail in the Resting Grounds, an area that is sort of a cemetery. Resting Grounds can be accessed from Crystal Peak. Crystal Peak can be assessed from the Forgotten Crossroads.

If you have visited and completed Crystal Peak, then you should have the Crystal Heart ability. This ability is necessary to get the Monarch Wings, which are located in the Ancient Basin. Note that the Monarch Wings can only be obtained after defeating the Broken Vessel.

To enter the White Palace, you will need 1800 Dream Essence to awaken your Dream Nail. The surest way to achieve this is to defeat dream bosses, and dream versions of normal bosses.

Each dream boss you defeat can give you from 200-400 Essence, but that won’t come easily, as these ascended bosses are among the toughest the game has to offer.

When you have up to 1800 Dream Essence, head to the Resting Grounds and speak to the Seer. Ensure you keep restarting the dialogue until the Seer gives you the Awoken Dream Nail.

With the Awoken Dream Nail, you are ready to enter the White Palace.

Location of the White Palace

To get to the White Palace, you must head to the Ancient Basin. At the Ancient Basin, head down until you reach the bottom where you will see spikes.

Once at the bottom, head right until you see a signpost that points up. With your Monarch Wings and Mantis Claw, head up in the direction of the signpost.

You will see an opening which you should go through. You are now in the Palace Grounds. Move right, and you will see the corpse of a Kingsmould. Move past it for now and keep heading right until you see a wall.

Break the wall to reveal a secret Stag Station. Activate it, so you can fast-travel to the Kings Grounds whenever you want. Also, rest on the bench that is just right of the Stag.

Head back to the Kingsmould corpse you passed and strike it with your Awoken Dream Nail. You will be transported into a dream world. Head right until you meet a Kingsmould that is alive. This enemy type hits hard, taking two portions of your life with a single hit, so be careful.

The Kingsmould can throw its sickle-like weapon at you in a confusing arch. Be sure to avoid it with the void dash or by jumping in the air. It can also swing its weapon at you. Avoid these hits by dashing behind it and getting some slashes in. This fight will be easier the more upgraded your nail is.

After defeating it, head to the open door. Entering it will bring you into the White Palace.

The White Palace – Part One

The White Palace, as the name implies, is an area with a white theme, but don’t let the brightness of the area fool you. This is one of the latter parts of Hollow Knight for a reason: it is a platforming test.

In the White Palace, head right until you see clouds. Falling into the clouds will have the same effect as falling onto spikes. So scale the gap and you will be on another platform.

Looking right, you will see two bug-like creatures suspended in the air. You can pogo off them to get to the higher platform on your right. When you get to the higher platform, you will see a bench to rest on.

From this bench, progress right, and you will see some pillars that you must platform through. Keep moving right until you get to a structure that has an open section below and another section above with two locked gates.

Keep moving right, jumping on the available platforms and you will reach a hallway. Follow the hallway right, then jump on some more platforms until you enter a room with a Kingsmould. The doors of the room will seal, and you will have to defeat the enemy to progress.

After defeating the Kingsmould, jump to the next large platform, and head upwards to the platform above, watching out for spikes. Then jump into another room where you will see a lever. Strike the lever, which will open up the two locked gates you encountered earlier.

Before you head to the open gates, go back to the room where you just fought the Kingsmould, jump to the wall above the left side of the room, and use Crystal Dash to get to a statue that will replenish your Soul Vessel.

With your Soul Vessel replenished, drop to the hallway below, and then head left to the structure with the sealed gates.

The gates will be opened now. Simply stand on the platform in the now-opened room and a lift will transport you upward. The lift will stop at a certain point. Jump from the lift, avoiding the spikes, and head further upwards.

As you get to the top, you will hear some creatures making a sound. Head up when you get to the top, and you will see these creatures clad in white. When they see you, they will bow. They aren’t aggressive. Striking them with your Dream Nail will reveal the dialogue, “We will wait… King”. You can strike them with your normal nail to get some soul essence.

Head upwards to the platform above. There you will see a gate through which you can exit the White Palace. Ignore it for now, and head up another floor to reveal a soul-replenishing statue. If you jump to another level above the soul-replenishing statue, you will see a locked gate which you will return to when you have opened it.

Head right, and you will see another locked room, and below it, a bench you can rest on.

The White Palace – Part Two

Platforming to the right will take you to a building with more of the King’s servants who bow to you. Move upwards until you reach the top of the building, then head right where you will see a lever you can’t access because of two gates. Jump over the locked gates and keep heading right. You will enter a room with three saws spinning in different directions.

This is where the real platforming challenge starts. Keep right until you exit the room.

In the next room, your destination is upwards, but saws are moving up and down. With a combination of wall climbing and your air dash ability, keep heading up. Rest on the balconies you encounter on your way up. When you get to the top, head left out of the room.

The next room has even more saws. First, jump to the platform on your left, then drop the platform below. You will see a pillar below the platform. Watch out for the saw moving across the screen. When the coast is clear, drop to the pillar and quickly slide down to the right side of the pillar, not the left.

Slide down the pillar until you fall off it. Then use the Monarch Wings to land on the platform below. From there, head down a narrow shaft with spikes on each side.

Head down the shaft, watching out for the spikes. At the bottom, begin heading left. The area is full of thorns, so ensure you time your single and double jumps.

When you reach a wall, start heading upwards with your Mantis Claw ability, and you will see that you are on the other side of the previous room with saws. Head up until you are standing on a pillar with spikes on the right end.

There are three stationary saws to your left, and two smaller saws that are moving up and down. Wait for the saws to go up, then jump and dash over the stationary saws. Let yourself fall and you will land on a platform.

Drop to the platform below, dash left, and then quickly double-jump to land on another platform behind the stationary saw. Then jump up four platforms. From here, you will see another platform a bit higher to your right. Double-jump and dash to get to it, but time your jump to avoid the moving saws. Repeat this strategy for the next three platforms.

From the third platform, you can jump and dash across to the wall on your right, then double-jump and dash to a silver platform on your left. Don’t move to your left blindly because there is a saw moving across the screen on that platform.

Move towards your left cautiously and then double jump and dash over the approaching saw. Head left and then slide off the wall on your left onto a platform. Walk out of the room through the opening on your left.

In the next room, you will see a gap with saws. Jump over the gap for now and keep heading left till you see a statue that you can use to replenish your Soul Vessel. Once replenished, head back to that gap with the saws, because you are going down that gap.

The best strategy for this descent is to wait for the two moving saws to go down, then jump into the gap and quickly dash to the left wall.

Don’t slide all the way down because there are spikes at the bottom. Instead, keep yourself attached to the wall until the saws go up. Once they do, dash right but don’t slide down the wall. Fall and then quickly dash right onto a balcony. Head down by repeating the strategy of free-falling and dashing right, this time.

You will land in a room with the King’s servants bowing to you. Head left to strike a lever. Left of the lever, you will see a drop.

There are no traps here, so just drop, and you will notice that you are back in the room with the lever that was blocked away by two gates. The gates are open now, so simply strike the lever and the lamp will come on.

Head left towards the bench you left. You can rest, or rearrange your charms. Leave the bench and go left until you see the statue that replenishes your Soul Vessel. From that platform, head down two floors and then left into another room of saws.

Avoid the saws in this room as you move left. From here, use a combination of double-jump and dashing to go up and land on another platform. Head left on the platform till you see another gap with saws which you must drop through.

Carefully avoid the saws as you drop onto a medium platform. Drop to the small platform on your right, then drop off it and dash to the medium platform that is behind the stationary saws.

Keep heading left, avoiding the saws until you see a big platform above you. Get to the platform and then watch out for a saw that is moving overheard before going further upwards. Head upwards to the next platform. From that platform, you can head right to a Soul Vessel replenishing statue, or continue your journey upward.

From the last platform before the roof of the room, jump and dash right until you are hanging on the wall. From there, use your Crystal Heart to dash onto the balcony on your left. Head upwards out of the room.

In the next room, there are spikes on either side of the wall and saws that move across the screen sequentially. Your goal is to head up while avoiding the saws. Head right from the topmost platform, and you will encounter saws that are moving up or down. Keep moving right, avoiding the saws until you are out of the room.

Once you are out of the room, head up the wall on your left and then jump across to your right, avoiding the moving saw. Let yourself fall past the saws and then dash right to cling to the wall. Slide down the wall a bit and then dash to the wall on your left.

From here, you can see a small platform on your right which you should jump on. From the platform, double-jump to your right to the balcony. Keep right, and you will see another lamp with a lever. Strike the lamp and head right out of the room.

When you exit the room, you will see a narrow gap. Drop through it and you will see another lever. Hit it to open a gate and head out the gate onto the area with the bench you have sat on before.

From the bench, jump to the platform on your left, then head upward to the floor above the bench. You will see that the gates blocking this room have been opened. Climb the elevator in the room, and you will be transported to the next area of the White Palace.

The White Palace – Part Three

When the elevator stops, head left, then upwards into a room above. Once you enter the room, you will hear buzz saws and see those white creatures you can pogo off. Head up, avoiding the saws, and you will exit the room onto a balcony with another bench to your right.

Head left and jump on the balcony just before the gap you came through earlier, and you will be in another room with saws and white floating bugs.

In this room, go up, then head left while avoiding the moving saw, and then jump onto the closest platform on your left. From there, move upwards to another platform and then another.

From the platform, you will have to jump to another platform with retracting spikes. Time their movement and head right to the gap in the wall. From that gap, avoid the moving saw and head to the other gap on the right as you move upwards.

At the top of the section, jump to the platforms on your right and keep right until you see a pillar with retracting spikes at the top. You should now head upwards onto a large platform.

From the platform, head left until you reach a platform with a saw at the left corner. From here, your direction changes once again, and you head upwards. If you are using the Hive Blood Charm, resting on these “safe” platforms will be necessary to regenerate your lost health.

Heading upwards while avoiding the spikes should lead you to a medium-sized platform on your right. Jump on it and then jump onto the large platform right of where you are. From there, head further upwards out of the room.

In the next room, head left, and climb up the wall until you see platforms to your right. Combine dashing and double-jumping to get to the wall on your right.

Climb up the wall until you see a tunnel with saws. Use your Crystal Heart ability to dash through the tunnel, but stop your dash before you reach the opposite wall. From here, jump upwards out of the room.

Jump to the first two platforms above you, then head right to the wall at the opposite end. Ensure you pay attention to the trajectory of the saws. From the wall, use the platforms available to head upwards until you reach another balcony with retracting spikes.

Past the spikes, head down the gap on your right but do it gradually to avoid the retracting and stationary spikes on your way down. At the bottom, you will see a lever that will open the gate to your left and the gate below your floor. Go through the gate below you and keep heading right until you exit the building. At this point, you are almost done with this difficult area.

From there, follow the platforms right and then upwards until you reach a wall with thorns at the top. Hang on the wall, close to the thorns, and then use the Crystal Heart ability to dash to the opposite wall on your left.

From there, climb the wall until you reach the roof and then dash across the room with the Crystal Heart ability, and pogo off the white bugs onto the platform to your right.

From that platform, use the Crystal Heart ability again to get to the opposite wall. You will have to head upwards from here. When you get to the top, use your Crystal Heart ability one more time to get across the gap. Don’t break the dash until you have cleared all the thorns.

Head out onto a balcony and dash across with the Crystal Heart ability into a room with a dead Kingsmould. From here, head upwards, and you will see an elevator on your left. Take the elevator.

When the elevator stops, head left, and you will be in a throne room where you will see the dead Pale King. Strike his corpse to reveal an item which is the other White Fragment.

If you have collected the other White Fragment from the White Lady, the fragments will combine to form the Kingsoul.

Once you pick it up, there will be a text that reads, “Soul of Wyrm. Soul of Root. Heart of Void.”

You will wake up outside the White Palace. Congratulations, you have completed the White Palace.

Rewards For Conquering The White Palace

When you conquer the White Palace, you get the White Fragment from the Pale King. Combining that fragment with the one obtained from the White Lady gives you the Kingsoul.

The Kingsoul is a charm that replenishes the Knight’s Soul Vessel passively when equipped. However, that isn’t all the Kingsoul does.

Kingsoul opens a secret room in the Void where it changes from Kingsoul to Voidheart. Having the Voidheart gives you access to four other possible endings. Three of those endings involve defeating another boss after the Final boss in the basic ending.

All this wouldn’t be possible without conquering the White Palace. ​