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The Colosseum of Fools inHollow Knightis one of the mostintriguing and fun areas in the game. It allows players to flex their combat skills and take on three trials that task them with clearing out waves of enemies that differ in power levels, with the final wave usually being a formidable boss (except one particularly boastful traveler in the Trial of the Warrior if players saved him earlier).
These challenges are also quite hard and progressively get more difficult, with the Trial of the Fool being the ultimate challenge of them all. Therefore,bringing in the best charmsbefore each trial is imperative to complete them in the quest to be called a “Fool.”
Using the charm builds mentioned in this guide requires unlocking most of the charm notches in the game.Click here to find out how players can find every charm notch in the game.
Best Builds For Trial Of The Warrior
The Trial of the Warrior is the first trial in the Colosseum of Fools and helps players ease into the mechanics of this unique challenge. Therefore, it isn’t too hardwith a standard charm setupas most enemies do not pose major obstacles. The lack of a fairly threatening boss at the end of the trial is also a plus. Here is the best build to help players comfortably complete the Trial of the Warrior.
Nail Build
Since the Trial of the Warrior is a fairly easy challenge, going for a standard Nail build will be more than enough for players to defeat the waves of enemies put forth. Unbreakable/Fragile Strength is the cornerstone of every Nail build as they buff the damage of the Nail immensely.
While Mark of Pride is the usual option in this build, players will not have enough charm notches to equip it when considering the rest of the build, since Trial of the Warrior rewards players with one of the final charm notches. Therefore, Longnail is a great alternative.
Pairing this up with Quick Slash will ensure even faster clearing rates and fewer chances of messing up. In case things do look sketchy, Unbreakable/Fragile Heart is a reliable charm that works in pretty much any charm build by providing extra masks to play around with.
Best Builds For Trial Of The Conqueror
Trial of the Conqueror ramps up the difficulty quite a bit by adding tricky arenas and harder enemies. However, it is quite doable with the right charms and shouldn’t be too much of a threat to players if they have all their spells upgraded.
Spell Build
From Trial of the Conqueror, incorporating a hybrid of Spell, Nail Arts, and Soul farming charms is key to not having weaknesses against any type of opponent. For small enemies such as the Armored Squits, Primal Aspids, and Winged Fools, Nailmaster’s Glory is a phenomenal choice considering it only costs a single charm notch.Using Nail Arts is very usefulto clear the Trial of the Conqueror and the Trial of the Fool.
Beefier enemies such as Heavy Fool, Great Hoppers, and Oblobbles can be dealt withby using Shaman Stone and Spell Twister. Spamming spells like Descending Dark and Shade Soul will be more than enough to shred through the harder waves in this trial. Finally, using Unbreakable/Fragile Heart and Sharp Shadow are great at having defensive options, while Dream Wielder can quickly give players a lot of Soul when used in the ideal scenario against small enemies that do not have too much threat, like Hoppers and Battle Obbles.
Best Builds For Trial Of The Fool
Trial of the Fool is the hardest trial of them all. It is significantly longer and features unique enemies,such as the God Tamer, that cannot be found anywhere else in Hallownest. This challenge requires a lot of perseverance, skill, and reflexes to be recognized as a “Fool.” Here are the best charm builds that can help players tackle one of the most gruesome challenges inHollow Knight.
Recommended Build
As mentioned in the Trial of the Conqueror section, running a hybrid build consisting of charms revolving around Spell, Soul generation, and Nail Arts is crucial to succeed in the difficult Trial of the Fool. Players are bound to take a couple of hits during this trial, so bringing along Grubsong and Thorns of Agony can provide great value, especially during the wave where there is no platform and players will have to skillfully navigate in the air while killing enemies.
Alternative Build
If players do not feel comfortable with Nail Arts or Spell-based builds, opting for a standard Nail build is also a viable choice that can yield great results. Mark of Pride can help in reaching tough-to-hit enemies, while Quick Slash can ensure that said enemies are disposed of swiftly. Unbreakable/Fragile Strength is a must in a Nail-based build, and the final slot can be used to gain extra masks with Unbreakable/Fragile Heart, which is useful due to the length and difficulty of the trial.
