Summary
The Radiance and Absolute Radiance are the hardest bosses inHollow Knight, with the latter being one of thehardest boss fights in the Metroidvania genre. Both battles are extremely difficult as they require impeccable combat skills, precise movement, and the mental spirit to stay in the game and not lose focus amidst the chaos.
Therefore, bringing along the best charms to fight both versions of the Radiance is highly recommended to have a great shot at ending the root cause of the Infection andfreeing the ruined kingdom of Hallownestfrom its suffering.
Best Charms For Radiance
The standard Radiance fight in the base game can be accessedafter collecting 1800 Essence, defeating the Traitor Lord, entering the White Palace, and turning the Kingsoul charm into the Voidheart charm. Defeating the forgotten goddess of light will give playersthe true ending of the game.
While she is not as difficult as her Absolute version in Godhome, the Radiance is still a formidable foe that requires the best charms possible to vanquish not only her but also get past the Hollow Knight boss fight. Therefore, these are the best charms players can run to defeat the Radiance and the Hollow Knight.
Nail Build
Opting for a powerful build withcharms that improve the damage, reach, and speed of the Nailis highly potent against the Radiance boss fight. With Fragile/Unbreakable Strength, the damage of the Nail is directly buffed, while Quick Slash significantly increases the attack rate. Mark of Pride is fantastic in the phases where Radiance constantly teleports to different parts of the arena.
The final charm slot is up to player preference, but a safe option is to go for Fragile/Unbreakable Heart to gain two extra masks since there is very little room to squeeze in a heal during this fight.
Spell Build
The best alternative forHollow Knightplayers who don’t prefer charms catered for the Nail is a Spell Build. Therefore, Shaman Stone and Spell Twister are absolutely necessary to increase the damage and use spells a lot more.
Since players should ideallyhave all charm notches unlockedbefore the Radiance fight, Soul Eater is a strong charm to bring along to pretty much always have Spells to spam. The final charm slot is flexible, but Fragile/Unbreakable Heart is once again a safe option in this charm build, as it can allow players to use their immense Soul generation for Spells.
Best Charms For Absolute Radiance
The Absolute Radiance can only be encountered in Godhome, more specifically inthe Pantheon of Hallownest. Players will have to fight her at least once to unlock her boss fight in the Hall of Gods to practice.
Therefore, going for a charm build best suited to defeat Absolute Radiance also means opting for charms that are strong enough to take down Pure Vessel, the penultimate boss in the Pantheon of Hallownest. With this in mind, here are the best charms to defeat Absolute Radiance as well as the Pure Vessel.
Recommended Build
The Absolute Radiance fight is much harderand tankier, which makes a pure Nail build a bit tough to pilot. Instead, a hybrid variation consisting of the best parts of a Nail and Spell build can be put together to achieve the best results. This charm build is also good for tackling Pure Vessel.
This means Shaman Stone and Spell Twister can make Spells incredibly potent, while Quick Slash and Fragile/Unbreakable Strength will ensure players have consistent DPS when not using Spells.
Alternative Build
If players fear they might get too easily hit by Absolute Radiance’s attacks, a more defensive build consisting of Steady Body and Grubsong, instead of Spell Twister, can be a good alternative. The former allows players to not have any knockback while swinging the Nail. This can be quite helpful in preventing accidental scenarios where the Knight can knock itself back into one of Absolute Radiance’s attacks.
The latter can help in restoring some Soul. While it is far less reliable than Soul Eater and Spell Twister, it does the job and can come clutch in crucial scenarios in the Pure Vessel and Absolute Radiance boss fights.
