"Top Grimm Builds in Hollow Knight Revealed"

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• Best Charm Builds For Troupe Master Grimm

• Best Charm Builds For Nightmare King Grimm

Grimm is an iconic and beloved character within Hollow Knight, captivating players with his enigmatic charm and distinctive style. As the leader of the Grimm Troupe, he presents the Knight with an engaging side quest that adds depth to the journey to save Hallownest. Players must face Grimm at least once to progress through the Grimm Troupe DLC, encountering both Troupe Master Grimm and the more formidable Nightmare King Grimm. These encounters are some of the toughest in the game, demanding precision, swift reflexes, and unwavering perseverance. The right charm builds are crucial for conquering these challenging battles.

All charm builds for both versions of Grimm require the Grimmchild charm, which occupies two notches, to access the boss fights.

Best Charm Builds For Troupe Master Grimm

Troupe Master Grimm introduces players to his basic moveset and attack patterns. This battle is fast-paced and resembles a dance more than a brawl, requiring elegance and strategic timing. Here are the charm builds designed to help you navigate this challenging encounter effectively.

Completing the Troupe Master Grimm fight unlocks the final Charm Notch, essential for tackling Nightmare King Grimm with optimal builds.

Nail Build

- Unbreakable/Fragile Strength

• Quick Slash
• Longnail
• Grimmchild (Mandatory)

This build focuses on maximizing damage with the Nail during brief windows between Grimm's attacks. Given the slower pace compared to Nightmare King Grimm, a Nail build allows for effective hits using Quick Slash.

Unbreakable or Fragile Strength is essential as it boosts the Nail's damage. Players should ideally use the Coiled Nail or Pure Nail to effectively reduce Grimm's health. Longnail serves as a good alternative to Mark of Pride, compensating for the two notches taken by Grimmchild, and helps extend the range of Nail attacks for hits at the end of Grimm's moves like the Diving Dash and Uppercut.

Spell Build

- Shaman Stone

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

For those who prefer spell-based combat or are less confident with the Nail, the Spell build offers a strong strategy against Grimm. By this stage, players should have access to Descending Dark, Abyss Shriek, and Shade Soul. These spells, especially the first two, are key to defeating some of the game's toughest bosses.

Shaman Stone is vital for any Spell build as it significantly enhances spell damage. Spell Twister allows for more frequent spell casting, replenished by Nail hits. Grubsong helps maintain a full Soul gauge by generating Soul upon taking damage, which is useful given Grimm's challenging attacks. Unbreakable/Fragile Heart adds extra masks, enabling more focus on spell usage.

Best Charm Builds For Nightmare King Grimm

Nightmare King Grimm is significantly more challenging than Troupe Master Grimm. He deals double damage, moves faster, and introduces new attacks with flaming trails that also deal double damage. His new flame pillar attack, however, provides opportunities for players to use Abyss Shriek for substantial burst damage. Below are the optimal charm builds for this formidable opponent.

Best Build

- Unbreakable/Fragile Strength

• Shaman Stone
• Mark of Pride
• Grimmchild (Mandatory)

A pure Nail build isn't effective against Nightmare King Grimm; a hybrid Nail/Spell build is more successful. Shaman Stone is crucial for boosting spell damage, especially with Abyss Shriek and Descending Dark. Unbreakable/Fragile Strength and Mark of Pride enhance damage output during moments when using spells is risky or impractical.

Alternate Build

- Grubsong

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

This build focuses on a defensive approach, leveraging both spells and Nail Arts to counter Nightmare King Grimm's lethal attacks. Shaman Stone and Spell Twister are essential for maximizing spell damage. Grubsong ensures a steady Soul supply, while Sharp Shadow allows players to dash through attacks with the Shade Cloak, dealing damage in the process. Nailmaster's Glory enhances the effectiveness of Nail Arts, making them a viable option alongside strategic spell use to whittle down Nightmare King Grimm's health.