Getting to Ancient Basin in Hollow Knight: A Comprehensive Guide
Hollow Knight, a critically acclaimed action-adventure game developed by Team Cherry, takes players on a journey to explore the underground world of Hallownest. While the game offers a non-linear approach to exploration, navigating through the various underground regions can be challenging without the right guidance. If you’re looking to visit the ancient basin, also known as the Mines of Eternal Fury, in Hollow Knight, this guide will provide you with a step-by-step walkthrough on how to reach this enigmatic location.
Why is Ancient Basin Important?
Before delving into the process, it’s essential to understand why Ancient Basin is an important location. This ancient site is connected to the history of Hollow Knight, holding secrets that shed light on the fallen city’s downfall. Exploration of Ancient Basin rewards you with loot and abilities, enhancing your knight’s combat capabilities and survival chances. Moreover, a specific event triggers at a particular location in Ancient Basin, allowing you to recover Health and, most crucially, increasing the number of Respec tokens available throughout the game.
Steps to Reach Ancient Basin in Hollow Knight
- Start with the Mines: The first step begins at the entrance of Hallownest, where you’ll encounter the Ashen Mines. Reach the central area, ignoring any minor distractions.
What’s Your Goal?
Do you aim to:
Refer to the below table, "Choice Overview," to ensure you select the most viable option.
Choice Overview
| Destination | Importance | Goal Completion Time (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Waterways (Unlock Whip Upgrade) | Optional, but highly recommend | 20-30 minutes |
| Deepnest Palace (Direct Access to Ancient Basin) | Direct entry to Ancient Basin, no upgrade | 5-15 minutes |
-
Royal Waterways: Enter the Abyssal Floor of Royal Waterways, which features an alternative path to exploring the ancient basin. Keep an eye out for secrets, such as a hidden Grave that yields Flint, while making progress. Unlock the Gravelord’s Hammer – essential for smashing walls – during your descent. Upon landing, face the Keress the Keeper’s Rest, an important junction.
Deciding Your Future
After facing Keress, look around the chamber and witness Graveward and Her Spirit, hinting at an untold destiny. To access Ancient Basin directly:
- Jump from Graveward’s Altar on the central platform and maintain the correct direction.
- Cross the chasm to find a hidden area with the Moon’s Long Whip, used for the whip upgrade (refer to Whip Upgrade Unlock guide below**).
Keep moving toward Ancient Basin, taking in stunning sights along the way.
Ancient Basin Discovery
Reach Ancient Basin’s entrance, identified by two glowing walls and the presence of many dead Hallownest gods. Your exploration at Ancient Basin can lead you to numerous discoveries, allowing you to expand your understand of the fallen city.
To the north, take in the majesty Moon Mother, Deepnest, and Witch’s Woe of in the central basin, then continue southwest for further ancient structures, like the crumbling Ancestral Slab, or head the east-northwest slope, near Glad Stone and Moonlit Ridge, Hallowed Pond or explore other mysterious places within The Hollow.