The Royal Waterways - Hollow Knight Guide - IGN (2024)

This page of the IGN Hollow Knight Wiki Guide includes a walkthrough for how to find and navigate The Royal Waterways, the fifth major area in Hollow Knight.

For information on other sections, be sure to check out the rest of our Walkthrough. To learn how to obtain the various Collectibles Hollow Knight has to offer, visit our pages on Charms, Spells, Mask Shards, and more.

Now that you have obtained the Desolate Dive Spell, the Crystal Peaks area can be reached. Before that, however, we’ll use the Simple Key we obtained in the Soul Sanctum to travel through the Royal Waterways and unlock the rest of the City Of Tears.

From the body of Soul Master, head left into the next area, then jump and use Desolate Dive to crash through the glass at the bottom of the pit. You’ll land in a pit full of Mistakes, so dispatch them, then Desolate Dive through the next glass fixture in the floor.

Wall jump back up the shaft, taking the first left. As you approach the Soul collector at the end of the row, the damaged ground will rumble beneath you. Stand above it, then use Desolate Dive to break the ground.

You’ll land in another area filled with Mistakes, so clear them out and climb the platforms on the right. Dash and wall jump to reach the ledge, then hit the lever and wall jump up the walls to the right until you reach the exit at the top of the shaft. Head through it and continue through the area towards the right.

Pass under the body of Soul Master, past another Soul collector, and into the next area on the right. Climb to the top of the area, then Desolate Dive through the glass and head right.

Desolate Dive through the next glass fixture you see and you’ll arrive in the area where you fought the Soul Warrior miniboss earlier. Take the elevator to the left. Once you step off, head to the right and take the next elevator down to the bottom. Head right, drop off the ledge, and take the exit at the bottom of the screen.

Head left through the area where you fought the first Soul Twister and into the next area. Head to the far left, hop up the shaft and into the next area, then rest at the Bench. Head back down to the previous area and take the elevator down to the bottom, then head down and take the exit in the bottom of the right side of the screen.

On the next screen, hop down the right side of the shaft and drop all the way down, then drop down the elevator shaft on your left. Once you reach the bottom, head left and drop through the exit in the floor. Now that you are outside the shop of Relic Seeker Lemm, sell any relics you have, then take the elevator down to the ground floor.

Step right and you’ll find a mechanism which requires a Simple Key to open. With the Simple Key we found on our way to Soul Master, and the Lumafly Lantern from Sly’s shop in Dirtmouth (1800 Geo), we are prepared to descend into The Royal Waterways.

Once you drop into The Royal Waterways, head left and drop down, then take the left exit. In the next area, drop down the bottom of the shaft, then use Desolate Dive to break through the ground and find the first area Bench.

Slash the wooden barrier to the right to unlock a shortcut, then hop back up to the previous area and head left. Continue left, following the elevated platforms until you reach a ledge on the left, where you’ll see one of Cornifer’s signature pieces of paper. Keep going left and take the exit into the next area, then drop down and continue left.

At this point you’ll encounter a number of gaps in the floor along with a swarm of inflating Hwurmps, so be careful to stay on the platforms and continue left until you reach the exit on the left side. Head through and you’ll enter a gated arena with a swarm of Hwurmps.

Clear the room of them and the gate on the left will open. Head through it and hit the lever to unlock a shortcut between the Royal Waterways and the Fungal Wastes, then hop up another level where you’ll find Cornifer. Buy the area map for 75 Geo and continue to the right and you’ll fall through the weak floor.

Head back to the Bench, then head right and stick to the top path until you reach far right side. Wall-jump up and take the exit in the top right corner of the area. At this point you’ll begin hearing the laughter of one of Hollow Knight’s silliest bosses, so continue along the path and you’ll soon encounter the best named boss in the game; the Dung Defender.