Challenge run ideas (or randomizer/mod recommendations)?

[roymaster45]

I first played Hollow Knight on Switch, and I've completed pretty much all of the endgame and DLC content I have the energy/patience for (apart from maybe beating NKG).

I'm streaming a no-nail-upgrade run with some friends, and I'm probably going to try Steel Soul at some point down the line, but I was curious... does anybody have any other ideas for challenge runs? Or randomizers and mods you would recommend? (Not going to attempt a hitless run of the game. I'm good, but I'm not that good xD)

[kanna]

I don't have any mods (yet), but I like watching folks do randomizer runs. Enemy randomizer is especially funny, but it can be buggy when bosses that are designed for specific rooms show up in places they're not supposed to normally. Maybe someone with experience doing it can explain if it's not as likely to break the game without the bosses being randomized (which I thought I heard was an option).

There was Discussion thread here (in the last few months I think) about doing pantheons with no nail or spell damage -- only charm-related damage. If you have the patience for that (I sure don't), you could try it. Might be fun to do with your friends commenting on a live stream.

If you haven't done True Ending on Steel Soul but you've done everything else, you might find it's a lot easier than you think. And you can let your friends make up arbitrary house rules for flavour, like no killing jellyfish in Fog Canyon, or The Floor Is Lava in certain boss fights, or whatever.

I'll post more suggestions if I think of them.

[roymaster45]

引用自 kanna：

There was Discussion thread here (in the last few months I think) about doing pantheons with no nail or spell damage -- only charm-related damage. If you have the patience for that (I sure don't), you could try it. Might be fun to do with your friends commenting on a live stream.

Huh, that could be interesting. So basically just Thorns of Agony and the "companion" charms?

...I might be able to do that for the first Pantheon or two. For P3 onward, I think that's just asking for trouble. (Particularly since I'm not sure whether the companion charms can hit the jellyfish in the Uumuu fight.)

[kanna]

You'd probably want Defender's Crest and Glowing Womb combo for Uumuu. You can also use Sharp Shadow and Spore Shroom.

Here, I'll find the link and edit this post in a sec...

EDIT: Got it!

https://steamcommunity.com/app/367520/discussions/0/3106890248086251608/

[kanna]

Oh wait, I just realized what you meant about Uumuu. You're afraid that they'll hit the Oomas and get you killed. xD

Good point. Maybe in that case you'd want to use Thorns (risky but could work), Sharp Shadow, Dream Shield (but be careful), Spore Shroom, and Defender's Crest without the minion charms. (You could gamble with Weaversong since the Weaverlings don't go very far, but I probably wouldn't.)

[Darc Vader]

Man, the Colosseum is hard enough like that, I don’t want to imagine what the harder Pantheons would be like with only charm damage.

[roymaster45]

引用自 kanna：

Oh wait, I just realized what you meant about Uumuu. You're afraid that they'll hit the Oomas and get you killed. xD

Good point. Maybe in that case you'd want to use Thorns (risky but could work), Sharp Shadow, Dream Shield (but be careful), Spore Shroom, and Defender's Crest without the minion charms. (You could gamble with Weaversong since the Weaverlings don't go very far, but I probably wouldn't.)

Well, I'm mainly just wondering how to knock the Oomas into Uumuu without taking excessive amounts of damage myself xD

Anyways, I suspect I won't bother with P3 on that challenge anyways - Great Nailsage Sly is hard enough for me without additional restrictions.

[Noborus]

There are some mods that change things up, one i like is the Bindings mod, it restricts you with patheon bindings for the entire game, i like the randomizer mod as well, it gives you somewhat new content. Also i'm pretty sure the enemy rando is broken.

[Perseus]

Iv'e done/am doing some varied challenge runs myself :

Doing as much as possible without the mantis claw.(I consider the endpoint to be hiveblood.)(warning : softlocks exist.)

Somewhat blindfolded : I use a savefile that i only play blindfolded (i never look at it, not even in the menu), and another that i use to "scout ahead".
Optional : I never quit without being at a bench or other checkpoint.
(I haven't finished it yet : I got to City of Tears, opened the way to crystal peak, got 3 charms and 4 mask shards but that's it.)

[kanna]

引用自 Darc Vader：

Man, the Colosseum is hard enough like that, I don’t want to imagine what the harder Pantheons would be like with only charm damage.

If I had the patience to try (which I don't, for video games anyway), I estimate I'd probably only get through the first two pantheons. They're no big deal for me normally, and I'm sure I could eventually figure out a way with individual bindings, but "attackless" marathon fights with the Collector, or GPZ if I use my original save file, would do me in.

But there are people who have apparently done this challenge through P5 (see below):

引用自 roymaster45：

Well, I'm mainly just wondering how to knock the Oomas into Uumuu without taking excessive amounts of damage myself xD

Anyways, I suspect I won't bother with P3 on that challenge anyways - Great Nailsage Sly is hard enough for me without additional restrictions.

You probably just need a little more practice with Sly then, or to crib some strategies from a video. He's actually really easy once you're used to manipulating his AI. In this challenge, he'd probably be even easier (if you have the patience for the fight to take longer), because you don't have to deal so much with the risks of getting near enough to attack.

In the thread I linked, Whiskra posted this P5 completion video (Uumuu is at 31:01):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS4fQLWTZNM&t=3923s

引用自 Coco：

There are some mods that change things up, one i like is the Bindings mod, it restricts you with patheon bindings for the entire game, i like the randomizer mod as well, it gives you somewhat new content. Also i'm pretty sure the enemy rando is broken.

Damn. I wanted to try it eventually myself. ☹

[Noborus]

引用自 perseus：

Iv'e done/am doing some varied challenge runs myself :

Doing as much as possible without the mantis claw.(I consider the endpoint to be hiveblood.)(warning : softlocks exist.)

Somewhat blindfolded : I use a savefile that i only play blindfolded (i never look at it, not even in the menu), and another that i use to "scout ahead".
Optional : I never quit without being at a bench or other checkpoint.
(I haven't finished it yet : I got to City of Tears, opened the way to crystal peak, got 3 charms and 4 mask shards but that's it.)

Those sound like fun idea's, low% is a good idea too, you don't have to actually speedrun it but it has a unique route. Only quitting at benches sounds fun too, that way you'll have to literally traverse the entire map.

[kanna]

引用自 perseus：

Iv'e done/am doing some varied challenge runs myself :

Doing as much as possible without the mantis claw.(I consider the endpoint to be hiveblood.)(warning : softlocks exist.)

I remember you mentioning this. Sounds interesting. I'll probably try it myself eventually.

Somewhat blindfolded : I use a savefile that i only play blindfolded (i never look at it, not even in the menu), and another that i use to "scout ahead".
Optional : I never quit without being at a bench or other checkpoint.
(I haven't finished it yet : I got to City of Tears, opened the way to crystal peak, got 3 charms and 4 mask shards but that's it.)

I probably wouldn't even be able to look at the room and then close my eyes and go through it right after, so that sounds incredibly hard to me.

引用自 Coco：

Those sound like fun idea's, low% is a good idea too, you don't have to actually speedrun it but it has a unique route. Only quitting at benches sounds fun too, that way you'll have to literally traverse the entire map.

Interesting challenge for those who are used to being able to quit out of risky situations.

Also, I like the idea of trying low%, but not doing it as a speedrun. That could be doable as well, but iirc there are a lot of dark rooms in that route.

[Perseus]

I also have ideas for pantheon challenges :
-No up/down : Unbind up and down. Not being able to attack upwards or downwards can be quite challenging against some bosses.
-No focusing/hiveblood.(you can use benches/hot springs)
-Steady body : If you aren't used to steady body, equipping it can be challenging.
-Left/right reversal : Bind the controls accordingly.

引用自 kanna：

引用自 perseus：

Doing as much as possible without the mantis claw.(I consider the endpoint to be hiveblood.)(warning : softlocks exist.)

I remember you mentioning this. Sounds interesting. I'll probably try it myself eventually.

One of my favorite parts was in the path to Sly's key : There's a spike "maze" that leads to a grub, and you have to go through it in order to reach the top of the room. That spike "maze" felt great to do walljumpless.

引用自 kanna：

引用自 perseus：

Somewhat blindfolded : I use a savefile that i only play blindfolded (i never look at it, not even in the menu), and another that i use to "scout ahead".
Optional : I never quit without being at a bench or other checkpoint.
(I haven't finished it yet : I got to City of Tears, opened the way to crystal peak, got 3 charms and 4 mask shards but that's it.)

I probably wouldn't even be able to look at the room and then close my eyes and go through it right after, so that sounds incredibly hard to me.

The hardest part for me so far was the path from crossroads to greenpath's first bench.
Bosses are also more challenging.

[abyss]

do it without wayward compass

[roymaster45]

引用自 Dallasneedsamedicbag：

do it without wayward compass

Good suggestion, but I've played through the game twice already and am pretty familiar with the map, so I feel like that wouldn't be too much of a challenge.

Now, doing it without getting any maps from Cornifer? That'll be a real kick in the nuts. (Somebody on YouTube did a video about beating the game while talking to as few NPCs as possible, which is impressive but also... WHY?!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avBWVGSXtKo&t=312s

[Perseus]

引用自 roymaster45：

(Somebody on YouTube did a video about beating the game while talking to as few NPCs as possible, which is impressive but also... WHY?!)

What exactly do you mean by "WHY?!"? (Also : that being impressive is a matter of perspective.)