You probably ended up here by accident. Most people do. You wake up on that cold, blue stone in King’s Pass, drop down into Dirtmouth, and immediately start looking at the well. It’s the natural pull of the game. But if you turn left and start climbing, you hit the Howling Cliffs, a place that feels like the edge of the world because, well, it basically is. It’s desolate. It’s windy. The sound design is legitimately lonely.
A lot of players treat it like a quick pitstop to grab a map or find Cornifer and then never come back. That’s a mistake.
The Howling Cliffs isn't just a transition zone; it is the graveyard of the kingdom’s ambitions and the literal birthplace of the game’s most theatrical DLC. If you haven't been back since your first hour of gameplay, you're missing the narrative backbone of Hallownest. It’s quiet, sure, but the silence tells a story.
Finding Your Way Into the Howling Cliffs
Getting there isn't actually that hard, though the game sort of hides it in plain sight. You can reach it from King’s Pass by heading up and to the left, but most players actually discover it through the Greenpath connection. There’s a specific wall you have to scale near where you find the Hunter. It feels out of the way. It feels like you’re breaking the intended path, which is exactly why it works.
Cornifer is tucked away here, as usual. If you miss him, his wife Iselda will sell you the map back in Dirtmouth, but finding him in the wild is always better. He’s hummed his way into the corner of the cliffs, seemingly unfazed by the terrifying gusts of wind that threaten to blow a small bug right off the map.
The verticality here is the main challenge. You’re doing a lot of wall jumping. You’re dodging Baldurs. It isn't the hardest platforming in the game—not by a long shot—but it feels precarious. One wrong move and you’re falling a long way down, usually landing right back where you started.
The Grimm Troupe and the Nightmare Lantern
This is the big one. If you’re looking for the meat of the content in the Howling Cliffs, you have to find the hidden room. There’s a breakable wall. Behind it? A long, dark corridor filled with large, bug-like husks. If you follow it to the end, you’ll find the corpse of a large creature.
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Hit it with the Dream Nail.
Suddenly, the vibe changes. You light the Nightmare Lantern, and the music shifts into something sinister and circus-like. This is how you summon the Grimm Troupe to Dirtmouth. Without visiting this specific corner of the Howling Cliffs, you miss out on two of the best boss fights in the entire genre: Troupe Master Grimm and the absolute nightmare that is Nightmare King Grimm.
It’s weirdly poetic. The most flamboyant, loud, and aggressive characters in the game are summoned from the quietest, most forgotten corner of the map. It’s a contrast Team Cherry nailed. You go from the howling, empty wind to a scarlet circus of fire and dance.
Honestly, the first time I found this, I didn't even realize it was DLC. It felt so baked into the lore of the cliffs. The idea that Hallownest’s borders are porous—that things can be "called" from the outside—is terrifying.
Meeting Mato and the Art of the Cyclone Slash
Deep in the cliffs, you’ll find a hut. This is the home of Nailmaster Mato. He’s one of the few NPCs who actually seems happy to see you. Unlike his brothers, Mato is strangely sentimental. He calls you his pupil. He wants to teach you.
He teaches the Cyclone Slash.
Is it the best Nail Art? Debatable. Great Slash usually gets more love for its raw burst damage, but the Cyclone Slash is a beast for area control. If you’re surrounded by small, annoying enemies (looking at you, Primal Aspids), spinning like a whirlwind is incredibly satisfying.
But the real value here is the lore. Mato’s relationship with Oro is strained, to say the least. There’s a palpable sense of regret in his dialogue. He’s waiting for a brother who might never come. Standing in his hut, listening to the wind outside, you realize these Nailmasters are just as lonely as the rest of the kingdom. They’ve retired to the edges of the world to wait for an end that’s already happened.
The Mystery of Joni’s Repose
If you keep exploring the eastern side of the cliffs, you’ll find a sub-area called Joni’s Repose. It’s blue. Everything is covered in Lifeblood cocoons. In the center lies the corpse of "Blue Child" Joni, a figure who was clearly obsessed with the "heretical" Lifeblood substance.
You pick up Joni’s Blessing here.
This charm is polarizing. It converts all your masks into Lifeblood masks. You can’t heal. You just get a massive health pool at the start and hope for the best. For some bosses, it’s a godsend. For exploration? It’s a death sentence.
The atmosphere in this room is heavy. It’s one of the most beautiful spots in the game, but it’s also a tomb. It raises so many questions about what Lifeblood actually is. Why was it banned? Why did Joni choose to die here, surrounded by it? The game never gives you a straight answer, and honestly, the mystery makes the Howling Cliffs feel much larger than its physical footprint on the map.
Lore Implications: Where Hallownest Ends
The most significant part of the Howling Cliffs isn't a boss or a charm. It’s the King’s Idol you find at the very edge, looking out over the Wasteland.
Beyond this point, bugs lose their mind.
The lore of Hollow Knight establishes that the Pale King gave bugs "mind"—intelligence, memory, and personality. But that influence has a range. The Howling Cliffs represent the literal boundary of the King’s power. If a bug wanders too far into the winds of the howling wasteland beyond, they revert to their feral, mindless state. They forget who they are.
This is why the cliffs feel so eerie. You aren't just at the edge of a map; you’re at the edge of consciousness. When you stand at that final cliffside and look at the scrolling background of gray clouds and dust, you’re looking at the death of the ego.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Visit
Don't just rush through. If you want to actually "complete" this zone and get the most out of it, here is what you should actually do:
- Bring the Dream Nail immediately. You can't start the Grimm Troupe without it, and there are several ghosts in the area (like Joni) who have unique dialogue that adds layers to the tragic history of the cliffs.
- Look for the breakable floor. Near the top, there's a spot that leads down to a chest guarded by a few Elder Baldurs. It’s easy to miss if you’re just holding the "up" direction.
- Equip Dashmaster. The horizontal space in the cliffs is deceptively large. Having the extra speed makes the trek to Mato’s hut feel way less tedious.
- Check the stag station. You can’t actually reach the Howling Cliffs via Stag at first, but once you unlock the hidden path near the top, you can drop down into the top of the Stag Nest. It’s a great shortcut for later in the game.
- Farm the Lifeblood. If you’re struggling with a boss elsewhere, come to Joni’s Repose. It’s the highest concentration of Lifeblood in the game. Fill up, then use a Stag Station to get to your boss fight with a massive health buffer.
The Howling Cliffs are easy to dismiss because they don't have the lush greenery of the Queen's Gardens or the industrial grit of the City of Tears. But for those who care about the "why" of Hallownest, it’s essential. It’s where the kingdom stops being a kingdom and starts being a graveyard. Go back, talk to Mato, light the lantern, and stand at the edge of the world for a minute. It's worth the climb.