How to Defeat the Oblobbles

Team Cherry’s Metroidvania action-adventure game, Hollow Knight, follows the journey of a nameless warrior called the Knight as he travels through Hallownest, which is now a kingdom ruined by a supernatural disease. As the Knight journeys through Hallownest, they encounter different enemies and bosses. One of these bosses is the Oblobbles.

The Oblobbles are a dual boss, meaning that the Knight will have to fight two in the game that can be found and fought as part of the Trial of the Conqueror in the Colosseum of Fools.

The Oblobbles, like a lot of the enemies in Hallownest, is part of the Infected and were trained to fight against those who wish to fight on the Colosseum. The Oblobbles look just like Obbles but significantly larger. Another difference is that Oblobbles have a faster movement speed and can fire more projectiles. Defeating one Oblobble will make the other Oblobble angry, making it have a more rapid movement and attack speed than the first one.

In this guide, you will learn how to defeat the Oblobbles!

Location

As mentioned above, the Knight can find and fight the Oblobbles in the Trial of the Conqueror in the Colosseum of Fools which is in the topmost part of Kingdom’s Edge.

In Kingdom’s Edge, the Knight will encounter different kinds of enemies. However, the Knight will encounter these specific enemies on the way to the Colosseum of Fools: a Husk Hornhead, a Husk Dandy, a Gluttonous Husk, Vengeflies, Belflies, Booflies, and Primal Aspids.

Before the Knight can head to the Colosseum of Fools, it is required that the Knight has the Mantis Claw ability, which allows the Knight to cling to walls and jump off them. The Knight must also purchase the Lumafly Lantern from Sly in Dirtmouth to light up very dark rooms.

To make the journey to Nailmaster Oro easier, it is recommended that the Knight has the Mothwing Cloak ability, allowing the Knight to perform a horizontal dash forwards, the Monarch Wings ability, which enables the Knight to perform a secondary jump in mid-air, and, especially, the Isma’s Tear ability, allowing the Knight to swim in pools of acid without taking any damage.

With this item and these abilities, reaching the Kingdom’s Edge area and finding Nailmaster Oro will be no challenge. Although it is possible to reach the Colosseum of Fools without Isma’s Tear ability, the journey will be significantly shorter than without Isma’s Tear ability.

To reach the Colosseum of Fools, this is what the Knight must do this:

1. Starting from the Bench in the King’s Station Stagway Station, take the exit to the left; the Knight will be in a room where they will encounter a Husk Hornead, a Husk Dandy, and a Gluttonous Husk, drop to the bottom and take the exit on the right which will have another Stagway sign.
2. Upon entering, the Knight will see a broken Bench in half, a flooded Stagway Station, and two Vengeflies. Kill both Vengeflies and drop down on the water.
3. Next, keep swimming to the right, where the Knight will go through a hidden passageway.
4. Upon entering, you will immediately encounter a dive-bombing Belfly, so dodge or hide below an elevated platform to avoid being damaged.
5. Then, jump up the platform, head to the right, where the Knight will encounter two separate Belflies, and take the exit at the end of the path.
6. Upon entering, the Knight will be on the central cliff of Kingdom’s Edge! If the Knight has not learned Isma’s Tear ability, then the Knight would have to take the exit on the bottom right of the room, take the next exit that leads upwards, and then continue heading upwards. If the Knight did learn the Isma’s Tear ability. Head to the right from the entrance to the central cliff of Kingdom’s Edge, where the Knight will encounter a Boofly; jump towards the small platforms, and follow it upwards until you see the next ledge and exit on the right. 
7. Next, continue to the right, drop down the pool of acid (thanks to the Isma’s Tear ability), swim to the right below the narrow opening, jump up towards the small platform, head upwards of the room with the help of the ledges and the platforms where the Knight will encounter a Primal Aspid, a Boofly, another Primal Aspid, another Boofly, and another Primal Aspid, then take the next exit on the left.
8. Then, the Knight will be back on the central cliff but will be higher than before. Head to the left, where the Knight will encounter a Hopper and a Boofly; follow the small platforms upwards, where the Knight will encounter a Belfly, a Primal Aspid, another Hopper, a Boofly, another Hopper, another Primal Aspid, another Hopper, another Boofly, and another Primal Aspid, then take the exit on the top left of the room.
9. After that, head to the left and continue until the end of the path, where the Knight will encounter three Hoppers; head up the shaft at the end of the path with the help of the Mantis Claw ability; and at the top, the Knight will encounter a Belfly, head to the left where the Knight will encounter another Belfly and three more Hoppers, jump up the small platform, jump up the platform on the top left, then take the exit that leads upwards.
10. Next, head to the path on the right, where the Knight will encounter four separate Belflies, then takes the entrance at the end of the path on the right.
11. Finally, the Knight will be in the Colosseum of Fools!

Upon reaching the Colosseum of Fools, talk to Little Fool, who is chained above the ground upon entering, and he will introduce the Trials to the Knight. Pay him a couple of Geo to start the first Trial (Trial of the Warrior) and inspect the board just right behind him to start the Trial and enter the arena on the right.

As stated above, the Knight will be able to fight the Oblobbles in the Trial of the Conqueror, which is the second Trial in the Colosseum of Fools, so the Knight would have to beat the first Trial, the Trial of the Warrior, the first before the Knight can take on the Trial of the Conqueror.

Once the Knight is able to take on the Trial of the Conqueror, the Knight will have to pay 450 Geo to Little Fool to go through the following enemies before fighting the Oblobbles: Heavy Fools, Winged Fools, Armoured Squits, Primal Aspids, Volatile Gruzzers, Belflies, Hoppers, Great Hoppers, a Grub Mimic, Shielded Fools, and Battle Obbles.

Moves

In battle, the Obobbles will perform the following moves:

The Oblobbles will spit four large projectiles in six patterns in all directions. Each set of four projectiles is spaced 90 degrees apart, and the following set of projectiles is shot roughly 30 to 45 degrees from the last set of projectiles.

The Oblobbles will move around the arena diagonally and will bounce off walls. Hitting from behind, however, will cause it to turn around and continue in that direction. As with every enemy in the game, the Obobbles also deal contact damage.

After killing one of the Oblobbles, the other one will regain some health and go into a rage which will then make its movement and the speed of its Acid Cannonade faster, both the rate at which it shoots and the projectiles themselves. During the Frenzy, the Acid Cannonade will now shoot four projectiles in eight patterns instead of six. The Obobble will be in a Frenzy up until the Knight defeats it.

Strategy

Nail Arts, like the Dash Slash Nail Art and the Great Slash Nail Art, and Spells, like the Vengeful Spirit spell, the Shade Soul spell (the upgrade to the Vengeful Spirit spell), the Howling Wraiths spell, and Abyss Shriek spell (the upgrade to the Howling Wraiths spell) are also effective in dealing huge damage to the Oblobbles especially when the remaining Oblobble is in a Frenzy. There are very few openings between its Acid Cannonade. Even just two to four casts of the Abyss Shriek spell is enough to defeat a single Oblobble but, obviously, it would require the Knight to have a lot of Souls to kill an Oblobble with only the Abyss Shriek Spell.

It is worth noting that once one of the Oblobbles is defeated, the other one will regain 100 health once it goes into Frenzy. So, it would be better to distribute damage across Oblobbles in order for the last Oblobble, the one that will go into a Frenzy once the other is defeated, to have as little health as possible. The Shape of Unn Charm can be useful to evade the Acid Cannonade projectiles and give openings to heal, especially with Quick Focus also equipped.

Charms are also very beneficial in fighting the Oblobbles: the Quick Focus Charm can be great to have as it can help the Knight heal faster, and the Mark of Pride and Longnail Charm can help by increasing the length of the Knight’s Nail.

The Shaman Stone Charm can help by increasing the size and damage of Spells, and the Soul Catcher and Soul Eater Charm can help by increasing the amount of Soul that the Knight will gain when hitting enemies.

The Kingsoul Charm can help by regenerating Soul every two seconds, the Grubsong Charm can help by gaining Soul every time the Knight takes damage, the Spell Twister Charm can help by reducing the amount of Soul needed to cast Spells, the Stalwart Shell Charm can help by increasing the invincibility time and decreasing the recoil every time the Knight takes damage, and the Fragile Strength Charm or the Unbreakable Strength Charm which can help by increasing the damage output of the Knight’s Nail by 50%.

After defeating the Oblobbles, the Knight has now completed the Trial of the Conqueror and will be rewarded with 2000 to 2020 Geo, Pale Ore, and the Conqueror achievement (or if this is not the first time you emerged as the victor in the Trial of the Conqueror, only the 2000 to 2020 Geo will be rewarded).

It is important that you do not get greedy in attacking the Oblobbles, as this will result in the Knight taking damage, especially when the last Oblobble is in a Frenzy. Learn when to attack, when not to attack, and when to dodge, and you will defeat the Oblobbles in no time.