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How to enter Royal Waterways
The standard entrance is a hatch in the room next to Fountain Square in the City of Tears. Use a Simple Key to open it and drop into the pipes. The area also connects to Fungal Wastes, Ancient Basin, Kingdom’s Edge, and Godhome.
Alternate approach from Kingdom’s Edge
If you have the Tram access and Crystal Heart, take the Tram to Kingdom’s Edge and use Crystal Heart in the passage northwest of the Hive. This route brings you near Isma’s Grove rather than to the usual entrance. The area’s routes and connections are described in the Hollow Knight Wiki’s Royal Waterways entry.
How the area is laid out
A broken lift shaft divides Royal Waterways into broad western and eastern sections. The west is home to Tuk, Fluke Hermit, Junk Pit, and the listed boss encounters. The east is more overgrown, with acid pools, a shortcut back to the City of Tears, and Isma’s Grove.
#1 Best Overall
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Explore a vast interconnected world of forgotten highways, overgrown wilds and ruined cities.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!.Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favourites and make your journey unique!.An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation..
The pipes were built to carry the capital’s waste; in-game lore summarized by the community wiki says the city’s constant rain later flushed them. Flukes established a colony in the depths after Hallownest’s ruin. Cornifer’s reaction to the tunnels captures their contrast with the surrounding caves: “Aren’t these waterways thrilling? A labyrinth of pipes and tunnels… I couldn’t have asked for a better place to employ my talents. It’s all so orderly, so considered, nothing like the crude irregularity of those caverns…”
Isma’s Grove and Isma’s Tear
Isma’s Grove is a hidden garden in the eastern waterways. The usual path requires defeating Dung Defender, then using Crystal Heart through a spike tunnel at the east end. A tunnel from Kingdom’s Edge provides another approach near the Grove.
Rank #2
![Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nXCF+sf5L._SL160_.jpg)
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!
- Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favorites and make your journey unique!
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
Find Isma’s Tear in the Grove. It lets the Knight swim through acid, opening routes blocked by the pools throughout Hallownest. A Grub is also located in the Grove. The Defender’s tablet marks the way with the requirement: “Only those who prove their honour in combat may enter the grove beyond.”
Bosses, rewards, and collectibles
The area’s listed bosses are Dung Defender, White Defender, and Flukemarm. Dung Defender is also a progression gate for two notable rewards: his defeat grants Defender’s Crest, and it permits access to a floor beneath the giant valve, where Desolate Dive reveals a King’s Idol.
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Rank #3
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- Discover the fallen insect kingdom of Pharloom! Explore mossy grottos, gilded cities and misted moors as you ascend to the shining citadel at the top of the world.
- Engage in lethal acrobatic action! Wield a huge suite of deadly moves as you dance between foes in swift, beautiful combat.
- Craft powerful tools! Master an ever-expanding arsenal of weapons, traps, and mechanisms to vanquish your enemies and explore new heights.
- Solve shocking quests! Hunt down rare beasts and solve ancient mysteries to grant the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom’s hope.
- Face over 200 ferocious foes! Beasts and hunters, monsters and knights. Defeat them all with bravery and skill!
| Reward or collectible | Where or how |
|---|---|
| Defender’s Crest | Reward for defeating Dung Defender. |
| Flukenest | Reward for defeating Flukemarm. |
| Isma’s Tear | Found in Isma’s Grove; enables swimming through acid. |
| King’s Idol | Behind a floor beneath the giant valve; defeat Dung Defender and use Desolate Dive. |
| Mask Shard | One is listed in the area. |
| Grubs | Two are listed in the area, including one in Isma’s Grove. |
| Whispering Root | Near Ancient Basin; yields 35 Essence. |
| Wanderer’s Journal | In the room connecting to Ancient Basin. |
| Other finds | Ten Geo deposits, four Soul Totems, and four Rancid Eggs are listed. |
Junk Pit and the Godseeker
Junk Pit is a large cavern in the west, with Geo chests and debris. Its golden sarcophagus opens with a Simple Key and contains the Godseeker. Break through the top of the pit to reach the City of Tears near the Nailsmith’s forge.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Navigation tips
- Use the eastern route when your goal is Isma’s Grove or access through acid; the west contains Junk Pit and the main listed boss encounters.
- Look for the eastern section’s shortcut back to the City of Tears to avoid retracing the full route.
- Keep a Simple Key available if you want to open either the standard entrance hatch or the Godseeker’s sarcophagus.
Area locations, routes, item placements, and dialogue above are documented in the community-maintained Royal Waterways entry.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
- Leap into minds with the Dream Nail. Uncover a whole other side to the characters you meet and the enemies you face.
Rank #4
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
- Leap into minds with the Dream Nail. Uncover a whole other side to the characters you meet and the enemies you face.
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