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After unlocking Act 3, you probably will think that you are approaching the end of what Hollow Knight: Silksong has to offer, but it takes only a few hours for you to realize that you are quite wrong, and there are still many secrets and side quests to overcome.
One of them is called “Pain, Anguish and Misery,” and it surprisingly brings you face to face with a boss that you have already encountered in the past. However, it is a “tormented” version of this boss, making him even more powerful and aggressive.
Facing him is entirely optional (as most boss fights are), but ignoring this side quest means giving up on one of the most fun and memorable battles in the entire game – I mean, he even presents a One Piece reference and rewards with an awesome Tool.
So, to make sure you do not miss out on this task, we have the perfect guide that shows you what you need to trigger this quest, alongside the best way to prepare yourself and the most secure strategy to defeat him. I promise that “pain, anguish and misery” will have no place in your mission while following these steps.
How to Start the Pain, Anguish and Misery Quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong
First, to make the quest pop up in your game, there are two requirements: you must have unlocked Act 3 of the main story and completed the major quest “Return to Pharloom” (where you visit The Abyss for the first time).
In order to get to Act 3, there are a few specific steps, such as finding all Lost Fleas and completing the “Silk and Soul” quest. After that, simply follow the main story – it will eventually lead you to the Forge Daughter in the Deep Docks – until you reach The Abyss, where you will unlock the Silk Soar ability (a “super jump”).
After that, when you are already stepping slightly deeper into Act 3 territory, head to Songclave, the small village located in the eastern part of the Choral Chambers region. Then, interact with the Wish Board to activate “Pain, Anguish and Misery”.
If you read its description, you will get a hint that Trobbio is preparing another show for us, so it is time for us to revisit his stage. It is located on the Citadel’s Stage in the Whispering Vaults (right above a Bench with a Bellway and a Ventrica).
Best Preparation For the Tormented Trobbio Boss Fight
Trobbio is a true showman, so you can expect an even bigger show compared to his boss fight in Act 2, which means that he presents the same moveset, but with increased agility and quantity.
Up to this point, you probably have unlocked most of the passive abilities, such as the previously mentioned Silk Soar. But some other ones that I consider a must-have are the Swift Step (the “dash”, which is unlocked in the Deep Docks), the Faydown Cloak (the double jump, unlocked in Mount Fay), and the Drifter’s Cloak (the glide, unlocked in Far Fields). They are pretty useful for avoiding Trobbio’s attacks.
To start with your build, the Reaper Crest is always great in boss fights since it allows you to have two Tools of each color – that is, two Red Tools, two Yellow Tools, and two Blue Tools –, which powers up Hornet really well.
In terms of Tools, we want a nice combination to allow you to protect yourself while dealing damage at the same time, so go with the Tacks (obtained from the “Roach Guts” quest), the Cogfly (can be crafted in a workbench in the High Halls), and the Pollip Pouch (obtained from the “Rite of the Pollip” quest). This way, you can constantly attack and poison the boss from the very beginning of the battle.
For the two remaining slots, we need to give Hornet a more resistant skin, and there is a good duo for that: the Magnetite Dice (obtained from Lumble the Lucky in Blasted Steps by winning the Dice mini-game or waiting for her to die) and the Fractured Mask (obtained from the Mottled Skarr merchant in the Hunter’s March).
This combination basically grants you an extra health mask – relieving that pressure we can feel when our health bar is low in the middle of a fight – and also adds a 10.1% chance of instantly blocking an attack.
How To Beat Tormented Trobbio in Hollow Knight: Silksong
As soon as the fight starts, run into Tormented Trobbio’s direction and hit him – you will deal extra damage for doing that. Then, position yourself at the center of the arena to wait for his next attack.
Basically, he presents five different attacks, and they can all get a little chaotic if you do not pay attention to the direction they are pointing at. But first, let’s break down each of Trobbio’s attacks.
First Attack: He can jump and then throw three poisonous balls (or even more in sequence) into the arena, and each ball will trigger damaging smoke. For this, you can hit the balls (before the smoke is triggered) to make them go away from you, or simply dash out of their way.
Second Attack: He can simply throw three poisonous balls (or even more in sequence) without even showing up on the stage. Again, hit the balls to get them away from your position, or simply dash and jump away from them!
Third Attack: He can turn himself into a tornado in your direction on the ground (and trigger two more tornadoes to each side of the arena). This is the attack that you can counterattack him the most! When he comes at you, simply jump on his head and start attacking him – and keep doing that until he summons two more tornadoes on the sides of the arena.
Fourth Attack: He can trigger multiple fireworks in a circle format in the air, damaging the whole indicated area. This one is quite easy to avoid, simply dash, double jump, or glide to avoid staying inside any of the shiny circles – forget about trying to counterattack and only worry about protecting yourself.
Fifth Attack: He can trigger some shiny spotlights that turn into fireworks. This one is similar to the fourth attack, but it is quicker and in diagonal directions. Simply dash away from Trobbio and, again, worry only about protecting yourself.
No matter what kind of attack he is doing, he is always going to hide on the floor, right under the stage. So you can “predict” where he is going to appear next by following the jumping tiles. This is the key to counterattacking him constantly throughout the battle – whenever you see he is moving, follow him closely to deal at least one strike every time he jumps off the floor. But, as soon as he is out, dash away to keep a safe distance.
Like we previously warned you, Trobbio is a showman, so we are giving him what he wants and letting him conduct this show, while you get used to his movements. The idea is to follow his steps while under the floor, then let him put out his show and watch for any opening he leaves.
This is very important because the further you progress in the fight, the faster his attacks become. He can also double his poisonous balls, so you are going to want to hit them as soon as they appear to leave a safe space in the arena for you.
When this happens, you can activate your Cogflies and Tacks to speed things up until he is finally defeated.
Rewards For Completing the Pain, Anguish and Misery Quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong
After defeating the Tormented Trobbio (please, enjoy how he leaves the stage after he is defeated, since it is amazing), you will get an immediate reward: the Dark Mirror.
However, this is a Blue Tool that is special, since it automatically fuses with the Claw Mirror (obtained from the first fight against Trobbio in Act 2), resulting in the Claw Mirrors – a hybrid Blue Tool! It is a kind of “twin device” that unleashes a searing blast, damaging foes during binding. Check your Tools’ menu to equip it. Pretty cool, right?
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Author: 360 Technology Group
