Hollow Knight - Watcher Knight (No Upgrades/Old Nail Only)

Defeating the Watcher Knight boss using only the old nail and without meaningful upgrades. They seem to bounce around a little more in the Lifeblood beta than I remember, so I use the time honored strategy of dodging poorly and hoping that getting hit countless times works to my advantage. Somehow.
By no upgrades I mean using the old nail, no charms equipped, and no health or soul upgrades. Any non-combat upgrades obtained (i.e. the Mothwing Cloak or Crystal Heart) are needed to reach the boss or other bosses. Unlike the previous Watcher Knight video I uploaded, I did remember to not have Monarch Wings fighting them this time around.

[@mparker123]

I’m attempting to do this with just the old nail and vengeful spirit. It’s so hard-

[@mparker123]

I was able to finally do it by using Quick Focus and no other charms.

[@Tarburz]

nicely done.
working on a no upgrade run myself right now.
I still haven't beat these guys. hard as hell

[@CrankyTemplar]

Thanks! No upgrade run is quite challenging but fun to complete. Best of luck to your run!

[@Tarburz]

stuck on Flukemarm right now. so damn hard with the old nail

[@CrankyTemplar]

I know Flukemarm is generally seen as not really beatable with just the old nail due to the speed that adds spawn and needing 3 hits to kill one. It is definitely possible with magic though.

[@Tarburz]

yeah I'll probably come back once I have the abyss shriek

[@erikfrommeyer2606]

Ooooohhhhhh GOODIE. My favorite type of boss: one where you fight multiple bosses with different patterns at the same time 🙃

[@Luzbel809]

They all share the same patter, just it is executed in different ways each time, there are few times where the Watcher Knights are in sync, though.

[@gijinkagamer4928]

Just curious, since I’m doing a minimalist run myself, how long did it take to do this? Because this has taken me a while to do.

[@CrankyTemplar]

I don't remember the number of hours the first time I did it but surprisingly it didn't take as long as expected. It really depends how far you intend to go. If you're just killing the Hollow Knight then you really only worry about Watcher Knight. If you're going for Radiance then it'll take time to get used to Failed Champion or Lost Kin with the old nail. Good luck!

[@zakariazr8869]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@germanandres24]

Now do it without mantis claw.