Hunter's March
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The Hunter's March is an area in Hollow Knight: Silksong. A warm yet lush set of tunnels to the lowlands, the March is the territory of the Skarr, an aggressive warrior tribe of red ants, and acts as the border between the Marrow and upper Far Fields.
Description
Hunter's March consists mostly of natural tunnels, covered in foliage and crawling with small red ants. The area is often dark, lit only by silk fly lamps; while by itself benign, the darkness becomes dangerous when accompanied by the large number of traps placed around the March, which range from spikes and sickles to a breakable cage that traps Hornet temporarily. Besides traps, much of Hunter's March is covered by bright red thorns, which often necessitate needle bouncing on the equally red flowers; this red colour extends into the March's Skarr. Being the main territory of the Skarr, the red ant tribe is almost always the primary threat, often burrowing in and out of the March's ground to appear and strike quickly. Tiny non-hostile ants also scurry across the ground in this area, retrieving Skarr corpses after defeat as well as loose Shell Shards and Rosaries.
Hunter's March is composed of two sections, the first starting at an entrance from the Marrow and continuing onto a lengthy path through the March, with no rest points and numerous Skarr standing between Hornet and the tribe's valuables. The entrance is guarded by a massive Skarrgard, but beyond the bulky warrior is a pseudo-gauntlet consisting of platforming, fighting, and dodging traps. For most of this section, safety and rest are rarely given, requiring near-constant vigilance when travelling; this only becomes more apparent the further Hornet travels through this path.
At the end of this pseudo-gauntlet is a large, vertical section with blowing winds that require the Drifter's Cloak to properly scale. This leads to a set of rooms, including one with a large, finely-crafted statue of the tribe's leader, Skarrsinger Karmelita; a room with a trapped bench that can be made usable by deactivating the trap; a room of shell shards and a hidden path to the friendly Mottled Skarr; and a room with treasure guarded by a Spear Skarr and a Skarrgard. At the bottom is a path that leads to an exit to Deep Docks; this room is required to reach the Weaverspire that grants Hornet Swift Step.
History
- For Information about the history of the Skarr in general, see Skarr.
Hunter's March is the border for the territory of the Skarr tribe; a series of tunnels acting both as an entrance to their territory and travel for the Skarr's hunters and warriors, allowing them to move about the fields below and nearby the area.[1][2] It is heavily guarded and trapped, exclusively populated by the red-ants and acting as a deterrent to outsiders wishing to wander into their territory.
After Hornet arrives in Pharloom, she is forced to fight through a camp of Skarr on the outskirts of the March, in order to attain Swift Step. When she crosses the March from the Marrow, halfway through, she is ambushed by a large group of Skarr; if she is yet to exit the lowlands (through entering Greymoor, Bellhart, or Shellwood), Shakra will appear and assist her during the fight. If she does not help, Shakra will instead be in the tunnel leading to the Chapel of the Beast. During Acts 1 and 2, Gilly is found primarily in the March, observing and studying the Skarr and their territory for their inexplicable resistance to the Haunting.[3]
During Act 3, Hunter's March is heavily affected by the Void; multiple Void Masses of Skarr bodies form, and the Skarr are vulnerable to Black-Threading. The entrances from Deep Docks becomes blocked off, once again requiring Hornet to fight through the now Void-afflicted March in order to unblock it. During the SEEK: The Old Hearts Objective, Hornet is required to cross through Hunter's March to reach the statue of Skarrsinger Karmelita, using Silk Soar to access the secret entrance into the rest of the Skarr's territory in upper Far Fields.
How to Access
Hunter's March has two entrances; one from the Marrow, and one from Deep Docks. When entering from the Deep Docks entrance, Hornet is limited to the single room by a locked door, which can only be opened from the other side. The rest of Hunter's March can only be accessed through the Marrow entrance below the path up to Bellhart, guarded by a Skarrgard.
In Act 3, the Deep Docks entrance is once again blocked off from the rest of the area, this time by rubble that can only be cleared from the other side. Hornet needs to go through the Marrow entrance once more.
Area Features
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Memory Locket x 1
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Flea x 1
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Rosary Necklace x 1
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| Arena | Location |
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| Enemy gauntlet at the entrance to Hunter's March. Hornet is not locked into the arena. | |
| Reward | Theme |
| Waves | |
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| Arena | Location |
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| Enemy gauntlet in the centre of Hunter's March. Shakra can assist in this challenge if Hornet has not visited Greymoor, Bellhart, or Shellwood. | |
| Reward | Theme |
| Waves | |
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Shakra arrives to assist once this enemy is defeated. |
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| Arena | Location |
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| Enemy gauntlet in the eastern end, accessible through either Hunter's March or Deep Docks. | |
| Reward | Theme |
| Waves | |
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The right Skarr Scout immediately leaves, leaving only one. |
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Skarrwing arrives shortly after. |
| Arena | Location |
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| Enemy gauntlet at the northeast corner of Hunter's March. Hornet is not locked into the arena. The Cling Grip is required for access. | |
| Reward | Theme |
 395Curveclaw (if Mottled Skarr has been killed) |
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| Waves | |
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Spear Skarr descends shortly after the start of the gauntlet. |
| Arena | Location |
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| Enemy gauntlet that reuses the previous gauntlet's arena. It appears only if Mottled Skarr is killed after the previous gauntlet has been cleared, and the Curveclaw has not been purchased. Hornet is not locked into the arena. | |
| Reward | Theme |
| Waves | |
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Top right Spear Skarr descends shortly after the start of the gauntlet. |
| Arena | Location |
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| Enemy gauntlet in the centre of Hunter's March, fought in the same arena as the previous gauntlet. It appears in Act 3 and blocks the only path to Skarrsinger Karmelita. All enemies become black-threaded shortly after arriving. | |
| Reward | Theme |
| Waves | |
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Sub-area: Chapel of the Beast
The Chapel of the Beast can be found at the south-east point of Hunter's March, requiring the Drifter's Cloak in order to be accessed. It is a structure of sharp bone, surrounded by cages and constantly shaken by the furious thrashing of a huge beast. The Chapel consists of a short platforming section, followed by a boss fight with the Savage Beastfly responsible for the structures rumbling. After killing the massive creature, Hornet can bind the corpse of a huge beast to obtain the Beast Crest. After binding the Beast Crest and leaving the sub-area, the door closes permanently.
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Creation and Development
- Main article: Cut Content (Silksong)/Areas#Hunters' Nest
Hunter's March went through multiple changes throughout development, originally being much larger in size. It began development around August 2017 as an area with ant mound visuals, with "Bone Hunter Nest" being the earliest name used for the area. By September 2018, the area was given the name "Hunters' Nest" as it continued to grow, along with being planned to connect to additional areas such as the Far Fields and Greymoor (via Creige's cellar). Around this time, the area was revealed to the public in the 2019 Silksong reveal trailer showcasing the then vast bone structures the area featured, along with Skarrsinger Karmelita's arena.[4]
Post May 2019, the area was reworked, its layout being revamped along with the ant mound visuals and bone structures being removed. After this, Hunters' Nest steadily increased in size as various sub-areas were added, such as a section for a Skarrgard enemy gauntlet, the Beastmaster Den (which was reworked into Chapel of the Beast), and a dungeon sub-area dedicated to Gurr the Outcast. This version of the area became the complete Hunters' Nest, however, around April 2022, several of the sub-areas were removed, reworked or moved to a different area completely as the area was downsized into the Hunter's March present in the final release of the game.
The final iteration of the area, the Hunter's March, was revealed in the June 2022 Xbox Game Pass Reveal Trailer, which had a clip of the battle against the area-guarding Skarrgard.[5] According to Matthew "Leth" Griffin, Team Cherry does not intend or expect the player to enter the Hunter's March right away following the first visit to the Marrow in the final version of the game, due to the Hunter's March's higher difficulty, but still made it possible. Their vision was for it to be an area that is returned to later in the game.[6]
The name of Hunter's March's theme internally contains "v4", implying that there were three revisions of the song previously composed.
Gallery
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Arena near Deep Docks
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Entrance Arena near the Marrow
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Bone Arena
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Bone Arena (Act 3)
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Bench
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Shell Shard Room
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Mottled Skarr (dead)
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Karmelita Statue
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Karmelita Statue (Act 3)
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Chapel of the Beast Entrance (Open)
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Chapel of the Beast Arena (Open)
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Chapel of the Beast Corpse (pre-claiming)
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Chapel of the Beast Corpse (post-claiming)
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Silksong reveal trailer
Trivia
- When approaching the connection between Hunter's March and Deep Docks from the Docks side, a Skarr Scout can be seen observing Hornet, diving into the ground when she gets near. Similarly, at the start of the gauntlet fight required to get to Swift Step, one of the two Skarr Scouts that rests at the camp dives underground and does not reappear.
- The name for the area's theme is "Hunter's Trail", a term also used internally.
- Skarr Stalkers can be seen running across the bridges in the far background of the vertical room east of Hunter's March.
- While risky, Hunter's March can be accessed before Hornet has even entered Deep Docks, as all of the platforming is achievable without Swift Step.
Update History
- 1.0.28497 (Patch 1): Slight increase in pea pod collider scale.
Names in Other Languages
| Language | Name | Meaning/Explanation |
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 Brazilian Portuguese
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Trilha de Skarr | Skarr's Trail |
 French
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Sentier du Chasseur | Path of the Hunter |
 German
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Jägermark | Hunter March |
 Italian
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Marcia del Cacciatore | Hunter's March |
 Japanese
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捕食者の狩場 Hoshokusha no kariba |
Predator's Hunting Ground |
 Korean
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사냥꾼의 행진로 Sanyangkkunui haengjinno |
Hunter's Marching Route |
 Russian
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Путь охотника Put' oxotnika |
Hunter's Path |
 Simplified Chinese
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猎者小径 Lièzhě xiǎojìng? |
Hunter's Trail |
 Traditional Chinese
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獵手的行軍道 Lièshǒu de xíngjūn dào? |
Hunter's Marching Road |
 Spanish
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Marcha del Cazador | Hunter's March |
 Internal name
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HUNTERS_NEST
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Prior to its rework, Hunter's March was known as Hunters' Nest |
Chapel of the Beast
| Language | Name | Meaning/Explanation |
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| Brazilian Portuguese
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Capela da Besta | Chapel of the Beast |
| French
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Chapelle De La Bête | Chapel of the Beast |
| German
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Kapelle der Bestie | Chapel of the Beast |
| Italian
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Cappella della Bestia | Chapel of the Beast |
| Japanese
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獣のチャペル Kemono no chaperu |
Beast's Chapel |
| Korean
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야수의 예배당 Yasuui yebaedang |
Beast's Chapel |
| Russian
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Капелла Зверя Kapella Zverja |
Chapel of the Beast |
| Simplified Chinese
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野兽教堂 Yěshòu jiàotáng? |
Beast Chapel |
| Traditional Chinese
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野獸教堂 Yěshòu jiàotáng? | |
| Spanish
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Capilla de la Bestia | Chapel of the Beast |
| Internal name
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CHAPEL_BEASTCHAPEL_WARRIOR
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References
- ↑ Dictionary definition of march
- ↑ Shakra: "Burrowed paths of the red-shells. Their stores and shrines are frequent throughout. These tunnels must grant them swift passage about the fields below."
- ↑ Gilly: "These fields still display life and growth, even as the lands around erode to dust." Gilly: "The red-shells ... They are part of it, somehow, the life that flourishes here. Even haunted, they seem to lose less of themselves…"
- ↑ Hollow Knight: Silksong Reveal Trailer
- ↑ Hollow Knight: Silksong - Xbox Game Pass Reveal Trailer - Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022
- ↑ Silksong, a First Playthrough (11:20:03), Live Chat, Leth: "We watched you go thru Hunter's March - not supposed to go in there! But you did it!"
Areas (Silksong)