The White Palace exists inside a dream. You reach it by taking the King's Brand from Kingdom's Edge to the Palace Grounds in the eastern Ancient Basin and Dream Nailing the corpse there. Inside, the palace is a stark white and gold structure full of buzzsaws, spike floors, moving platforms and switch-controlled hazards. There are no regular enemies in the main route. The palace itself is the enemy.
There is no White Palace map. Cornifer never entered it, Iselda sells nothing for it, and it does not appear on the world map at all. The game does not track your position here either, so you learn the route by repetition. Benches exist at a handful of checkpoints, and they are the only safe spots.
The goal is the King's Fragment in the throne room at the top. Combined with the Queen's Fragment from the White Lady in the Queen's Gardens, it forms the Kingsoul charm, which you then take to the Birthplace in the Abyss to become the Void Heart. Void Heart is required for the true ending and, indirectly, for a 112 percent run.
The Path of Pain is an optional section hidden behind a breakable wall in the middle of the palace. It is the hardest platforming in the entire game, a long sequence of saw gauntlets and precise pogo chains with a single checkpoint near the end. It gives no completion percentage at all, only a lore scene and bragging rights. Skip it unless you want it.
For charms, run Hiveblood so you regenerate the mask you keep losing, Grubsong for soul from damage, and Dreamshield if you find the saws catching you. Spend a few minutes learning each room from the bench rather than bulldozing through, because there is nothing here that a faster nail helps with.
Places inside White Palace
- Palace Grounds entrance
- Throne room
- Path of Pain
- Workshop
- Palace benches
Tips
- The White Palace has no map and your position is not tracked. Learn the rooms.
- You need the King's Brand from Kingdom's Edge to open the Palace Grounds gate.
- Equip Hiveblood. Regenerating the mask you keep losing to saws changes the whole run.
- The King's Fragment at the top plus the Queen's Fragment makes the Kingsoul.
- The Path of Pain is optional and gives zero completion percent. It is bragging rights only.
- Take the Kingsoul to the Birthplace in the Abyss to turn it into the Void Heart.
All 6 locations in White Palace
Benches (3)
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First room of the White Palace
Inside the dream of the palace, just past the gate. You need the Kingsoul charm to enter at all.
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Middle of the palace, at the fork
The rest point where the left and right wings split. The entrance to the Path of Pain sits nearby.
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Throne room at the top of the palace
The final bench of the White Palace, beside the throne where the second half of the Kingsoul waits.
Secrets and Lore (3)
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Dream of the Palace Grounds
A saw blade platforming gauntlet inside the Pale King's memory, with no combat but plenty of spikes. Hiveblood and the Monarch Wings make the run much kinder.
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Hidden wall in the White Palace
The hardest platforming challenge in the game, hidden behind a breakable wall in the upper White Palace. Finishing it shows a unique memory of the Pale King and the Hollow Knight.
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Deepest room of the White Palace
Where the Pale King's throne sits and the Pale Fragment of the Kingsoul waits on his body. Take it, then pair it with the White Lady's fragment to form the Kingsoul.
