How to Defeat the Hollow Crow in Lords of the Fallen

As you fight along the main path in Lords of the Fallen, you will continue to face off against numerous grandiose foes. After your fiery showdown against the Spurned Progeny in Upper Calrath, the next giant boss you must overcome is the Hollow Crow.

At the end of the Fief of the Chill Curse, you find the guardian of the next beacon you must cleanse, The Hollow Crow. As this is a mandatory boss to progress the story, you will need to take him down sooner or later. Here is your guide for defeating the Hollow Crow in Lords of the Fallen. 

Where to Find the Hollow Crow in Lords of the Fallen?

You will find the Hollow Crow at the end of the Fief of the Chill Curse. While this is an extended area, it is relatively straightforward to navigate. Even from a distance, you can see the boss’s massive black nest atop a fortress. This is where you need to go, so always keep this landmark in sight.

You will find a Vestige right before the boss arena, so there is no need to plant a Vestige Seed. If you have freed the stone woman Kukajin from her prison, you can summon her to help you in this battle. In fact, you will need to summon her if you want to finish her specific questline.

What are the battle Phases of The Hollow Crow in Lords of the Fallen?

Unlike other bosses in Lords of the Fallen, who have a single shift between phases, The Hollow Crow has five phases. These are divided into the first, middle, and last. There are also two in-between phases. The Hollow Crow uses ice spells and sends waves of enemies after you. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, the boss only takes damage when you attack his ghost, Lucy, during the main phases.

However, Lucy will shift in and out of the arena until she is taken down. The two phases in between are stretches where you cannot attack him, and you must dodge a barrage of ice spells. As a result of his heavy use of ice magic, these build up frostbite, which can temporarily half your stamina. 

How to defeat the Hollow Crow’s main phase in Lords of the Fallen

During his main phase, the Hollow Crow will mainly attack using a swarm of enemies you will have encountered in the previous area. Individually, they are not a problem. But they can quickly become a problem if you let too many spawn. Here are the enemies the boss summons:

• Zombies: Simple shambling corpses you can take down in about three swings. 
• Wolves: Slightly tougher and faster enemies that can lunge at you.
• Ice Witches: During phase two, he will summon zombies capable of using ranged ice magic. Take these out as soon as you can when Lucy is gone, as they can target you from afar and build up frostbite.
• Kinrangr Guardians: During phase three, he will summon a hulking Kinrangr Guardian. As this is an extremely dangerous enemy, try to take him out as soon as you can when Lucy vanishes. 

Even outside his summons, he has several other spells that will whittle down your health. These include:

• Ice Spike: He can summon a spike of ice to emerge from the ground after a delay. While this is easy to dodge, the pillar stays and slows you while you are on it.
• Maelstrom: He summons a maelstrom around the outer area that damages you and applies frostbite. Move to the center when this begins.
• Whiteout: During the third phase, he will reduce your visibility briefly. Be cautious during these moments, as you can quickly die while blindly stumbling around the arena.

How to defeat the Hollow Crow’s in-between phase in Lords of the Fallen

This phase begins when you’ve killed Lucy and ends when she returns with her entourage. In between, the crow unleashes a wave of ice attacks onto the arena. In addition to his Maelstrom and Ice Spike attacks from earlier, he has other spells.

• Ice Spray: The crow unleashes an outward spray of ice bolts at you. Keep your distance and dodge in between these.
• Homing Line: The crow will send a straight line of ice crystals in your direction. As this one tracks very little, dodge perpendicular to it.

Best strategy for defeating the Hollow Crow in Lords of the Fallen

During the main phases, Lucy will pop in and out, surrounded by hordes of enemies. However, she cannot be damaged normally while in Axiom. You may be tempted to shift into the Umbral realm to attack her, but this will significantly hamper your defense and recovery.

Instead, Soulflay Lucy to damage her. While Lucy has vanished, take out the enemies around you so you can focus. You will need to damage Lucy about three times per phase. The other enemies will vanish when you kill Lucy.

During the in-between phase, the Hollow Crow will spend a lengthy period solely firing ice spells. It is best to stay near the back of the arena to have as clear a view as possible of the boss. However, do not hug the back too much, as he can turn the arena’s edges into a damaging blizzard. As suggested by his use of ice magic, he is weak to fire, meaning Inferno magic and other weapons with fire damage will be of great use here.

When Lucy is slain for the third and final time, the Hollow Crow will unleash one last breath of ice for you to dodge before he drops down from his nest. Go up to him to deliver the final blow to end the battle.

Lords of the Fallen is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.