Spoilers ahead
Spoiler note: this page reveals optional bosses, their triggers and rewards.
Mina the Hollower has nine secret bosses you could miss entirely, each tied to a side quest or item prerequisite, and each handing out a unique trinket or upgrade. Below them is the Nether Kraken, a separate optional boss you can fight in the very first minutes of the game.
The universal advice: burrow (Hollow) often to dodge, and bring the Nightstar for safe range unless a fight calls for something else.
Reward Table
| # | Secret Boss | Where to Find | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Nether Kraken | Ship / shipwreck (very start) | Uranium Bracelet trinket |
| 1 | Midden | Queensbury Crypt: Ancestral Chamber | Fly Bait trinket |
| 2 | Maxi | Ossex (right entrance, after first dungeon) | Trinket Bag |
| 3 | Armand | Ossex blacksmith (Molten Foundry) | Restores the blacksmith; ties to Hollower’s Shield |
| 4 | Dugin | Western Hills / Southern Outskirts (randomized) | Lace Glove trinket (+1 base Attack) |
| 5 | Willis | Ossex: Bowery Music Hall | Pneumatic Armlet trinket |
| 6 | Dark Deluxy | Windy Generator door | Spark Container |
| 7 | Mirren | Coltrane Peak: Frostbite Woods | Blinking Glass trinket |
| 8 | Evra | Septemburg Courtyard mini-dungeon | Health Rose |
| 9 | Thalassion | Backwater (all-fish collection) | Gilded Rod (Fishing Rod upgrade) |
Nether Kraken (optional, very start)
A tentacled, clawed sea monster you can fight on the upper deck of the ship after the first cutscene, once you’ve picked your first weapon. Entirely optional.
- Pre-damage it. Hit the grabbing tentacles during the scripted cutscene; do this and the Kraken starts the real fight at around 65% HP.
- Stick to the left side of the arena and move up/down to dodge.
- Read the claws. It raises both claws (top one usually first), which tilt up and shake before striking. Tentacles on the deck shake before sweeping toward you — a few sweep instantly with no shake.
- Hit and retreat. Tap a deck tentacle ~2 times max, then back off. You can’t hit its face.
- Burrow to cross. Hold jump to burrow under the tentacles; burrow+jump (or burrow twice) when they’re spread top and bottom. On its roar special, only burrow/jump until it lays tentacles back down.
- Reward: the Uranium Bracelet trinket (deal more damage, but take more too) — grab it from the small chest in the shipwreck before you leave.
1. Midden — Queensbury Crypt: Ancestral Chamber
- Find it: behind a door that requires two Plasma Vials to open in the Ancestral Chamber.
- Trigger: insult him to make him fight you.
- Strategy: “Not all that tricky.”
- Reward: Fly Bait trinket.
2. Maxi — Ossex (right entrance)
- Trigger: on the way back from Queensbury Crypt to Ossex after the first dungeon, enter town through the right side and Maxi appears and attacks.
- Strategy: burrow often.
- Reward: a Trinket Bag (equip more trinkets at once).
3. Armand — Ossex blacksmith (Molten Foundry)
- Trigger: try to buy a second item from Legovich. His brother Armand hands over a letter refusing to work; head down to the foundry to fight him.
- Strategy: Armand resists normal damage. Burrow and lead the lava onto his pathway — if he stands in lava he takes normal damage instead of heavily resisting.
- Reward/outcome: restores the blacksmith to full service. The duel ties into unlocking Hollower’s Shield access.
4. Dugin — Western Hills / Southern Outskirts (randomized)
- Trigger: after Queensbury Crypt, talk to two children, Ack and Dak, in Ossex: High Street to learn of the mythical Dugin. He spawns either in the Southern Outskirts or just before Backwaters in Western Hills.
- Beat him twice. Dugin is a tiny rabbit (a Monty Python nod) with no real attacks — only contact damage. The threat is friendly fire from the two brothers’ frantic projectiles filling the screen.
- First encounter: deplete Dugin’s HP; the brothers fail to catch him and you only get loose Bones. If you die here, the grove empties — clear a major regional boss (e.g. Nox’s Bayou) to reset the encounter.
- Second encounter: return to the same grove after a mandatory story segment and beat him again.
- Reward: Lace Glove trinket (+1 base Attack level).
5. Willis — Ossex: Bowery Music Hall
- Prerequisite: after beating the Nox Beast, take the rope shortcut down, head left through the waterfall, and find a frog in a bucket. Escort it back to the shortcut, reunite it with its band in the Backwater swamp (get the Tumbling Tutu trinket), then pay 100 Bones to fund their trip to Ossex.
- Trigger: at the Bowery music hall, burrow under the patrons past the bouncer and talk to the large pirate shark, Willis, near the stage.
- Strategy: attack to stun him, then throw him into the crowd to deal damage.
- Reward: Pneumatic Armlet trinket (supercharged throws — thrown objects go faster, farther, and hit harder).
6. Dark Deluxy — Windy Generator
- Prerequisite: you need two Spark Containers. On the way back from the Windy Generator, find a door with two Spark slots, unlock it, and escort Luxy back to the Windy Generator to trigger the fight.
- Strategy: she’s very fast (rough for slow weapons) but her movements are predictable — learn and dodge them.
- Reward: beat her, then heal her with a spare Plasma Vial to receive a Spark Container.
7. Mirren — Coltrane Peak: Frostbite Woods
- Find it: inside an abandoned carriage in Frostbite Woods. From the Underlab, head right under the ice, dig under it, and use the block with the floating skull to time the larger ice chunk.
- Trigger: talk to the ghost and tell her you’re there to help — she gets angry and attacks.
- Strategy: her most dangerous attack is to clone herself and dive across the screen. When she does, focus on dodging and burrowing rather than attacking.
- Reward: Blinking Glass trinket.
8. Evra — Septemburg Courtyard mini-dungeon
- Prerequisite gear: at least one Sidearm (the Drill Driver from a Poppit shop is recommended), plus Keri the Wisp and the Brisk Brew.
- Route: in the eastern Courtyard, at the bone head, chain Burrow Jump → hover → Drill Driver to clear the gap; use the pipe to open a shortcut. Explore the mini-dungeon to find Evra in a grave.
- Strategy: she fires a barrage of skeletons from her mouth and rides a massive undead steed with heavy body blows. Burrow often, thin out the skeletons, and open safe space to dodge the mount.
- Reward: a Health Rose (permanent max-HP upgrade).
9. Thalassion — fishing super-boss (Backwater)
- Prerequisite (longest in the game): get the Fishing Rod from Irwin and Durwin, then catch all 15 fish in every area, leaving one remaining in Backwater. Return with at least the Fishing Rod and Drill Driver equipped (the raft can substitute for the Drill Driver).
- Route: right of Durwin → southeast corner → use the Fishing Rod on the slime above to climb the gap → next area → fight the giant fish.
- Strategy: it uses waves and a charging bite, both of which hurt a lot, in a small arena. Pick your windows carefully and don’t get greedy; it may take several attempts.
- Reward: beat it, talk to Irwin, return to Durwin for the final Fish part to complete the collection → Gilded Rod (Fishing Rod upgrade).
FAQ
How many secret bosses are there?
There are nine secret bosses you could miss, each rewarding a unique trinket or upgrade item. The Nether Kraken is a separate, tenth optional boss right at the start.
Can I miss the secret bosses?
Yes. They're all optional and most are gated behind a side quest or item-collection prerequisite, so they're easy to walk past. None are required to finish the game.
Which secret boss gives the best reward?
It depends on your build, but Dugin's Lace Glove (+1 base Attack), Willis's Pneumatic Armlet (supercharged throws) and Mirren's Blinking Glass are standout trinkets.
How do I beat Dugin?
Dugin is a tiny rabbit with no real attacks — the danger is the two brothers' friendly fire. You must beat Dugin twice. If you die in the first encounter, the grove empties until you clear a major story boss.