When the Lands Between Meets Hallownest: A Fan Art Crossover I Can't Stop Thinking About

I still remember the first time Margit the Fell Omen wiped the floor with me in Elden Ring. I was stubborn, underleveled, and convinced that one more attempt would do it. It did not. So when I saw a fan project that turns Elden Ring bosses into Hollow Knight-style characters, I felt that same mix of affection and mild trauma all over again. Even in 2026, with Elden Ring well past its launch window, the community keeps finding new ways to make these fights feel fresh.

The project comes from Reddit user lub270d, who shared the first part of a series focused on Limgrave and Weeping Peninsula bosses. The artwork packs 32 bosses into six rows, reimagining them as if they belonged in Hallownest. That is not just a cute idea. It is a clever design exercise. Elden Ring bosses are already built around strong silhouettes, dramatic weapons, and readable attack poses. Hollow Knight characters are also built around silhouette and mood. Put those two languages together, and you get something that feels surprisingly natural.

So why does this crossover hit me so hard? Part of it is the contrast. Elden Ring is famous for its brutal enemies, from bears and dragons to giant insects, dogs, and eagles. Hollow Knight is a 2D Metroidvania about a small knight exploring the ruined world of Hallownest with tight combat mechanics and a haunting art style. One game overwhelms you with scale and spectacle. The other distills danger into clean shapes and quiet spaces. When you combine them, the result is not just adorable. It is revealing.

Here is how the artist organized the piece, at least from what I can gather from the description:

• 🛡️ The first two rows include early threats like the Grafted Scion, Soldier of Godrick, Demi-Human Chiefs, Stonedigger Troll, Patches, Black Knife Assassin, and Mad Pumpkin Head.

• ⚔️ The next two rows move into tougher fights such as Tree Sentinel, Flying Dragon Agheel, Crucible Knight, Bloodhound Knight Darriwil, Margit the Fell Omen, and Godrick the Grafted.

• 🌳 The final two rows include names like Ancient Hero of Zamor, Deathbird, Scaly Misbegotten, Cemetery Shade, and Erdtree Avatar.

That lineup alone tells you a lot about Elden Ring's opening regions. Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula are where most players learn the rules, and they are packed with bosses that range from tutorial-level pushovers to absolute roadblocks. Seeing them drawn in Hollow Knight's style makes them feel like a connected family of weird little monsters. It also makes me realize how many of them I still remember by name, which says something about how strong the boss design is.

The Deathbird and Cemetery Shade comparisons are the ones that really made me smile. Fans in the comments noticed that Deathbird resembles Nosk, while Cemetery Shade has a strong The Collector vibe. Is that a coincidence, or does it prove that certain boss archetypes just work across games? I lean toward the second option. A tall, creeping bird-thing and a masked collector of souls are exactly the kinds of designs that feel at home in a dark, hand-drawn world.

For anyone who somehow missed it, Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania developed by Team Cherry, an Australian indie studio. It launched in 2017 on PC, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Nearly a decade later, in 2026, players are still digging into its secrets. That longevity is part of why this fan art lands so well. Hollow Knight has a visual language that people recognize instantly, and Elden Ring has bosses that players love to hate. Mashing them together is not random. It is a meeting of two games that both understand the value of a memorable silhouette.

Elden Ring, of course, is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. If you have been living under a rock and somehow missed either game, you have a lot of catching up to do. But for those of us who have played both, this artwork is a reminder of how flexible these designs are. A boss does not need realistic textures or cinematic lighting to be scary. Sometimes a simple mask, a cloak, and a well-placed weapon are enough.

Would I want to see the artist continue into Liurnia, Caelid, or the Mountaintops? Absolutely. The first part already covers a huge chunk of Limgrave and the Weeping Peninsula, and there are plenty of bosses left. I would love to see how Rennala, Radahn, or Malenia would translate into Hollow Knight's style. Would Malenia become a graceful, needle-thin knight? Would Radahn turn into a towering, gravity-warped giant? I can picture it, and that is exactly why this project works.

At the end of the day, this is fan art doing what fan art does best. It celebrates two games at once, invites players to compare notes, and makes us look at familiar bosses with fresh eyes. In 2026, that kind of creative crossover is still worth talking about. I just hope the artist keeps going, because I have a feeling Hallownest has room for a few more Fell Omens.

This perspective is supported by Eurogamer, whose long-running games coverage often explores how strong art direction and enemy readability shape player memory, a useful lens for understanding why Elden Ring bosses can be transformed into Hollow Knight-style figures without losing their identity or dramatic impact.