The Hollow Knight Update has brought some seriously interesting content to Anime Apocalypse, and two additions are immediately getting attention: the Shadow Monarch Evolution and Alucard’s Impaler.
Along with these two new additions, the update introduces a new raid, new abilities, titles, cosmetics, and pets. If you’re trying to figure out whether the new Shadow Monarch Evolution or Alucard Impaler is actually worth getting, here’s what you need to know.
Anime Apocalypse Hollow Knight Update – Alucard Impaler
The Hollow Knight Update adds several pieces of new content to Anime Apocalypse, including:
- New Raid
- Impaler
- Shadow Monarch Evolution
- New Abilities
- New Titles
- New Cosmetics
- New Pets
The main attractions are obviously Shadow Monarch and Alucard, so those are the two you’ll want to focus on if you’re looking for something powerful to add to your collection.
Shadow Monarch Before Evolution
Before getting into the evolved version, it’s worth looking at the original Shadow Monarch.
The base version comes with its own M1 attacks and several abilities. The M1s are decent, although they don’t immediately feel like anything completely game-changing.
The first few abilities include:
Assassin Dash
Assassin Dash is a straightforward movement and attack ability. Shadow Monarch quickly dashes toward enemies, making it useful for closing distance and clearing targets.
It isn’t the flashiest ability in the kit, but it gets the job done.
Slash Barrage
Next is Slash Barrage, which does exactly what you’d expect from the name. Shadow Monarch unleashes a series of attacks against enemies in front of him.
It’s another solid ability for clearing waves without being overly complicated.
Mutilation Cut
Mutilation Cut is a little more interesting because you can move around while using it.
That gives Shadow Monarch some extra flexibility during a wave, especially when you don’t want to stand in one position while attacking.
The base Shadow Monarch kit is good, but the real reason to invest in it is the evolution.
How to Unlock Shadow Monarch Evolution
Getting the Shadow Monarch Evolution requires you to put in some work through the new content.
According to the update showcase, you need to complete the following requirements:
- Get 2,000 enemy kills in raids
- Complete 10 raids
- Collect 850 Raid Coins
- Complete 3 invasions
- Play the World Boss
Once you’ve completed these requirements, you’ll be able to unlock the Shadow Monarch Evolution.
So if you’re starting from scratch, don’t expect to unlock it immediately. The raid and invasion requirements mean you’ll need to spend some time actually playing the new content.
Shadow Monarch Evolution Abilities
This is where the upgrade starts feeling much more worthwhile.
The evolved Shadow Monarch gets noticeably better-looking attacks and a much stronger overall kit.
M1 Attacks
The evolved M1 attacks are already an improvement visually.
They feel more aggressive and fit the Shadow Monarch theme much better than the basic version.
But the real upgrades come from the abilities.
Mutilation Dash
Mutilation Dash gives Shadow Monarch another strong mobility option while also dealing damage to enemies around the attack.
The evolved version has considerably better area coverage, making it useful when multiple enemies are grouped together.
Ruler’s Authority
Ruler’s Authority is one of the more useful abilities in the evolved kit.
It’s an instant-cast attack that covers a decent amount of area, allowing you to clear enemies without having to spend a long time setting up the attack.
For regular waves, this makes Shadow Monarch feel much smoother to play.
Monarch’s Presence
This is arguably one of the most noticeable abilities in the evolution.
Monarch’s Presence has a huge AoE, allowing it to cover a large section of the battlefield.
It also has another important feature: Shadow Monarch can summon shadows that help fight enemies.
That means you’re not always doing all the work yourself.
If an enemy survives your initial attacks, the summoned shadows can continue attacking it, which makes the ability especially useful when you’re trying to clear waves quickly.
Arise
And then there’s the ability that Shadow Monarch players have been waiting for: Arise.
When activated, Shadow Monarch summons Beru, who comes down and assists you in combat.
This is a particularly cool part of the evolution because the summon isn’t just there for decoration. It actually helps you fight enemies.
Combined with the other shadow summons, this gives the evolved Shadow Monarch a strong minion-based playstyle.
Is Shadow Monarch Evolution Worth It?
Based on the showcase, Shadow Monarch Evolution is one of the strongest additions in the update.
The abilities have good AoE, the summons provide additional damage, and Arise gives the unit a very recognizable Shadow Monarch-style ultimate.
For the overall ability design, the showcase rated it around 8.5 to 9/10, which feels fair considering how much more complete the evolved kit is compared with the base version.
Alucard and the Impaler
The second major addition is Alucard, along with his Impaler transformation.
And honestly, this one looks pretty impressive as well.
The base Alucard attacks already look clean, and the abilities are extremely fast.
Castle Jackal
The first ability shown is Castle Jackal.
It’s a quick attack that hits enemies rapidly and has a very flashy animation.
Because the ability happens so quickly, it can be difficult to see everything that’s happening during the attack, but it still provides solid damage.
Bullet Storm
Bullet Storm is another very fast attack.
The animation doesn’t last particularly long, but it covers an area around Alucard and can hit multiple enemies.
The AoE isn’t quite as massive as Shadow Monarch’s biggest attacks, but it’s still useful for clearing groups.
Familiar Control
Familiar Control is one of the more impressive abilities in Alucard’s kit.
The attack can instantly take out an enemy in the showcase, making it a strong option when you need to remove a target quickly.
True Form
Alucard’s True Form is where things get more interesting.
Activating it brings out the Impaler, changing Alucard’s appearance and his attacks.
The M1 attacks also change once the Impaler is active.
Instead of simply getting a visual transformation, the form actually affects the way Alucard’s kit works.
Alucard Impaler Abilities
Once the Impaler is active, some of Alucard’s moves receive slight changes as well.
The attacks remain very fast, but they gain additional effects and animations associated with the Impaler.
This makes the transformation feel more meaningful than simply being a cosmetic form.
Impaler M1s
The Impaler gives Alucard a completely different M1 attack sequence.
The attacks are quick and aggressive, making the transformed version feel much more combat-focused.
If you like units that don’t feel slow or clunky, this is one of the better parts of Alucard’s kit.
Impaler Summons
Just like Shadow Monarch, Alucard can also summon minions to assist him.
These minions attack enemies around you, giving Alucard some extra damage while you’re using his abilities.
It’s a nice parallel between the two characters.
Alucard Impaler Ultimate
The Impaler’s ultimate is another major highlight.
After activating it, Alucard enters the powerful transformation and can summon his own minions to fight alongside him.
The combination of the transformation, fast abilities, and summoned fighters makes the ultimate look particularly strong when used against groups.
The showcase gave the Impaler an overall rating of around 8/10.
That’s slightly below Shadow Monarch Evolution’s rating, but the difference isn’t massive.
Shadow Monarch Evolution vs Alucard Impaler
If you’re trying to decide which one deserves your attention first, the two have slightly different strengths.
| Feature | Shadow Monarch Evolution | Alucard Impaler |
|---|---|---|
| AoE | Excellent | Good |
| Summons | Yes | Yes |
| Mobility | Excellent | Good |
| Visuals | Excellent | Excellent |
| Wave Clearing | Excellent | Very Good |
| Ultimate | Arise + Beru | Impaler transformation |
| Overall Showcase Rating | 8.5–9/10 | 8/10 |
Shadow Monarch Evolution looks like the better choice if you want huge AoE attacks and multiple summons helping you clear waves.
Alucard Impaler, meanwhile, is a great option if you prefer faster attacks, flashy abilities, and a transformation that changes the way the character plays.
Which One Should You Get?
If you’re only going after one of them, I’d lean toward Shadow Monarch Evolution based on what was shown in the update.
The combination of Ruler’s Authority, the enormous AoE from Monarch’s Presence, the shadow summons, and Arise gives it a very complete kit.
That doesn’t make Alucard Impaler bad, though. Far from it. The Impaler has some extremely quick attacks, strong visuals, its own summons, and a transformation that actually changes the character’s attacks.
So if you’re already working toward Alucard, there’s still plenty of reason to finish the grind.
For pure overall kit quality, though, Shadow Monarch Evolution takes the win from this showcase.
The Hollow Knight Update has definitely given Anime Apocalypse players something new to grind for, and both additions look much more interesting than simple stat upgrades.