Hollow Knight Wiki Guide: 100% the game with all Bosses, Charms, Upgrades, Locations, NPCs and Quest Guides!
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Hollow Knight Wiki Guide: Descend Into A Vast, Ruined World
The Hollow Knight Wiki Guide is a conspectus featuring guides and informative data for the game Hollow Knight, a bestseller Metroidvania game made by Team Cherry which completely redefined the genre, and single-handedly became one of the most definitve Metroidvania games in history. The various guides and information in this wiki can include any aspect of the game, such as Controls, Combat, Charms, Items, Spells and Abilities, NPCs, Bosses, Lore, a 100% Completion Guide and more for Hollow Knight. This Wiki is a compendium of information which is open for community editing, so feel free to add your own information to the Wiki and help out thousands of players!
Hollow Knight Features
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Explore a vast interconnected world of forgotten highways, overgrown wilds, and ruined cities.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength, and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!
- Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favourites and make your journey unique!
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
- Over 140 enemies! 30 epic bosses! Face ferocious beasts and vanquish ancient knights on your quest through the kingdom. Track down every last twisted foe and add them to your Hunter's Journal!
- Leap into minds with the Dream Nail. Uncover a whole other side to the characters you meet and the enemies you face.
- Beautifully painted landscapes, with extravagant parallax, give a unique sense of depth to a side-on world.
- Chart your journey with extensive mapping tools. Buy compasses, quills, maps, and pins to enhance your understanding of Hollow Knight’s many twisting landscapes.
- A haunting, intimate score accompanies the player on their journey, composed by Christopher Larkin. The score echoes the majesty and sadness of a civilization brought to ruin.
- Complete Hollow Knight to unlock Steel Soul Mode, the ultimate challenge!
What is Hollow Knight?
Hollow Knight is a critically acclaimed 2D action-adventure game that was developed and published by Team Cherry, which is a small indie studio based from Australia. The game was released last February 24, 2017, for PC, and later on ported to other platforms like Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Steam. Hollow Knight has a Metroidvania-style game which has become its benchmark for its genre. The game is set on a decaying, subterranean world of Hallownest, which was once a thriving kingdom of insect-like creatures. The game follows the Knight, a silent, enigmatic wanderer that descends into this haunting realm in order to uncover its secrets and confront its dangers. Hollow Knight's gameplay is challenging, has an intricate world design, evocative art, and deep melancholic storytelling. The game offers a rich experience when it comes to exploration, combat, and discovery.
The game emphasizes non-linear exploration, platforming, and combat in a vast, interconnected world. Players will get to control Knight that wields a nail (a sword-like weapon) in order to fight enemies and navigate the world of Hallownest.
The world of Hallownest is a beautifully crafted, melancholic world that is brought to life by means of hand-drawn art and a haunting soundtrack by composer Christopher Larkin. The game's atmosphere also blends gothic, surreal, and tragic tones, with a combination of crumbling ruins, glowing caverns, and eerie silence. Hollow Knight's lore is delivered indirectly through environmental details, NPC dialogue, and cryptic items like the Dream Nail that reveals thoughts and dreams. The story of the game revolves around the theme of sacrifice, duty, and decay, which is centered on the Knight's role in confronting an ancient infection that corrupted Hallownest. Hollow Knight also offers multiple endings which is based on player choices, this adds replayability and depth to the narrative, which remains open for interpretation.
Hollow Knight's Gameplay
Hollow Knight is set into a hauntingly beautiful, insect-filled world of Hallownest. Players will play the role as the Knight, a silent, bug-like wanderer exploring a vast, interconnected underground kingdom filled with ruins, caverns, and forgotten cities.
- Exploration: The core of the game is exploring a sprawling, non-linear map. Players will get to traverse diverse biomes like fungal wastes, crystal mines, and decaying cities, in which they will uncover secrets, hidden paths, and lore. The Hallownest is interconnected, with shortcuts and abilities which will help players to unlock new areas that encourages backtracking.
- Combat: The game's combat mechanic is precise and skill-based that focuses on melee attacks with the Knight's nail. Players will get to try to slash, dash, and use special abilities to fight foes and enemies, from small critters to challenging bosses. Players must timing and position plays a critical role, with a dodge mechanic and limited healing using Soul that is gathered from hitting enemies.
- Abilities and Upgrade: As players progress in the game they will gain abilities like wall-jumping, dashing, and spells. Charms, equippable items with unique effects, which allows customization of playstyle like boosting health, attack power, and adding companions.
- Platforming: Hollow Knight also features tight platforming challenges, players will get to encounter spikes, moving platforms, and environmental hazards. Precision is the players friend in areas like the White Palace, which will test the players' reflexes and patience.
- Progression and Difficulty: Hollow Knight is a pretty challenging game, with tough bosses and areas that demand mastery of mechanics. When the Knight dies it loses Geo (currency) and a portion of the Soul meter, however, this is recoverable by defeating the Knight's shade at the death location. This game rewards perseverance and skill improvement.
- Atmosphere and Lore: This game is enriched by a melancholic atmosphere, a haunting soundtrack, and cryptic storytelling. Lore is revealed with the help of environmental details, NPC dialogue, and hidden tables, which let players piece together Hallownest's tragic history.
Hollow Knight Release Info |
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| Release Date | February 24th, 2017 |
| Platforms | PC, Mac, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One |
| Developers | Team Cherry |
| Publishers | Team Cherry |
Hollow Knight System Requirements
Recommended Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 (64bit)
- CPU: Intel Core i5
- RAM: 8 GB RAM
- GPU: GeForce GTX 560
- DirectX Driver: Version 11
- Game Size: 9 GB available space
Minimum Requirements
- OS: Windows 7 (64bit)
- CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E5200
- RAM: 4 GB RAM
- GPU: GeForce 9800GTX+ (1GB)
- DirectX Driver: Version 10
- Game Size: 9 GB available space
NEW! Hollow Knight Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Announced
Alongside the announcement of Hollow Knight Silksong's expansion, Sea of Sorrow, Team Cherry has also announced the Hollow Knight Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, which includes all the updates and enhancements that have been applied to Silksong. These updates include High frame-rate modes, improved resolutions, and other changes to the graphics of the game. They have also announced that all players who own Hollow Knight on Nintendo Switch will be allowed to download the new Nintendo Switch 2 Edition for free when it launches in 2026.
As the team prepares for the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Team Cherry will be updating all versions of the original game for current platforms, implementing new features and fixing bugs. As per Team Cherry's blog post "PC players can experience many of those updates right now, via the public-beta branches on Steam and GOG, where they’ve just gone live. That includes full 16:10 and 21:9 aspect ratio support for those of you with Steam Decks or ultrawide monitors!"
Patch Notes Public Beta v1.5.12301
A new version is now available on the public-beta branch. You can install this version by right-clicking Hollow Knight in your Steam library, click Properties, Betas, and select public-beta.
Patch Notes
- Added support for 21:9 & 16:10 resolutions.
- Game now pauses while in inventory menus.
- Upgraded to Unity Input System for broader controller support (original input system is still available, if preferred, via Options>Controller>Advanced Settings)
- Added dithering effect, and dithering options, to reduce colour banding.
- Fixed a softlock in City of Tears Grub room.
- Reduced Grey Prince Zote's stagger bounce height.
- Updated Sly's Great Slash collider to closer match visual.
- Salubra's Blessing now deactivates after reaching max Soul.
- Map panning is now smoother
- Various smaller fixes and tweaks.
We are aware of an issue where cutscenes are not playing on Mac, and are working on a fix for this.
Additionally, there is an issue with cutscenes showing a "test pattern" when playing on Steam Deck, which is due to the system defaulting to an incompatible proton version. We are working on a fix for this, but for now it can be worked around by selecting a "Linux Runtime" version in the compatibility settings, which forces the system to use the Linux-native version of the game.
Hollow Knight Expands with 4 Giant Free Content Packs
The Grimm Troupe
Light the Nightmare Lantern. Summon the Troupe. New Major Quest. New Boss Fights. New Charms. New Enemies. New Friends.
Lifeblood
A Kingdom Upgraded! New Boss. Upgraded Bosses. Tweaks and Refinements across the whole game.
Godmaster
Take your place amongst the Gods. New Characters and Quest. New Boss Fights. Epic New Music!
Hollow Knight Wiki Guide: Everything About The Game
Changes and Differences of Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight: Silksong is the sequel to Hollow Knight, both games are basically the same, they offer a Metroidvania genre with the challenge and mechanics of Soulslike genre. Both games offers a vast world of interconnected areas and sub-locations which tells in intriguing tale of loss and ruin. These games are played in a 2D side-scrolling perspective that emphasizes exploration, tight platforming, item and ability-based progression with a combination of smooth and precise combat that has the punishing difficulty of the Dark Souls franchise.
The new franchise, Hollow Knight: Silksong offers a new vast haunted kingdom. Players will get to explore, fight, and survive as they ascend to the peak of a land ruled by silk and song. They will get to play Hornet, a princess-protector of Hallownest, as they discover the whole new kingdom of Pharloom. Hornet must battle foes and enemies in order to solve the mysteries, as she ascends on a deadly mission to the kingdom's peak.
Hollow Knight: Silksong will feature the following in its gameplay:
- Discover a whole new kingdom! Explore coral forests, mossy grottos, gilded cities and misted moors as you ascend to the shining citadel at the top of the world.
- Engage in lethal acrobatic action! Wield a whole new suite of deadly moves as you dance between foes in deadly, beautiful combat.
- Craft powerful tools! Master an ever-expanding arsenal of weapons, traps, and mechanisms to confound your enemies and explore new heights.
- Solve shocking quests! Hunt down rare beasts, solve ancient mysteries and search for lost treasures to fulfil the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom’s hope. Prepare for the unexpected!
- Face over 150 all-new foes! Beasts and hunters, assassins and kings, monsters and knights, defeat them all with bravery and skill!
- Challenge Silk Soul mode! Once you conquer the kingdom, test your skills in an all-new mode that spins the game into a unique, challenging experience.
- Experience a stunning orchestral score! Hollow Knight’s award-winning composer, Christopher Larkin, returns to bring melancholy melodies, symphonic strings and heart-thumping, soul strumming boss themes to the adventure.
Hollow Knight: Silksong's Kingdom of Pharloom
The previous franchise, Hollow Knight, starts at the top of Hallownest, while Hollow Knight: Silksong starts off with Hornet's journey at the bottom of the kingdom of Pharloom and she has to make her way up to the top, where the religious Citadel stands as the culture of the people of Pharloom. Silksong story begins where Hornet was captured and locked in a cage, in which her strength is drained while being escorted by some religious figures. A radiant bug descends which shatters the seal on Hornet's cage, restoring her abilities and causing the bridge they are crossing to collapse, which then brings her to the depths of Pharloom's kingdom.
During Hornet's journey she faces cursed bugs entwined with silken marionette-like strings. Hornet's bonds with weavers aids her in uncovering their secrets that bolster her strength. In Silksong, music instruments are central to Pharloom, with interactive bells scattered throughout the environment and foes wielding musical instruments as weapons or adorned with bells. Players will encounter new NPC groups and also discover unique towns. Unlike with Hollow Knight, Hornet has a voice, which makes it unique when interacting with NPCs and her surrounding, and also boldly expressing her thoughts.
Descend Into a Vast, Ruined World
The story of Hollow Knight takes place in a fictional underground kingdom of bugs named Hallownest, which is on the brink of destruction by a divine being known as The Radiance. The Radiance seeks to corrupt the kingdom by infecting Hallownests citizens, breaking their minds and forsaking their wills, causing them to attack uninfected bugs. They act mindlessly, continuing the common daily lifestyle of their previous life such as marching around the City of Tears as a guard, and will attack any non-infected being they see. The story of The Hollow Knight begins with the protagonist, The Knight, a strange Vessel, suddenly arriving in Dirtmouth after he was telepathically called. This mysterious nameless Knight begins his journey through Hallownest by uncovering the forgotten kingdom's darkest secrets, and seeking to save the kingdom from the impending doom that awaits.
The Mysterious Black Egg
Awaiting in the Forgotten Crossroads lies the source of the infection: The Temple of the Black Egg. As a vessel named the Hollow Knight, it is your duty to rid Hallownest from the infection by unlocking the Egg and destroying the infection from within. To do so, you will need to break the seal by defeating the 3 dreamers of Hallownest: Monomon the Teacher, Lurien the Watcher, and Herrah the Beast. As a vessel, you must find the bodies of these 3 dreamers and wake them from their eternal sleep in order to open the Temple of the Black Egg. You will face many perils and dangers in pursuit of unlocking the egg, and exploring the ruined regions of Hallownest; From gargantuan bugs to infected monstrosities, you must face anything the vast world throws at you, and become strong enough to save it.
It is here in The Temple of the Black Egg where you will face the challenge of how you will defeat the infection, and save the kingdom of Hallownest from The Radiance and its evil corruption. How you choose to do so will determine which of the Hollow Knight Endings you will get. After getting one ending, you can try to get the other endings on the same save file, so dont worry about locking in to one ending you like.
A Ruined Kingdom Awaiting a Savior
On The Knights journey to save Hallownest, he will find the various regions of Hallownest which have been transformed as a result of the infection. The constructed roads in the caverns of Dirtmouth which used to conviniently led to the kingdoms capital have been overrun with vegetation, and infested with not just infected bugs, but also toxic mushrooms and more. In reflection of the state of the Kingdom, the capital's name which had been long forgotten was named The City Of Tears, also mirroring the endless rain that falls onto the once prospering city.
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The further you venture into this decaying kingdom, the more secrets you will unveil about its old ruler, The Pale King, including your purpose and role as a Hollow Knight in the liberation of Hallownest from the infection which threatens to cause the extincion of all bugs and ultimately bring about the downfall of Hallownest.
Master New Powers
As The Knight progresses in the game, he must become more powerful in order to face the mutations created by the test of time and continue on his duties as a vessel. New areas explored and interactions with various NPCs will eventually yield new powerful Spells and Abilities which can be used to defeat powerful Enemies and Bosses, or traverse areas in Hallownest which could not be accessed before.
Explore Hidden Areas with New Spells and Abilities
Hidden behind Bosses or within secret Locations lies a variety of spells and abilities which can be used to unlock new areas of the game, or simply create shortcuts between certain Locations. Each ability The Knight acquires marks a new milestone in the progression of the game. There are a multitude of paths which you are prohibited from entering from the moment you step foot into Hallownest, and you will find yourself lost in options of which way to go after acquiring a new traversal spell.
You are given the freedom to choose whichever path entices you the most in the game, and are always rewarded for any exploration you do, be it with Geo, new Spells and Abilities or Key Items that help you progress the game. There are many times you will feel lost from the freedom that you are given, but the moment you unlock one of these new paths is an experience that is unique to Hollow Knight.
Master Ancient Nail Arts
The Nail is the primary and signature weapon of The Knight, requiring no Soul to use. It can be upgraded later on in the game, and can also be utilised to master the ancient Nail Arts which have been mastered by various NPCs you meet. You will be offered teachings by the Nailmasters to acquire these special skills, and utilise them against the Enemies and Bosses you face later.
The damage of the Nail Art also depends on the type of Nail that is equipped or upgraded as well as Charms that can also change certain effects such as damage and charge time. Be sure to use Nail arts in between damage phases for maximum damage potential against Bosses.
Unleash the Might of Charms
Another way that The Knight gets stronger in Hollow Knight is through equipping the various Charms in the game. There are a total of 45 different Charms available in Hollow Knight, including the Charms from all of the free DLC. Some Charms you acquire are special, and can be upgraded through accomplishing certain tasks. The Knight may only equip a certain number of Charms depending on how many Notches he has acquired, which will increase throughout the progression in the game.
Unique and Powerful Charm Buffs
You will recieve up to 40 Charms throughout the game, with each benefitting The Knight in a different, unique way. Some Charms may simply increase The Knights Nail damage/range, or decrease the Soul cost of Spells and Abilities. Other charms can provide you with companions to fight alongisde with, or give you a unique healthbar which has extra masks or maybe even regenerates over time.
There are dozens of different effects that Charms can provide, and its up to you how you wish to build The Knight; whether that is becoming the ultimate exploration master or becoming extremely formidable in Combat. There are also Charms in the game which can be upgraded by either progressing an NPCs storyline, or spending heaps of Geo to do so. These Charms are especially powerful, and can be unlocked later on in the game.
Overcharming The Knight
If you are a high risk high reward player, you may be interested in this mechanic. If you equip a Charm which has a Notch Cost which would exceed your current Notch Limit 5 times, you may become Overcharmed. In this state, you have all the buffs from the Charms you have equipped, including the one which would exceed your Notch Limit, but you take twice the damage.
Overcharmed in Hollow Knight is an extremely risky mechanic to utilise, and only some can pull it off. It becomes necessary in the later stages of the game where some special Bosses can defeat The Knight with one hit, making the double damage debuff obsolete. However, if you are willing to risk the damage potential, you can become extremely strong by overcharming up to 4 Notches.
Befriend Bizzare Bugs
Hallownest is a kingdom of bugs, thus you will find some bug friends along The Knight's journey. Since most bugs have been infected or killed by The Infection, most sentient bugs reside in the small, relatively safe town of Dirtmouth which is where The Knight begins his Journey to become the Hollow Knight. Bugs can provide you with items that you need to upgrade your Equipment, or provide you with useful Maps and even teach you ancient Nail Arts which can be used against Enemies and Bosses.
Cornifer, the Helpful Cartographer
One of the most important and friendly bugs you will meet in your journey is Cornifer, a cartographer willing to sell you Maps of the Locations in Hallownest for a small amount of Geo. He lives in Dirtmouth with his wife Iselda, and spends his days exploring all of Hallownest and drawing up a huge map of the ruined kingdom.
His wife Iselda can also sell you special items, one of which being the extremely helpful Wayward Compass Charm and others being complamentary to the Maps you acquire, such as pins for special locations such as Vendors and Hot Springs.
Challenge Over 30 Epic Bosses
Bosses in Hollow Knight are characterized in the game as Enemies that have a higher amount of health and do more damage, unlike the normal enemies that wander around the various regions of Hallownest. These Bosses are special and important since some need be defeated in order to progress through the main game, whereas some drop important Items. In Hollow Knight, there will be a total of 47 Bosses for you to defeat, with some having more powerful variants included in this number.
Below is a catalogue of the range of Bosses that exist in the game, as well as a link which will take you to the related boss page if you wish.
Barter, Upgrade, Train, Travel and Relax
There exist a multitude of things to do in Hollow Knight, with plenty of options for The Knight. You can buy Items from the friendly bug NPCs of Hallownest, upgrade the Nail as well as your Spells and Abilities, train The Knight to learn new Nail Arts, explore what the world has to offer and even hang out in one of the many hot springs in the game.
Hollow Knight Media
Hollow Knight is defined by its unique art style and approach to world design. From mines to a forest palace or a challenging arena, each area is crafted beautifully and contrasts with the game's imposing pace and challenging gameplay.
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Anonymous
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THERE IS GOING TO BE A NEW UPDATE FOR SWITCH OHHH YEAHHHHHHh
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sometimes i feel as if i have a mind to think, will to break, and a voice to cry out suffering. while i am born of god and void, i dont feel like sealing the blinding light their dreams. i guess im not the vessel. i guess im not the dense knight
- Anonymous
Fun fact: so apparently every time you fight pure vessel in the hall of God's beating pure vessel takes 1 extra hit with pure nail
- Anonymous
Here's an interesting theory: The Pale King attempted to contain the infection in robots. Hear me out. You would think that containing the infection in a robot would be impossible because robots are not living things. But we have seen that the infection and the crystals from the Crystal Peak can both inhabit the same body and work together (Example: The Crystal Guardian, Crystalized Husk, and Crystal Crawlers). He also know that there is a particularly powerful crystal located functioning as the crystal heart. So what if the Pale King thought he could contain the heart of the infection inside the crystal heart, and place it inside one of the robots lying around Crystal Peaks? After all, robots are truly soulless and emotionless...
- Anonymous
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do you think that white palace is the most hardest map in hollow knight?
- Anonymous
I Made a Poggy Thorax page ! But it doesn’t have a pic. Can someone give it a pic. :) https://hollowknight.wiki.fextralife.com/PoggyThorax
Anyone seen grimmkinwisp recently cuz I have not seen him sense 2022 July.
Let us acknowledge the greatest contributors to this wiki tyr and grimmkinwisp.
- Anonymous
hey! who else thinks that the hollow knight curses lyric video was spot on?
- Anonymous
I love the beautiful maps of each area that display pins to mark the locations of various objects / characters / bosses. One problem: I can’t seem to find a legend / key to define what the various pins represent! Can anyone help out here?
- Anonymous
I love hollow knight tho i suck at it so if I can get at least SOME support that would be great :)
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Anyone else think Tiso is just a nice person? Although they do think rather highly of themself, I love just how confident they are! (Warning spoilers ahead: If you have not met Tiso past the well in Dirtmouth, do not proceed) I hate that they had to die...it would've been SO fun if you go to fight with Tiso in the Colosseum of Fools!
Anyone else absolutely love the Hollow Knight soundtracks? Christopher Larkin is a musical genius. Such a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Grimm’s battle themes are like a *major* mood-booster for me - being a Grimmkin, it keeps my flame-soul alive. (^_^)♥️ I also love “Truth, Beauty & Hatred” (Grey Prince Zote’s theme), Pure Vessel’s theme (very ethereal and angelic), “Soul Sanctum” (which contains Soul Master’s incredible battle theme), and “Sealed Vessel” (which honestly brings tears to my eyes as I reflect on the agony of the Hollow Knight - so poignant...) “Pale Court” is great too. I’m curious to know, what does everyone else think of the music? What are your favourite tracks?
Wait, what the...? Why is there an icon of *Hornet* atop the main logo for this Hollow Knight wiki? Hornet and the Weaversong charm??? That doesn’t make sense at all... She’s not the main character or protagonist of HK — the Knight is... His face should be there on the logo, along with the Kingsoul or Voidheart charm. It would be nice if whomever made the graphic could simply correct and update it. There’s a completely separate wiki here for “Silksong”, so Hornet being on the logo here with the Weaversong charm as if the original Hollow Knight game is centered around her is flat-out bizarre. Please fix this with a logo that makes sense and honors the Knight as the main protagonist, if possible. (I could make it, but I don’t know how to upload images to this particular website.)
- Anonymous
It would be nice if the Fandom site allowed comments!
It's always fun looking at complaints and discussions about certain enemies, locations, etc.
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Dark Souls, but only one type of weapon, no Fashion Souls, horrid graphics and lame enemies and bosses! This súcks!!!
- Anonymous
what's everyone's favorite character? mine is quirrel, or brumm.
- Anonymous
you should put every enemy in each section of the map (like deepnest ets ).
- Anonymous
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Why is so much information missing in this wiki, it was so extensive ...
como me lo puedo instalar gratissss
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