Hollow Knight — Achievement Walkthrough

Charms are passive abilities equipped at benches. Your first comes naturally from Sly (Forgotten Crossroads) or as a story drop. Visit Salubra in Crossroads — she sells Wayward Compass for 220 Geo, your first easy purchase.

Charms shape your build. Don't grind unique builds early; just experiment as you find new ones.

First major boss — chubby armoured beetle wielding a giant nail. Three phases:

1. Slow swings; dodge laterally, hit head when stunned
2. Faster swings; bombs drop on ground — avoid splash
3. Final lunge phase; pattern recognition

Use the Sharp Shadow Charm if available. Achievement pops on kill — you'll also get the City Crest, key to progression.

Story boss. Hornet has fast spear thrusts, a long-range throw (needle + thread), and a wall-bounce attack. Key tells:

• Telegraph windups — her spear glows white before each attack
• Dash through her instead of away when she charges
• Stay close — her ranged attacks are the most dangerous

First Hornet fight is a milestone — she's the soul of Hollow Knight.

Stag Stations are fast-travel hubs. Most charge Geo to unlock. Open 5 by exploring the major areas — Crossroads, Greenpath, City of Tears, Royal Waterways, etc.

Achievement pops automatically. You'll naturally hit this during normal play.

Mask Shards: 4 fragments = 1 full Mask (HP unit). The first 4 come fast:

1. Crossroads (Sly purchase, 100 Geo)
2. Greenpath (climb up to a hidden alcove)
3. Crossroads (under the broken bridge near Hot Springs)
4. Crossroads (Bretta's room — she has one once rescued)

Achievement pops on your first HP upgrade.

Two-phase boss in the Soul Sanctum. Phase 1: floats around throwing Soul orbs and dive attacks. Phase 2: flies into the ceiling, drops globe-AoE attacks.

Dream Nail him in the brief stun window after dive attacks for free Essence. Rewards Soul Catcher charm — major build piece.

Three Lords. Phase 1: 1v1 against first Lord. Phase 2: 2v1 against the remaining two. They're fast — dashes, throw-needles, dive attacks.

Key: dodge laterally not vertically. Lateral dash through their dives. Mantis Claw (wall jump) helps positioning.

The Lords respect you after — friendly Mantis Tribe afterwards.

Vessel Fragments: 3 = 1 extra Soul Vessel (extra magic charge). First 3 come from:

1. Sly purchase (550 Geo)
2. King's Pass dive (early hidden)
3. Greenpath hidden room (requires Mantis Claw)

Achievement pops on first full Vessel upgrade.

Funny chubby knight boss who fights in dung. Phases:

1. Leaps + dung-ball projectiles
2. Spawns geysers from below
3. Adds dung-spike walls

Watch his shoulder for leap windups. Dash under his peak height to evade. Rewards Defender's Crest charm — useful for tank/damage builds.

Vessel boss in the Ancient Basin (below City of Tears). Mid-fight she breaks open releasing Infected blobs. Phase 2 adds spore clouds.

Grants Monarch Wings on victory — double jump, major mobility upgrade. After defeat, dream-nail her body for the harder fight 'Lost Kin' (separate achievement).

## How to accumulate
Charms come from boss drops, hidden alcoves, vendors (Salubra, Sly, Charm Smith), and the Stag's library. By the time you've cleared 4-5 major bosses, you'll naturally have 15-18.

## Sources to remember
- Salubra (Crossroads) — sells 4 Charms
- Sly (City of Tears, after recruitment) — sells 4 more, plus Pure Nail upgrades
- Grub rewards — Grubfather gives Charms at 10, 23, 38, and 46 grubs rescued

20 total Charms = achievement.

Third Dreamer. Herrah is at the heart of Deepnest, behind the Beast's Den. Reach her by exploring Deepnest fully (deadly area — Crystal Heart + Mantis Claw recommended).

Dream nail her body. Last of the three Dreamers — Hollow Knight's containment breaks once all three are killed.

Hidden achievement. Second Hornet fight is harder — same moveset plus a new sphere-needle attack that homes in. She summons her shade weave to protect herself.

Use Sharp Shadow + Quick Slash. Patient nail trades, never greed for multi-hit combos. Her parry-counter punishes mistakes.

Grubs are small worm-things in glass jars scattered around the map. Break the jar with nail or magic, grub flies home. Each rescued counts.

Grubfather (in the Forgotten Crossroads) rewards Geo + items at 5, 10, 17, 23, 31, 38, 46. Grubs are everywhere — but the deep-Deepnest, Crystal Peak, and Kingdom's Edge ones need traversal abilities.

Essence drops from Dream Nail hits on enemies, Whispering Roots, and dream-boss kills. Cumulative count.

Best Essence sources:
- Whispering Roots (~30-100 Essence each)
- Dream Warriors (No Eyes, Marmu, Galien — each 200-300)
- Dream Bosses (Failed Champion, Lost Kin, Soul Tyrant — 300-400 each)

600 is achievable mid-game with just Roots + Dream Warriors.

One of the three Dreamers locking the Hollow Knight. Monomon is preserved in fluid in the Teacher's Archives (Fog Canyon). To reach her, you need Isma's Tear (acid immunity) AND the dream nail.

Dream nail her preserved body. Story progression — required for Ending B/C.

First Colosseum trial. Wave-based combat, ~12 waves. Mostly weak enemies, easy if your build is decent (Quick Slash + Mark of Pride).

Reward: 100 Geo + access to Trial 2.

Second Dreamer. Lurien sleeps at the top of the Watcher's Spire in City of Tears. Access via the Lumafly Lantern + the Watcher's Knight encounters.

Dream nail his sleeping body. Required for Ending B/C.

Cornifer is a friendly bug-cartographer scattered around the map. In every new area, find him scribbling, buy his map (50-200 Geo).

Follow his audio cue — humming. He's in every region: Crossroads, Greenpath, Fungal Wastes, City of Tears, Royal Waterways, Crystal Peak, Resting Grounds, Howling Cliffs, Kingdom's Edge, Deepnest, Queen's Gardens, Ancient Basin.

Buy from his wife Iselda in Dirtmouth for the Quill (lets you mark your own map).

Harder waves with tougher enemies and the Zote boss fight mid-trial. Bring damage + survival charms.

Watch out for Soul Tyrants (mini-bosses) on later waves. Reward: 200 Geo + Charm and access to Trial 3.

Optional boss in deep Queen's Gardens. Massive Mantis-type with fast leaping attacks and a charge-slash.

Strategy: stay LOW to the ground. His leaps go over you if you crouch in the right spot. His slash combos are wide — block by dashing through (i-frames).

Rewards: clears the path for the Mark of Pride charm AND lets you advance the Grey Mourner's flower quest.

9 standard Stag Stations + the secret Stag Nest. The Nest is found by riding the Stag from the Resting Grounds — once Stagway maps are mostly opened, the Stag mentions wanting to go 'home.' Follow him.

Reward: meet the Last Stag's family — most heartfelt scene in the game.

Optional boss in City of Tears (Tower of Love, requires Love Key). The Collector throws jars containing grubs/enemies. Each jar adds a temporary helper-enemy.

Strategy: keep moving, kill the jars before they release threats. Hit The Collector between jar-throws. Rewards Collector's Map (reveals grubs).

Dream nail the corpse of Broken Vessel to enter Lost Kin's fight. Same moveset but faster, no breakable phase, infected blobs spawn from every hit.

Use Shaman Stone + Quick Focus for spell damage. Keep moving — the spawned blobs eat HP fast. Reward: 400 Essence.

Cumulative 1800. Add Dream Warriors + Dream Bosses to the 600 from Attunement. The Seer in the Resting Grounds rewards you when you hit it.

Awakening unlocks the second Dream Nail upgrade and key story progression.

## Steps
1. Find Zote stuck in a Vengefly King's grasp in Greenpath. Kill the Vengefly to save him
2. Later, encounter him in the Colosseum of Fools — Trial of the Conqueror has him as a boss
3. Defeat him for the achievement

Zote is a recurring NPC. His arc gets darker each encounter. Decide if you find him annoying or endearing.

## The Grimm Troupe DLC
Find the Troupe Master's Tent in Howling Cliffs. Accept Grimm's quest to collect Flames from 3 hidden Flame Bearers. After all collected, fight Grimm.

## The fight
Fast circus-clown style fight — dive-bombs, fire trails, sweeping uppercuts. Stay mobile, use Quick Slash, watch for the dive telegraphs.

Grimmchild Charm is acquired by beating him.

After dream-nailing the defeated False Knight, you enter the dream version. Same moveset but faster and harder. Phase 3 adds extra projectiles.

Use Quick Slash + Mark of Pride for fast nail attacks. Practice dodging the bomb-drop telegraphs. 5-10 attempts typical. Rewards: 300 Essence.

All 46. The Collector's Map (from beating The Collector) reveals grub locations on your map — get that first to speed this up.

Most-missed grubs:
- Hidden behind breakable walls (use Desolate Dive)
- In tram tunnels requiring tram pass
- In dream sequences (the Cast Off Shell tucked-away grub)

Grubfather rewards Mask Shard, Vessel Fragment, Hallownest Seal, and unique loot at every milestone.

## How to get Void Heart
1. Reach the Ancient Basin / Abyss
2. Acquire the King's Brand (deep Kingdom's Edge — White Palace platforming + dream sequences)
3. Return to the Abyss, use King's Brand on the door
4. Navigate the Abyss's dark caverns to the heart at the bottom

Void Heart is the key to Ending C and the secret Pantheon content. Massive late-game requirement.

9 Vessel Fragments across the map. Wiki list essential. Many require traversal abilities:

• Crystal Heart (Crystal Peak fragment)
• Monarch Wings (Queen's Gardens fragment)
• Tram Pass (Deepnest fragment)

Most players hit 'Soulful' early but take longer to complete all 9.

Quirrel is a friendly scholar bug you meet throughout the game. After all his appearances (Crossroads, Greenpath, Fungal Wastes, City of Tears), he retires to the Blue Lake.

Reach the Blue Lake (Resting Grounds area) and find him sitting on a rock. Talk to him for his epilogue dialogue. The achievement pops on the conversation.

One of Hollow Knight's most poignant character beats.

## The fight
At the Black Egg Temple, after dream-nailing all 3 Dreamers, you face The Hollow Knight. Multi-phase:

1. Slow nail combos — punish his slow swings
2. Adds Soul-spell projectiles — dodge laterally
3. Self-harm phase — he stabs himself; punish during the openings

Win = standard ending. Story closes but feels incomplete — Hollow Knight has multiple endings (see Sealed Siblings, Dream No More, Embrace the Void).

Dream Nail Soul Master's defeated body to enter the Soul Tyrant fight. Same moveset but faster, plus an extra phase with desperate Soul-orb walls.

Reward: 300 Essence + access to Hidden Dreams content.

## Setup
1. Rescue Bretta in Fungal Wastes; she relocates to Dirtmouth
2. Save Zote in multiple of his appearances
3. Sleep at Bretta's bed; dream nail to enter Grey Prince Zote fight

## The fight
Three phases — easy at low level, brutal at max level. The 10-level scaling is a roguelike-ish mechanic. Beat him at level 10 for the achievement.

## The flower quest
1. The Grey Mourner (Resting Grounds) gives you a Delicate Flower
2. You must carry it WITHOUT taking damage, dying, or sitting at a bench, to the Traitor Lord's grave (deep in Queen's Gardens)
3. Place the flower; achievement pops

## Why it's hard
- The flower BREAKS if you take damage
- It BREAKS if you die
- It BREAKS if you sit on a bench

## Strategy
- Travel via Stags as much as possible (they don't break it)
- Avoid every enemy en route
- Use Hiveblood charm in case you need to heal mid-trip

Walkthrough video helps — the route to Traitor Lord's grave is tricky.

## The brutal trial
~28 waves of escalating difficulty. Boss waves: Sharp Shadow, Battle Obble, the dual Sentries, the spike crucible, and the final 1v1 (sometimes God Tamer — a knight + her beast).

## Build for it
- Quick Slash + Mark of Pride — fast nail damage
- Quick Focus + Soul Catcher — fast healing
- Stalwart Shell — invuln frames after damage
- Hiveblood — passive regen

Learn each wave's pattern. Quicksave isn't available; you push through or restart from wave 1.

16 Mask Shards = 4 full extra masks. They're scattered across:

• Sly's shop (4 from purchases)
• Boss rewards (Brooding Mawlek, Hive Knight)
• Hidden alcoves in every major area
• Grubfather (gives one at 17 grubs)
• Whispering Roots dream alcoves

Follow a wiki list. Most-missed are the ones requiring Crystal Heart or Monarch Wings to reach.

## How to trigger
1. Acquire Void Heart Charm (deep in Abyss — King's Brand required)
2. Reach Black Egg, dream-nail the Hollow Knight
3. With Void Heart equipped, you transcend the fight
4. Battle the Radiance — the actual final boss of Hallownest

## The Radiance fight
Multi-phase. Light beams, sword-spawn, vertical platform climbing finale. Hardest 'normal' fight in the game.

Reward: 'true' ending of Hollow Knight.

## All 40 Charms
Include Charm fragments (Fragile/Unbreakable variants count once), Grimm Troupe DLC Charms (Grimmchild, Carefree Melody), and Pantheon-unlock Charms.

## Salubra's blessing
After you have 40, visit Salubra in Crossroads — she gives a blessing that costs no extra Geo. The achievement pops on the blessing dialogue.

## Most-missed Charms
- Spell Twister (King's Pass hidden room)
- Defender's Crest (Dung Defender boss reward)
- Sprintmaster (Sly purchase, late)
- Hiveblood (Hive area, deep underground)
- Carefree Melody (post-Nightmare King Grimm)

Wiki tracker is essential. Plan a dedicated charm-collection run.

Cumulative 2400. Requires defeating all Dream Warriors + Dream Bosses + most Whispering Roots.

The Seer dies after delivering her final words — bittersweet character ending. Reward: Awoken Dream Nail (max upgrade).

## What 100% requires
The game's completion meter tracks:
- All Mask Shards + Vessel Fragments
- All Charms (40)
- All Spells (Vengeful Spirit/Shade Soul, Desolate Dive/Descending Dark, Howling Wraiths/Abyss Shriek)
- All Nail Arts (Cyclone, Dash Slash, Great Slash)
- All Stag Stations
- All Whispering Roots
- All Dream Bosses + Dream Warriors
- Maps for every area
- All grubs (46)

And then beat any ending. Use a wiki checklist.

## How to trigger
1. Awaken the Dream Nail (1800 Essence)
2. Find the Hollow Knight at Black Egg
3. Dream Nail him during the fight — opens a new prompt
4. Hornet joins; you sacrifice yourself in his place

This is the 'good knight saves the day' ending. Requires you to NOT have begun the Path of Pain / Void heart pickup yet.

After completing Dung Defender's friendship arc (kill him, then sleep near his shrine in the Waterways), dream nail his shrine to fight White Defender. Same moveset but faster + new mechanics.

Reward: 300 Essence + completes Defender Crest's lore.

After paying the Nailsmith to forge your nail to Pure Nail (max upgrade), he asks you to kill him to end his life of forging weapons. Pick the 'kill' dialogue option.

Mutually exclusive with 'Happy Couple.' Tragic mini-arc — Nailsmith's tale closes here.

## The Pantheons
Godmaster DLC content. Pantheon of the Master = 10 consecutive boss fights from the easier tier of bosses.

## Strategy
- Pick a balanced charm set: Quick Slash, Mark of Pride, Quick Focus, Stalwart Shell
- Practice each boss individually before attempting the pantheon
- Use Bench between fights? No — you can't rest in Pantheons. Plan your healing carefully

Unlocks at the Godseeker (accessed via the Junk Pit in the Waterways).

Mid-tier bosses, 10 in a row. Harder than Pantheon 1 but still manageable with practice.

Tough fights: Watcher Knights, Soul Tyrant, Crystal Guardian. Don't waste healing on early easy fights — save Soul for the boss-killers.

## The harder Grimm
After Troupe Master Grimm, choose to BANISH the troupe (alternate path) — wait, no. To get Nightmare King Grimm: COMPLETE the ritual fully. Talk to Brumm and burn the troupe's heart... actually, for Nightmare King:

1. Beat Troupe Master Grimm
2. Do NOT listen to Brumm (don't banish)
3. Find Nightmare Lantern at the troupe's site
4. Activate it to start the Nightmare King fight

## The fight
Same moveset as Grimm but FASTER + new attacks. Considered the hardest fight in base game outside Path of Pain. Reward: Carefree Melody charm.

Harder bosses: Markoth, Marmu, Galien, Grimm. Pure damage Charms recommended (Quick Slash + Mark of Pride + Shaman Stone).

Learn each boss's tells. The Markoth fight is famously brutal — practice it in solo Hall of Gods first.

After Pure Nail upgrade, refuse to kill the Nailsmith. Later, visit Sheo's house in Greenpath (the green nail-shrine guy). The Nailsmith has moved in with Sheo — happy ending.

Wholesome alternative to Purity. Mutually exclusive.

The hardest base Pantheon. Includes True Forms of bosses — versions even harder than their normal Dream variants. Final fight: Pure Vessel (the canonical version of Hollow Knight).

No bench between fights. Mistakes cost. Plan healing windows; don't full-heal mid-fight unless you're SURE you have the Soul + safety window.

## Alternate Grimm path
1. After beating Troupe Master Grimm, talk to Brumm in the troupe area
2. Brumm reveals the truth and gives you a way to destroy the Nightmare Lantern
3. Banish the troupe — they leave Hallownest forever

Mutually exclusive with Nightmare King fight. Reward: Carefree Melody Charm (different acquisition path).

## The Journal
65+ creature types to record. Defeat each one X times (varies — usually 4-15 kills). The Hunter (in Crossroads after Greenpath access) hands you the Journal.

## Most-missed creatures
- Pale Lurkers (Kingdom's Edge, rare spawn)
- Garpedes (Deepnest, eat-you-alive ambushers)
- Maggots (require specific area triggers)

Wiki tracker essential. The Hunter rewards you with the Hunter's Mark on completion.

Opposite of 'Rivalry.' When you find Zote about to be eaten by the Vengefly King in Greenpath, WALK AWAY (or refuse to engage the Vengefly). The Vengefly King eats Zote.

Mutually exclusive with the 'Rivalry' arc — save before the encounter if you want both achievements across playthroughs.

After the Journal is full (Keen Hunter), return to the Hunter. He gifts the Hunter's Mark — essentially the achievement reward. Pops on the dialogue.

Note: requires getting EVERY entry — even bosses you've beaten. The Hunter's house location: deep in Crossroads, accessible after Mantis Claw.

## The hidden NPC
Mister Mushroom is a one-off mushroom-bug who pops up in 5 unique spots after you have the Spore Shroom charm equipped.

## Locations
1. Fungal Wastes (initial encounter)
2. Royal Waterways (specific room)
3. Howling Cliffs (high alcove)
4. Deepnest (small cave)
5. Kingdom's Edge (deep area)

Must have Spore Shroom equipped for each encounter to count. Wiki has exact locations. Completes the Spore Shroom story.

## The pinnacle
Full 112% — base 100% + all 4 Godmaster Pantheons + Pantheon of Hallownest + Path of Pain (the white-palace platforming hell tier).

Reserve this for after every other achievement. Several Hollow Knight players have called this the most rewarding completion track in any indie game.

Wiki checklist. Multiple practice runs. Total game time around 80-150 hours.

Welcome to the Vault. You've earned every Mask of it.

10 hours is generous for a knowledgeable second playthrough. Skip optional bosses, focus on essentials:

• Get Mantis Claw, Crystal Heart, Monarch Wings ASAP
• Take Ending A (shortest)
• Skip Charm collection beyond essentials (Quick Slash + Mark of Pride + Stalwart Shell)

Follow a speedrun route guide. Many players hit this on second run naturally.

Combines 'Completion' + 'Speedrun 1' essentially. Requires extensive route planning to cover all 100% items + bosses in 20 hours.

Most players need 30+ hours for full completion. This achievement is for run-it-back enthusiasts. Watch a 100% speedrun route guide.

## Tight requirements
5 hours is genuinely fast — requires:
- Precise speedrun route (any% glitchless or with minor sequence breaks)
- Quick-kill knowledge of every story boss
- Optimal pathing across every area
- Skip Charm collection almost entirely

Watch a speedrun guide on YouTube; the route is non-obvious without one. Most players need 3-5 attempts even with guidance.

## The ultimate Pantheon
Unlocked after Pantheon 4. 42 bosses back-to-back, no benches, no breaks. Final boss: Absolute Radiance (the hardest fight in the game).

## Strategy
- Master every Pantheon 1-4 boss first
- Practice Absolute Radiance in solo Hall of Gods until you can no-hit her
- Quick Slash + Mark of Pride + Quick Focus + Shaman Stone is the meta build
- Vessel + Mask combination upgraded to max

## The reward
The true canonical ending of Hollow Knight. Spans into the game's lore depths. One of the most-respected achievements in indie gaming.

## Steel Soul = permadeath
New Game → Steel Soul mode. One death = save is permanently lost.

## Strategy
- Play it safe — never explore beyond your comfort zone
- Stock Lifeblood Cocoons before bosses
- Use Hiveblood, Joni's Blessing for max survivability
- Take Ending A (shortest path)
- Avoid Path of Pain entirely

Many players take multiple attempts to clear. Don't get cocky.

## The big challenge
100% + permadeath. Most ambitious base-game achievement.

## What you must do without dying
- All 4 Mask + 2 Vessel + 4 Mask Shards + 9 Vessel Fragments
- Beat every Dream Boss including Lost Kin, White Defender
- Beat the Colosseum's Fool trial
- Beat all 3 endings paths' bosses
- Collect Void Heart, beat Radiance

Reserve this for after you know the game cold. Plan every fight.