The Ultimate Hollow Knight Checklist A Professional Completionists Guide To Hallownest

Hollow Knight Completion Guide: What You Actually Need

I spent about 40 hours getting my first perfect run done. That was back when I didn't know half the shortcuts or where the harder masks actually dropped. You will waste time if you just wing it. There are 136 collectibles in the base game alone, not counting the Godmaster DLC, and missing even a handful means you won't hit 112 percent or whatever silly target everyone chases. Here is the breakdown that actually matters. Focus on these in order or you will hit a wall later. You need the Mothblade from the tutorial area in Froggless. Then grab the Dream Nail from the Forgotten Crossroads after you fight the False Knight but before you enter the Queens Galleries. Without the Dream Nail you cannot access half the shade souls or the harder boss rushes. I learned this the hard way when I tried to skip around and realized I could not go back to certain areas properly.

Get the Dash Slash from the City of Tears. This splits your dash into two shorter dashes with attack frames. The upgrade takes a simple quest line that involves talking to two NPCs, one in the City and one near the Royal Waterways entrance. Do not ignore it. The standard dash cannot reach some platforms and the double dash gets you into tight spots you need for masks and geostones.

Mask and Soul Containers You Must Get

Masks are your health. Soul containers are your ability to cast spells. The game gives you starting values of 3 masks and 2 soul tanks. To reach full completion you need 11 masks and 5 soul containers minimum for most playthroughs. Masks come from small gods. Each small god drops one mask when you place three geostones near them in the correct pattern. There are 24 small gods total across the map. If you miss any, you cannot get the mask they drop. The locations are:

• Fungal Wastes: 4 small gods scattered through the upper and lower areas
• City of Tears: 3 small gods near the left and right ends of the city
• Crystal Peak: 2 small gods in the deeper crystal sections
• Ancient Basin: 2 small gods hidden behind broken walls
• Dirtmouth: 1 small god that drops from a trap door near the temple
• Fog Canyon: 2 small gods that require precise platforming
• Greenpath: 1 small god at the very top near the spore thrower
• Royal Waterways: 1 small god behind a broken wall that needs the Shrumal Ogress charm to reveal
• Queen's Gardens: 2 small gods in the water channels
• Resting Grounds: 2 small gods near the soul salt pond
• Hidden Stations: 2 small gods at old train stops off the main track
• Hall of Gods: 1 small god that only appears if you complete certain challenges

I missed the one in Queen's Gardens for six hours because I kept falling into the water and dying. The solution is to use the Desolate Dive ability to phase through the water and reach the geostones. Soul containers come from elder pit fighters. These are NPC enemies you find in four different areas. Each pit fighter drops one container when defeated. You can only fight each one once per playthrough. The areas are: Greenpath, Fungal Wastes, Ancient Basin, and Hidden Station.

Charm Slots and Where to Get Them

You start with 2 charm slots. The maximum is 11 slots if you want every charm equipped. The upgrade costs increase with each slot: Essence comes from finding spirit shards. These are white glowing spots on the ground that you break with your nail. Each shard gives you a small amount. The Seer in Dirtmouth asks for a total of 9400 essence for all the slots combined. Some shards are hidden behind false walls or require specific abilities to reach. Each small god has a specific geostone pattern. If you place them in the wrong order, nothing happens. The patterns are always visible once you get close enough. I recommend bringing your Dream Nail to check for shade hints when you are stuck.

The Fungal Wastes small gods are the easiest. They are in open areas with minimal threats. The Crystal Peak ones require the Crystal Heart double dash to reach. The Ancient Basin ones are behind walls that only appear when you use the Desolate Dive spell.

Boss Progression for Completionists

Do not try to fight the late game bosses early. You will die repeatedly and waste time. Follow this order: The Watcher Knight fight is tricky because it has three forms. Each form requires a different strategy. The first form you dodge its charge attacks. The second form you use the Shrumal Ogress charm to reveal its weak point. The third form you need precise timing on your dash slash. The Godmaster DLC adds two new content tracks: Pantheon of Hallownest and Pantheon of the Artist. These are boss rush challenges with increasing difficulty. The Pantheon of Hallownest has 33 bosses. The Pantheon of the Artist has 8 bosses including special encounters.

To unlock these you need the Nail Artistry charm. You get it by completing the Colosseum of Fools with specific conditions. The Colosseum has three floors. Floor one has three enemy waves. Floor two has four waves with tougher enemies. Floor three has five waves plus a final boss. I failed the Colosseum about eight times before passing. The hardest part is Floor 3, Wave 5 against the two Hollow Knights. They have different attack patterns and you need to use the environment to your advantage. I recommend the Defecting Shell charm to block their charge attacks.

Ending Variations and What You Miss

There are three endings in the base game plus DLC additions: The secret ending requires you to have collected every essence shard in the game. That means checking every corner, every false wall, every hidden room. I missed one in the Royal Waterways that was behind a broken wall I could not break without the Desolate Dive. Do not skip the Dream Nail tutorial. You will miss shade souls that contain charm recipes and extra essence. Do not fight bosses without testing their attack patterns first. The Pale King boss in the Godhome requires you to know every move or you will die within seconds.

Save often. The game has an auto-save system but it only triggers after boss fights or major events. If you die after a long exploration segment you lose progress. I lost about 20 minutes once because I skipped saving before entering a tough area. The Charm Synergies matter more than individual power. A well-built charm set can make impossible fights trivial. The Mark of Pride charm combined with the Longnail charm gives you extended range and damage. The Grubberfly's Elegance charm summons three grubs that distract enemies. These combinations let you bypass content you might otherwise struggle with for hours.

Time Estimates for Different Completion Levels

Here is what you can expect based on skill level: The bottleneck is usually the Godmaster content. The Pantheon of Hallownest took me about 12 hours of practice over two weeks. Each attempt lasted 3 to 8 minutes depending on where I failed. The final boss fights take about 10 to 20 minutes each if you know the patterns. Keep an interactive map open while you play. The Hollownest website has every location marked with coordinates. Check it when you are unsure where something is. Do not rely on it completely because it sometimes marks placeholder locations that changed during development.

Record your playthroughs. Watching back helps you identify patterns you missed during the fight. I spotted a mistake in my Dashmaster timing by rewatching a Hornet fight where I kept getting hit. Join the Hollow Knight community on Discord or Reddit. People share secrets, boss strategies, and help with stuck segments. The community is active and knowledgeable. I got unstuck on the Oro and Mato fight after someone explained their attack rotation pattern.

What to Skip If You Are Short on Time

You do not need every charm to beat the game. Focus on the essential ones first: Dashmaster for movement, Fury of the Fallen for damage, and Grubberfly's Elegance for crowd control. Skip the experimental charms until you have the main story done. The Godmaster challenge is optional for most players. It adds significant time without changing the base story experience. Only do it if you want to test your skills or collect the extra essence needed for the true ending. Skip the hidden stations if you are speedrunning. They contain small gods and extra content but do not affect the main progression. You can come back later if you decide to pursue 112 percent or higher.