Just Another Charm Guide: There Are Many Like It, But This One Is Mine

There are currently 40 charms in the game, plus variants. This guide is a comprehensive list of the known information regarding charms.
I have also ranked the charms based on how good I think they are. The ranking uses the "Fudge" rating system, which is a scale of 1 to 7 (terrible, poor, mediocre, fair, good, great, superb).
I will also include a tutorial on how to modify charm costs in the game files. Please note that "Carefree Melody" and "KingsoulVoidheart" have hardcoded charm costs, and cannot be via the DLL, however can be a edited on a per-save basis if you have a way to decrypt a savefile that has that charm.

Intro

Charms in the First Row

Wayward Compass

Primary Effect: Shows your location on the map.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: buy from Iselda, in Dirtmouth ($220)
ID: charm_2
Category: Other
Rank: Fair

Gathering Swarm

Primary Effect: Magnetizes all geo in the room.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: buy from Sly, in Dirtmouth ($300)
ID: charm_1
Category: Geo
Rank: Good

Stalwart Shell

Primary Effect: Increases your invincibility frames by 0.4 seconds.
Secondary Effect: reduces the recovery time after getting hit by 0.12 seconds.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Old Cost: 1 notch (prior to version 1.0)
Location: buy from Sly, in Dirtmouth ($200)
ID: charm_4
Category: Defense
Rank: Fair

Soul Catcher

Primary Effect: Increases Soul gain by 3(reserve Soul gain only increases by 2)
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: Ancestral Mound (Crossroads)
Requires:
ID: charm_20
Category: Soul
Rank: Fair

Shaman Stone

Primary Effect: Increases fireball and quake potency by 33%, and scream potency by 50%.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: buy from Salubra, in the Crossroads ($220)
Requires:
ID: charm_19
Category: Spellcasting/Magic Damage
Rank: Great

Soul Eater

Primary Effect: increases Soul gain by 8(reserve Soul gain only increases by 6).
Cost: 4 notches (high cost)
Location: on a Snail Shaman's sarcophagus in the Crypts beneath the Resting Grounds.
Requires:
ID: charm_21
Category: Soul
Rank: Fair

Dashmaster

Primary Effect: substantially reduces dash cooldown.
Secondary Effect: allows you to dash downward.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: from a statue in the Fungal Wastes, near the exit to the Royal Waterways.
ID: charm_31
Category: Mobility
Rank: Fair

Sprintmaster

Primary Effect: Increases movement speed while running by 1.7f(roughly 20.5%).
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: buy from Sly, in Dirtmouth ($400).
Requires:
ID: charm_37
Category: Mobility
Rank: Fair

Grubsong

Primary Effect: generate 15 soul when taking damage.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: from the Grubs, in the Crossroads (10th quest reward)
ID: charm_3
Category: Soul
Rank: Mediocre (taking damage is required to use this charm)

Grubberfly's Elegy

Primary Effect: swinging your nail fires a projectile when at full health.
Notes: hitting an enemy with the beam does not generate soul. hitting an enemy with the beam does (0.5 x N) dmg. hitting an enemy with both the beam and the Nail simultaneously does (1.5 x N) dmg.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: from the Grubs, in the Crossroads (46th quest reward)
ID: charm_35
Category: Melee Range
Rank: Fair (you must maintain full health to keep the charm active)

Charms in the Second Row

Fragile Heart

Primary Effect: increases max health by 2.
Note: charm breaks on death.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: from Leg Eater, in Fungal Wastes ($350)
ID: charm_23
Category: Health
Rank: Good

Fragile Greed

Primary Effect: increases Geo from enemies by 20%.
Note: charm breaks on death.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: from Leg Eater, in Fungal Wastes ($250)
ID: charm_24
Category: Geo
Rank: Fair

Fragile Strength

Primary Effect: increases melee damage by 50%.
Notes: effect only applies to basic attacks with the Nail, charm breaks on death.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: from Leg Eater, in Fungal Wastes ($600)
ID: charm_25
Category: Melee Damage
Rank: Great

Spell Twister

Primary Effect: decreases the soul needed to cast spells by 9.
Notes: does not affect Focus.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: Soul Sanctum
Requires:
ID: charm_33
Category: Spellcasting/Soul
Rank: Good

Steady Body

Primary Effect: negates horizontal recoil knockback from swinging the Nail.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: from Salubra, in the Crossroads ($120)
Requires:
ID: charm_14
Category: Mobility
Rank: Fair

Heavy Blow

Primary Effect: increases knockback of your melee attacks.
Secondary Effect: reduces hits needed to stagger bosses by 1.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: from Sly, in Dirtmouth ($350)
Requires:
ID: charm_15
Category: Other
Rank: Poor
Suggestion: download the Kerr's mod to make Heavy Blow actually good(mod currently doesn't work, and there's no easy way to modify the attributes of Heavy Blow with a DLL editor, so just lower the cost to 1).

Quickslash

Primary Effect: reduces attack cooldown by 75%.
Secondary Effect: reduces attack duration by 72%.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Old Cost: 2 notches (prior to version 1.1)
Location: Kingdom's Edge
Requires:
ID: charm_32
Category: Cooldown
Rank: Great

Longnail

Primary Effect: increases the Nail's reach by 15%.
Note: does not affect Nail Arts.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: from Salubra, in the Crossroads ($300)
Requires:
ID: charm_18
Category: Melee Range
Rank: Good

Mark of Pride

Primary Effect: increase the Nail's reach by 25%
Note: does not affect Nail Arts.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: in Mantis Village (requires defeating the Mantis Lords)
Requires:
ID: charm_13
Category: Melee Range
Rank: Superb

Fury of the Fallen

Primary Effect: increases melee damage by 75% while on death's door
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: in the very first area of the game (requires nail bouncing acrossed some spikes)
ID: charm_6
Category: Melee Damage
Rank: Poor (requires being on 1 hp for the charm to take effect)
Suggestion: Find a way to modify FoF so that it reduces your maxHP to 1(IDK how to do this, so until then, just lower the cost to 1).

Charms in the Third Row

Thorns of Agony

Primary Effect: creates an AoE damage radius around your character is hit.
Note: the charm does 2 times your base Nail damage.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: Greenpath
Requires:
ID: charm_12
Category: Special Damage
Rank: Mediocre (due to knockback from being hit, the attacker may be outside of the AoE's radius)

Baldur Shell

Primary Effect: creates a shell around you when healing, preventing damage.
Note: the shell has its own health bar, and it can only be regenerated by resting.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: Howling Cliffs
Requires:
ID: charm_5
Category: Focus/Defense
Rank: Mediocre/Fair (won't prevent knockback, so being hit while healing still disrupts Focus)

Flukenest

Primary Effect: increases the damage of Vengeful Spirit/Shade Soul*, but reduces its range & consistancy.
Note: fires 9 projectiles with Vengeful Spirit, fires 16 projectiles with Shade Soul.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: in the Royal Waterways (requires defeating Flukemarm)
Requires:
ID: charm_11
Code: Spellfluke
Category: Spellcasting/Magic Damage
Rank: Mediocre/Fair (Superb prior to version 1.3)
Recommendations: Search the Assembly CSharp.DLL for something called "Spellfluke". Next, look for a line of code that looks like this:

if (GameManager.instance.playerData.equippedCharm_19)
		{
			float num = UnityEngine.Random.Range(0.9f, 1.2f);
			base.transform.localScale = new Vector3(num, num, 0f);
			this.damage = 5;
		}
		else
		{
			float num2 = UnityEngine.Random.Range(0.7f, 0.9f);
			base.transform.localScale = new Vector3(num2, num2, 0f);
			this.damage = 4;
		}

Turn the '5' into a '7', and the '4' into a '5'. This will revert the LU dmg nerf.

Defender's Crest

Primary Effect: creates a poison cloud around you, damaging enemies that get to close.
Secondary Effect: grants a 20% discount from Leg Eater.
Tertiary Effect: unlocks new dialog for Ogrim, Elderbug, and the Pale Lady.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: Royal Waterways (requires defeating Ogrim)
Requires:
ID: charm_10
Category: Special Damage
Rank: Fair

Glowing Womb

Primary Effect: spawns hatchlings that fly into enemies, killing themselves and dealing 9 damage.
Note: spawning a hatchling will consume 8 soul, you can have up to 4 hatchlings at a time.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: from the Aspid hive in the Crossroads
Requirement(s):
ID: charm_22
Code: KnightHatchling
Category: Familiar/Special Damage
Rank: Fair

if (playerData.equippedCharm_6 && playerData.health == 1 && (!playerData.equippedCharm_27 || playerData.healthBlue <= 0))
		{
			if (this.spriteFlash)
			{
				this.spriteFlash.FlashingFury();
			}
			this.details.damage = this.details.damage + 5;
		}

GW+FoF(&JB) interaction code

// Token: 0x040029FA RID: 10746
	public KnightHatchling.TypeDetails normalDetails = new KnightHatchling.TypeDetails
	{
		damage = 9,
		dung = false,
};

Normal GW code

// Token: 0x040029FB RID: 10747
	public KnightHatchling.TypeDetails dungDetails = new KnightHatchling.TypeDetails
	{
		damage = 4,
		dung = true,
};

Dung GW code

Quick Focus

Primary Effect: doubles the speed at which Focus heals.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: buy from Salubra, in the Crossroads ($800)
Requires:
ID: charm_7
Category: Focus/Healing
Rank: Good/Great

Deep Focus

Primary Effect: halves the speed of Focus, but doubles the health yielded by each heal.
Cost: 4 notches (high cost)
Location: in Crystal Peak
Requires:
ID: charm_34
Category: Focus/Healing
Rank: Mediocre (the reduced healing speed makes it almost impossible to use in combat)
Suggestion: Find charmCost_34 in your savedata(tutorial can be found later in the guide) and lower the number from '4' to '3'.

Lifeblood Heart

Primary Effect: grants 2 blue health past your max hp.
Note: the blue health can only be recovered by resting.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: buy from Salubra, in the Crossroads ($250)
Requires:
ID: charm_8
Category: Health/Defense
Rank: Fair

Lifeblood Core

Primary Effect: grants 4 blue health past your max hp.
Note: the blue health can only be recovered by resting
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: in The Abyss (requires having access to 14 lifeblood)
ID: charm_9
Category: Health/Defense
Rank: Good

Joni's Blessing

Primary Effect: multiplies your max hp by 1.4, and replaces it with blue health.
Secondary Effect: Lifeseeds will no longer try to run away from you.
Cost: 4 notches (high cost)
Location: Joni's Response (Hollowing Cliffs)
Requires:
ID: charm_27
Category: Health/Defense
Rank: Poor/Mediocre (Mediocre/Fair prior to version 1.3)
Suggestion: In the Assembly-Csharp.DLL, search for something called "orig_CharmUpdate". Next, look for a line of code that looks like this:

	if (this.playerData.equippedCharm_27)
	{
		this.playerData.joniHealthBlue = (int)((float)this.playerData.maxHealth * 1.4f);
		this.playerData.maxHealth = 1;
		this.playerData.MaxHealth();
		this.joniBeam = true;
	}
	else
	{
		this.playerData.joniHealthBlue = 0;
	}

Change the '1.4f' to '1.5f'. This will revert the LU health nerf.

Charms in the Fourth Row

Hiveblood

Primary Effect: regenerates the most recently damaged health mask.
Secondary Effect: passifies all enemies in The Hive.
Note: white masks take 12 seconds to heal
Cost: 4 notches (high cost)
Old Cost: 3 notches (prior to version 1.0)
Location: in The Hive.
Requires: [Tram Pass]
ID: charm_29
Category: Healing
Rank: Mediocre/Fair
Suggestion: lower cost to 3.

Sporeshroom

Primary Effect: creates an AoE damage radius at the end of each heal.
Secondary Effect: allows you to hear and understand Shroomish.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: in the Fungal Wastes, beneath Queen's Station
Requires:
ID: charm_17
Category: Focus/Special Damage
Rank: Fair

Sharp Shadow

Primary Effect: Shade Cloak now does damage equal to your Nail.
Secondary Effect: increases the distance of shadow dashing by 33%.
Tertiary Effect: increases the velocity of shadow dash by 40%.
Bugs: Shadow Dashing into something something invulnerable, or something that interrupts the dash, like explosions, acid, spikes, etc, will break the charm's ability to do damage.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: Deepnest
Requires:
ID: charm_16
Category: Mobility/Special Damage
Rank: Fair

Shape of Unn

Primary Effect: allows you to move while using Focus.
Secondary Effect: changes your hitbox.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: Lake of Unn (Greenpath)
Requires:
ID: charm_28
Category: Focus/Mobility
Rank: Fair

Nailmaster's Glory

Primary Effect: reduces the time needed to charge a Nail Art by 1 second.
Secondary Effect: unlocks new dialog for Mato, Sheo, and Oro.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: obtained from Sly, in Dirtmouth.
Requires:
ID: charm_26
Category: Cooldown
Rank: Good

Weaversong

Primary Effect: spawns 4 weaverling that do 2 dmg per hit spawns 3 weaverlings that do 3 dmg per hit.
Secondary Effect: unlocks new dialog for the Midwife.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: Weaver's Den (Deepnest)
Requires:
ID: charm_39
Category: Familiar/Special Damage
Rank: Fair

Dream Wielder

Primary Effect: greatly reduces the time needed to charge the Dream Nail
Secondary Effect: increases the Dream Nail's soul steal by 33.
Tertiary Effect: increases the odds of getting Dream Essense from kills by 1%.
Cost: 1 notch (low cost)
Location: obtained from the Seer, in the Resting Grounds (4th quest reward).
Requires:
ID: charm_30
Category: Cooldown/Soul
Rank: Good

Dream Shield

Primary Effect: grants a passively rotating shield that blocks some projectiles.
Secondary Effect: If the shield takes contact dmg, it will repost with x1 Nail dmg and be briefly disabled.
Notes: Using Focus increases the shield's rotation speed. Focus also increases the shield's recovery. Hitting the shield with your Nail very briefly increases it's range by a small amount.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: behind a false wall in the Resting Grounds
ID: charm_38
Category: Defense/Magic Damage
Rank: Great

Special Charms

Grimmchild

Primary Effect: allows you to locate and collect Nightmare Essense.
Secondary Effect: spawns a familiar that will aid you in combat*.
Tertiary Effect: unlocks new dialog for the Pale Lady.
Note: the familiar does not cost anything to summon and cannot die.
*Lv.2 (requires 3 Nightmare Essense): 5 dmg per hit
*Lv.3 (requires 6 Nightmare Essense & defeating Grimm): 8 dmg per hit
*Lv.4 (requires 9 Nightmare Essense & defeating the Nightmare King): 11 dmg per hit
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: Grimm, in Dirtmouth after summoning the Grimm Troupe.
Requires:
ID: charm_40
Category: Quest/Familiar/Special Damage
Rank: Mediocre/Fair
Suggestion: There is a mod called "Avenging Angle's Grimmchild Upgrades"(requires both Modding API and ModCommon). Assuming you install it correctly, a JSON file should be created in the same folder as that contains the savefiles. You can edit the Grimmchild's attributes here. These are the settings that I use:

{
    "StringValues": {
        "keys": [],
        "values": []
    },
    "IntValues": {
        "keys": [
            "maxDamage",
            "notchesCost",
            "maxSoulAdd",
            "SettingsVersion"
        ],
        "values": [
            11,
            2,
            0,
            4
        ]
    },
    "BoolValues": {
        "keys": [
            "infiniteGrimmIntegration",
            "ghostBalls"
        ],
        "values": [
            false,
            true
        ]
    },
    "FloatValues": {
        "keys": [
            "maxAttackSpeedMult",
            "maxRangeMult",
            "maxBallMoveSpeed",
            "maxBallSize",
            "volumeMultiplier",
            "colorAlpha",
            "colorBlue",
            "colorRed",
            "colorGreen"
        ],
        "values": [
            1.15,
            1.25,
            1.5,
            1.0,
            1.0,
            1.0,
            1.0,
            1.0,
            1.0
        ]
    }
}

Carefee Melody

Primary Effect: has a 10% chance to nullify the damage you take every other hit.
Note: the chance increases by 10% to 20% every time you take damage, capping at 90%. The chance resets to 0% if the effect triggers. On average, it blocks about 22.5% of attacks overall.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: obtained from Nymm, in Dirtmouth after Banishing the Grimm Troupe
ID: charm_40 (cost cannot be edited via the DLL)
Category: Defense
Rank: Mediocre
Suggestion Lower the cost to 2 notches.

Kingsoul

Primary Effect: infinitely replenishes soul at a rate of 2 soul per second.
Secondary Effect: opens the Birthplace in The Abyss.
Tertiary Effect: unlocks new dialog for the Pale Lady.
Cost: 5 notches (very high cost)
Location: unite the 2 White Fragments*.
Requires:
ID: charm_36
Category: Quest/Soul
Rank: Poor (the cost is too high to use the charm effectively)
Suggestion: Find charmCost_36 in the savedata(tutorial can be found a few sections down), and reduce its cost from '5' to '4'.

Void Heart

Primary Effect: passifies all Shades.
Secondary Effect: Grants access to the "Sealed Siblings", "Dream No More", & "Embrace The Void" endings.
Tertiary Effect: your Shade will no longer lose all of your Geo if you die before reclaiming it.
Misc Effect: unlocks new dialog for the Pale Lady, Hornet, Bardoon, Jiji, & Jinn.
Cost: 0 notches (very low cost)
Location: Birthplace (The Abyss)
Requires:
ID: charm_36 (cost cannot be edited via the DLL, though why would want to?)
Category: Other
Rank: Fair

Unbreakable Charms

Unbreakable Heart

Effect: increases max health by 2.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: buy from Divine, in Dirtmouth after summoning the Grimm Troupe ($12000)
Category: Health
Rank: Great

Unbreakable Greed

Effect: increases Geo from enemies by 20%.
Cost: 2 notches (average cost)
Location: buy from Divine, in Dirtmouth after summoning the Grimm Troupe ($9000)
Category: Geo
Rank: Good/Great

Unbreakable Strength

Effect: increases melee damage by 50%.
Note: only applies to basic attacks from the Nail.
Cost: 3 notches (medium cost)
Location: buy from Divine, in Dirtmouth after summoning the Grimm Troupe ($15000)
Category: Melee Damage
Rank: Superb

Charm Fragments

Broken Heart

Effect: can be repaired by Leg Eater to make Fragile Heart ($200)
Note: cannot be eqipped
Location: die while wearing Fragile Heart.

Broken Greed

Effect: can be repaired by Leg Eater to make Fragile Greed ($150)
Note: cannot be equipped
Location: die while wearing Fragile Greed.

Broken Strength

Effect: can be repaired by Leg Eater to make Fragile Strength ($350)
Note: cannot be equipped
Location: die while wearing Fragile Strength.

Queen's Fragment

Effect: can be united with the King's Fragment to form the Kingsoul.
Note: cannot be equipped
Location: from the Pale Lady, in Queen's Garden (requires defeating the Traitor Lord)
Requires:

King's Fragment

Effect: can be united with the Queen's Fragment to form the Kingsoul.
Note: cannot be equipped
Location: in the Throne Room of the White Palace.
Requires:

Charm Combos

Blessed Blood

HP granted by Joni's Blessing heals over 24 seconds.

Heartfelt Blessing

Equiping either Fragile or Unbreakable Heart will increase the amount of HP granted by Joni's Blessing.

Wrath of the Void

Fury of the Fallen stacks with either version of the Strength charm, increasing the Nail's base dmg by 162.5%(262.5% Nail dmg per swing) when at 1 HP.

Furious Womb

Increases dmg of Glowing Womb by 5.

Festering Womb

Reduces the impact dmg by 5, but gains an AoE explosion that does a small amount of DoT(1-2 dmg/tick, or 2-3 dmg/tick if FoF is also equipped), So it does more dmg overall.

Flukestench

Reduces the overall damage of Flukenest in favor of creating clouds of DoT that can affect multiple enemies at once.

Flukesoul

Increases the dmg per fluke by 1 (prior to the Lifeblood Update it increased it by 2, and at the original release it increased it by 3).

Stinkshroom

Nearly doubles the damage dealt by Sporeshroom.

Deepshroom

Sporeshroom's range is increased by about 35%.

Pure Focus

Almost negates the negative effect of Deep Focus.

Speed of Unn

Doubles your movement speed while using Shape of Unn.

Shapes of Unn

Equipping Baldur Shell, Sporeshroom, or both, will change the appearance of your Unn form.

Shell of Agony

Blocking a hit with Bladur Shell triggers Thorns of Agony, despite taking no damage.

Agonizing Melody

Blocking a hit with Carefree Melody triggers Thorns of Agony, despite taking no damage.

Shadowmaster

Allows you to aim Sharp Shadow downwards, and increases its dmg by 50%.

Speedmaster

Increases run speed to 11.5f

Spider Dance

Allows Weaverlings to run faster and jump higher.

Spider Song

Allows Weaverlings to generate 3 Soul per hit.

Metamorphosis

Increases the Soul gained from Grubsong by 10 (25 Soul per hit you take).

Grubberfly's Fury

Grubberfly's Elegy will reactivate at 1 HP, and do 75% more dmg (87.5% dmg of a normal Nail swing).

Elegy of Strength

Equipping either Fragile or Unbreakable Strength will increase the dmg of Grubberfly's Elegy by 50% (75% dmg of a normal Nail swing).

Lifeblood's Elegy

Mantis Lord's Elegy

Increases the width and range of the projectiles from Grubberfly's Elegy.

Blade of Pride

Increases the base range of the Nail by 40%.

Soul Reaper

Increases base Soul gain by 11 (22 Soul per attack).

Dreamguard

Increases the size of Dream Shield by 15%, and improves its recovery time.

Modifying Charm Costs

To edit game files, you must first have a program that can edit ".DLL" files, such as dnSpy.
Remember to create backups of any ".DLL" files you intend to edit.
Edited charm costs will only affect new saves.


Step 1: Right click on Hollow Knight in your Steam library, select "properties", then find the option "browse local files".
Step 2: Navigate to the "HollowKnight_Data" folder, then go to the "Managed" sub-folder.
Step 3: Inside the "Managed" folder there is a file called "Assembly-CSharp.DLL", open this file in dnSpy.
Step 4: The .DLL is divided into sections, go to the section that has this header: "{} -".
Step 5: There are a lot of sub sections in this part of the file, look for the one called "PlayerData".
Step 6: Next, find "SetupNewPlayerData"(should be in orange text).
Step 7: Inside "SetupNewPlayerData", the data for charm costs should start around line #465.
Step 8: Look for the charmcost_# that you want to edit (corrisponding ID's to each charm are listed in the guide above)*
Step 9: select the line you want to edit, then hit "Ctrl+Shift+E" on your keyboard to bring up the editing interface.
Step 10: Once you've edited the number, hit the button that says "Compile" in the bottom right corner.
Step 11: If your done editing everything, save and exit dnSpy.


You can also edit charm costs in your savedata if you have a way to decrypt them. You can either use a save editor, or simply install the QoL mod(aswell as the Modding API and ModCommon prerequisites). QoL is a combination of small "quality of life" mods(hence the name), one of which is a save decrypter. If installed correctly, it should create decrypted copies of your savefiles in the form of JSON files(they will be located in the same place as normal savefiles). Any changes you make to the JSON will be applied to the corresponding DAT. The JSON savefile has a virtually identical structure to the "SetupNewPlayerData" in the DLL.

Gameplay Mechanics & Tips (This Section is WIP!)

Combat

• Your melee range is reduced while gripping to wall with Mantis Claw, regardless of charms. In situations where you must fight while climbing(such as in the Colosseum), it is best to use Spells or Nail Arts.
  
• All enemies, except for The Radiance, deal contact damage.
  
• After taking damage, you have approximately 1 second of I-frames where you cannot be damaged by enemies. However, I-frames do not prevent Hazard Damage(spikes, saws, thorns, acid, etc).
  
• A successful parry will grant a very small window of I-frames.
  
• All enemies that deal contact damage, only deal 1 contact damage(with the exception of the Failed Champion, and The Nightmare King, who always deal 2 damage). So when fighting enemies that do 2 damage, it may be better to take the contact damage than get hit by its attack. This strategy is mainly for dealing with the Stalking Devout, but can also be used against Husk Guards and Kingsmoulds. It does not work well when fighting Great Husk Sentries, due to their shields.

Mobility

• Forward velocity while walking: 6.0
  
• Forward velocity while using Shape of Unn: 6.0
  
• Forward velocity while using Shape of Unn + Quick Focus: 12.0
  
• Forward velocity while running: 8.3
  
• Forward velocity while using Sprintmaster: 10.0
  
• Forward velocity while using Sprintmaster + Dashmaster: 11.5
  
• Forward velocity while using Mothwing Cloak/Shade Cloak: 20.0
  
• Forward velocity while using Sharp Shadow: 28.0
  
• Forward velocity while using Crystal Heart: 30.0
  
• Upward velocity while jumping: <15.7
  
• Upward velocity while using Monarch Wings: <17.9
  
• Downward velocity while falling: <20.9 (terminal velocity)
  
• Downward velocity while using Cyclone Slash: 4.9
  
• Downward velocity while using Desolate Dive/Descending Dark: 30.0

Invulnerability

certain things will grant you I-frames

• I-frames after being hit: 1.3 sec
  
• I-frames after being hit: while using Stalwart Shell: 1.75 sec
  
• I-frames after a successful Parry: 0.25 sec
  
• I frames after using a Quake spell: 0.4 sec
  
• I-frames while Shadow Dashing: 0.25 sec
  
• I-frames after starting a Cyclone Slash: 0.25 sec

Platforming

• While in the air, hold "Down" and press "Attack" to downstrike with the Nail. This will allow you to bounce on enemies, spikes, saws, purple shrooms, and certain parts of the environment. You are required to learn this in order to progress beyond the Fungal Wastes.

Spellcasting

• Your primary soul vessel can hold a maximum of 99 soul. Each auxillary soul vessel can hold an additional 33 soul. Once you have collected all of the vessel fragments you can hold up to 198 soul at a time. (with a 2% margin of error)
  
• Striking enemies(except for Shades, and The Collector) with your Nail will yield 11 soul per hit. This number can be increased using certain charms.
  
• You must have at least 33 soul to cast a spell. This number can be reduced by a certain charm.
  
• There are two ways you can cast a spell. You may either press the "Quickcast" button, or tap the "Focus/Cast" button. If you use Quickcast, the spell will be cast right away. If you use Focus Cast, the spell will be cast on a delay.
  
• There are three main spells in the game. One for attacking left/right, one for attacking upwards, and one for attcking downwards. Each can be upgraded into a more powerful spell later.
  
• Focus can still be used even if you have full health. This means you don't need to take damage to use Focus based charms like Sporeshroom.

Exploration

The world of Hallownest is full secrets! Always be vigilant, many of the secrets are very well hidden. Just don't let your search for secrets hamper your gameplay experience; remember to enjoy the scenery, ponder the history, and immerse yourself in the atmosphere.

• Most breakable walls have cracks, or other tells, but some do not have any tells at all.
  
• Breakable walls in Greenpath do not have visible cracks, instead they are indicated a pale green moss that has grown over them.
  
• Upgrading your Nail does not change the number of hits necessary to open a breakable wall, however a breakable wall can also be opened with a single shot from a spell.
  
• In addition to breakable walls, there are also false walls. False walls can be walked through without needing break them open. Walking through a false wall for the first time is usually accompanied by an audio cue and a camera pan, unless the false wall leads directly into a room transition.
  
• There are also shortcuts. These consist of collapsable floors, breakable walls, and doors that can only be opened from one side.
  
• While many collapsable floors can be opened by simply walking over them, several of them require using a specific spell to break them open.
  
• Breakable floors that require the use of a spell are usually indicated by a rumbling sound when walked on. However, there are a few 'super secret' breakable floors that do not shake.

Controls

While you are free to use your own controller configuration, I thought I'd share mine:

• Nail: Right Trigger
  
• Dream Nail: Right Bumper
  
• Dash: Left Trigger
  
• Super Dash: Left Bumper
  
• Jump: (A) Button
  
• Focus: (B) Button
  
• Quickcast: (X) Button
  
• Quickmap: (Y) Button
  
• Inventory: Back Button
  
• Pause: Start Button

Spells (WIP)

Focus

Charm Interactions: Quick Focus, Deep Focus, Shape of Unn, Baldur Shell, Dream Shield, Sporeshroom,
Location: start the game.

Vengeful Spirit

Stats: >15 dmg
Charm Interactions: Shaman Stone, Spell Twister, Flukenest,
Location: Ancestral Mound (Crossroads)

Desolate Dive

Stats: 15[dmg] + 20[dmg] = <35[yield]
Charm Interactions: Shaman Stone, Spell Twister,
Location: in the Soul Sanctum (requires defeating the Soul Master)
Requires:

Howling Wraiths

Stats: 10[dmg] x 3[hits] = <30[yield]
Charm Interactions: Shaman Stone, Spell Twister,
Location: Overgrown Mound (Fog Canyon/Queen Gardens)
Requires: & /

Spell Upgrades (WIP)

Shade Soul

Stats: >30 dmg per hit
Notes: can pass through obstacles. can hit enemies multiple times.
Charm Interactions: Shaman Stone*, Spell Twister, Flukenest,
Location: Soul Sanctum
Requires:

Descending Dark

Stats: 15[dmg] + 30[dmg] + 15[dmg] = <60[yield]
Charm Interactions: Shaman Stone*, Spell Twister,
Location: Crystalized Mound (Crystal Peak)
Requires:

Abyssal Shriek

Stats: 20[dmg] x 4[hits] = <80[yield]
Charm Interactions: Shaman Stone, Spell Twister,
Location: activate the Altar in The Abyss
Requires:

The Nail (WIP)

Charm Interactions: Soul Catcher/Eater, Grubberfly's Elegy, Steady Body, Heavy Blow, Quickslash, Longnail, Mark of Pride, Fury of the Fallen, Fragile Strength, Thorns of Agony, Sharp Shadow, Dream Shield,

The Old Nail

Base Damage: 5
Location: start the game

The Sharpened Nail

Base Damage: 9
Location: from the Nailsmith (requires $250).

The Channelled Nail

Base Damage: 13
Location: from the Nailsmith (requires 1 Pale Ore & $800)

The Coiled Nail

Base Damage: 17
Location: from the Nailsmith (requires 2 Pale Ore & $2000)

The Pure Nail

Base Damage: 21
Location: from the Nailsmith (requires 3 Pale Ore & $4000)

Nail Arts (WIP)

Great Slash

Stats: n[dmg] x 2.5
Charm Interactions: Nailmaster's Glory,
Location: from Nailmaster Sheo in Greenpath
Requires:

Cyclone Slash

Stats: (n[dmg] x 1.2) x (3[hits] + <4[hits])
Charm Interactions: Nailmaster's Glory,
Location: from Nailmaster Mato in Howling Cliffs
Requires:

Dash Slash

Stats: n[dmg] x 2.5
Charm Interactions: Nailmaster's Glory,
Location: from Nailmaster Oro in Kindom's Edge ($800)
Requires:

Abilities (WIP)

Mothwing Cloak

Effect: Allows you to dash.
Location: Greenpath

Mantis Claw

Effect: Allows you climb walls.
Notes: In terms of progression, this is probably the single most important ability in the game.
Location: Mantis Village (Fungal Wastes)
Requires:

Crystal Heart

Effect: Allows you charge dash over unlimited horizontal distance.
Location: Crystal Peak
Requires:
Charge Time: 0.800000011920929 sec

Isma's Tear

Effect: Allowsyou to swim in acidic pools without being harmed.
Location: Isma's Grove (Waterways)
Requires:

Monarch Wings

Effect: Allows you to double jump.
Location: Ancient Basin
Requires:

Items (WIP)

Region A: Cliffs, Dirtmouth, Crossroads, Crystal Peak, & Resting Grounds

Howling Cliffs

Stag Nest

Joni's Repose

Dirtmouth

King's Pass

Forgotten Crossroads

Ancestral Mound

Infected Crossroads

Black Egg Temple

Crystal Peak

Crystalized Mound

Hallownest's Crown

Resting Grounds

Blue Lake

Dream Well

Glade of Hope

Shrine of Believers

Region B: Greenpath, Queen's Garden, Fog Canyon, & Fungal Wastes

Greenpath

Stone Sanctuary

Lake of Unn

Fog Canyon

Teacher's Archives

Overgrown Mound

Queen's Garden

Queen's Station

Fungal Wastes

Mantis Village

Fungal Core

Region C: City of Tears, Royal Waterways, Kingdom's Edge, & The Hive

City of Tears

Soul Sanctum

City Storerooms

[No Image Available]

King's Station

Tower of Love

Pleasure House

Watcher's Spire

Royal Waterways

Junkpit

TODO

Godhome

TODO

Isma's Grove

Kingdom's Edge

Cast-Off Shell

Colosseum of Fools

The Hive

The Hive is a sovereign territory ruled by Queen Vespa.

Region D: Deepnest, Ancient Basin, White Palace, & The Abyss

Deepnest

Failed Tramway

Weaver's Den

The Weaver's Den was where Hornet was born and/or raised.

Beast's Den

Ancient Basin

Palace Grounds

White Palace

Path of Pain

"To witness secrets sealed, one must endure the harshest punishment."

The Abyss

The Birthplace

Iselda & Cornifer (WIP)

Item	Iselda's Price	Cornifer's Price
Quill	120 Geo
Wayward Compass	220 Geo
Bench Pin	100 Geo
Cocoon Pin	100 Geo
Stag Pin	100 Geo
Vendor Pin	100 Geo
Hot Springs Pin	100 Geo
Whispering Root Pin	150 Geo
Warrior Grave Pin	180 Geo
Tram Pin	100 Geo
Crossroads Map	40 Geo	30 Geo
Greenpath Map	80 Geo	60 Geo
Fungal Wastes Map	100 Geo	75 Geo
City Map	120 Geo	90 Geo
Waterway Map	100 Geo	75 Geo
Cliffs Map	100 Geo	75 Geo
Crystal Peak Map	150 Geo	112 Geo
Resting Grounds Map	75 Geo
Outskirts Map	150 Geo	112 Geo
Basin Map	150 Geo	112 Geo
Deepnest Map	50 Geo	38 Geo
Garden Map	200 Geo	150 Geo
Fog Canyon Map	200 Geo	150 Geo

Sly

Goods	Cost	Condition	Dialog
Simple Key	950 Geo		"Simply, a simple key. It will fit a variety of locks, which is useful if you like to poke around in places you don't belong."
Elegant Key	800 Geo	Shopkeeper's Key	"An explorer found this fancy key floating in the waterways of the city far below us. I've not cleaned it."
Rancid Egg	60 Geo		"I found this under the counter. Some creature must have laid it here while I was stuck down in the ruins. I suppose you could buy it? I won't miss its sour odour."
Lumafly Lantern	1800 Geo		"What's more important? A light to guide your way, or a friend who'll stay by your side? Why not both? Take this bright little fellow as your companion and he'll light your way through the thickest darkness."
Gathering Swarm	300 Geo		"Do you find yourself leaving a lot of Geo behind as you hurry through the caverns? This charm will make sure that any loose change finds its way back to you."
S talwart Shell	200 Geo		"Life in Hallownest can be tough, always taking hits and getting knocked around. This charm grants you more time to recover after taking damage. Useful if you need to escape from a tight spot."
Heavy Blow	350 Geo	Shopkeeper's Key	"You enjoy smacking about foes with that nail of yours, right? With this charm equipped, you'll be able to send them flying further with every hit!"
Sprintmaster	400 Geo	Shopkeeper's Key	"You like it? It's a recent addition to my collection. Handsome thing, isn't it? Holding it lets you run around quickly and tirelessly, as though you were young again! Or, erm, so I'm told."
Nailmaster's Glory		Master all 3 Nail Arts	"...So, another would join our group. I have a gift for you, warrior. As a shopkeeper, I admit parting with it for free is rather difficult. But as the Great Nailsage I must recognise your skill. You have mastered the arts of my remaining pupils. Now tradition decrees you too may hold the symbol. Wear it proudly, Nailmaster. You shall be the last to receive its like."
Mask Shard	150 Geo		"This old thing? Merely a fragment of something larger. Still, maybe you can make some use of it."
Mask Shard	500 Geo		"I found another of these. If you look closely, there's some nice engraving work on them. I suspect I undercharged last time, and this is the only one left. It's gonna cost you!"
Mask Shard	800 Geo	Shopkeeper's Key	"You're collecting these, aren't you? Well you're in luck, I found another in my storeroom. This is the last one though, so it's priced accordingly."
Mask Shard	1500 Geo	Shopkeeper's Key	"As it turns out, I do actually have one more of these shards left. Very last one! I feel bad charging you so much for the previous shards, especially because it means I have to charge even more for this one."
Vessel Fragment	550 Geo		"A piece of a Soul Vessel. You know, those ghastly looking orb things? I don't really like the aura about it, but it's quite rare so I'll have to charge you a high price."
Vessel Fragment	900 Geo	Shopkeeper's Key	"I dug out another of these. Turns out I had a complete set. If they didn't give me the creeps, I'd put the pieces together myself."

Salubra (WIP)

Relic Seeker Lemm (WIP)

Leg Eater (WIP)

Divine (WIP)

The Grubs (WIP)

The Grubfather's Quest

# of Grubs saved	Reward
1	10 Geo
2	20 Geo
3	30 Geo
4	40 Geo
5	Mask Shard
6	50 Geo
7	60 Geo
8	70 Geo
9	80 Geo
10	Grubsong
11	90 Geo
12	100 Geo
13	110 Geo
14	120 Geo
15	130 Geo
16	Rancid Egg
17	140 Geo
18	150 Geo
19	160 Geo
20	165 Geo
21	170 Geo
22	180 Geo
23	Hallownest Seal
24	190 Geo
25	200 Geo
26	205 Geo
27	210 Geo
28	215 Geo
29	220 Geo
30	225 Geo
31	Pale Ore
32	230 Geo
33	235 Geo
34	240 Geo
35	245 Geo
36	250 Geo
37	255 Geo
38	King's Idol
39	260 Geo
40	265 Geo
41	270 Geo
42	280 Geo
43	290 Geo
44	295 Geo
45	300 Geo
46	Grubberfly's Elegy

The Nailsmith

Ore Quest

#	Location	Requirement	Payment	Reward
0	City of Tears		250 Geo	Sharpened Nail
1	Resting Grounds (The Seer )	300 Essence	800 + 1 Pale Ore	Channelled Nail
2	Deepnest	Crystal Heart , defeat Nosk
3	Hallownest's Crown	Monarch Wings / Nail-parkour	2000 + 2 Pale Ore	Coiled Nail
4	Ancient Basin	Defeat the Lesser Mawleks
5	Colosseum of Fools	450 Geo, complete Trial of the Conqueror
6	Crossroads (the Grubfather )	Rescue 31 Grubs	4000 + 3 Pale Ore	Pure Nail
A1 ( Purity )	City of Tears	Strike down the Nailsmith with the Pure Nail
B1 ( Happy Couple )	City of Tears	Refuse to kill the Nailsmith
B2 ( Happy Couple )	Greenpath	Visit Nailmaster Sheo

The Seer

Dream Quest

#	Objective	Reward
1	100 Essence	Hallownest Seal
2	200 Essence	Opens the Glade of Hope
3	300 Essence	Pale Ore
4	500 Essence	Dream Wielder
5	700 Essence	Vessel Fragment
6	900 Essence	Dream Gate
7	1200 Essence	Arcane Egg
8	1500 Essence	Mask Shard
9	1800 Essence	Awoken Dream Nail
10	2400 Essence	Ascension

The Grimm Troupe

Nightmare Quest

In order to start the Grimm Troupe questline, first you must go to Howling Cliffs(requires Mantis Claw). Once there, look for breakable walls. One of these secret walls leads to a Lore Stone and a Wanderer's Journal. to the right of the Wanderer's Journal there is yet another breakable wall, this is leads to a second hidden room. Once inside the second hidden room, keep walking to the right, there is a false wall that leads to a third hidden room containing the corpse of a large bug. Dream Nail the corpse and walk back to the second hidden room. There should now be a metal fireplace with some hot coals. Strike the fireplace with your Nail a few times to light it. The fire will turn bright red and the ground will shake, accompanied by the distant sound of an accordian. After the ground stops shaking, return to Dirtmouth. There should be two tents on the west side of the town, with 2 Grimmsteeds parked in front of them. Inside the smaller tent is a charm vendor named Divine. Inside the larger tent are two NPCs, Brumm and Grimm. If you talk to Grimm, he will give you a charm, and the quest will start.

#	Objective	Location	Reward
0	Light the Nightmare Lantern	Howling Cliffs
1	Meet Troupe Master Grimm	Dirtmouth	Grimmchild Lvl.1
2	Collect the Scarlet Flames of the Grimmkin Novice	Crystal Peak , Greenpath , City Storerooms	Grimmchild Lvl.2
3	Collect the Scarlet Flames of the Grimmkin Master	King's Pass , Resting Grounds , Kingdom's Edge
4	Defeat Troupe Master Grimm	Dirtmouth	Grimmchild Lvl.3 , & a Charm Notch
A1 ( Ritual )	Collect the Scarlet Flames of the Grimmkin Nightmare	Fungal Core , The Hive , Ancient Basin
A2 ( Ritual )	Defeat Nightmare King Grimm	Dirtmouth	Awoken Grimmchild
B1 ( Banishment )	Talk to Brumm in the Distant Village	Deepnest
B2 ( Banishment )	Help Brumm destroy the Nightmare Lantern	Howling Cliffs
B3 ( Banishment )	Welcome Nymm to town	Dirtmouth	Carefree Melody

Acknowledgments

Hollow Knight is property of Team Cherry.
Most images were retrieved from the Hollow Knight wiki.
Most Information was attained from the wiki, and through the Debug Mod & Modding API.
Mod & API are developed by SeanPr, Firzen, & Wyza and is distributed through Discord.
I am currently not a member of Team Cherry, the Wiki, or Discord.

[DrSpartanSnak3]

Only thing I see OBJECTIVELY wrong here is that Void heart unlocks Embrace The Void, you can do that ending WITHOUT Void Heart. Otherwise, this is an absolutely incredible guide! I agree with most opinions, too!

[Fireflame04]

no shot you think dreamshield is better than spell twister

[Invenblocker]

Hollow Knight Community stop underrating Grubsong challenge (Impossible).

[UglyStupidIdiot]

@Nyxia1011 You need to get kingsoul

[Tomato]

How deep focus mediocre? It's absolute trash, it's basically a downgrade.

[Darc Vader]

Assuming you're actually below the ground at the orb looking thing you need to dream nail it

[Nyxia]

i'm at the correct location where Void Heart is located but it is not appearing. is this normal or do i have to progress more in the storyline?

[Hydrasent]

how does the dnspy thing work

[[SA]soul eater]

was having trouble changing the charm cost of the compass, but it worked when i disabled the Exaltation mod.

[BiNky]

Nicely done! i didnt even know about Shrine of believers and tower of love until now...