Hollow Knight is a hand-drawn Metroidvania set in the vast, interconnected underground kingdom of Hallownest. With over 40 hours of content across the base game and four free DLC packs, it offers one of the most generous packages in indie gaming. The combat revolves around your Nail (a small sword) and spells powered by Soul, a resource gathered by hitting enemies. What makes Hollow Knight special is its oppressive atmosphere, tight boss fights that rival Dark Souls in intensity, and a charm system that lets you completely customize your playstyle. The game respects your intelligence — it never holds your hand, and every discovery feels earned.
Starting Hollow Knight can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Hollow Knight is a action game built around nail combat and charm system. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Role
| Role | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Spell Build | Good (but demanding) | Hit enemies to generate Soul, then unleash spell combos — Shade Soul for horizontal damage and Abyss Shriek for stationary bosses. Heal only when safe. |
| Nail Build | Excellent for beginners | Stay close to enemies and bosses, swing constantly with Quick Slash for rapid soul generation and DPS, and heal using the abundant Soul. |
| Hybrid | Good (but demanding) | Alternate between rapid nail strikes for soul generation and spell bursts for damage spikes. Adapt to each boss's openings. |
| Charm Tank | Situational | Play cautiously, prioritize safe healing windows, and outlast bosses through sustained survivability rather than burst damage. |
| Speedrun Build | Excellent for beginners | Move fast, dodge everything, and end fights quickly with concentrated spell damage during openings. No room for error. |
Our recommendation: Start with Nail Build. Nail builds focus on sustained melee DPS with Quick Slash (faster nail swings), Mark of Pride (longer reach), and Unbreakable Strength (50% more nail damage). This build has consistent damage output and generates Soul quickly through frequent hits. Less burst damage than spells but more forgiving.
Avoid Speedrun Build as your first pick. Speedrun builds minimize charm notches spent on survival and maximize mobility and damage.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn nail combat
Your Nail is a short-range melee weapon that can slash in four directions. Hitting enemies generates Soul (the mana resource). The Nail can be upgraded four times at the Nailsmith in the City of Tears, with each upgrade increasing base damage from 5 to 21 at Pure Nail. Nail Arts (learned from Nailmasters) add powerful charged attacks: Great Slash, Dash Slash, and Cyclone Slash.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how nail combat works before worrying about anything else.
Step 2: Head to Forgotten Crossroads
The starting area of Hallownest connecting to most early-game zones. Contains the Gruz Mother boss, Sly's shop, and access to Greenpath, Fungal Wastes, and Crystal Peak. Later in the game it becomes Infected Crossroads with harder enemies and different item placements.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Pure Nail — it's the most accessible early upgrade. The final nail upgrade (21 damage) costing 4000 Geo and three Pale Ore. With Unbreakable Strength equipped, each hit deals 32 damage. Getting the Pure Nail requires finding Pale Ore from Grubs (Grubfather reward), Crystal Peak, and Nosk in Deepnest. It is the single biggest damage increase in the game.
Step 4: Understand charm system
Charms are equippable passive abilities using notches (you start with 3 and can find up to 11). Each charm costs 1-5 notches. Examples: Mark of Pride extends nail range by 25%, Quick Focus cuts healing time by 33%, and Shaman Stone boosts spell damage by 33%. You can only swap charms at benches, encouraging commitment to builds.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early — it pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Greenpath
A lush, overgrown area west of the Crossroads. Home to Hornet's first boss fight which drops the Mothwing Cloak (dash ability). The platforming here teaches dash timing which is essential for the rest of the game. Moss Knights and Squits are the main threats.
Essential Mechanics Explained
nail combat
Your Nail is a short-range melee weapon that can slash in four directions. Hitting enemies generates Soul (the mana resource). The Nail can be upgraded four times at the Nailsmith in the City of Tears, with each upgrade increasing base damage from 5 to 21 at Pure Nail. Nail Arts (learned from Nailmasters) add powerful charged attacks: Great Slash, Dash Slash, and Cyclone Slash.
charm system
Charms are equippable passive abilities using notches (you start with 3 and can find up to 11). Each charm costs 1-5 notches. Examples: Mark of Pride extends nail range by 25%, Quick Focus cuts healing time by 33%, and Shaman Stone boosts spell damage by 33%. You can only swap charms at benches, encouraging commitment to builds.
soul meter
Soul is generated by hitting enemies with your Nail (11 soul per hit at base). Your Soul Vessel holds 99 Soul at base, extendable to 198 with three Vessel Fragments. Focusing (healing) costs 33 Soul and restores 1 mask. Spells cost 33 Soul each. Managing when to heal vs. when to cast spells is the central combat tension.
dream nail
The Dream Nail is a special tool acquired in the Resting Grounds that lets you read the thoughts of NPCs, enter dream boss fights, and collect Essence from Dream Warriors and dream trees. Collecting 2400 Essence from the Dream Nail awakens it, enabling you to break into the final areas of the game. Dream bosses are harder remixes of regular bosses.
platforming
Hollow Knight's platforming expands as you unlock movement abilities: Mothwing Cloak (dash), Mantis Claw (wall jump), Crystal Heart (super dash), Monarch Wings (double jump), and Isma's Tear (acid immunity). The game is designed so each new ability opens up multiple new areas to explore, creating that classic Metroidvania 'aha' moment.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Spending all your Geo on map pins and relics instead of saving 800-4000 Geo for nail upgrades at the Nailsmith — nail damage is your most important progression
2. Ignoring the charm system and running with empty notches — even the weakest charms provide meaningful combat advantages
3. Trying to rush through Deepnest without a bench location memorized — dying in Deepnest means a brutal corpse run through dark, hostile territory
4. Not learning to pogo-bounce early — downward nail strikes on enemies and hazards is a core movement tech used in nearly every area of the game
5. Fighting the Mantis Lords and Hornet without the Mothwing Cloak dash — these bosses require dash-timing to dodge reliably, so get the cloak first
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand nail combat and charm system
- Choose Nail Build as starting role
- Clear Forgotten Crossroads main content
- Acquire Pure Nail or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Greenpath
- Equip Gathering Swarm (1 notch charm from Sly) from the start — it automatically pulls dropped Geo toward you, preventing losses from missed pickups and dangerous collection spots.
- Pogo-bouncing (down-striking on enemies or hazards) is essential for platforming and combat. Hitting a hazard like spikes from above bounces you up without taking damage.
Tips for New Players
- Equip Gathering Swarm (1 notch charm from Sly) from the start — it automatically pulls dropped Geo toward you, preventing losses from missed pickups and dangerous collection spots.
- Pogo-bouncing (down-striking on enemies or hazards) is essential for platforming and combat. Hitting a hazard like spikes from above bounces you up without taking damage.
- When fighting bosses, learn one attack pattern at a time. Don't try to dodge everything initially — identify the safest opening and exploit only that until you're comfortable.
- Dream Nail staggered bosses to instantly refill your Soul meter. Bosses like the Mantis Lords have long stagger windows that give you 2-3 Dream Nail hits (132+ Soul).
- The Fragile charms from Leg Eater (Fragile Strength, Heart, Greed) break on death but can be made Unbreakable by the Grimm Troupe's Divine for 12,000-15,000 Geo each. The Unbreakable versions are best-in-slot.
- Shade Soul passes through enemies, meaning in corridors you can hit an entire line of foes. Abyss Shriek hits directly above you in a wide column — use it when bosses hover overhead.
- Mantis Lords are an optional boss in Fungal Wastes that teaches precise dodge-and-punish gameplay. Beating them makes Mantis enemies peaceful in Deepnest and drops the Mark of Pride charm (extended nail range).
- The Stag Stations form a fast travel network — finding and activating every station dramatically reduces backtracking. The map shows discovered stations as beetle icons.
- If you die and lose your Shade (which holds your Geo), it spawns where you died. If you die again before recovering it, the Geo is lost permanently. Use a Simple Key on the bank in Fog Canyon as backup.
- The true ending requires: Void Heart (from The Abyss), Dream Nail with 1800+ Essence, defeating the Hollow Knight, and then Dream Nailing the final boss during the fight. Missing any of these locks you into the basic ending.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to beat Hollow Knight?
A first playthrough focusing on the main story takes 25-35 hours. Completing all content including DLC bosses, Godmaster pantheons, and hidden areas pushes it to 60-80 hours. The game is enormous for a $15 indie title — there's easily 100+ hours if you pursue every secret.
What order should I explore areas in Hollow Knight?
A natural progression is: Forgotten Crossroads, Greenpath (get dash), Fungal Wastes, City of Tears (get desolate dive), Crystal Peak (get crystal heart), Deepnest, Resting Grounds (get dream nail), then Royal Waterways and beyond. The game is non-linear, so multiple orders work.
Is Hollow Knight: Silksong the sequel?
Silksong is a standalone sequel featuring Hornet as the playable character in a new kingdom called Pharloom. It was originally announced in 2019 as a Kickstarter stretch goal. Team Cherry has been developing it in relative secrecy with limited release information.
What are the best charms for beginners?
Start with Gathering Swarm (auto-collect Geo), Soul Catcher (extra soul per hit), and Stalwart Shell (longer invincibility after damage). As you progress, Mark of Pride (longer nail reach) and Quick Focus (faster healing) make the game significantly easier. These five charms cover survival, income, and combat.
How do I get the true ending in Hollow Knight?
You need the Void Heart charm from The Abyss (requires King's Brand), which means exploring the Ancient Basin and completing the Birthplace sequence. Then, during the final boss fight against the Hollow Knight, when Hornet restrains it, use your Dream Nail on it instead of attacking. This enters the dream realm for the true final boss.
What to Read Next
- Hollow Knight Builds — Optimize your role once you've learned the basics
- Hollow Knight Walkthrough — Full progression path
- Hollow Knight Tips — Advanced strategies for when you're ready
