Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania that hides its structure well. A ledge you cannot reach, a pool of acid, a floor that looks breakable — each is a lock, and somewhere else in Hallownest is the key. Once you see the game as a chain of these locks, "where do I go next?" has a clear answer.
This guide answers that question first with a route table, then covers each area. The first hours (maps, the Quill, the Shade, healing) are in the Beginner Guide, so they are only summarised here. Names follow that guide, the Charm Guide and the Boss Guide.
Recommended exploration route
This is a smooth order that never asks for an ability you do not have yet. "Needed to get in" is the minimum; some areas have more than one entrance.
| # | Area | What you get there | Needed to get in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forgotten Crossroads | Map, Vengeful Spirit and Soul Catcher (Ancestral Mound), City Crest (False Knight), Salubra, Sly | Nothing — the well in Dirtmouth |
| 2 | Greenpath | Mothwing Cloak (Hornet), Stag Station, a Vessel Fragment | Vengeful Spirit, to kill the Elder Baldur at the entrance |
| 3 | Fungal Wastes and Mantis Village | Mantis Claw, Dashmaster, Fragile Strength (Leg Eater), a charm notch (two Shrumal Ogres) | Mothwing Cloak |
| 4 | City of Tears | Nailsmith, Desolate Dive (Soul Master), Spell Twister | City Crest at the gate from the Fungal Wastes; the gate area needs the Claw |
| 5 | Crystal Peak | Crystal Heart, Pale Ore at Hallownest's Crown, Shopkeeper's Key | Desolate Dive (breakable floor), or the Lumafly Lantern for the 50 Geo toll gate |
| 6 | Resting Grounds | Dream Nail, the Seer | The chasm at the bottom of Crystal Peak, the lift in the east of the City of Tears, or the Tram |
| 7 | Royal Waterways | Isma's Tear (after Dung Defender), Flukenest | A Simple Key for the hatch; the Crystal Heart for Isma's Grove |
| 8 | Ancient Basin | Monarch Wings (Broken Vessel), Pale Ore, the Abyss door | The ruined lift shaft from the City of Tears or the Royal Waterways |
| 9 | Fog Canyon | Monomon (Uumuu), Howling Wraiths, a charm notch | Reached from Greenpath; the notch inside needs Isma's Tear or the Shade Cloak |
| 10 | Deepnest | Tram Pass, Herrah, Pale Ore past Nosk, Weaversong | From the Fungal Wastes (beat the Mantis Lords) or the Queen's Gardens |
| 11 | Queen's Gardens | Traitor Lord, the White Lady, Love Key, Stag Station | Isma's Tear (under a vine wall from Fog Canyon), the Shade Cloak, or from Deepnest |
| 12 | Kingdom's Edge | Quick Slash, Colosseum of Fools, the Hive, King's Brand (Hornet) | The bottom of King's Station in the City of Tears, or the Tram |
| 13 | The Abyss | Shade Cloak, Abyss Shriek, later the Void Heart | King's Brand, at the bottom of the Ancient Basin |
| 14 | White Palace | Right half of Kingsoul | Monarch Wings (Palace Grounds) and the Awoken Dream Nail |
Two places fit anywhere after the Mantis Claw: the Howling Cliffs (Joni's Blessing; entered from the north of Greenpath or a secret passage left of King's Pass, both needing the Claw) and the hidden rooms of the Crossroads you skipped.
The order of rows 5 to 12 is flexible. If one area is too hard, the honest advice is the same as for bosses: go somewhere else and come back with a nail upgrade, more masks or a new ability.
What each ability opens
This is the table to check when you hit a dead end. If the obstacle matches a row and you lack that ability, it is a gate, not a puzzle.
| Ability or item | Where | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Vengeful Spirit | Ancestral Mound, Forgotten Crossroads | Kills the Elder Baldur blocking Greenpath; breaks some walls from a distance |
| Mothwing Cloak (dash) | Greenpath, after Hornet | Wide gaps; both entrances to the Fungal Wastes; Salubra's shop |
| Mantis Claw (wall jump) | Mantis Village, Fungal Wastes | Vertical shafts everywhere; the City of Tears gate area; the Howling Cliffs; Crystal Heart's room |
| City Crest | False Knight, Forgotten Crossroads | The gate from the Fungal Wastes into the City of Tears |
| Desolate Dive | Soul Sanctum, City of Tears | Breakable floors: a Crystal Peak entrance, the Resting Grounds crypts (Soul Eater), Quick Slash's room, the way to the Junk Pit |
| Crystal Heart (super dash) | Crystal Peak | Long horizontal gaps; Isma's Grove; a route from Kingdom's Edge into the Royal Waterways |
| Monarch Wings (double jump) | Ancient Basin, after Broken Vessel | Palace Grounds; the Fungal Core (Mask Shard); the Enraged Guardian (Mask Shard); the normal route to the King's Brand |
| Isma's Tear | Isma's Grove, Royal Waterways | Swimming in acid: Fog Canyon from the Crossroads or Fungal Wastes, the Queen's Gardens, the Lake of Unn |
| Shade Cloak | The Abyss | Shade Gates (Fog Canyon, Queen's Gardens, Kingdom's Edge); Sharp Shadow in Deepnest; passing through attacks |
| Dream Nail | Resting Grounds | Essence, dream bosses, the three Dreamers; awoken at 1,800 Essence for the White Palace |
| Lumafly Lantern | Sly, 1,800 Geo | Lights dark rooms (Deepnest, parts of Crystal Peak); needed for the Crystal Peak toll gate |
| Simple Key | Sly (950 Geo), City of Tears, Ancient Basin, Pale Lurker (Godmaster) | Four locks: the Royal Waterways hatch, Jiji's cave, the Pleasure House, the Godseeker's cocoon. Each key is used up |
Maps, Cornifer and Stag Stations by area
Cornifer sells a partly drawn map in every area below except the Resting Grounds (he is not in the Abyss or the Hive either). Follow the scattered paper and his humming; in Deepnest he is too scared to hum, and he can be in one of two places depending on which entrance you used. If he has already left — usually after you beat the area's boss — Iselda in Dirtmouth sells the same map. Neither of them sells a separate map for the Abyss, the Hive or the White Palace.
| Area | Cornifer there? | Iselda's price | Stag Station (toll) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forgotten Crossroads | Yes (30 Geo) | 40 Geo | Yes (50 Geo) |
| Greenpath | Yes (60 Geo) | 80 Geo | Yes (140 Geo) |
| Fungal Wastes | Yes (75 Geo) | 100 Geo | Queen's Station (120 Geo) |
| City of Tears | Yes (90 Geo) | 120 Geo | City Storerooms (200 Geo), King's Station (300 Geo) |
| Crystal Peak | Yes | 150 Geo | None |
| Resting Grounds | No (he leaves a letter) | 75 Geo | Yes (free) |
| Royal Waterways | Yes (75 Geo) | 100 Geo | None |
| Howling Cliffs | Yes (75 Geo) | 100 Geo | Stag Nest, after every other station is open |
| Fog Canyon | Yes (150 Geo) | 200 Geo | None |
| Queen's Gardens | Yes (150 Geo) | 200 Geo | Yes (200 Geo) |
| Deepnest | Yes (38 Geo) | 50 Geo | Distant Village (250 Geo) |
| Ancient Basin | Yes (112 Geo) | 150 Geo | Hidden Station, Palace Grounds (300 Geo) |
| Kingdom's Edge | Yes (112 Geo) | 150 Geo | None |
The Dirtmouth station needs no toll. The two Trams need the Tram Pass from the Failed Tramway in Deepnest: the upper line links the Forgotten Crossroads and the Resting Grounds, the lower one Deepnest, the Ancient Basin and Kingdom's Edge. Trams are also the only fast travel that does not destroy the Delicate Flower.
The areas in route order
Forgotten Crossroads
Down the well from Dirtmouth. In the west, the Ancestral Mound gives Vengeful Spirit and Soul Catcher. False Knight in the centre drops the City Crest. In the south-east are Salubra (charms and four notches) and the abandoned village where you rescue Sly, who then reopens his shop in Dirtmouth. Grubhome with the Grubfather is in the north-west; behind a breakable wall south of it is Brooding Mawlek, who drops a Mask Shard. The east has two entrances to Crystal Peak and the upper Tram to the Resting Grounds; the Temple of the Black Egg, where the final boss waits, is near the well.
Mask Shards here: Brooding Mawlek, and one south of False Knight where the Goams are (Mantis Claw). A Vessel Fragment sits left of the lift that you unlock from the City of Tears.
Greenpath
West of the Crossroads, behind an Elder Baldur that only Vengeful Spirit can reach. Hornet drops the Mothwing Cloak. Also here: Nailmaster Sheo's hut (Great Slash) at the end of a thorny path in the south-west, the Stone Sanctuary in the south-east (a Mask Shard; the Lumafly Lantern is recommended), a Vessel Fragment near the still-closed entrance to the Queen's Gardens, and the Lake of Unn, whose charm needs Isma's Tear. Greenpath connects to the Howling Cliffs in the north and to Fog Canyon in the south-east.
Fungal Wastes and Mantis Village
Enter with the dash from the south-west of the Crossroads near the hot spring, or from Queen's Station. Bounce on the purple mushrooms down to Mantis Village for the Mantis Claw; the Mantis Lords below are optional and guard Mark of Pride and the lower entrance to Deepnest. In the north, defeating the two Shrumal Ogres gives a charm notch; Dashmaster is under a statue; the Leg Eater sells Fragile charms. With the Claw, Queen's Station has a Mask Shard. Rescue Bretta near Mantis Village for another shard in her Dirtmouth house.
City of Tears
Insert the City Crest at the statue on the gate from the Fungal Wastes. The west side has the Nailsmith (first upgrade 250 Geo), City Storerooms and the Soul Sanctum, where Soul Master gives Desolate Dive and Spell Twister is in the room above. The east side has the Watcher's Spire (Lurien, one of the Dreamers), the Tower of Love (the Collector; needs the Love Key), the Pleasure House (Simple Key) and King's Station, with a Vessel Fragment above it. One Simple Key is in the high room with Winged Sentries below City Storerooms. The Royal Waterways hatch is in the room next to Fountain Square.
Crystal Peak
Two entrances from the east of the Crossroads: a Desolate Dive floor, or a 50 Geo toll gate that needs the Lumafly Lantern. The Crystal Heart is inside an old mining golem in the east and needs the Mantis Claw. At the summit, Hallownest's Crown holds a Pale Ore (Claw required; Monarch Wings and Crystal Heart recommended). The Shopkeeper's Key is also here; it unlocks more of Sly's stock: two more Mask Shards (800 and 1,500 Geo) and a Vessel Fragment (900 Geo). Below the Crystal Heart room, a Snail Shaman temple holds Descending Dark, and a nearby chasm drops into the Resting Grounds.
Resting Grounds
Reached by that chasm, the lift from the east of the City of Tears, the Tram, or a hidden path above Salubra's hut to the Blue Lake. Inspect the Dreamers' memorial for the Dream Nail. The Seer rewards Essence: Pale Ore at 300, a Vessel Fragment at 700, a Mask Shard at 1,500 and the Awoken Dream Nail at 1,800. A Desolate Dive grave below the Stag Station leads to the crypts with Soul Eater.
Royal Waterways
Open the hatch with a Simple Key. Dung Defender gives Defender's Crest and the way to Isma's Grove, which also needs the Crystal Heart. Isma's Tear makes acid harmless. Flukemarm gives Flukenest. A Mask Shard is in the north-west, under the main path (Isma's Tear). The Junk Pit for Godhome is also here.
Ancient Basin
Down the ruined lift shaft (the entrance is at the bottom right of the Watcher's Spire, or from the Royal Waterways). Broken Vessel guards the Monarch Wings in the west. A Pale Ore lies west of the Tram, guarded by two Lesser Mawleks. The Pale King's fountain gives a Vessel Fragment once you have dropped in 3,000 Geo in total, and a Simple Key is in a Mawlurk corpse. The Palace Grounds in the east need the wings; the Abyss door is at the very bottom.
Fog Canyon
Enter from Greenpath, or through a hidden passage from the Forgotten Crossroads; the hidden notch in the north-east needs Isma's Tear or the Shade Cloak. The Overgrown Mound in the west gives Howling Wraiths. The Teacher's Archives in the centre hold Uumuu and Monomon, a Dreamer — Uumuu cannot be damaged until Quirrel arrives (see the Boss Guide). With Isma's Tear you can also enter from the Fungal Wastes near the Leg Eater.
Deepnest
Three entrances from the Fungal Wastes (the most common is past the Mantis Lords) and one from the Queen's Gardens. It is dark, maze-like and dangerous, so bring the Lumafly Lantern. Key finds: the Tram Pass in the Failed Tramway, Herrah the Dreamer in the Beast's Den, a Pale Ore past Nosk (break the wall west of the hot spring), a Vessel Fragment above the working tram, Weaversong in the Weavers' Den, Sharp Shadow (needs the Shade Cloak), and a Mask Shard reached through the Fungal Core with the Monarch Wings.
Queen's Gardens
Entrances: under a vine wall from Fog Canyon with Isma's Tear, through a Shade Gate below the Overgrown Mound, or from Deepnest near the Mask Maker. Open the Stag Station by going above and around its room. Traitor Lord guards the White Lady, who gives the left half of Kingsoul. The Love Key is in the south-east.
Kingdom's Edge
From the bottom of King's Station, or by Tram. Nailmaster Oro sells Dash Slash, and a Desolate Dive floor below him leads to Quick Slash. The Colosseum of Fools is up the western chasm: the Trial of the Warrior gives a charm notch, the Trial of the Conqueror a Pale Ore. Hornet waits at the Cast-Off Shell in the east; beating her gives the King's Brand (normally reached with the Monarch Wings). The Hive is in the south-west.
Hidden areas worth finding
- The Hive — south-west Kingdom's Edge. Break the hidden wall with the nail or Vengeful Spirit. Inside: the Hiveblood charm, Hive Knight, and a Mask Shard behind a wall that only a Hive Guardian can break.
- Queen's Gardens — easy to miss because every entrance needs Isma's Tear, the Shade Cloak or a trip through Deepnest. Required only for the Void Heart endings, but it has a Stag Station and the Love Key.
- Kingdom's Edge — its entrance hides at the bottom of King's Station. It holds Quick Slash, the Colosseum, the Hive and the King's Brand.
- The Abyss — needs the King's Brand. Light the lighthouse to calm the Void Tendrils and take the Shade Cloak east of the sea; Abyss Shriek needs Howling Wraiths. With Kingsoul equipped, a hidden passage leads to the Birthplace and the Void Heart.
- White Palace — Awoken Dream Nail on the Kingsmould corpse in the Palace Grounds. A long platforming gauntlet of saws and spikes; the right half of Kingsoul is at the throne.
- Godhome — Desolate Dive the floor below the Royal Waterways bench, break into the Junk Pit near Flukemarm, use a Simple Key on the Godseeker's cocoon and strike her with the Dream Nail.
Collectibles: where they add up
| Collectible | Total | What it gives | Where most come from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mask Shard | 16 | 4 shards = 1 mask; 5 masks become 9 | Sly (four, two need the Shopkeeper's Key), Grubfather, Brooding Mawlek, Seer, Hive, bosses and hidden rooms |
| Vessel Fragment | 9 | 3 fragments = 1 Soul Vessel (+33 SOUL) | Sly (two), Greenpath, the Crossroads lift, King's Station, Deepnest, Stag Nest, Seer, Ancient Basin fountain |
| Pale Ore | 6 | Nail upgrades 2 to 4 | Ancient Basin, Seer, Hallownest's Crown, Nosk, Grubfather, Colosseum |
| Charm notch | 11 | 3 at start + 8 | Salubra (four), Fog Canyon, Shrumal Ogres, Colosseum, Grimm |
| Grub | 46 | Rewards from the Grubfather | Every area; the Collector's Map marks the rest |
Notch details are in the Charm Guide and nail upgrade costs in the Beginner Guide.
Grubs and the Grubfather
Break a grub's jar and it returns to the Grubfather in Grubhome. Rewards depend on the total count, not on which grubs: mostly Geo, plus these milestones.
| Grubs rescued | Reward |
|---|---|
| 5 | Mask Shard |
| 10 | Grubsong (charm) |
| 16 | Rancid Egg |
| 23 | Hallownest Seal |
| 31 | Pale Ore |
| 38 | King's Idol |
| 46 | Grubberfly's Elegy (charm) |
Beating the Collector in the Tower of Love frees three grubs and gives the Collector's Map, which pins every grub you have not rescued.
The endings and what they require
The final boss is in the Temple of the Black Egg, which opens after you use the Dream Nail on all three Dreamers: Monomon (Fog Canyon), Lurien (City of Tears) and Herrah (Deepnest). What follows depends on the Void Heart.
| Ending | Requires |
|---|---|
| The Hollow Knight | Defeat the Hollow Knight without the Void Heart |
| Sealed Siblings | Void Heart; defeat the Hollow Knight without using the Dream Nail when Hornet holds it |
| Dream No More | Void Heart and the Awoken Dream Nail; Dream Nail the Hollow Knight while Hornet holds it, then defeat the Radiance |
| Embrace the Void / Delicate Flower (Godmaster) | Clear the Pantheon of Hallownest in Godhome; the second also needs the Delicate Flower given to the Godseeker |
The Void Heart route touches almost every late area: Queen's Gardens (White Lady), the White Palace (Awoken Dream Nail and Monarch Wings), Kingdom's Edge (King's Brand) and the Abyss. Once you have the Void Heart, the first ending is no longer available on that save. Boss details are in the Boss Guide.
Common mistakes
- Treating a gate as a puzzle. Acid without Isma's Tear, a dark gate without the Shade Cloak, a high ledge without the wings: mark it and leave.
- Waiting at the Crystal Peak toll gate. It cannot be used until you own the Lumafly Lantern (1,800 Geo); the Desolate Dive floor is the cheaper way in.
- Entering Deepnest without the Lumafly Lantern. It is dark and maze-like, and Cornifer's map there is barely filled in.
- Spending your only Simple Key on the wrong lock. If you want Isma's Tear soon, use the first key on the Royal Waterways hatch.
- Skipping the Monarch Wings because they are "optional". They open the Palace Grounds, two Mask Shards and the easy route to the King's Brand.
- Fast travelling with the Delicate Flower. Stag Stations and the Dreamgate destroy it; only the Trams are safe.
- Taking the Void Heart before seeing the first ending, if you want it. It locks that ending out on that save.
For whether the game is worth your time, see the Hollow Knight Review.
★Honest Take: the map is the real reward
Hollow Knight's world is the best part of the game and also its biggest source of frustration. The ability gates are fair — every one is visible long before you can pass it — but the game never says which ability a gate needs, and some keys (the Simple Key for the Waterways, the King's Brand) sit far from their locks. Deepnest and the White Palace can feel punishing rather than rewarding. Still, few games make an old dead end turn into a shortcut so satisfyingly. Use a table like the one above when you are truly stuck, and leave the rest to discovery.
