Hollow Knight Beginner's Guide: Maps, Benches, Your Shade and Charms

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1. Learn the basics in King's Pass The game opens with a short intro area. Practise jumping, attacking and striking downward in mid-air to bounce off spikes or enemies. That bounce is key to many platforming sections later.
2. Get to know Dirtmouth Talk to Elderbug and note where the town's bench is. Dropping down the well leads to the Forgotten Crossroads, your first area to explore.
3. Find Cornifer and buy the map If you see scraps of paper on the ground and hear humming, the cartographer Cornifer is nearby. He sells a partial map of the area for Geo. If you miss him, Iselda in Dirtmouth sells it at a higher price.
4. Buy the Quill and a compass from Iselda Maps don't update on their own; without the Quill sold by Iselda, newly explored rooms aren't drawn. The Wayward Compass charm shows where you are on the map and is a huge help on a first playthrough.
5. Sit at every bench Resting at a bench refills your health, sets your respawn point, lets you swap charms and, with the Quill, updates your map. Make sitting at every new bench a habit.
6. Get the Vengeful Spirit spell In the Ancestral Mound in the Crossroads you gain your first attack spell, Vengeful Spirit. It hits from range and is very valuable against hard-to-reach enemies and bosses.
7. Prepare for your first boss The first major boss in the Crossroads is the False Knight. Defeating him drops the City Crest, which later opens the gate to the City of Tears. Watch his pattern and go for the exposed head when the armour falls.
8. Head to Greenpath West of the Crossroads lies the green area of Greenpath. The Mothwing Cloak you earn there grants a dash that changes both combat and exploration.
9. Open Stag Stations Stag Stations provide fast travel between areas. Some cost Geo to open; after that, hit the nearby bell with your nail to summon the stag.

• Recover your shadeDying doesn't wipe your Geo; it stays with the Shade that appears where you died or nearby. Defeat the Shade to get your Geo back and repair your broken SOUL meter. Die again before reaching it and that Geo is gone for good.
• Don't carry Geo needlesslyBefore entering a tough area or a boss, spend your Geo on maps, charms or upgrades. Not carrying money you could lose is the safest approach.
• Save SOUL for healingEach heal costs 33 SOUL, and getting hit while holding A wastes the SOUL spent. Heal after creating a safe gap, and decide situationally between spells and healing.
• Strike downward in mid-airAttacking downward in the air bounces you off enemies, spikes and some objects. The technique is essential in both combat and platforming.
• Experiment with charmsCharms cost notches and can only be swapped at a bench. You start with 3 notches and gain more as you progress. Use Wayward Compass for exploring and swap to combat charms before bosses.
• Hit suspicious wallsHallownest is full of hidden passages. Strike walls and ceilings that look odd; many chests, Geo deposits and shortcuts are found this way.
• Check the map oftenHold Tab to view the area map while still moving. The moment you feel lost, look for a nearby bench or Stag Station.
• Upgrade your nailThe way to increase nail damage is paying the Nailsmith with Geo and special materials. If fights feel long, save up for this.
• Watch bosses firstEvery boss move starts with a tell. In early attempts focus on learning moves rather than hitting; once you read the pattern the fight gets much shorter.
• When stuck, go elsewhereAn obstacle you can't pass usually needs an ability you don't have yet. Instead of grinding at it, head for unexplored exits on your map; the game offers other routes.

• Relying on the map without the Quill: newly explored rooms aren't drawn and it's easy to get lost.
• Dying carelessly on the way to your Shade: a second death permanently loses all that Geo.
• Skipping benches: when you die you restart far back and walk the same route again.
• Trying to heal while being hit: Focus is interrupted and the SOUL spent doesn't come back.
• Spending hours on an impassable obstacle: the ability you need is usually in another area.

This guide was written for version: This guide reflects the current PC version as of September 2026. Controls are keyboard defaults and can be rebound in settings.

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