In Hollow Knight, every Charm the Knight collects can make the difference between success and failure. This means they can make or break the Knight’s quest to unravel the mysteries of the underground kingdom. Charms are not just accessories in this captivating Metroidvania adventure.
These items are the key to customizing your playstyle, enhancing your abilities, and overcoming the challenges of waiting. In this guide, we will journey through the depths of Hallownest to discover and discuss the best Charms the game offers.
Whether you’re a seasoned explorer seeking to optimize your build or a novice venturing into this hauntingly beautiful realm for the first time, our guide will be your invaluable companion as we unveil the secrets of the finest charms in Hollow Knight.
Best Charms in Hollow Knight
As there are a lot of Charms in the game, we will only cover what we think are the top five. We are talking about the best, after all. The following are our top five best Charms in Hollow Knight:
5. Soul Catcher Charm
One of the best Charms in the game is the Soul Catcher Charm. When equipped, the Soul Catcher charm boosts the amount of Soul the Knight gains when hitting enemies with the Nail. For each enemy hit using the Nail, the Knight can get an additional 3 Soul towards the Knight’s main Soul Vessel.
For the reserve Soul Vessels, the Knight will get an additional 2 Soul for each enemy hit. The Soul Catcher charm makes it easier to gain Soul from enemies! This Charm requires and takes up two Charm Notches.
The Soul Catcher Charm is one of the first Charms that the Knight can acquire. Though its effect is not flashy or amazing, it is useful for healing. This is especially in locations where enemies have attacks that are hard to dodge, or Soul is hard to get. Not only that, but this can help the Knight cast more Spells.
This is useful if you feel like Soul is wasted on casting Spells and want to save it for healing instead. With this Charm, the Knight will not have to preserve Soul as it will be easier to get many of them.
Location
The Knight can get the Soul Catcher after eliminating the Elder Baldur inside the Ancestral Mound. This is an area near the middle of the Forgotten Crossroads.
The Knight will face lots of enemies in the Forgotten Crossroads. However, the Knight will specifically come across the following enemies on the way to the Soul Catcher charm: Tiktiks, Vengeflies, Leaping Husks, Wandering Husks, Husk Hornheads, a Husk guard, a Husk Bully, Baldurs, the Elder Baldur, and the False Knight, who is a main boss.
4. Quick Focus Charm
Next on the best Charms list is the Quick Focus Charm. When equipped, the Quick Focus charm allows the Knight to Focus using Soul for about 33% faster. However, The Quick Focus Charm does not affect the startup time when using Focus. With the Quick Focus charm, the Knight can heal faster. This Charm requires and takes up three Charm Notches.
The Quick Focus Charm is very useful to heal when there is a lot of fighting. In these situations, usually, there is only a short amount of time or window to use Focus to heal. Examples of these situations are boss battles and participating in the Colosseum of Fools. However, the only downside to this Charm is that it takes up three Charm Notches.
Location
The Knight can buy the Quick Focus charm from Charm Lover Salubra. The Knight can head to the southeasternmost part of the Forgotten Crossroads to find her. He can purchase the Quick Focus Charm from Charm Lover Salubra for 800 Geo.
Before the Knight can reach Charm Lover Salubra, the Knight must have a few abilities. Salubra is on top of a tall platform that the Knight can only reach using these abilities. The first required ability is the Monarch Wings ability. This ability enables the Knight to perform a dash forward. The next requirement is the Mantis Claw ability. This enables the Knight to stick to walls and jump off of them.
It is possible to reach Charm Lover Salubra’s house without these abilities. However, it would be extremely difficult because the Knight would have to Nail-bounce on a Shade in the area.
The Knight will find various enemies in the Forgotten Crossroads. The Knight will come across the following enemies on the way to Charm Lover Salubra: Tiktiks, Crawlids, Gruzzers, Aspid Hunters, Goams, Vengeflies, Leaping Husks, Wandering Husks, Husk Hornheads, and the Gruz Mother, who is a mini-boss.
3. Mark of Pride Charm
The next Charm on the list is the Mark of Pride Charm. If it is equipped, the length of the Knight’s Nail is extended by 25%. The Mark of Pride Charm is a better version of the Longnail Charm, which, in comparison, extends the length of the Knight’s Nail by just 15%. Because of the Mark of Pride Charm, the Knight can attack enemies from a safe distance. To equip this Charm, the Knight must have three unused Charm Notches.
The Mark of Pride Charm is useful to keep an adequate distance from more hazardous enemies and execute less risky Nail-bounces. Being able to attack at a safe distance is one privilege you would not want to have. This Charm does not affect the range of Nail Arts or the effect from the Grubberfly’s Elegy Charm.
While it has a greater range than the Longnail Charm, it is more difficult to obtain and has a higher Notch cost. With that in mind, the Knight can use the Longnail Charm as an alternative because of the Charm Notch requirement. Additionally, the Knight can equip the Longnail and Mark of Pride Charm to stack their effects. With this, the Charms will extend the Knight’s Nail by 40%.
Location
The Knight can find the Mark of Pride Charm in the western part of the Mantis Village. This Charm is inside a chest in the middle of the room with the Bench. The Mantis Village is a sub-area in the southern part of the Fungal Wastes area.
The Knight must first defeat the Mantis Lords to get the Mark of Pride Charm. They are an optional boss in the area. The Knight can find them in their arena in the southernmost part of the Mantis Village.
Also, the Knight must have the Mantis Claw ability to get the Mark of Pride Charm. This ability allows the Knight to stick and slide to vertical surfaces and jump off them. Fortunately, the Knight must acquire this ability to enter the Mantis Village anyway.
Aside from the optional boss, the Mantis Lords, the Knight will encounter a few enemies in the area. On the way to the Mark of Pride Charm will only run into Mantis Youths and a Mantis Warrior. Fortunately, all the enemies in the Mantis Village will become passive after the Knight defeats the Mantis Lords. Once they are passive, they will only attack the Knight if the Knight attacks them first.
2. Quick Slash Charm
Another great Charm is the Quick Slash Charm. When equipped, the Quick Slash Charm decreases the total time between the Knight’s attacks by 39%. The Knight, therefore, can attack using the Nail more quickly with this Charm. To equip the Quick Slash Charm, the Knight must have three unused Charm Notches.
With the Quick Slash Charm, the Knight can deal more damage quickly. Because of the faster attacks, the Knight can inflict a large amount of damage in a shorter time. It’s also worth emphasizing that the Knight receives a Soul for striking foes with the Nail. As a result of the Quick Slash Charm’s quick Nail striking, the Knight will also acquire Soul faster.
Location
The Knight can acquire the Quick Slash charm in the southeasternmost part of Kingdom’s Edge. This Charm is on a massive anvil in front of the Ancient Nailsmith’s corpse within a hidden area.
The Knight must first have a few abilities to obtain the Quick Slash Charm. The Mothwing Cloak ability is the first necessary ability. The Knight can dash forward horizontally using this ability. The Monarch Wings ability is the next essential ability. This ability allows the Knight to jump once while in mid-air. The Mantis Claw ability is another essential ability. This allows the Knight to stick to and slide down vertical surfaces and jump off them.
Aside from that, the Knight must also have a certain spell to obtain the Quick Slash Charm. The Desolate Dive or its upgrade, the Descending Dark spell, allows the Knight to attack the ground with concentrated Soul.
The Knight must also obtain the Lumafly Lantern for the Quick Slash charm. This aids in the illumination of completely dark rooms. The Knight has to buy this item from Sly in Dirtmouth.
The Knight will face a few opponents on his journey to the Quick Slash Charm. Among these are a Husk Hornhead, a Husk Dandy, a Gluttonous Husk, Vengeflies, Belflies, Booflies, Hoppers, Primal Aspids, Great Hoppers, and Hivelings.
Honorable Mentions
We will get into a few honorable mentions before reaching the top Charm on our list. The following Charms, although not included in the top five, are still great and worth mentioning:
Spell Twister Charm
The Spell Twister Charm is a good Charm to have. This charm reduces the amount of Soul the Knight needs to use Spells when equipped. This Charm requires and takes up two Charm Notches.
If your style of play is more on casting Spells, then the Spell Twister Charm is a must-have. With this, the Knight can cast more Spells more often. The Spell Twister Charm functions best when combined with other charms that increase Soul production, like the Soul Catcher Charm.
Location
The Knight can get the Spell Twister charm inside a hidden room at the top of Soul Sanctum. This is a sub-area near the middle of the City of Tears.
To get the Soul Eater charm, the Knight must have two abilities. The first is the Mantis Claw ability, which enables the Knight to stick to walls and jump off them. The next requirement is Monarch Wings ability, which enables the Knight to do another jump while in mid-air.
The Knight will encounter various enemies in the City of Tears and the Soul Sanctum. The Knight will face the following specific enemies on the way to the Spell Twister Charm: Winged Sentries, Lance Sentries, Heavy Sentries, Follies, Mistakes, and Soul Twisters.
Sharp Shadow Charm
Another honorable mention is the Sharp Shadow Charm. When equipped, the Sharp Shadow charm gives the Knight the power to inflict damage to enemies when dashing through them. The Knight can dash through enemies and their attacks using the Shade Cloak ability. The damage inflicted when dashing through enemies equals attacking them once with the Nail. Not only that, but the Sharp Shadow charm also boosts the Shade Cloak’s dash length by 40%.
The Knight must have two unused Charm Notches to equip the Sharp Shadow Charm.
Location
The Knight can get the Sharp Shadow charm in the southeasternmost part of Deepnest. To reach this Charm, the Knight must pass through a Shade Gate.
The Knight must first have a few abilities to obtain the Sharp Shadow charm. The first is the Mothwing Cloak ability, which enables the Knight to execute a horizontal dash forward. The next requirement is the Mantis Claw ability, which enables the Knight to stick to walls and jump off them. Finally, the last required ability is the Shade Cloak ability. This upgrade to the Mothwing Cloak ability enables the Knight to dash through enemies and their attacks.
Also, the Knight must buy the Lumafly Lantern from Sly in Dirtmouth. The Knight will use this item to light up dark rooms.
The Knight will face enemies on the path to the Sharp Shadow charm in Deepnest, notably Garpedes, and Goams.
Grubsong Charm
The last honorable mention is the Grubsong Charm. This Charm allows the Knight to get 15 Soul when receiving damage. To equip the Grubsong Charm, the Knight must have one unused Charm Notch.
The Grubsong Charm is useful since it provides Soul that players can use to heal in return for taking damage. The Soul the Knight gains for one hit is insufficient to heal one Mask. However, this Charm becomes valuable when paired with Soul gained from attacking foes or other Charms that help gain Soul.
This is especially great for players who prefer casting Spells. This Charm is also great in challenging platforming segments. Usually, these platforming segments do not have or have very few enemies to gain Soul from normally.
Location
To get the Grubsong Charm, the Knight must find ten Grubs all over Hallownest and then head to the Grubhome. This is in the northwesternmost part of the Forgotten Crossroads. After finding at least ten Grubs, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with the Grubsong Charm.
Related: How to Find the Grubs in the City of Tears
1. Unbreakable Strength Charm
Arguably, the best Charm in Hollow Knight is the Unbreakable Strength Charm. Once equipped, this Charm boosts the damage the Knight’s Nail inflicts by 50%.To equip it, the Knight needs three empty Charm Notches.
The Unbreakable Strength Charm is extremely strong. This Charm can significantly reduce the number of attacks needed to defeat enemies, especially bosses. It provides a comparable effect to the Fury of the Fallen Charm. However, that requires the Knight to be at one Mask, and the Unbreakable Strength only costs one Notch more.
When the Knight is at one Mask, combining the Fury of the Fallen Charm and the Unbreakable Strength Charm increases the Knight’s Nail’s damage output to up to 170%. This Charm does not affect the Nail Arts’ damage output or the effects of the Thorns of Agony Charm, Sharp Shadow Charm, or Dreamshield Charm.
How to Get the Unbreakable Strength Charm
Sadly, the Knight cannot locate the Unbreakable Strength Charm in the kingdom of Hallownest. To obtain this Charm, the Knight must first obtain the Fragile Strength Charm and upgrade it to the Unbreakable Strength Charm.
The Knight must complete the following to obtain the Unbreakable Strength Charm:
A. Get the Fragile Strength Charm
The Knight must purchase the Fragile Strength Charm from Leg Eater. To find Leg Eater, the Knight must head to the northern half of the Fungal Wastes area.
The Fragile Strength Charm is priced at 250 Geo. Fortunately, if the Knight has the Defender’s Crest Charm on, Leg Eater will reduce the price of the Charms. As a result, Leg Eater’s price will be reduced to 200 Geo.
If they break, Leg Eater will fix the Fragile Strength Charm or any other Fragile Charms for a modest price. Leg Eater will repair the Fragile Strength Charm for 150 Geo. Again, if the Knight is outfitted with the Defender’s Crest Charm, Leg Eater will reduce the price to 120 Geo.
Talk to Leg Eater once you’ve found him. He’ll enquire if the Knight has plenty of Geo. He will then swear to present the Knight something nice once the Knight gives him Geo. Confirm to give Leg Eater 86 Geo, and he will show the Knight his Charm collection. Next, the Knight can now purchase the Fragile Strength Charm!
Requirements
The Knight must be able to locate the Leg Eater and acquire the Fragile Strength Charm. The Knight has to have either the Mothwing Cloak or the Monarch Wings ability. The former allows the Knight to perform a horizontal dash. The latter allows the Knight to do another jump while still in mid-air. Either of those abilities will suffice. However, the Knight will receive the Mothwing Cloak ability first.
Enemies
The Knight will encounter a variety of animals on the journey to Leg Eater. Fungoons, Funglings, a Fungified Husk, a Husk Hornhead, Sporgs, Amblooms, Shrumal Warriors, Shrumelings, and Shrumal Ogres await the Knight.
B. Summon The Grimm Troupe
The next step to get the Unbreakable Strength Charm is to summon the Grimm Troupe. The Knight can only come across the Grimm Troupe in The Grimm Troupe DLC. The player must first download this free content pack to discover the story it provides.
Location
To summon The Grimm Troupe, the Knight must light up the Nightmare Lantern. The Knight can find the Nightmare Lantern near the center of Howling Cliffs.
To reach the Nightmare Lantern, the Knight needs to acquire certain abilities. The Mantis Claw ability is one of them. With that ability, the Knight can hold on to and jump off vertical surfaces. The Dream Nail ability is the next requirement. The Knight can use this ability to gain Essence and enter Dreams. Another requirement is the Mothwing Cloak or Monarch Wings ability. The Mothwing Cloak ability allows the Knight to move ahead in a horizontal dash. In contrast, the Monarch Wings ability allows the Knight to jump again in mid-air.
The Knight must also obtain the Lumafly Lantern from Sly in Dirtmouth. This is to illuminate dark locations.
On the way to the Nightmare Lantern, the Knight will encounter a few enemies. Among these are Crawlids, Tiktiks, and Vengeflies.
After igniting the Nightmare Lanter, the Knight can return to Dirtmouth and find The Grimm Troupe! The Knight can find their camp to the left of the Bench and Sly’s shop.
C. Talk to Divine
The Knight will find Divine within the Grimm Troupe’s smaller tent at Dirtmouth.
To upgrade the Fragile Strength Charm, enter Divine’s tent. Speak with her, and she will inform the Knight that she senses something beneath them and that she desires it. Talk to Divine again, and she will become aware of the Knight’s Fragile Charm. She will then ask the Knight to expose it to her. Select “Yes” on the prompt, and she will eat the Fragile Strength Charm.
Then, exit the tent, return inside, and talk to Divine twice. She will give the Knight a gift in exchange for him granting her Geo. The Charm determines the amount of Geo needed to enhance Fragile Charms. The Knight must pay 15,000 Geo to upgrade the Fragile Strength Charm. If the Knight responds “Yes” to the prompt to give her the Geo, she will give the Knight the Unbreakable Strength Charm!
Conclusion
In the depths of Hallownest, we have explored and uncovered the true gems among charms. We have discussed what we think are the top 5 best Charms that can elevate your experience in Hollow Knight to new heights. As you continue your journey through this world, remember that the right combination of charms can be the key to success in even the most challenging encounters.
Experiment, adapt, and find the perfect combination for your play style. With our guide as your companion, you are now equipped with the knowledge to master your charms, conquer the darkest depths, and emerge victorious in the beautiful world of Hollow Knight. May your adventures be filled with discovery, triumph, and the enduring allure of this timeless indie masterpiece.
