How to Find the Grub in the Howling Cliffs in Hollow Knight

Learn how to find the Grub in the Howling Cliffs in Hollow Knight!

Team Cherry’s Metroidvania action-adventure game, Hollow Knight, follows the journey of a nameless warrior called the Knight as he travels through Hallownest, now a kingdom in ruins because of a supernatural disease. As the Knight journeys through Hallownest, he will encounter various characters that will help fully unravel the story in the game. Some of these characters are cute little creatures called Grubs.

Grubs are small green creatures trapped inside glass jars that the Knight will find throughout Hallownest. These Grubs were trapped by a Void creature named The Collector, who loves to collect dead and alive bugs all around Hallownest and preserve them in glass jars.

The Knight will know if there is a Grub nearby as its high-pitched crying can be heard in its general direction. Then, once the Knight finds one, the Knight can free them by striking the glass jar with the Nail to break it. After the Knight frees a Grub, it will do a little high-pitched shout of joy and burrow into the ground to return to its colony with the Grubfather.

There are a total of 46 Grubs all over Hallownest, and there are a few rewards for freeing a specific number of Grubs:

• For the first four Grubs found, the Grubfather, found in the northwesternmost part of the Forgotten Crossroads, will reward the Knight with Geo (10 Geo for the first Grub, 20 Geo for the second, 30 Geo for the third, and 40 Geo for the fourth Grub found).
• After freeing the fifth Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with a Mask Shard.
• After freeing the sixth to ninth Grubs, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with Geo (50 Geo for the sixth, 60 Geo for the seventh, 70 Geo for the eighth, and 80 Geo for the ninth Grub found).
• After freeing the tenth Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight the Grubsong Charm, which allows the Knight to gain Soul when taking damage.
• After freeing the 11th to 15th Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with Geo (90 Geo for the 11th, 100 Geo for the 12th, 110 Geo for the 13th, 120 Geo for the 14th, and 130 Geo for the 15th Grub found).
• After freeing the 16th Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with a Rancid Egg.
• After freeing the 17th to 22nd Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with Geo (140 Geo for the 17th, 150 Geo for the 18th, 160 Geo for the 19th, 165 Geo for the 20th, 170 Geo for the 21st, and 180 Geo for the 22nd Grub found).
• After freeing half (23) of the total Grubs, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with a Hallownest Seal, and the Grubfriend Achievement will be unlocked.
• After freeing the 24th to 30th Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with Geo (200 Geo for the 24th, 200 Geo for the 25th, 205 Geo for the 26th, 210 Geo for the 27th, 215 Geo for the 28th, 220 Geo for the 29th, and 220 Geo for the 30th Grub found).
• After freeing the 31st Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with a Pale Ore.
• After freeing the 32nd to 37th Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with Geo (230 Geo for the 32nd, 235 Geo for the 33rd, 240 Geo for the 34th, 245 Geo for the 35th, 250 Geo for the 36th, and 255 Geo for the 37th Grub found).
• After freeing the 38th Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with a King’s Idol.
• After freeing the 39th to 45th Grub, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with Geo (260 Geo for the 39th, 265 Geo for the 40th, 270 Geo for the 41st, 280 Geo for the 42nd, 290 Geo for the 43rd, 295 Geo for the 44th, and 300 Geo for the 45th Grub found).
• After freeing all of the Grubs around Hallownest, the Grubfather will reward the Knight the Grubberfly’s Elegy Charm, which allows the Knight to fire projectiles when attacking using the Nail and when at full health, and the Metamorphosis Achievement is unlocked.

This guide will teach you how to find all the Grubs in the Howling Cliffs!

Howling Cliffs Grub

There is only one Grub in the Howling Cliffs area, and it can be found at the end of a narrow path near the bottom of the Howling Cliffs area.

The Knight will encounter various enemies in Royal Waterways. Still, the Knight will specifically encounter the following enemies on the way to the Grub in the Howling Cliffs: Crawlids, Tiktiks, and Vengeflies.

Before the Knight can find the Grub that was mentioned, it is required that the Knight have the Mantis Claw ability, which allows the Knight to cling to walls and jump off of them, and the Mothwing Cloak ability, which enables the Knight to perform a horizontal dash forward, or the Monarch Wings ability, which allows the Knight to perform a secondary jump in mid-air. The Knight must also purchase the Lumafly Lantern from Sly in Dirtmouth to light up very dark rooms. Finding the Grub in the Howling Cliffs will be no challenge with this item and these abilities.

To find the Grub in Howling Cliffs, this is what the Knight must do:

1. From the bench in the middle of Dirtmouth, head to the left, and then, upon reaching the wall, jump and climb up the wall using the Mantis Claw ability. At the top of the wall, use the Mothwing Cloak ability to dash towards the platform or the Monarch Wings ability to perform a secondary jump towards the next platform, then take the entrance on the left.
   
2. Upon entering the room, the Knight is back in the King’s Pass area, the first area in the game. Head to the left, drop down on the next gap, head to the right, drop down to the gap, continue dropping down to the platforms below the left, and head to the bottom on the right side of the spikes.
   
3. Next, continue to the right of what looks like a wall, and the Knight will be in a hidden part of the area. Continue to the right, jump over the spikes with the help of the Monarch Wings ability to double jump or the Mothwing Cloak ability to dash forwards in mid-air, and drop down on the gap where the Knight will start using the Lumafly Lantern to light up the area, and head to the left where you will find a Geo Chest which, after hitting it, will give off the Fury of the Fallen charm and not Geos.
   
4. After that, head to the left, then drop on the narrow gap, continue to the left where the Knight will encounter a Crawlid, continue to head and jump on the platform on the left where the Knight will encounter another Crawlid, jump across the gap, and head to the left until the Knight reaches a large area.
   
5. Next, continue to the left of what looks like the end of the path, and the Knight will be in a hidden part of the area with a Geo Deposit. Head up the narrow shaft using the Mantis Claw ability (watch out for the spikes!), then take the exit at the top.
   
6. Then, head to the next platform above using the Mantis Claw ability to cling to the wall on the right and jump up, then continue to the left, where you will find a wooden structure holding up a wall on the other side. Strike the wooden structure often to destroy it and open up the path.
   
7. After that, continue to the left and up the platforms, where the Knight will encounter another Crawlid. The Knight has now arrived in Howling Cliffs! Continue to the left, where the Knight will encounter another Crawlid, cross the gap by jumping on the small platforms (also where the Knight will encounter a Tiktik, a Vengefly, and another Crawlid), continue to the left past Gorb the Great Mind’s tomb, cross the gap by jumping on the small platforms where the Knight will encounter another Vengfly and Tiktik, then take the exit on the left.
   
8. Next, continue to the left, drop down on the gap where the Knight will land on a small platform and encounter another Vengefly, Tiktik, and Crawlids, drop down the shaft below, head to the left upon landing, drop down the gap on the left where the Knight will encounter a Tiktik upon landing, drop down the gap on the left, drop down the gap on the right, drop down the gap on the left again where the Knight will encounter another Vengefly and another Crawlid (it is worth mentioning that there is a Geo Deposit right under this platform), and drop down the gap on the right where the Knight will encounter two Crawlids.
   
9. Then, head to the right, drop down the gap on the right, head to the bottom of the room, continue heading to the right, jump up the elevated platform, continue to the right, then take the exit.
   
10. After that, head to the right, where the Knight will eventually encounter a Vengefly, drop down the gap, jump across the very narrow shaft, and, finally, the Knight will find a Grub inside a glass jar! The Knight can now strike the glass jar and free the Grub!

After finding the Grub in the Howling Cliffs, the Knight is one step closer to finding them all, receiving the Grubberfly’s Elegy Charm and unlocking the Metamorphosis Achievement!