Learn how to obtain the Gathering Swarm Charm 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, which is now a kingdom in ruins because of a supernatural disease. As the Knight journeys through Hallownest, he can unlock new abilities, spells, and charms that will help him traverse through different areas of Hallownest and defeat enemies.
In this guide, we will learn about the Gathering Swarm charm. In the game, special items give the Knight different abilities and bonuses called Charms. To equip or unequip these Charms, the Knight must sit on a Bench, and the Knight must have enough unused Notches to equip them.
One of the 45 Charms in the game is the Gathering Swarm Charm, which requires and takes up one Charm Notch. When equipped, the Gathering Swarm charm spawns a swarm that will collect Geo dropped on the ground. The Gathering Swarm charm makes it easier to manage and farm Geo!
Location
The Gathering Swarm charm can be purchased for 300 Geo from Sly in his shop on the left side of the Elderbug, Bench, and Stagway Station in Dirtmouth.
At the start of the game, Sly’s shop will be closed and unlocked after the Knight meets Sly. So, before the Knight can purchase the Gathering Swarm charm from Sly, the Knight must first find him in the Forgotten Crossroads.
The Knight will encounter lots of various enemies in the Forgotten Crossroads. Still, the Knight will encounter the following enemies on the way to Sly: Tiktiks, Crawlids, Gruzzers, Aspid Hunters, Goams, Vengeflies, Leaping Husks, Wandering Husks, Husk Hornheads, and the Gruz Mother, which is a mini-boss in the game.
To find Sly in the Forgotten Crossroads, this is what the Knight must do:
- From the Bench in Dirtmouth, head to the right, then drop down on the well to take the exit downwards and reach the Forgotten Crossroads.
- Next, head to the left, where the Knight will encounter a Tiktik and a Crawlid, then take the exit on the leftmost side of the room.
- After that, the Knight will be in a large room filled with Gruzzers and more Tiktiks. Head to the bottom of the room and take the exit downwards.
- Then, head down at the bottom and take the exit on the right.
- Next, head to the right, where the Knight will encounter an Aspid Hunter. Take the exit on the lower right side of the room.
- After that, continue on the right, where the Knight will encounter three Goams repeatedly rising out of the ground: a Vengefly and another Goam. Take the exit on the right.
- Then, continue on the right, where the Knight will encounter more Vengeflies and Goams. The Knight can either take the path on the right straight ahead or a little bit up the platforms. However, the Knight will not have to evade Goams on the platform path. Take the exit on the rightmost part of the room.
- Next, upon entering the next room, drop down from the platform, and the Knight will encounter another Aspid Hunter. Head to the bottom of the room, head to the right, where the Knight will encounter a Leaping Husk (there is also a Soul Totem on top of a platform above the Leaping Husk), then take the exit on the right.
- Afterward, head to the right, and the Knight will eventually enter an arena where you must face the Gruz Mother. Strike the sleeping Gruz Mother to start the battle. The Knight must defeat the Gruz Mother to continue. After defeating the Gruz Mother (and its Gruzzers), the path back and to continue will be opened. Head to the path on the right to continue.
- Next, drop down on the gap and head to the left. The Knight will encounter two Wandering Husks and a Husk Hornhead. Then, you will find a house that the Knight can enter.
- Enter the house, and, finally, the Knight will find Sly!
It is worth mentioning that the Knight will find a Bench and Charm Lover Salubra’s shop if the Knight heads to the right outside Sly’s whereabouts. However, these can only be accessed by using the Mothwing Cloak and the Mantis Claw ability, by Nail-bouncing from a Shade, or by using the path from the Blue Lake.
Talk to Sly, and he will mumble until he realizes the Knight is there. Sly will then say that a strange dream led him to this place and that he would never have awoken if it were not for the Knight finding him. He then introduces himself and says he lives an uneventful life in Dirtmouth. However, as the air in these ruins does not agree with him, he thinks he should return to Dirtmouth. Finally, he will tell the Knight to come to see him if the Knight is back in Dirtmouth so that he can properly thank the Knight for the good deed.
After that interaction with Sly, the Knight can head back up to Dirtmouth and inside Sly’s shop to purchase the Gathering Swarm charm for 300 Geo and some other items from Sly!
Now that the Knight has the Gathering Swarm charm, the Knight can equip it while sitting down on a Bench, and the Knight now has an easier way of collecting Geo from all over Hallownest!
