Hollow Knight Charms: Complete Guide to Best Charms & Locations

Introduction

If you want to unlock the true potential of your Hollow Knight playthrough, understanding hollow knight charms is essential. Charms shape how you fight, explore, and survive in Hallownest. Whether you prefer aggressive nail combat, careful soul management, or nimble platforming, the right charms and charm combinations will change your game. This guide explains how charms work, where to find them, the full charm list overview, best charm loadouts, charm notches and slots, and practical tips to master charm effects.

How Charms Work: Basics, Notches, and Charm Slots

Before diving into specific charms, get comfortable with the mechanics. Charms are passive items you equip at benches that grant abilities, stat changes, or quality-of-life effects. Each charm requires a number of charm notches to equip. You start with a limited number of charm notches and increase them by finding Charm Notches across the map. Charms occupy charm slots based on their notch cost, so planning your charm loadouts matters.

• Charm notches: Increase your overall capacity to equip charms.
• Charm slots: A visual representation at the bench where you attach charms; each charm consumes notches.
• Geo and currency: Some charms interact with Geo, or are easier to use when you have certain amounts of Geo because they alter healing or item costs.
• Bench interactions: Always equip charms at a bench. Benches also serve as save points and fast travel locations.

Tip: Visit benches after significant discoveries to reorganize charms for upcoming encounters. A bench-based charm swap is a key part of strategy, especially when a boss demands a different approach.

Complete Charm List Overview (Quick Reference)

Below is a concise charm list overview that highlights popular and impactful options. This isn’t every single charm in the game, but it covers the most influential choices players reference when shaping their build.

• Wayward Compass – Shows map marker. Useful for exploration but occupies a notch.
• Gathering Swarm – Attracts Geo drops. Great for farming and affording upgrades.
• Strength Charm – Increases nail damage. Known as Nailmaster’s Glory by some builds.
• Shaman Stone – Boosts spell power. Essential for spell-focused runs.
• Quick Slash – Faster nail strikes. Excellent for aggressive combos.
• Grubsong – Restores soul when damaged under certain conditions. Works well with lifesteal strategies.
• Unbreakable Strength – Improves nail damage and strength scaling.
• Longnail / Mark of Pride – Extends nail reach. A major quality-of-life improvement for most players.
• Quick Focus / Deep Focus – Changes healing speed and soul cost attributes.
• Spell Twister – Reduces soul cost for spells, useful for spell loadouts.
• Hiveblood – Slow regenerating health; great for exploration runs.
• Fragile/Unbreakable charms – Important for deciding risk vs reward in early vs late game.

Example: A popular early-game setup combines Longnail with Quick Slash and the Wayward Compass to explore while being able to attack from safer distances and hit faster.

Best Charms and Recommended Loadouts

Your best charms depend on playstyle and the situation. Below are curated loadouts for different approaches, with examples and tips.

1) Nail-Fighter Loadout

• Core charms: Mark of Pride (or Longnail), Quick Slash, Unbreakable Strength
• Support charms: Hiveblood (if you prefer slower regen), Baldur-shell alternatives for defense

Tip: Use notches efficiently — combining reach and speed often trumps raw damage in longer boss fights because you get safer windows to attack.

2) Spellcaster / Mage Loadout

• Core charms: Shaman Stone, Spell Twister, Soul Catcher
• Support charms: Grubsong (for healing synergy), Quick Focus to heal faster between spell bursts

Example: Against bosses with predictable openings, Shaman Stone plus Spell Twister allows continuous high-damage spell DPS while conserving soul.

3) Tank / Survival Loadout

• Core charms: Hiveblood, Quick Focus or Deep Focus, Fragile/Unbreakable Strength for survivability
• Support charms: Grubsong and charm combos that grant passive recovery

Tip: Use tank builds for exploration, especially in areas with environmental damage like acid or spikes. Hiveblood drastically reduces the need for frequent healing.

4) Speedrun / Mobility Loadout

• Core charms: Dashmaster, Quick Slash, Mark of Pride
• Support charms: Sprinting-saving charms that increase movement and reduce stun

Example: Dashmaster combined with mobility tools lets you chain platforming and avoid damage, which is essential for time-based challenges and speedrun categories.

Charm Combinations and Advanced Tips

Combining charms can create powerful synergies, but also unexpected drawbacks. Here are advanced tips for building optimized charm combinations.

• Balance notches with impact: High-cost charms like Shaman Stone or Hiveblood are worth their notches. If you build around spells, replace several low-impact charms for a focused mage setup.
• Mix offense and defense: Using a damage charm with Grubsong or Quick Focus allows aggressive play with built-in recovery options.
• Be mindful of fragility: Fragile charms provide strong effects early but break upon death. Consider replacing them with Unbreakable variants later.
• Effect stacking: Some charms stack multiplicatively while others are additive. Experiment to understand which combinations give diminishing returns.
• Situational swapping: Swap to a specific charm loadout before boss fights. Don’t be afraid to change your charm list between zones using benches.

Example combinations: Shaman Stone + Spell Twister + Soul Catcher is a classic for maximizing spell damage while conserving soul. For melee, Quick Slash + Mark of Pride + Unbreakable Strength makes nail slashes both quicker and more damaging.

Where to Find Charms: Charm Locations and How to Get Charms

Knowing where to find charms and how to get charms is part of the exploration fun. Charms are hidden across Hallownest, given by NPCs, purchased, or earned by defeating bosses. Below are reliable tips for collecting charms.

• Explore thoroughly: Many charms are secreted in rooms behind hidden walls, platforming challenges, or secret paths. Use the map and markers to track new areas.
• Talk to NPCs: Some characters reward you with charms after completing quests.
• Defeat mini-bosses and bosses: Several bosses drop charms or open access to charm-bearing rooms.
• Check vendors: Rarely, certain charm-related items or upgrades are available for Geo purchase.
• Use charm list markers: If you keep a checklist or consult an in-game map, mark discovered charm locations to avoid backtracking later.

Tip: If you’re after a specific charm, plan a route that hits benches near unexplored zones, so you can swap to a required loadout right before the challenge.

How to Equip Charms and Manage Charm Notches

Equip charms at any bench. Each bench allows you to add or remove charms. Managing charm notches means choosing which charms to keep for your current objectives. Here are practical steps:

• Open the charm menu at a bench.
• Check your current charm notch total and which charms are currently equipped.
• Plan a loadout for upcoming encounters: decide if you need reach, damage, spells, or survivability.
• Swap fragile charms carefully: if you’re close to receiving an Unbreakable replacement, you may want to preserve the fragile variant during high-risk areas.

Tip: A common beginner mistake is equipping too many exploration charms (Wayward Compass, Isma’s Tear alternatives) that provide convenience at the cost of combat options. Keep a combat-focused set and a separate exploration set to switch between benches.

Examples: Charm Uses in Key Encounters

Real examples show how charms change the outcome of fights and exploration:

• Hornet fight: Use Quick Slash and Mark of Pride to maintain pressure while staying out of reach. Quick Focus can help heal when you get small windows.
• Brooding Mawlek: A nail-heavy build with Unbreakable Strength and Quick Slash reduces the duration of the fight by maximizing damage per second.
• Platforming gauntlets: Dashmaster and mobility-oriented charms reduce mistakes, while Hiveblood makes trial-and-error less punishing.
• Spell bosses: Shaman Stone + Spell Twister + Soul Catcher allows you to burst down bosses between their patterns with efficient soul usage.

Tip: Always tailor your charms to the boss mechanics. If a boss punishes close-range attacks heavily, switch to a spell or ranged approach with the appropriate charms.

FAQ

Q1: How many charms are there in Hollow Knight and where is the full charm list?

A: The exact number depends on the version and any DLC you own, but Hollow Knight includes dozens of charms across the base game. You can find a full charm list in many community wikis and in-game guides; this article highlights the most strategically important ones and how to use them.

Q2: What are charm notches and how do I increase them?

A: Charm notches are a resource that determines how many and which charms you can equip. Increase your charm notches by finding special items called Charm Notches scattered in the world. Search thoroughly and revisit areas after unlocking new abilities.

Q3: Which charms are best for beginners?

A: Beginners benefit from Mark of Pride (or Longnail), Quick Slash, and Hiveblood for survivability and safer combat. Wayward Compass helps with exploration, but reserve notches for combat-critical charms in boss-heavy sections.

Q4: Are fragile charms worth using?

A: Fragile charms deliver strong early-game benefits but will break on death. They’re worth using when you’re confident in your skill or want a temporary boost. Replace with Unbreakable variants once you can upgrade them to avoid losing the benefit.

Q5: Can I change charms mid-game, and do I lose them on death?

A: You can change charms at any bench without penalty. Charms you own are permanent pickups; dying does not make you lose found charms, only fragile charms break upon death if they are equipped when you die.

Conclusion

Hollow knight charms are a core part of shaping your Hollow Knight experience. Understanding charm effects, charm notches, charm locations, and smart charm combinations unlocks new approaches to combat and exploration. Experiment with different loadouts, keep a bench-based strategy for swapping charms before big encounters, and remember that balancing offense and defense is often the fastest route to progression. With the right charms and a little practice, Hallownest becomes a lot more manageable—and a lot more fun.

Good luck — equip wisely, explore thoroughly, and make every charm count.