Hollow Knight: Steel Heart
Hi there!
Here's my goal: This will be your most relaxing run of Hollow Knight. For most people, it’s probably your magnum opus, your
final playthrough of an amazing game. But just because we’re going for 100% on a no-deaths-allowed Steel Soul mode, it doesn’t
have to be stressful. This guide should make the run so easy, you turn the music back up to 10 and find yourself getting into a
meditative state the likes of which is normally reserved for Sunday morning Animal Crossing.
This run is designed to go fast- it’s optimized for limited backtracking. But it is most definitely not a speedrun. To make playing
on Steel Soul mode more fun and less trivial, this route takes advantage of shifting every reasonably obtainable upgrade much earlier
in the run than it would be on a casual playthrough. The route always delays bosses til they are very easy, or they’re easy enough
and wouldn’t be worth backtracking to fight later. Getting upgrades early incurs some necessary backtracking, but it’s been made as
limited as possible, and the run should feel pretty natural despite seeking out early upgrades.
The hardest part of this run is finding all the Geo rocks you normally ignore, because we want to be rich!
Here’s a checklist to use while completing the run. Click File > Make a copy so you can edit it for yourself.
Steel Soul 100% Completion Checklist (readonly)
Tips:
1. Always try to be at full health if possible. Unexpected damage happens in Hollow Knight, no matter how good you are.
Sometimes 2 or 3 hp can really be closer to 1hp than you think. Don’t lose a run due to overconfidence.
2. Don’t pass up the free Geo! Remember, this isn’t a speedrun. Try to pick up the Geo that enemies drop, but don’t break your back
over it. Picking up most enemy Geo, and all the highlighted Geo rocks on the route should give you about a 1000 Geo buffer in case
you miss something. But don’t be surprised if the route starts to stop working if you’re skipping Geo rocks I highlighted and not
picking up enemy Geo. We’re going for all this free Geo because it makes the route simpler, and lets us get upgrades earlier than we
would be able to if we only picked up Geo Chests and Relics. To keep you on track, I’ve written in italics the minimum Geo you should have
remaining after each purchase, e.g. “Buy Crossroads map [1/13] [30G] 120G” It’s okay if you have more.
3. Control the fights as much as you can. You can’t control everything in Hollow Knight, but you can usually keep most fights to 1
enemy at a time. Besides the Colosseum, Team Cherry didn’t balance the game for several enemies attacking you at once because
you rushed in and caught aggro on them. Similarly, don’t get trapped by the environment (walls, etc) in some corner without an
escape route.
4. Don’t overcommit to the platforming challenges, or long sections. The platforming in Crystal Peak, the long trek through
Deepnest, the Mawlek gauntlet in Ancient Basin, and navigating the Royal Waterways are all long sections where you can very easily
get overconfident and overcommit when your hp gets too low. Have an exit ready, keep your health full, and if it comes down to it, it’s
your decision if you want to strategically save and quit to bench. I’ve marked these dangerous sections that can catch you off-guard with a
💀.
5. Early on, use a lot of spells. Most speedruns skip Nail Upgrades, but we’ll get them eventually on this run. Still, until then, you’ll
need to leverage spells on a few tough fights (Mantis Lords and Enraged Guardian come to mind). You can clear out a lot of rooms
with a single well-timed Vengeful Spirit. However, keep in mind that you should try to take advantage of easy enemies to gather Soul.
Don’t kill all the easy enemies with a spell and get stuck with no Soul - Soul is a resource and some enemies are just Soul batteries.
6. Leave the music on and have a great time. If you’re like me and are doing this right off the back of 112%, full Radiant Hall of Gods,
etc etc, prepare to remember what you love about Hollow Knight. Enjoy!
The Guide splits up each page into sub-sections of RED -> GREEN -> PURPLE -> YELLOW.
The colors are used so that there are not a ton of lines of the same color crossing over each other.
Each page should be followed in that order.
Table of Contents
- Leg 1: Forgotten Crossroads
- Leg 2: Greenpath
- Leg 3: Mantis Claw
- Leg 4: Back to Greenpath
- Leg 5: Grubfather, Salubra, Sly
- Leg 6: Howling Cliffs
- Leg 7: Fungal Wastes
- Leg 8: City of Tears
- Leg 9: Crystal Peak
- Leg 10: King’s Station to Ancient Basin
- Leg 11: Upgrade Sidequests
- Leg 12: Ancient Basin
- Leg 13: Complete Fungal Wastes
- Leg 14: Complete Crystal Peaks
- Leg 15: Nail Upgrade
- Leg 16: Kingdom’s Edge
- Leg 17: Abyss
- Leg 18: Finish Forgotten Crossroads
- Leg 19: Royal Waterways
- Leg 20: Spending Spree
- Leg 21: Dreamgate
- Leg 22: Finish Greenpath
- Leg 23: Fog Canyon
- Leg 24: Queen’s Gardens
- Leg 25: Flower Quest
- Leg 26: Deepnest
- Leg 27: Complete Howling Cliffs
- Leg 28: Deepnest to the Hive
- Leg 29: The Hive
- Leg 30: Complete Deepnest
- Leg 31: Complete Kingdom’s Edge
- Leg 32: Complete City of Tears
- Leg 33: Complete Dirtmouth
- Leg 34: Seer
- Leg 35: Godhome
- Leg 36: The Hollow Knight
---
Leg 1: Forgotten Crossroads
1. Spike pogo for Fury of the Fallen [1/38] [1%]
2. Buy Crossroads map [1/13] [30G] 120G
3. Open Forgotten Crossroads stag station [1/11] [50G] 260G
1. Gruz Mother Boss [2/15] [5%] 💀 (Can catch you off guard, this early)
2. Free Sly
3. Dirtmouth Stag Station [2/11] via Crossroads Station
4. Buy Wayward Compass [3/38] [6%] [220G], Quill [120G], equip Wayward Compass, Soul Catcher 650G
1. False Knight Boss [1/15] [2%], collect City Crest and Geo chest
2. Ancestral Mound -> Vengeful Spirit [1/6] [3%] & Soul Catcher [2/38] [4%]
1. Beat Baldur mini-boss for Greenpath entrance
Leg 2: Greenpath
1. Get first bench
2. Buy Greenpath map [2/13] [60G]; get Grub [1/10] 300G
3. Get Grub [2/10]
1. Wanderer’s Journal behind wall
2. Hornet Boss [3/15] [7%] + Mothwing Cloak [1/7] [9%]
3. Save and quit back to bench
1. Get bench [50 Geo] 380G
2. Vengefly King and save Zote the Mighty
3. Get Grub [3/10], double Moss Knights and Geo 💀(Fight one knight at a time.)
4. Get Greenpath stag station [3/11] [140G] and Bench 730G
1. Double Baldur mini-boss, Baldur Shell [4/38] [10%]
2. Thorns of Agony [5/38] [11%]
3. Bench
4. Head down to Fog Canyon
Leg 3: Mantis Claw
1. Queen’s Stag Station [4/11] [120G] and bench 980G
2. Buy Fungal Wastes map [3/13] [75G] 870G
3. Hallownest Seal
4. Shroomal Ogres for Charm Notch [1/7]
1. Grub [5/10]
2. Mantis Claw [2/7] [13%]
3. Wanderer’s Journal and quit to bench
4. Get Mask Shard [1/16] in Queen’s Station
Leg 4: Back to Greenpath
1. Hallownest Seal past electricity challenge
2. Howling Wraiths [2/6] [14%] 💀 (Falling into the spikes while getting charged by Squits caused my first run to end.)
1. Wanderer’s Journal
2. Moss Charger💀(Don’t get cocky! This isn’t Godhome!)
3. Geo chest, Grub [4/10], Vessel Fragment [1/9], quit to bench, stag to Crossroads
Leg 5: Grubfather, Salubra, Sly
1. Grub [6/10]
2. Grub [7/10]
3. Grub [8/10]
4. Grub [9/10]
5. Mask Shard [2/16]
6. Grub [10/10]
7. Visit Grubfather for Geo, Mask Shard [3/16], Grubsong [6/38] [15%],
quit to Crossroads station
1. Buy Shaman Stone [7/38] [16%] [220G], 5-Charm Notch [2/7] [120G] from Salubra
2. Quit back to Crossroads Stag Station, stag to Dirtmouth, equip Shaman Stone, Compass,
Grubsong
3. Buy Mask Shard [4/16] [17%] [150G], Lumafly Lantern [1800G] from Sly
Leg 6: Howling Cliffs
1. Cyclone Slash [1/3] [18%] (do not bench)
2. Buy Howling Cliffs map [4/13] [75G]
3. Joni’s Blessing [8/38] [19%]
1. Wanderer’s Journal
2. King’s Idol, quit back to Dirtmouth bench
3. Stag to Queen’s Station
Leg 7: Fungal Wastes
Bench at Queen’s Station and equip Soul Catcher + Shaman Stone
1. Spore Shroom [9/38] [20%]
2. Dashmaster [10/38] [21%] and free Bretta
1. Equip Shaman Stone, Soul Catcher, Compass and head to City of Tears
1. Mantis Lords Boss [4/15] [22%] 💀(Your nail isn’t upgraded yet! Use Vengeful Spirit a lot.)
2. Collect Mantis treasure, Mark of Pride [11/38] [23%] without benching
3. Quit to bench, re-equip Wayward Compass
4. Stag to Salubra, purchase 10-Charm Notch [3/7] [500G] and quit to bench
Leg 8: City of Tears
1. Nail Upgrade [1/3] [250G] [24%]
2. Hallownest Seal
3. Lemm: Sell everything for 3400G, you’re not dying anyway. 4000G
1. Simple Key [1/2]
2. Bench and City Storerooms stag station [5/11] [200G] 5030G
1. Bench [150G] & buy City of Tears map [5/13] [90G] 4250G
2. Spell Twister [12/38] [25%]
3. Soul Master Boss [5/15] [26%] and Desolate Dive [3/6] [27%]
4. So much Geo and Hallownest Seal
1. Wanderer’s Journal
2. Elevator [150G] to Vessel Fragment [2/9]
3. Quit to bench, stag to Crossroads, equip Grubsong, Compass, Shaman Stone, Spore
Shroom
Leg 9: Crystal Peak
1. Buy Crystal Peaks map [6/13] [112G] 4900G
2. Shopkeeper’s Key
3. Geo room
4. Crystal Heart [3/7] [29%]
1. Acquire Dream Nail [1/2] [31%]
2. Dreamshield [13/38] [32%]
3. Resting Grounds Stag Station [6/11], Stag to Dirtmouth to buy Resting Grounds
map [7/13] [75G], equip Shaman Stone, Soul Catcher, Compass
4. Soul Eater [14/38] [33%] 💀(Careful, the rightmost Entombed Husk can trap you above it, killing you.)
1. Geo room 💀(Don’t overcommit!)
2. Descending Dark [4/6] [30%]💀(Just like the Overgrown Mound, Crystal Hunters can
charge you and you can fall into spikes. Annoying.)
1. Head down the elevator towards King’s Station
Leg 10: King’s Station to Ancient Basin
1. Vessel Fragment [3/9] [34%]
2. King's Station stag station [7/11] [300G]
3. Gorgeous Husk
4. Elevator shaft
1. Buy Ancient Basin map [8/13] [112G]
2. Mawlek gauntlet 💀(Take it slow. Try to start with full Soul; kill the left Mawlek to clear an exit)
3. Pale Ore [1/3], quit to bench, stag to Dirtmouth
4. Buy Elegant Key [800G], Mask Shard [500G], Mask Shard [800G], Mask Shard
[1500G], Mask Shard [8/16] [35%] in Bretta’s house, Stag to King’s Station
Leg 11: Upgrade Sidequests
1. Unlock Royal Waterways
2. Optionally sell everything to Lemm
3. Nail Upgrade [2/3] [800G] [36%] and quit to bench, stag to City Storerooms
1. Soul Warrior rematch, Shade Soul [5/6] [37%], quit to bench
2. Stag to King’s Station, head back down to Ancient Basin
Leg 12: Ancient Basin
1. Simple Key [2/2] 💀 (2 Descending Darks and a few hits per Mawlek. Just C-Dash past the
ones on the roof. Shade Soul the one above a pit)
2. Broken Vessel Boss [6/15] [38%]
3. Monarch Wings [4/7] [40%]
1. Lost Kin Dream Boss [1/3], quit to bench
2. Hidden Stag Station [8/11], stag to Queen’s Station 4000G
Leg 13: Complete Fungal Wastes
1. Buy Fragile Strength [600G], Fragile Heart [350G], and Fragile Greed
[250G] from Legeater [17/38] [43%], quit to bench
1. Equip Fragile Strength, Soul Catcher, Compass. Elder Hu Dreamer [1/9] [44%]
2. Mask Shard [9/16] in the Fungal Core
3. Buy Deepnest map [9/13] [38G] and get Geo, quit to bench
Leg 14: Complete Crystal Peaks
1. Stag to Infected Crossroads. Be careful with the new enemies! Take the
new long way around to Salubra.
2. Buy Lifeblood Heart [18/38] [45%] [250G] and 18-Charm Notch [4/7]
[900G] from Salubra, quit to bench. 3370G
1. Equip Fragile Strength, Shaman Stone, Wayward Compass, head to Crystal Peak for
Deep Focus [19/38] [46%] behind a hidden wall
2. King’s Idol via Monarch Wings nearby
3. Kill Crystal Guardian (while asleep) and Enraged Guardian for Mask Shard [10/16]. 💀
(Enraged Guardian is one of the few bosses you could die to. Use a lot of Descending Darks)
4. Head to Hallownest’s Crown for Pale Ore [2/3], quit to bench 💀(There are several ambush
enemies in this section.)
Leg 15: Nail Upgrade
1. Stag to Resting Grounds, visit the Seer for Pale Ore [3/3], Dream Wielder [20/38] [47%]
2. Stag to King’s Station, visit Nailsmith for Nail Upgrade [3/3] [48%] [2000G] 3719G
Leg 16: Kingdom’s Edge
1. Stag to King’s Station, Wanderer’s Journal, buy Kingdom’s Edge map
[10/13] [112G]
2. Learn Dash Slash Nail Art [2/3] [49%] [800G] 1880G
3. Acquire Quick Slash [21/38] [50%] 💀(Kill all Primal Aspids before going in, otherwise
they will trap you inside and keep shooting into the tunnel.)
1. Backtrack to King’s Station, stag to Hidden Station
1. Wanderer’s Journal
2. Wanderer’s Journal
3. Hornet Boss [7/15] [51%]
4. King’s Brand [5/7] [53%]
Leg 17: Abyss
1. Equip Lifeblood Heart, Fragile Heart, Joni's Blessing (requires
Overcharming)
2. Unlock Lifeblood Chamber
3. Arcane Egg 💀 (Look up a map of the Lifeblood Chamber so you can navigate it easily while
overcharmed.)
4. Lifeblood Core [22/38] [54%], quit to bench and re-equip normal charms
1. Unlock Abyss Shriek [6/6] [55%]
2. Lighthouse 💀 (The Siblings do 2 dmg, can swarm you, and give no soul! Be careful.)
3. Unlock Shade Cloak [6/7] [57%]
4. Arcane Egg, backtrack out of the Abyss to Hidden Station
Leg 18: Finish Forgotten Crossroads
1. Stag to Dirtmouth, Brooding Mawlek Boss [8/15] [58%]
2. Mask Shard [11/16]. Quit to bench, Stag to Forgotten Crossroads.
1. Failed Champion Dream Boss [2/3]
2. Glowing Womb [23/38] [59%], quit to bench, stag to King’s Station, head to Royal
Waterways
Leg 19: Royal Waterways
1. Bench
2. Mask Shard [12/16] [60%]
3. After the hardest arena in the game...buy Waterways map [11/13] [75G]
4. Quit to bench
1. Dung Defender Boss [9/15] [62%], Defender's Crest [25/38] [63%]
2. Open Isma's Grove, King's Idol (Yay! We can stop collecting Geo now. We have all we need for the
rest of the run. You should have about 2800 Geo, 4 Wanderer’s Journals, 3 Hallownest Seals, 2 King's Idols, and 2
Arcane Eggs.)
1. Flukemarm and Flukenest [24/38] [61%], quit to bench. 💀(It’s easy to go the
wrong way, and end up in the Flukemunga tunnel. This is the wrong way, AND they’re lethal. Look up
a video, this area is super confusing. Also, heal often here. The Belfly will ambush you from offscreen
a lot, and you’ll get charged by the ultra-fast Flukes, and this could end your run.)
1. Isma's Tear [7/7] [65%]
2. Shortcut back to City of Tears, bench at King’s Station
Leg 20: Spending Spree
1. Visit Relic Seeker Lemm and sell everything, leaving you with about 9100G. Quit to bench, stag to Hidden Station
2. Buy the Ancient basin fountain Vessel Fragment [4/9] [3000G], quit to bench, stag to Dirtmouth
3. Buy Vessel Fragment [5/9] [550G], Vessel Fragment [66%] [6/9] [900G], Gathering Swarm [26/38] [67%] [300G], Stalwart Shell [27/38] [68%] [200G], Heavy Blow
[28/38] [69%] [350G] Sprintmaster [29/38] [70%] [400G] from Sly
4. Stag to Crossroads and visit Salubra. Buy Longnail [30/38] [71%] [300G], Steady Body [31/38] [72%] [120G], Quick Focus [32/38] [73%] [800G], 25-Charm Notch
[5/7] [1400G] from Salubra. (You should have about 1000G left, which will be more than enough for the remaining maps, benches, and stag stations.)
5. Quit to bench, equip Grubsong, stag to Resting Grounds
Leg 21: Dreamgate
1. Xero Dreamer [2/9] [74%]
2. Visit the Seer for Dreamgate and Vessel Fragment [7/9]. Stag to Greenpath
Leg 22: Finish Greenpath
1. Set Dreamgate at the stag station
2. Shape of Unn [33/38] [75%]; Dreamgate back to station
3. Great Slash Nail Art [3/3] [76%]; Dreamgate back to station
1. No Eyes Dreamer [3/9] [77%] and Mask Shard [13/16]
2. Dreamgate back to station and stag to Queen’s Station
Leg 23: Fog Canyon
1. Set Dreamgate at Queen’s Station
2. Buy Fog Canyon map [12/13] [150G]
3. Fog Canyon Charm Notch [6/7]
4. Bench in Teacher’s Archives and equip Soul Catcher. Kill Uumuu Boss [10/15] [78%] and Monomon Dreamer [4/9] [79%]
5. Dreamgate back to Queen’s Station
Leg 24: Queen’s Gardens
1. Bench and buy Queen’s Gardens map [13/13] [150G]
2. Love Key
1. Bench
2. Marmu Dreamer [5/9] [80%]
3. Queen’s Garden Station [9/11], set Dreamgate
4. Traitor Lord Boss [11/15] [81%], opening the down shortcut along the way for Flower
Quest
5. Dreamgate back to Queen’s Garden Station and stag to Resting Grounds
Leg 25: Flower Quest
1. Grey Mourner, set Dreamgate here, pick up Delicate Flower
2. Clear the pathway to the Queen’s Gardens, returning to the Dreamgate only at the
very end if damage is taken, turn in flower
3. Dreamgate to Grey Mourner for Mask Shard [14/16]
4. Go to Resting Grounds stag station and stag to Queen’s Station
Leg 26: Deepnest
1. Get bench and set Dreamgate
2. Nosk Boss [12/15] [82%], Dreamgate back to bench
1. Weaversong [34/38] [84%] 💀(Stalking Devouts: attack twice dash away, gather Soul, Vengeful Spirit.
It’s always better to VS them than try to heal off hitting them, as you’re more likely get hit by them than get enough
Soul for 2 heals.)
2. Distant Village Stag Station [10/11] [250G], set Dreamgate, stag to Stag Nest Stag
Station [11/11]
1. Galien Dreamer [6/9] [83%]
2. Tram Pass, Dreamgate back to bench
Leg 27: Complete Howling Cliffs
1. Vessel Fragment [8/9]
2. Gorb Dreamer [7/9] [85%]
3. Summon the Grimm Troupe, Dreamgate back to Distant Village stag station
4. Stag to Resting Grounds and visit Seer for Mask Shard [15/16], quit to Deepnest bench
Leg 28: Deepnest to the Hive
1. Save Zote the Mighty
2. Vessel Fragment [9/9] [86%]
3. Sharp Shadow [35/38] [87%]
4. Take the Tram to the Hive
Leg 29: The Hive
1. Bench
2. Mask Shard behind a wall [16/16] [88%] 💀(Steer clear of the Hive Guardians, or take them out quickly)
3. Hive Knight Boss [13/15] [89%], Hiveblood [36/38] [90%], Dreamgate back to Distant Village
Leg 30: Complete Deepnest
1. Herrah Dreamer [8/9] [91%] 💀 (Stalking Devouts suck. Get to the safety bench ASAP.)
2. Go left to exit past bench, head to Distant Village Stag Station, stag to King’s Station
Leg 31: Complete Kingdom’s Edge
1. Set Dreamgate at King’s Station
2. Colosseum of Fools. Equip Shaman Stone, Fragile Strength, Soul Catcher,
Grubsong. Trial of the Warrior [1/1] [92%], Charm Notch [7/7] Then equip
Shaman Stone, Fragile Strength, Soul Eater
1. The Collector Boss [14/15] [93%] 💀 (Hard fight to heal on, can turn bad.)
2. Dreamgate back to King’s Station
Leg 32: Complete City of Tears
1. Chandelier + Watcher Knights Boss [15/15] [94%]
2. Lurien Dreamer [9/9] [95%]
3. Dreamgate back to King’s Station, stag to Dirtmouth
Leg 33: Complete Dirtmouth
1. Talk to Grimm for Grimmchild [37/38] [96%]
2. Talk to Sly for Nailmaster’s Glory [38/38] [97%]
3. Grey Prince Zote Dream Boss [3/3]
Leg 34: Seer
1. Stag to the Resting Grounds
2. Visit the Seer for Awoken Dream Nail [2/2] [98%], dreamgate back to King’s Station
Leg 35: Godhome
1. Head to Royal Waterways
2. Find Godhome [1/2] [99%], equip full offensive charms
3. Pantheon of the Master [2/2] [100%]
4. Dreamgate back to King’s Station
Leg 36: The Hollow Knight
1. Stag to Dirtmouth
2. Get World Sense and verify you’ve reached 100% Completion
3. The Hollow Knight
CONGRATULATIONS ON STEEL HEART!
My name is Steve and it has been a pleasure having you on this journey. Best of luck on your next adventure.
---
Leg 1: Forgotten Crossroads {#leg-1-forgotten-crossroads} (Images shown in source)
1. Spike pogo for Fury of the Fallen [1/38] [1%]
2. Buy Crossroads map [1/13] [30G] 120G
3. Open Forgotten Crossroads stag station [1/11] [50G] 260G
1. Gruz Mother Boss [2/15] [5%] 💀 (Can catch you off guard, this early)
2. Free Sly
3. Dirtmouth Stag Station [2/11] via Crossroads Station
4. Buy Wayward Compass [3/38] [6%] [220G], Quill [120G], equip Wayward
Compass, Soul Catcher 650G
1. False Knight Boss [1/15] [2%], collect City Crest and Geo chest
2. Ancestral Mound -> Vengeful Spirit [1/6] [3%] & Soul Catcher [2/38] [4%]
1. Beat Baldur mini-boss for Greenpath entrance
---
Leg 2: Greenpath {#leg-2-greenpath} (Images shown in source)
1. Get first bench
2. Buy Greenpath map [2/13] [60G]; get Grub [1/10] 300G
3. Get Grub [2/10]
1. Wanderer’s Journal behind wall
2. Hornet Boss [3/15] [7%] + Mothwing Cloak [1/7] [9%]
3. Save and quit back to bench
1. Get bench [50 Geo] 380G
2. Vengefly King and save Zote the Mighty
3. Get Grub [3/10], double Moss Knights and Geo 💀(Fight one knight at a time.)
4. Get Greenpath stag station [3/11] [140G] and Bench 730G
1. Double Baldur mini-boss, Baldur Shell [4/38] [10%]
2. Thorns of Agony [5/38] [11%]
3. Bench
4. Head down to Fog Canyon
---
Leg 3: Mantis Claw {#leg-3-mantis-claw} (Images shown in source)
1. Queen’s Stag Station [4/11] [120G] and bench 980G
2. Buy Fungal Wastes map [3/13] [75G] 870G
3. Hallownest Seal
4. Shroomal Ogres for Charm Notch [1/7]
1. Grub [5/10]
2. Mantis Claw [2/7] [13%]
3. Wanderer’s Journal and quit to bench
4. Get Mask Shard [1/16] in Queen’s Station
---
Leg 4: Back to Greenpath {#leg-4-back-to-greenpath} (Images shown in source)
1. Hallownest Seal past electricity challenge
2. Howling Wraiths [2/6] [14%] 💀 (Falling into the spikes while getting charged by Squits caused my first run to end.)
1. Wanderer’s Journal
2. Moss Charger💀(Don’t get cocky! This isn’t Godhome!)
3. Geo chest, Grub [4/10], Vessel Fragment [1/9], quit to bench, stag to Crossroads
---
Leg 5: Grubfather, Salubra, Sly {#leg-5-grubfather-salubra-sly} (Images shown in source)
1. Grub [6/10]
2. Grub [7/10]
3. Grub [8/10]
4. Grub [9/10]
5. Mask Shard [2/16]
6. Grub [10/10]
7. Visit Grubfather for Geo, Mask Shard [3/16], Grubsong [6/38] [15%],
quit to Crossroads station
1. Buy Shaman Stone [7/38] [16%] [220G], 5-Charm Notch [2/7] [120G] from Salubra
2. Quit back to Crossroads Stag Station, stag to Dirtmouth, equip Shaman Stone, Compass,
Grubsong
3. Buy Mask Shard [4/16] [17%] [150G], Lumafly Lantern [1800G] from Sly
---
Leg 6: Howling Cliffs
1. Cyclone Slash [1/3] [18%] (do not bench)
2. Buy Howling Cliffs map [4/13] [75G]
3. Joni’s Blessing [8/38] [19%]
1. Wanderer’s Journal
2. King’s Idol, quit back to Dirtmouth bench
3. Stag to Queen’s Station
---
Leg 7: Fungal Wastes {#leg-7-fungal-wastes} (Images shown in source)
Bench at Queen’s Station and equip Soul Catcher + Shaman Stone
1. Spore Shroom [9/38] [20%]
2. Dashmaster [10/38] [21%] and free Bretta
1. Equip Shaman Stone, Soul Catcher, Compass and head to City of Tears
1. Mantis Lords Boss [4/15] [22%] 💀(Your nail isn’t upgraded yet! Use Vengeful Spirit a lot.)
2. Collect Mantis treasure, Mark of Pride [11/38] [23%] without benching
3. Quit to bench, re-equip Wayward Compass
4. Stag to Salubra, purchase 10-Charm Notch [3/7] [500G] and quit to bench
---
Leg 8: City of Tears {#leg-8-city-of-tears} (Images shown in source)
1. Nail Upgrade [1/3] [250G] [24%]
2. Hallownest Seal
3. Lemm: Sell everything for 3400G, you’re not dying anyway. 4000G
1. Simple Key [1/2]
2. Bench and City Storerooms stag station [5/11] [200G] 5030G
1. Bench [150G] & buy City of Tears map [5/13] [90G] 4250G
2. Spell Twister [12/38] [25%]
3. Soul Master Boss [5/15] [26%] and Desolate Dive [3/6] [27%]
4. So much Geo and Hallownest Seal
1. Wanderer’s Journal
2. Elevator [150G] to Vessel Fragment [2/9]
3. Quit to bench, stag to Crossroads, equip Grubsong, Compass, Shaman Stone, Spore
Shroom
---
Leg 9: Crystal Peak {#leg-9-crystal-peak} (Images shown in source)
1. Buy Crystal Peaks map [6/13] [112G] 4900G
2. Shopkeeper’s Key
3. Geo room
4. Crystal Heart [3/7] [29%]
1. Acquire Dream Nail [1/2] [31%]
2. Dreamshield [13/38] [32%]
3. Resting Grounds Stag Station [6/11], Stag to Dirtmouth to buy Resting Grounds
map [7/13] [75G], equip Shaman Stone, Soul Catcher, Compass
4. Soul Eater [14/38] [33%] 💀(Careful, the rightmost Entombed Husk can trap you above it, killing you.)
1. Geo room 💀(Don’t overcommit!)
2. Descending Dark [4/6] [30%]💀(Just like the Overgrown Mound, Crystal Hunters can
charge you and you can fall into spikes. Annoying.)
1. Head down the elevator towards King’s Station
---
Leg 10: King’s Station to Ancient Basin
1. Vessel Fragment [3/9] [34%]
2. King's Station stag station [7/11] [300G]
3. Gorgeous Husk
4. Elevator shaft
1. Buy Ancient Basin map [8/13] [112G]
2. Mawlek gauntlet 💀(Take it slow. Try to start with full Soul; kill the left Mawlek to clear an exit)
3. Pale Ore [1/3], quit to bench, stag to Dirtmouth
4. Buy Elegant Key [800G], Mask Shard [500G], Mask Shard [800G], Mask Shard
[1500G], Mask Shard [8/16] [35%] in Bretta’s house, Stag to King’s Station
---
Leg 11: Upgrade Sidequests
1. Unlock Royal Waterways
2. Optionally sell everything to Lemm
3. Nail Upgrade [2/3] [800G] [36%] and quit to bench, stag to City Storerooms
1. Soul Warrior rematch, Shade Soul [5/6] [37%], quit to bench
2. Stag to King’s Station, head back down to Ancient Basin
---
Leg 12: Ancient Basin
1. Simple Key [2/2] 💀 (2 Descending Darks and a few hits per Mawlek. Just C-Dash past the
ones on the roof. Shade Soul the one above a pit)
2. Broken Vessel Boss [6/15] [38%]
3. Monarch Wings [4/7] [40%]
1. Lost Kin Dream Boss [1/3], quit to bench
2. Hidden Stag Station [8/11], stag to Queen’s Station 4000G
---
Leg 13: Complete Fungal Wastes
1. Buy Fragile Strength [600G], Fragile Heart [350G], and Fragile Greed
[250G] from Legeater [17/38] [43%], quit to bench
1. Equip Fragile Strength, Soul Catcher, Compass. Elder Hu Dreamer [1/9] [44%]
2. Mask Shard [9/16] in the Fungal Core
3. Buy Deepnest map [9/13] [38G] and get Geo, quit to bench
---
Leg 14: Complete Crystal Peaks
1. Stag to Infected Crossroads. Be careful with the new enemies! Take the
new long way around to Salubra.
2. Buy Lifeblood Heart [18/38] [45%] [250G] and 18-Charm Notch [4/7]
[900G] from Salubra, quit to bench. 3370G
1. Equip Fragile Strength, Shaman Stone, Wayward Compass, head to Crystal Peak for
Deep Focus [19/38] [46%] behind a hidden wall
2. King’s Idol via Monarch Wings nearby
3. Kill Crystal Guardian (while asleep) and Enraged Guardian for Mask Shard [10/16]. 💀
(Enraged Guardian is one of the few bosses you could die to. Use a lot of Descending Darks)
4. Head to Hallownest’s Crown for Pale Ore [2/3], quit to bench 💀(There are several ambush
enemies in this section.)
---
Leg 15: Nail Upgrade
1. Stag to Resting Grounds, visit the Seer for Pale Ore [3/3], Dream Wielder [20/38] [47%]
2. Stag to King’s Station, visit Nailsmith for Nail Upgrade [3/3] [48%] [2000G] 3719G
---
Leg 16: Kingdom’s Edge
1. Stag to King’s Station, Wanderer’s Journal, buy Kingdom’s Edge map
[10/13] [112G]
2. Learn Dash Slash Nail Art [2/3] [49%] [800G] 1880G
3. Acquire Quick Slash [21/38] [50%] 💀(Kill all Primal Aspids before going in, otherwise
they will trap you inside and keep shooting into the tunnel.)
1. Backtrack to King’s Station, stag to Hidden Station
1. Wanderer’s Journal
2. Wanderer’s Journal
3. Hornet Boss [7/15] [51%]
4. King’s Brand [5/7] [53%]
---
Leg 17: Abyss
1. Equip Lifeblood Heart, Fragile Heart, Joni's Blessing (requires
Overcharming)
2. Unlock Lifeblood Chamber
3. Arcane Egg 💀 (Look up a map of the Lifeblood Chamber so you can navigate it easily while
overcharmed.)
4. Lifeblood Core [22/38] [54%], quit to bench and re-equip normal charms
1. Unlock Abyss Shriek [6/6] [55%]
2. Lighthouse 💀 (The Siblings do 2 dmg, can swarm you, and give no soul! Be careful.)
3. Unlock Shade Cloak [6/7] [57%]
4. Arcane Egg, backtrack out of the Abyss to Hidden Station
---
Leg 18: Finish Forgotten Crossroads
1. Stag to Dirtmouth, Brooding Mawlek Boss [8/15] [58%]
2. Mask Shard [11/16]. Quit to bench, Stag to Forgotten Crossroads.
1. Failed Champion Dream Boss [2/3]
2. Glowing Womb [23/38] [59%], quit to bench, stag to King’s Station, head to Royal
Waterways
---
Leg 19: Royal Waterways
1. Bench
2. Mask Shard [12/16] [60%]
3. After the hardest arena in the game...buy Waterways map [11/13] [75G]
4. Quit to bench
1. Dung Defender Boss [9/15] [62%], Defender's Crest [25/38] [63%]
2. Open Isma's Grove, King's Idol (Yay! We can stop collecting Geo now. We have all we need for the
rest of the run. You should have about 2800 Geo, 4 Wanderer’s Journals, 3 Hallownest Seals, 2 King's Idols, and 2
Arcane Eggs.)
1. Flukemarm and Flukenest [24/38] [61%], quit to bench. 💀(It’s easy to go the
wrong way, and end up in the Flukemunga tunnel. This is the wrong way, AND they’re lethal. Look up
a video, this area is super confusing. Also, heal often here. The Belfly will ambush you from offscreen
a lot, and you’ll get charged by the ultra-fast Flukes, and this could end your run.)
1. Isma's Tear [7/7] [65%]
2. Shortcut back to City of Tears, bench at King’s Station
---
Leg 20: Spending Spree
1. Visit Relic Seeker Lemm and sell everything, leaving you with about 9100G. Quit to bench, stag to Hidden Station
2. Buy the Ancient basin fountain Vessel Fragment [4/9] [3000G], quit to bench, stag to Dirtmouth
3. Buy Vessel Fragment [5/9] [550G], Vessel Fragment [66%] [6/9] [900G], Gathering Swarm [26/38] [67%] [300G], Stalwart Shell [27/38] [68%] [200G], Heavy Blow
[28/38] [69%] [350G] Sprintmaster [29/38] [70%] [400G] from Sly
4. Stag to Crossroads and visit Salubra. Buy Longnail [30/38] [71%] [300G], Steady Body [31/38] [72%] [120G], Quick Focus [32/38] [73%] [800G], 25-Charm Notch
[5/7] [1400G] from Salubra. (You should have about 1000G left, which will be more than enough for the remaining maps, benches, and stag stations.)
5. Quit to bench, equip Grubsong, stag to Resting Grounds
---
Leg 21: Dreamgate
1. Xero Dreamer [2/9] [74%]
2. Visit the Seer for Dreamgate and Vessel Fragment [7/9]. Stag to Greenpath
---
Leg 22: Finish Greenpath
1. Set Dreamgate at the stag station
2. Shape of Unn [33/38] [75%]; Dreamgate back to station
3. Great Slash Nail Art [3/3] [76%]; Dreamgate back to station
1. No Eyes Dreamer [3/9] [77%] and Mask Shard [13/16]
2. Dreamgate back to station and stag to Queen’s Station
---
Leg 23: Fog Canyon
1. Set Dreamgate at Queen’s Station
2. Buy Fog Canyon map [12/13] [150G]
3. Fog Canyon Charm Notch [6/7]
4. Bench in Teacher’s Archives and equip Soul Catcher. Kill Uumuu Boss [10/15] [78%] and Monomon Dreamer [4/9] [79%]
5. Dreamgate back to Queen’s Station
---
Leg 24: Queen’s Gardens
1. Bench and buy Queen’s Gardens map [13/13] [150G]
2. Love Key
1. Bench
2. Marmu Dreamer [5/9] [80%]
3. Queen’s Garden Station [9/11], set Dreamgate
4. Traitor Lord Boss [11/15] [81%], opening the down shortcut along the way for Flower
Quest
5. Dreamgate back to Queen’s Garden Station and stag to Resting Grounds
---
Leg 25: Flower Quest
1. Grey Mourner, set Dreamgate here, pick up Delicate Flower
2. Clear the pathway to the Queen’s Gardens, returning to the Dreamgate only at the
very end if damage is taken, turn in flower
3. Dreamgate to Grey Mourner for Mask Shard [14/16]
4. Go to Resting Grounds stag station and stag to Queen’s Station
---
Leg 26: Deepnest
1. Get bench and set Dreamgate
2. Nosk Boss [12/15] [82%], Dreamgate back to bench
1. Weaversong [34/38] [84%] 💀(Stalking Devouts: attack twice dash away, gather Soul, Vengeful Spirit.
It’s always better to VS them than try to heal off hitting them, as you’re more likely get hit by them than get enough
Soul for 2 heals.)
2. Distant Village Stag Station [10/11] [250G], set Dreamgate, stag to Stag Nest Stag
Station [11/11]
1. Galien Dreamer [6/9] [83%]
2. Tram Pass, Dreamgate back to bench
---
Leg 27: Complete Howling Cliffs
1. Vessel Fragment [8/9]
2. Gorb Dreamer [7/9] [85%]
3. Summon the Grimm Troupe, Dreamgate back to Distant Village stag station
4. Stag to Resting Grounds and visit Seer for Mask Shard [15/16], quit to Deepnest bench
---
Leg 28: Deepnest to the Hive
1. Save Zote the Mighty
2. Vessel Fragment [9/9] [86%]
3. Sharp Shadow [35/38] [87%]
4. Take the Tram to the Hive
---
Leg 29: The Hive
1. Bench
2. Mask Shard behind a wall [16/16] [88%] 💀(Steer clear of the Hive Guardians, or take them out quickly)
3. Hive Knight Boss [13/15] [89%], Hiveblood [36/38] [90%], Dreamgate back to Distant Village
---
Leg 30: Complete Deepnest
1. Herrah Dreamer [8/9] [91%] 💀 (Stalking Devouts suck. Get to the safety bench ASAP.)
2. Go left to exit past bench, head to Distant Village Stag Station, stag to King’s Station
---
Leg 31: Complete Kingdom’s Edge
1. Set Dreamgate at King’s Station
2. Colosseum of Fools. Equip Shaman Stone, Fragile Strength, Soul Catcher,
Grubsong. Trial of the Warrior [1/1] [92%], Charm Notch [7/7] Then equip
Shaman Stone, Fragile Strength, Soul Eater
1. The Collector Boss [14/15] [93%] 💀 (Hard right to heal on, can turn bad.)
2. Dreamgate back to King's Station
---
Leg 32: Complete City of Tears
1. Chandelier + Watcher Knights Boss [15/15] [94%]
2. Lurien Dreamer [9/9] [95%]
3. Dreamgate back to King’s Station, stag to Dirtmouth
---
Leg 33: Complete Dirtmouth
1. Talk to Grimm for Grimmchild [37/38] [96%]
2. Talk to Sly for Nailmaster’s Glory [38/38] [97%]
3. Grey Prince Zote Dream Boss [3/3]
---
Leg 34: Seer
1. Stag to the Resting Grounds
2. Visit the Seer for Awoken Dream Nail [2/2] [98%], dreamgate back to King’s Station
---
Leg 35: Godhome
1. Head to Royal Waterways
2. Find Godhome [1/2] [99%], equip full offensive charms
3. Pantheon of the Master [2/2] [100%]
4. Dreamgate back to King’s Station
---
Leg 36: The Hollow Knight
1. Stag to Dirtmouth
2. Get World Sense and verify you’ve reached 100% Completion
3. The Hollow Knight
---
Conclusion
This 100% Steel Heart route to Hollow Knight guides you through every region with a focus on early upgrades, consistent health management, and purposeful Geo collection. It emphasizes avoiding backtracking where possible while ensuring you accumulate the Geo needed for essential upgrades. The route is designed to be enjoyed, with mindful combat and strategic spell use to handle tough encounters.
"My name is Steve and it has been a pleasure having you on this journey. Best of luck on your next adventure."