Hollow Knight – Best Charms

Hollow Knight Best Charms Guide

Hollow Knights Charms are special items that provide the player with different abilities. Some are based on existing mechanics, while others add completely new mechanics to the players experience. There are a total of 45 Charms in the game, 5 of which are replaceable (upgradeable).

Different Charms require a different number of Notches to be equipped, the players starts with 3 Notches and can attain another 8 during the game. Making a total of 11 Notches available to the Knight. 4 of which can be acquired through a vendor and the other 4 can be found or given as reward for killing certain bosses. If you wish to know more, checkout this resource.

 

Hollow Knight Charms

Being Overcharmed

Overcharmed occurs when the player equips a charm that requires more Notches than they have. The game allows for this occur, but penalises the players with a 50% increase in damage from all sources. An Overcharmed state is displayed by a purple aura on the health bar. Overcharming is a viable strategy for those skilled enough or geared well enough to survive the 50% increase in damage.

In order for this to occur you must have at least one Notch space remaining. And ideally used for the Charms that are very powerful but require a large number of Notches. A great example would be Soul Eater or Mark of Pride, where the added advantage can somewhat offset the negatives of being overcharmed.

 


 

Best Charms

Wayward Compass – 1 Notch
Whispers its location to the bearer whenever a map is open. The major navigation item when new to the game and having to find your way around the complex labyrinth.

Gathering Swarm – 1 Notch
A swarm will follow the bearer and gather up any loose Geo. At 1 Notch, its the perfect Charm for the little saver in you.

Stalwart Shell – 2 Notches
When recovering from damage, the bearer will remain invulnerable for longer. This provides you the opportunity to do extra damage and also gives you a larger window to escape dangerous situations.

Soul Catcher – 2 Notches
Increases the amount of SOUL gained when striking an enemy with the nail. Making it a great item for caster builds or heavy soul usage builds.

Shaman Stone – 3 Notches
Increases the power of spells, dealing more damage to foes. For obvious reasons this is Charm is ideal for caster builds.

Soul Eater – 4 Notches
Greatly increases the amount of SOUL gained when striking an enemy with the nail. Generates triple the amount of SOUL in comparison to Soul Catcher, while costing twice the Notches.

Dashmaster – 2 Notches
The bearer will be able to dash more often as well as dash downwards. Greatly increases the speed of traveling around the map. Making it a great Charm with low requirements.

Thorns of Agony – 1 Notch
When taking damage, sprout thorny vines that damage nearby foes. Useful defensive and situational item. However, kills generate no SOUL.

Spell Twister – 2 Notches
Reduces the SOUL cost of casting spells. The perfect charm for the caster builds.

Steady Body – 1 Notch
Keeps its bearer from recoiling backwards when they strike an enemy with a nail. Found this very useful early on when getting the hang of the combat. Especially since it reduces the chance of being knocked around and taking extra damage.

Heavy Blow – 2 Notches
Increases the force of the bearer’s nail, causing enemies to recoil further when hit. Great item for physical damage builds. The knockback provides a decent combat advantage by increase enemy distance.

Quick Slash – 3 Notches
Allows the bearer to slash much more rapidly with their nail. Great item for physical damage builds, increasing damage output in the same window of time.

Longnail – 2 Notches
Increases the range of the bearer’s nail by 15%, which means that you will be able to keep your enemies at bay and avoid their attacks more often. And also more likely to reach them during jump attacks.

 


 

Mark of Pride – 3 Notches
Increases the range of the bearer’s nail by 25%, so an additional 10% nail attack range at the cost of 1 extra Notch.

Flukenest – 3 Notches
Transforms the Vengeful Spirit spell into a horde of volatile baby flukes. Which sacrifices range and consistency for triple damage. Useful against boss fights.

Quick Focus – 3 Notches
Increases the speed of focusing SOUL, allowing the bearer to heal faster. Great for tight situations and fights where healing will be near impossible.

Deep Focus – 4 Notches
The bearer will focus SOUL at a slower rate, but the healing effect will double. Costly for most at 4 Notches but might come handy for others.

Lifeblood Heart – 2 Notches
When resting, the bearer will gain a coating of lifeblood that protects from a modest amount of damage. Useful if the player has a caster based build.

Lifeblood Core – 3 Notches
When resting, the bearer will gain a coating of lifeblood that protects from a large amount of damage, for an additional Notch. Ideal for the caster based builds.

Grubsong – 1 Notch
Gain SOUL when taking damage. Learn to make something good come out of a bad situation. It’s a very useful Charm given that it is only taking up 1 Notch.

Grubberfly’s Elegy – 3 Notches
Imbues weapons with a holy strength. When the bearer is at full health, they will fire beams of white-hot energy from their nail. Giving you ranged attack, which can be quite useful depending on playstyle or situation.

Hiveblood – 4 Notches
Heals the bearer’s wounds over time, allowing them to regain health without focusing SOUL. Situationally useful, because it can only regenerate 1 mask at the cost of 4 Notches.

Spore Shroom – 1 Notch
When focusing SOUL, emit a spore cloud that slowly damages enemies. Can be quite useful in certain situations, especially due to the low Notch requirement.

Sharp Shadow – 2 Notches
When using Shadow Dash, the bearer’s body will sharpen and damage enemies. Can be combined with Dashmaster for additional damage. Will cause your playstyle to change to some extend though.

Nailmaster’s Glory – 1 Notch
Increases the bearer’s mastery of Nail Arts, allowing them to focus their power faster and unleash arts sooner. Making easy work of challenging situations.

Dream Wielder – 1 Notch
Allows the bearer to charge the Dream Nail faster and collect more SOUL when striking foes. Making it one of the most effective SOUL gathering Charms. The only downside being that the player must be standing still to use it.

 


 

The Grimm Troupe Charms

Unbreakable Heart – 2 Notches
Increases the health of the bearer by 2 masks. Useless in fragile state for general use.

Unbreakable Greed – 2 Notches
Causes the bearer to find more Geo when defeating enemies by 20-60%. Useless in fragile state for general use.

Unbreakable Strength – 3 Notches
Strengthens the bearer, increasing the damage they deal to enemies with their nail by 50%. Useless in fragile state for general use.

Dreamshield – 3 Notches
Conjures a shield that follows the bearer and attempts to protect them. Really a luxury item, but can be useful for certain individuals with Notches to spare.

Weaversong – 2 Notches
Summons weaverlings to give the lonely bearer some companionship and protection. At 2 notches making it a good utility summon Charm to dish up some extra damage.

Sprintmaster – 1 Notch
Increases the running speed of the bearer, allowing them to avoid danger or overtake rivals. Pretty straightforward.

Carefree Melody – 3 Notches
Contains a song of protection that may defend the bearer from damage. An additional protection Charm that can be used in addition to other Charms.

 

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Other Hollow Knight Resources

Full Map V1.7 & Hollow Knight Reddit
Hollow Knight – OST [Relaxing Edition 1.0]
Hollow Knight – OST [Relaxing Edition 2.0]


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