Important Notes
Important Notes for Hollow Knight
This section covers critical warnings, common pitfalls, irreversible choices, missable content, difficulty spikes, grinding traps, online etiquette, save management, and things players commonly regret not knowing earlier. Read this before diving deep or when you feel stuck.
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⚠️ Warnings and Critical Pitfalls
- Save Often – But Only at Benches. Hollow Knight only saves your progress when you sit at a bench. Quitting the game mid-area without benching will revert you to the last bench you sat at, potentially losing significant exploration and Geo. Always make it to a bench before closing the game.
- Don't Dash Into the Darkness Without a Lantern. The Lumafly Lantern (purchased from Sly in Dirtmouth for 1800 Geo) is essential for navigating pitch-black areas like Deepnest, Crystal Peak, and parts of the Ancient Basin. Entering these zones without it is a one-way trip into frustration and death.
- Beware of Two Deaths. If you die, your Shade spawns at your death location with your Geo. If you die again before recovering the Shade, the Geo is lost forever. Quickly backtrack and kill the Shade (or use a Rancid Egg at Jiji’s hut) to retrieve it.
- The Colosseum of Fools is a Marathon. Don't attempt the Trial of the Fool until you have a fully upgraded Nail, all movement abilities, and strong healing. It’s one of the hardest non-optional challenges in the game.
- The Grimm Troupe is Not a Beginner-Friendly DLC. Accepting the Grimm Troupe early in the game adds a difficult new boss (Grimm) and wandering enemies (Grimmkin). Banishing the troupe is permanent, so read about both options before deciding.
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