Hollow Knight Charms Guide: Best Builds for Every Situation
Notches are limited and every boss demands a different loadout. This charm guide covers the strongest combinations for exploration, platforming, and the game's hardest fights.
Hollow Knight gives you 40+ charms but rarely more than six notches to equip at once. Understanding which effects synergize — and which "bad" charms become broken in combination — is the difference between a wall of a boss and a clean first-try clear.
Charm basics
Charms cost 1 to 4 notches, and you can only equip them while sitting on a bench. Overcharming — forcing a charm that exceeds your notch capacity — works: you gain the full effect, but take double damage until you rest again. It's a legitimate strategy for high-skill players, especially with damage-focused builds.
Best exploration build
For mapping out a new area, survivability and utility beat raw damage:
- Quick Focus (3 notches) — dramatically faster healing, the single best charm in the game
- Steady Body (1) — prevents knockback when slashing, keeping you in control
- Lifeblood Heart (2) — two temporary masks every time you rest
- Wayward Compass (1) — until the map for the area is complete
This loadout keeps mistakes cheap and minimizes bench trips.
Platforming loadouts
For sharp-platforming sections like the Path of Pain:
- Dashmaster (2) lowers dash cooldown, and Sprintmaster (1) stacks with it for near-constant movement speed
- Mark of Pride (2) extends your nail's reach, letting you hit switches and pogo enemies from safer spacing
- Drop everything defensive; taking a hit in a platforming room usually means repeating the section anyway
Boss fight builds
Grubberfly + tank (safe, consistent)
Grubberfly's Elegy (3) turns every nail swing into a ranged beam at full health. Paired with Quick Focus and damage-reduction charms, you spend the fight healthy and dealing damage from outside a boss's danger zone. It trivializes fights with big wind-ups.
Pure nail DPS (aggressive, overcharm friendly)
Fragile/Unbreakable Strength (3) + Quick Slash (3) + Mark of Pride (2) is the classic eight-notch damage core. Add Fury of the Fallen when you're comfortable at one mask — its 75% damage boost at critical health creates the fastest kill times in the game.
Shaman Stone for spell casters
If your playstyle leans on Vengeful Spirit and Shade Soul, Shaman Stone (3) adds ~33% spell damage and pairs with Spell Twister (2) to cut Soul costs. Soul Master and Broken Vessel melt under this build.
Charm combos worth knowing
- Deep Focus + Quick Focus: slow heal becomes fast and heals two masks — the ultimate safety net
- Glowing Womb + Defender's Crest: hatchlings explode on contact, free passive damage during arena fights
- Nailmaster's Glory: all three nail arts charge instantly, turning Great Slash into a spamable burst option
Final tip
Don't sleep on Hiveblood. In any arena with safe windows (watchers, flying bosses), its regenerating mask effectively doubles your health pool for zero ongoing attention. Bench often, rebuild deliberately, and let the loadout solve the fight.