Hollow Knight: Best Things To Do Before Silksong Releases

Summary

Achieve 112% completion by tackling achievements, secrets, and side quests.
Upgrade fragile charms for unbreakable power in late-game.
Complete Mr. Mushroom's quest for a bonus ending and potential tie-in with Silksong.

Now that Hollow Knight: Silksong is verifiably real and seemingly releasing at some point in 2025, players of the original Hollow Knight have plenty of options for getting the most out of the game before the sequel actually releases. Aside from the main game's boss fights, several challenges still remain in the decaying kingdom.

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Between the obvious choice of pursuing 112% Completion, looking through various side quests, and additional ways to ascend to the top of Hallownest's deadliest warriors, there are 10 important things to do for both the newest and experienced player. With Silksong on the horizon, these last loose threads in Hollow Knight are a perfect way to kill time.

10 Achievement Hunting

A Simple Checklist

The easiest way to get the most out of Hollow Knight is to follow the built-in list of extra things to do, being the achievement list. Straightforward goals like collecting all possible charms in a single run, all masks and soul vessels, and other collection-based options provide a challenge inherently, but that only opens the door for the more advanced challenges.

Secret achievements mostly live up to that mysterious title, often adding more story and lore to what remains of this world. The various Trials from the Colusseum of Fools, deciding the fates of both Zote and the Nailsmith, plus several fights from the DLCs are a perfect start to achieving everything possible in each corner of Hallownest.

9 Hunter's Mark

Complete The Bestiary

With plenty of deadly foes and creatures lurking around every edge of this lost kingdom, striking down every possible enemy — or at least collecting suitable information on them — is a great way to both test the player's ability and to better familiarize with how to defeat these various threats. Thanks to the Hunter's Journal completion count, there's even a true goal.

As not every creature or character counts toward completing the journal, such as a few dream and DLC fights, this task isn't quite as daunting as it initially appears. On top of that, several creatures only need to be found once, in the form of background art, to count for the journal, as opposed to trying to kill untouchable enemies.

8 Upgrade Fragile Charms

Unbreakable Power

A technical must from a convenience and power-output standpoint, players should upgrade the three Fragile charms — Greed, Heart, and Strength — into their Unbreakable forms, allowing the player to die without needing to return to Leg Eater to repair them.

After the Grimm Troupe has invaded Dirtmouth, Divine allows for this valuable conversion for a steep price, ranging between 9000 and 15000 Geo, but this swap is more than worth the cost, even if it is more intended for the late-game.

7 Delicate Flower Quest

The Fragility Of Care

One of the more obvious side quests in Hollow Knight, delivering the Delicate Flower to a grave within the Queen's Garden is a test of platforming precision, technical skill, and player cleverness. While there are several valid approaches to approaching this task, it requires a player prepared for a slow and steady mindset, as the Flower will instantly break when taking any kind of damage, and it will be destroyed using any form of fast-travel.

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Once the thorns and mantis traitors have been dodged, and the Flower has been planted at the grave, the new Flowers grown at this location can be delivered to various NPCs in other locations, letting the challenge continue at least three more times, with a bonus two for specific dialogue-only encounters.

6 Complete Mr Mushroom

Passing The Age

A strange and secret mission, finding and speaking to the odd Mr Mushroom seven times after defeating the three main bosses may seem like a pointless and confusing side quest, but finding this Herald each time does contribute to a new, bonus ending for the game.

While Mr Mushroom's peculiar phrases and comments are mostly meant to serve as Easter Eggs for Hungry Knight, a game that serves as a conceptual basis for Hollow Knight, the achievement name tied to helping Mr Mushroom and the ending cutscene could suggest the return of this fungal fellow in Silksong, as a new age has begun in a new kingdom.

5 Earn All Endings

Perpetuation Or Resolution

As the main focus of the story for the game revolves around the tattered ruin of Hallownest continuing to live unnaturally through zombies, infection, and dreams, the potential endings for Hollow Knight allow the player to decide exactly what the desired — or easiest — fate should be for a kingdom where the next day never arrives.

While no ending is considered more canon than the others, whether or not the player finds each of the three base endings equally satisfying is the real question, on top of the difficulty of achieving a given ending. Of course, the most challenging ending also offers clear resolution, making it a worthy challenge to finally end everything.

4 Secret Dream Fights

Strength Only Dreamed Of

Hollow Knight: 13 Hardest Bosses, Ranked The Knight is about to be attacked by Soul Tyrant boss, within a dream realm

After defeating various bosses across the game and even finding certain characters after progressing the plot, more difficult versions of their initial fights are suddenly available thanks to the Dream Nail. Offering plenty of essence in return for these defeats, plus access to areas in the DLC and achievements, these battles truly test players on how well they can handle certain bosses.

Since these fights are entirely within dreams, there is no real consequence for failure except starting the fight over, as opposed to having to find the Knight's shade to regain Geo and soul capacity. The dream fights truly serve as a test for player skill, confidence, and precision against anything a boss can do.

3 Grimm Troupe Complete

A Nightmarish Performance

Widely regarded as containing one of the toughest fights in the game, completing the Grimm Troupe storyline offers players a choice between avoiding this dangerous dance altogether — or taking on the heart of this nightmare.

While the main tasks for the Grimm Troupe aren't too difficult, beyond managing map locations and the initial Grimm fight, the real challenge presents itself in the form of Nightmare King Grimm. Players are entirely able to complete this plot without defeating Nightmare King Grimm, instead banishing the Grimm Troupe permanently, and while both choices offer unique rewards, the feeling of defeating this nightmare is far more rewarding — and, given how Silksong appears to be moving certain plots forward, there's potential for the Grimm Troupe to return, at least based on the Ritual ending.

2 Defeat The Pantheons (Godmaster)

Ascension For True Power

The focus of the Godmaster DLC, defeating the four main Pantheons found in Godhome is a perfect challenge for the player who has achieved everything else in the real world of Hallownest, needing this boss gauntlet to truly hone their skills to perfection.

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With each Pantheon notably increasing in difficulty, only players prepared and experienced enough to deal with these groupings of bosses will succeed. Additionally, there is a fifth Pantheon, accessible after players defeat a powered-up and refined version of the titular boss. This fifth Pantheon is a boss rush of 53 bosses from the game, culminating in an even stronger version of the true final boss. Thankfully, this Pantheon doesn't count toward the game completion percentage, though it does unlock two more endings — and major bragging rights.

1 112% Completion

Nothing Left Untouched In Hallownest

There are two levels of completion attainable in Hollow Knight: the expected and normal 100% completion, and, thanks to bonus content from the DLCs, 112% completion. Both levels of completion grant players an achievement each, but 112% completion is undeniably the true goal.

Because the percentage pulls from the base game and the extra content, it is entirely possible to achieve 100% by completing DLC elements instead of main game parts. Every boss but the final two counts toward 112%, along with collecting all charms and character upgrades, leading to the real challenge of completing the Grimm Troupe in either fashion and completing at least the Pantheon of the Knight to finally, fully complete the world of Hollow Knight.

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