Game Basics (2)

Learn about Hollow Knight's Hit Points (masks), Geo currency, and Completion Rate. Get essential early game tips for exploration and survival.

Hit Points

Your health is shown as white masks in the top left corner of the HUD (Heads-Up Display). You begin with 5 masks. Touching spikes or any other damaging structures, or being hit by enemies, will cause you to lose a mask. Losing your last mask results in death, teleporting you to your last Bench (a type of checkpoint (an auto-save point you restart from on death)) and causing you to lose all your Geo. A 'Shade' (a ghost of your character) will be left behind, which you must defeat to recover your lost Geo and items. Enemies drop Geo and also replenish your Soul bar, which is used to 'Focus' and recover Hit Points. Check your configurations to find the keybind for Focus; you must press and hold it for your character to charge and heal.

Geo

Geo is the primary currency in Hollow Knight. You can obtain it by defeating enemies or by striking Geo rocks, which are scattered throughout the world.

Completion Rate

Hollow Knight features a 107% completion rate. Many items, abilities, spells, quests, and bosses contribute to this percentage. This guide aims to list these elements, with a more detailed section potentially following later.

Basic Tips

• Do not worry excessively about grinding Geo early on. The Geo drop rate increases as you progress. Earn enough to purchase a Map, Compass, and Quill to aid your exploration. Grinding for more Geo than this is generally a waste of time, as you will naturally acquire more later.
• Utilize the jump and attack mechanic. Jumping and then attacking downwards can allow you to bounce off certain surfaces, including spikes and other structures, enabling you to reach higher altitudes with your jumps.
• Explore the world. Hollow Knight does not provide explicit directions. Progression relies on your exploration to trigger events, find keys, and discover items that aid your journey.
• Avoid death by quitting. If you are low on masks and facing difficult enemies or wish to avoid risk, you can quit the game and reload your save. This preserves your progress and respawns you at the last Bench you rested at.