Characters

Great worm of stillness

An enormous serene worm who advises the Knight to seek calm. The largest character model in the game.

Rescued Dirtmouth resident

Dreamy bug rescued from a pit in the Fungal Wastes. Has a wandering crush — first on the Knight, then on Zote.

Troupe accordionist

Masked, brooding member of the Grimm Troupe. The only one who wants the cycle to end.

Shade-summoning hermit

Reclusive bug who summons the Knight's Shade in exchange for a Rancid Egg. Saves a trip back to wherever you died.

Cartographer

Wandering map-maker who sells the area map for each region he's visited. Follow the humming and the scattered paper trail.

Dirtmouth elder

The last remaining old resident of Dirtmouth. The first voice most players hear, and the one who quietly mourns as the town empties.

Pleasure House socialite

Wealthy, dismissive bug who hosts herself a one-bug party long after the city emptied.

Dreamer of Hallownest, Queen of Deepnest

Spider-queen who gave up everything — including her daughter Hornet — to bind the Radiance with her dream.

Princess-Protector of Hallownest

Lithe, needle-wielding warrior who tests the Knight on the way down and stands beside them at the end. Half-sister, half-rival, fully iconic.

Hermit saint of the Cliffs

A pacifist saint who replaced her own soul with Lifeblood. Her shrine grants the Knight her Blessing.

Dreamer of Hallownest

Bookish, telescope-loving custodian of the capital. One of the three Dreamers sealing the Hollow Knight.

Ghost songstress

The last great singer of the City of Tears. A ghost still on stage, performing to an empty house.

Crafter of vessel masks

Reclusive crafter who shaped the masks worn by every vessel born in the Abyss — including the Knight's own.

Spider midwife of Deepnest

Many-legged matron who tends to Hallownest's spider broods. The friendliest thing in Deepnest — which says everything about Deepnest.

Wandering shroom

Quiet, gesturing mushroom traveller. Pops up in seven secret spots, miming a phrase for the Knight to interpret.

Dreamer of Hallownest

Brilliant jellyfish scholar and one of the three Dreamers binding the Hollow Knight's seal.

Infection preacher

Withered preacher who proclaims the Infection a gift. His followers, the Mosskin worshippers, lie dead around him.

Singing miner

Cheerful larva who mines for crystals and sings to herself in the dark. One of the warmest characters — and one of the saddest endings.

Wandering scholar

Soft-spoken pilgrim with a clear nail and an easy smile. Crosses paths with the Knight throughout the kingdom.

Shaman of the Spirits

Last of the Snail Shamans, keeper of soul rituals from before the Pale King's age.

Author of the Hunter's Journal

Imposing predator-bug obsessed with cataloguing every creature in Hallownest. Gives the Knight his Journal.

Stagway courier

The final living Great Stag of Hallownest. Ferries the Knight between Stag Stations for a small geo fee.

Master of the Grimm Troupe

Theatrical, fire-cloaked ringmaster of a travelling troupe that feeds on nightmares. Speaks in flourishes; fights in flames.

Higher Being, Pale Queen

Pale, root-bound queen of Hallownest. Wife of the Pale King and mother of the Vessels and Hornet.

Self-proclaimed knight of Hallownest

A boastful little bug brandishing a nail named Life Ender. Helpless on his own, somehow alive at every checkpoint.

Charm fragmenter

Massive, ravenous bug of the Grimm Troupe. Crushes Unbreakable charms back into their Fragile form for a price — and a snack.

Father of the Grubs

Enormous, slow-moving grub who watches over Hallownest's stolen brood. Rewards the Knight for each child returned.

Map shop owner

Cornifer's wife. Runs the map shop in Dirtmouth and sells the quill and every pin upgrade.

Rancid Egg trader

Mysterious cloaked dealer who only trades for the Rancid Eggs nobody else wants.

Black-market charm dealer

Squat, scarred bug who sells the three Fragile charms and the repair work to keep them ticking.

Banker (allegedly)

Cheerful jellyfish banker who promises to keep the Knight's geo safe. Spoiler — she doesn't.

Nailmaster

Cheerful, disciplined master of the Cyclone Slash. The most welcoming of the three Nailmasters.

Nailmaster

Bitter, exiled Nailmaster who teaches the Dash Slash. The most reluctant of the three brothers.

Nailmaster, painter

Gentle Nailmaster who put down the blade to paint. Teaches the Great Slash anyway, just in case.

Master nail forger

Old smith who hones the Knight's nail. Each upgrade demands geo and the rare Pale Ore.

Relic dealer

Gruff relic scholar. Pays well for every Hallownest trinket the Knight finds — the main long-term geo sink in the game.

Charm seller

Plump charm seller hidden in the Crossroads. Sells five charms and grants extra Charm Notches once the Knight collects enough.

Last of the Moth Tribe

Mournful elder of the forgotten Moth Tribe. Reads Essence gathered with the Dream Nail and grants relics in return.

Item shopkeeper (and a retired Nailmaster)

Bristly, business-minded shopkeep. Sells the keys, lanterns, and shards that quietly run early Hollow Knight.

Warrior pilgrim

Big-hearted warrior with a bigger nail. Searches Hallownest for a fight worthy of her, and finds one in the Colosseum.

Aimless adventurer

Brash wanderer with a tower shield and big plans. Looking for a fight worthy of his name in the Colosseum.

Lightning jellyfish

Floating sky-jelly of Kingdom's Edge. Drifts overhead and rains zapping spawns until knocked out of the air.

Triple-shot flier

The Aspid players love to hate. Floats, locks on, fires three arcing globs in a fan. Dies fast to a spell if you can get one in.

Spitting shell-bug

Round, helmet-shelled enemy found around the Cliffs and Greenpath. Spits projectiles, then retreats into its shell.

Suicide bomber

Tiny but lethal flier — one touch and it explodes. Best handled with spells or a careful nail swing from below.

Bloated flier

Slow flier whose corpse turns into a homing brick when hit. A reliable hazard above acid pools.

Tiny crawling bug

The first enemy most players ever swing at. Walks back and forth on flat ground and does nothing else.

Deepnest stalker

Quick centipede-bug of Deepnest. Charges in straight lines and bounces off walls until it runs out of momentum.

Cackling skull

Lightweight Colosseum spawn. Pops in a single hit; the danger is in the swarm timing, not the unit.

Colosseum gobbler

Common Colosseum spawn. Charges in a straight line and bounces off arenas walls until it loses interest.

Crawling centipede

Surface-hugging crawler in Crystal Peak and Kingdom's Edge. Only its glowing head takes damage.

Spike-pulse trap

Floor- and ceiling-mounted pulsing spike. Not really an enemy so much as a metronome the level forces the Knight to dance to.

Large leaping grub

Giant variant of the Hopper. Wide hitbox on every jump and a screen-shaking landing. Hugely satisfying to chain-pogo.

Elite city guard

City guard mini-boss patrolling Soul Sanctum's approaches and the upper streets. Two staggering ground slams and one heavy diagonal swing.

Bouncing flier

Round, lazy flier that ricochets through tunnels. Mostly an obstacle, not a threat.

Armoured guardsman

Heavier variant of the Husk Sentry. Tougher armour, the same lazy mid-arc swing, no flinch on a basic nail strike.

Leaping grub

Plump jumper that bounds toward the Knight in straight arcs. Easy to time a nail strike against once you read the rhythm.

Heavy infected

Big-bellied Husk that hops and slams. Tankier than the standard husks and a noticeable step up in damage soaked.

Top-hatted gentleman husk

Elegant City of Tears husk. Telegraphs a sweeping cane attack from impressive range — the lunge covers most of a corridor.

Charging infected

Crossroads husk that telegraphs a long horizontal charge. Easy to bait and punish.

Infected miner

Standard Crystal Peak enemy. Wide overhead pick-swing, slow recovery, drops a satisfying pile of geo and crystals.

City of Tears guardsman

Standard infected guardsman of the City of Tears. Slow walking, quick swing, dies in two hits to a moderately upgraded nail.

Elite infected guard

City of Tears soldier-husk with a real combat moveset — short swings and a horizontal lunge.

Aerial sentry

Hovering sentry that descends in a vertical lance-stab. Likes to bait jumps so the Knight collides with the spear point.

Pouncing infected

Husk variant that lunges over short distances. Closes gaps faster than the Wandering Husk.

Lifeblood drone

Lifeblood-charged projectile spawn. The danger isn't the seed itself, it's having three drift at you while you're committed to a swing.

Exiled Mantis warrior

Hostile mantis encountered throughout the Queen's Gardens. Sweep, jump-strike, and dash combos punish hesitation.

Mantis Village guard

Adult mantis with full combat training. Patrols the Mantis Village and salutes the Knight after being defeated.

Adolescent mantis warrior

Mantis Village's young initiate. Dash-slashes and somersaults with surprising range.

Mimicking flier

Erratic flying nuisance most common in the Fungal Wastes. Dodges before committing — a perfect target for spells.

Acid spitter

Wall-mounted spitter found around the waterways and edges of Greenpath. Patient, ranged, and always inconveniently placed.

Greenpath defender

The first true sword-and-shield enemy. Common throughout Greenpath. Block-armoured front, open back on the swing.

Greenpath sprout

Cute, harmless first-zone enemy. Dies in one hit. Great practice for the timing on overlapping Mossfly swarms.

Greenpath gnat

Slow-floating Greenpath bug. Drops in clumps and rarely poses a threat past the first hour.

Moss bug

Greenpath's bread-and-butter enemy. Stays buried in moss-patches and lunges out at close range.

Fog Canyon detonator

Suspended Fog Canyon jelly that detonates when disturbed. Best burst from below with a charged spell.

Crystal Peak spitter

Primal flying spitter found in Crystal Peak and Kingdom's Edge. The reason most pogo runs get reset.

Servant husk

Long-armed City of Tears servant. Swings a polearm in a wide arc — easy to time around, but it tracks the Knight through pillars.

Abyssal scuttler

Skittering void-bug in the Abyss. Harmless on its own; appears in eerie numbers around Shadow Soul gates.

Mushroom heavyweight

Hulking fungal enemy in deep Fungal Wastes. Two huge fists, a charged ground-pound, and a forward roll.

Fungal sprout

Tiny pop-up enemy spawned by the Fungal Core. Harmless on its own; the room geometry around them is the actual hazard.

Soul Sanctum researcher

Floating Sanctum caster. Phases in, fires a glowing orb, phases out before the strike connects. Pre-empt with spells.

Mosquito swarmer

Fast, fragile mosquito spawned by Aluba and around Kingdom's Edge. One nail-swing usually clears a cluster.

Mantis Village ambusher

Mantis tribe outcast that hunts in Deepnest. Stealthy ceiling approach, two-hit nail flurry on landing.

Colosseum bruiser

Slow tank common to the Trial of the Warrior. Big hitbox, big swing, big geo drop on death.

Skittish crawler

Harmless beetle that runs from the Knight. Easy geo for anyone patient enough to chase it.

Fog Canyon drifter

Lesser cousin of the Ooma. Floats lazily across rooms and dies in one strike.

Flying biter

Common flying enemy across the Crossroads and Greenpath. Aggressive but fragile — usually a one-shot.

Infected mosskin worshipper

Pop-up enemy in the Queen's Gardens. Lurks in moss patches until the Knight passes, then erupts into spore-shrapnel.

Infected commoner

The textbook Hallownest zombie. Walks in a straight line and swings a slow uppercut when close.