Charms are powerful items in Hollow Knight that give you all sorts of different special bonuses and enhancements. Some Charms make certain spells and abilities more potent, some spawn companions to aid the Knight, and some simply give you offensive or defensive buffs. Due to Hollow Knight‘s difficult nature (by design), the importance of Charms goes without saying.
Equipping Charms take up Notches, with some requiring as many as four slots. If you want to equip as many Charms as possible, you’ll need to collect every Charm Notch to maximize the Knight’s potential and explore the best builds and Charm combos in the game.
Updated by Jeff Brooks on October 25, 2024: With the right combination of Charms, you can completely change the way you approach combat or even exploration. However, to set up the strongest Charm builds, you’ll want the highest number of Charm slots possible (11), and that involves locating the eight additional Charm Notches you can find throughout the game. This update enhances the guide overall with refreshed images, greater clarity on Charm Notch locations, and relevant links to provide more value in your journey throughout Hallownest.
Hollow Knight Vs. Silksong: Which Is The Better Game?
Nail vs Needle: What game and hero comes out on top?
Charm Lover Salubra Sells Four Charm Notches
Right off the bat, you can simply buy half of the total Charm Notches you can obtain in Hollow Knight from Charm Lover Salubra, one of Hollow Knight‘s most important merchants. She has a shop located at the bottom-right end of the Forgotten Crossroads. However, it’s worth clarifying that this shop is also only available once the Knight beats Gruz Mother and unlocks either Mothwing Cloak or Mantis Claw. Additionally, you will need to collect or purchase a certain number of Charms before each Charm Notch appears in her shop:
|
Charm # |
Cost |
Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|
|
Charm Notch 1 |
120 Geo |
Collect a total of 5 Charms. |
|
Charm Notch 2 |
500 Geo |
Collect a total of 10 Charms. |
|
Charm Notch 3 |
900 Geo |
Collect a total of 18 Charms. |
|
Charm Notch 4 |
1400 Geo |
Collect a total of 25 Charms. |
Charm Notch Found in Fog Canyon
For the next additional Charm Notch, you’ll need to discover it in Fog Canyon. It is located in the room just underneath the Stone Sanctuary. You’ll need Isma’s Tear to get to this location since the Knight needs to swim through a pool of acid just to get to the small opening leading to this room.
You’ll be dealing with those annoying Oomas along the way whose core seeks you out to explode on impact.
The Charm Notch is located at the end of a maze-like area filled with these Oomas, sitting right above another small pool of acidic liquid.
Charm Notch Hidden in Fungal Wastes
The next Charm Notch, found in Fungal Wastes, is thankfully very easy to acquire. However, it is also safeguarded by two Shrumal Ogres, which can be a pain to deal with. The additional Charm Notch is found in the room at the bottom of the Fungal Wastes chasm left of the topmost resting Bench, in the room on the left-hand side.
When you find and enter this room, all you’ll need to do is beat the two Shrumal Ogres found in here, and they’ll drop the Charm Notch after they’re killed.
Hollow Knight: Best Builds For Pantheon
Players who want to tackle the Pantheon challenges in Hollow Knight may want to consider the following builds.
Charm Notch Earned by Beating Troupe Master Grimm
The seventh Charm Notch is obtained as a part of Grimm’s questline in The Grimm Troupe DLC. First, you’ll need to actually unlock the Grimm Troupe’s tent and talk to Grimm to start his questline or ‘ritual’ where he gives you the Grimmchild Charm and has you collect a number of Nightmare Flames to grow said Grimmchild.
After turning in the second set of Nightmare Flames and growing the Grimmchild a second time, you’ll end up fighting Grimm in a test of strength. Beat Grimm in this fight, and you’ll obtain a Charm Notch right after.
Charm Notch Won in Colosseum of Fools (Kingdom’s Edge)
The last obtainable Charm Notch in Hollow Knight is found during the Trial of the Warrior at the Colosseum of Fools. You can find the Colosseum at the top of the Kingdom’s Edge region, and by simply paying 100 Geo, you can enter the first trial (Trial of the Warrior) and face off against waves of different enemies, which even includes Zote the Mighty at a certain point.
After clearing the Trial, the crowd will shower you with Geo, with a Charm Notch being thrown into the arena for you to grab as well.
- Released
-
February 24, 2017
- ESRB
-
E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
-
Team Cherry
- Publisher(s)
-
Team Cherry





