Easy 5 Hour Speedrun Achievement in Hollow Knight (anyone can do it!)

[@Cheeseboi533]

This is a unbelievably underrated video its faster than almost every other video and three times easier

[@mustbedensity]

Thank you so much! I'm glad it's helping so many people :)

[@unholydead9513]

You are, in fact, the man. I loved how you would say EVERY thing you are doing and WHY you are doing it. Getting benches or Geo and why you do or don't want it. Fantastic guide dude and just what I needed.

[@mustbedensity]

That's such a nice comment - thank you so much! :) Glad it helped!

[@Nemosaur]

Thank you so much for making this Got the achievements just following this! One minor change I went with was unlocking Ancient Basin's stag and fast travel to City Storeroom to avoid the spiky climb

[@mustbedensity]

That's fair but the spikey climb isn't really that bad with the Monarch Wings, is it? I guess you took the stag after getting the Pale Ore? Glad to hear you got the achievement :)

[@Nemosaur]

@@mustbedensity I have been gaming for close to 30 years. This was my first ever speedrun for a game. So thank you for this video! It was awesome!

[@cgdsyln]

Man that helped me so much thank you for making this and it was really fast too

[@mustbedensity]

Glad it helped :)

[@pkx-]

lowkey super enjoyable video and a nice route, I did the run as the same time as you and was fairly easy and entertaining, died couple times at the last boss but ay it was done :3! great commentary n voice!

[@mustbedensity]

Thank you!! Congrats on the achievement :)

[@YaboiMr_MLG]

This was the last achievement I needed to 100% the game! The thought of being on a time limit made me really nervous to even attempt a run, but this well detailed guide helped me overcome that fear. Thank you!

[@mustbedensity]

Congrats on getting 100%! That's a huge accomplishment!! Thanks for your comment - I'm really glad this helped :)

[@Jinryuushi]

Oh man, where do I even start to express my gratitude to you for this. I was a bit annoyed for having to do this speedrun for the Steam achievements because I didn't want to waste too much time with the risk of failing it. I found your video and from the start knew right away that it was the right one. I really really appreciated how reassuring you were during the whole thing, even the tone of your voice was relaxing. I also appreciated how laid-back you were and even enjoyed watching the video (apart from the guide aspect). The little bit of self-deprecation here and there was also fun and reassuring. Man, I managed to forget to pick the City Crest from False Knight and had to go back to it by unlocking a Stag Station and teleporting; I died 3 or 4 times in one part in Crystal Peaks because of an annoying Crystal Hunter and because I prioritized getting back my ghost not to lose the Geo; I somehow managed to die twice to Dung Defender and still arrived at The Hollow Knight with 2 hours 30 minutes left. I found the Hollow Knight fight with just 5 masks challenging and kept dying over and over but remembering your words on how much of a big margin of time I had helped me keep my calm and just try to learn the fight. I eventually ended up beating him with a completion time of 3 hours 15 minutes. Thank you so much again for this, man! I wish I could buy you coffee or something. I love people like you dude; people that spend time to help others. Have a great day!

[@mustbedensity]

Wow I am totally blown away. Thank you so much for this lovely comment!! Can't believe I forgot to mention that people should pick up the City Crest! Which part of Crystal Peak were you dying at? Those Crystal Hunters are the worst haha. I should have used Howling Wraiths more! That's so cool though that you beat THK with so much time left - congratulations!! I will be thinking about this comment next time I have a coffee :)

[@Jinryuushi]

@@mustbedensity The part in Crystal Peaks I died a few times at was the one that starts at 1:04:10. The annoying thing is that if you die once (because of the Crystal Hunter), you'll have to do it again but with the extra difficulty of having to first get your ghost back (it spawns in the middle of the platforms). One could also try to get it then deliberately die on the left side to make the next time easier. If I remember correctly, the Geo I saved happend to be worth saving later, otherwise I would have had to grind for some Geo.

[@mustbedensity]

@@Jinryuushi That's probably the hardest part of the whole run! I used to die there so much - and I've lost so much geo there! I think the trick is just to rush through it and hope that the Crystal Hunter misses haha. Glad it turned out to be worthwhile saving that geo!

[@Jinryuushi]

@@mustbedensity Funny how he missed you by a millimeter in this run, haha.

[@mustbedensity]

@@Jinryuushi Some miracle saved me there haha

[@MikAIsWashed4108]

1:30:07 for the beginners that are trying to speedrun this in the current patch, DDark i-frames ends the moment you do the next action so look out for that. Also try to Dream Nail the Watchers Knights when they woke up since you can’t do damage to them in the first place

[@mustbedensity]

Great advice! I didn't know that the i-frames end when you do the next action!

[@uhhjhjjjjhhh]

bro you are actually so helpful keep up the good work like actually best tutorial out there

[@uhhjhjjjjhhh]

a good tip is that I have is that if you think you will die and lose your geo just make sure to get the greenpath stag and then sit on the bench there, go fight the 2 moss knights in the upper room, and then go back to the bench and sit down and the moss knighjts will respawn. just repeat that! took me 15 minutes to get back to 1500 geo lol

[@mustbedensity]

@@uhhjhjjjjhhh thank you so much!

[@BinknotLink]

thank you so much this helped out a ton! I added an hour accidentally because I wasn't pausing correctly so it kept adding time.

[@mustbedensity]

Thanks for your comment! I'm really glad it helped

[@YousefAmr999]

Thanks for the tutorial i watched it almost 10 month after u uploaded it but it helped me somuch ❤

[@mustbedensity]

@@YousefAmr999 thanks for your comment! I'm really glad it's still helping people :)

[@waffle_consumer]

This guide is really helpful! I've been scared to attempt this achievement because other routes use lots of skips that I don't have the time to learn and practice. Really close to finishing a run but keep dying to THK

[@mustbedensity]

I'm glad you liked it! And I totally agree about skips too! Best of luck for THK :)

[@stevenspisla7019]

Thank you so much for this guide. Such a wonderful video and so helpful to get the Achivement :D

[@mustbedensity]

Thank you so much! This kind of comment makes it all worthwhile 😊

[@netgam0s]

Thank you very much, your playthrough helped a ton

[@mustbedensity]

Glad to hear it! Thanks for your comment :)

[@pizzaboyalt1559]

I think i'm going to attempt this. Thank you so much for the video and all the effort you put in. (i'll come back and let you know how it goes)

[@mustbedensity]

Good luck!! And thanks! I'm definitely keen to hear how it goes :)

[@paddy7818]

How did it go?

[@pizzaboyalt1559]

@@paddy7818 yeah I completely forgot. My computer started having issues so I haven't been able to attempt it.

[@JohnPaul-rs5dr]

Thanks a lot my guy, without this guide I would of never beat the game within 5 hours. The Hollow Knight kicked my ass a bunch of times but I finally got his ass. It took me 2 hours and 32 mins to beat it cause I like to beat up things and pick up their geo. Now time for the 20 hour 100% completion

[@mustbedensity]

Hey I'm really glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know how it went! Good luck for the 100% challenge!! I'm planning to make a Steel Soul / Steel Heart 100% guide but it'll be another few months

[@JohnPaul-rs5dr]

@@mustbedensity nice, that one is not to bad.

[@cateinprogress100]

Hey man, I was kinda iffy about tackling these achivements at first, but honestly I'm so glad your guide was the one I clicked on. Genuinely so helpful, and love your commentary too, playing through this run sorta 'with' you across the night really was just a vibe, and it's a shame it hasn't got a ton of attention considering the work you've obviously put into it. Would love to see more HK videos from you, tysm :3

[@mustbedensity]

@cateinprogress100 omg that's so nice of you 😭 🥹 Thank YOU so much!

[@cateinprogress100]

@@mustbedensity Hell yeah, I got both the 10 hour and 5 hour one, my time was 2:59 so quite a bit behind yours but with the extra time it just didn’t matter. Going for steel soul+ heart next, tried 3 times before but primal aspids and dream bosses (coming out of dream bosses not realising I’m still on 1 mask and my health doesn’t refill 😭)

[@mustbedensity]

@@cateinprogress100 2:59 is actually amazing though! My first ever playthrough took about 50 hours, so I never thought 5 hours would be possible haha. I will have a Steel Soul and Steel Heart video coming out soon - hopefully December but maybe January. I've been super busy lately but occasionally spending free time refining my planned route. It'll definitely be harder, and take longer, but it's do-able! Good luck for it and congrats on your achievements! :)

[@cateinprogress100]

@@mustbedensity Awesome, yeah my first playthrough was something like that too so a time under 2-3 hours without any speedrun skips or anything really does seem crazy! Hopefully I’ve got the steel soul achievements by then, but I have a feeling I’ll check out the guide even if I have got em :) Thanks again 🙏

[@sparkz1180]

Great Guide! Much appreciated! :D

[@mustbedensity]

@@sparkz1180 Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it :)

[@Martin-ho3jo]

This achievement is easy if you do pantheon of hallownest first. I wanted to do the steel soul 100% first but i ended up being on 4h when obtaining all the major upgrades (double jump, invincible dash, isma's tear, upgraded spells, 7 lives so not maxed and 3 nail upgrades missing the last one...) and killing all dreamers so i did it mid steel soul. I used the map found online to help with the routing. if you know where to go (at least what your next goal is) its achievable under 5 hours fairly easily

[@mustbedensity]

Easy when you know how :)

[@alon.g.6245]

Good job man, thank you

[@mustbedensity]

@alon.g.6245 Glad it helped :)

[@tiesvanvelthoven8288]

thanks for the route, helped tons

[@mustbedensity]

Glad you found it useful! :)

[@tiesvanvelthoven8288]

​@@mustbedensity are you going to make a 100% in 20hrs one?

[@mustbedensity]

@@tiesvanvelthoven8288 Yes! Actually I recently completed Steel Soul and Steel Heart for the first time - and picked up the 20 hour 100% achievement accidentally while doing it. It didn't make for a great video though so I'll practice and improve the route a bit before posting a videos about it. I'm super busy at the moment so expecting to have that video in December :) I'm confident that anyone can do it too!

[@tiesvanvelthoven8288]

@@mustbedensity thats awesome, i only just now started my steelsoul playthrough. Im going try and get the 100% in 20hrs and 100% steel soul in one go. Im 4hrs in and on 60%. I am having trouble with what to do for the last 40%

[@mustbedensity]

@@tiesvanvelthoven8288 Answers are coming! :)

[@Oqqguilhermepp]

thank you!

[@mustbedensity]

You're very welcome!

[@mustbedensity]

What do you think is the best route?

[@BinknotLink]

probably

[@gamagodoi1188]

I can't thank you enough, i thot this was impossible hahah

[@mustbedensity]

@gamagodoi1188 haha I'm glad it helped!

[@tomioka4998]

W video, u should make more videos. Also have u beat the pantheon of the Hallownest?

[@mustbedensity]

Thank you so much! That's such a nice thing to say :) I recently completed Steel Soul and Steel Heart so I'll be uploading something about those eventually! I don't think I've beaten either the Pantheon of Hallownest or the Trial of the Fool, so I definitely still have things to do!

[@alec0419]

I 112% this 2 years ago. Ive never played since. I hope im amble to do this

[@mustbedensity]

I'm 112% sure you'll be able to do this - especially if you've beaten path of pain and the pantheons and colosseums before! Sure, you'll have forgotten some of the map, but just follow along with the video :) Good luck!

[@lechatdiable5736]

Thank you very much without you it would have been much longer and clumsier so, thank you.

[@mustbedensity]

Glad it helped! Congrats on the achievement :)

[@idkwhattoputtbh-b3x]

you could try do the shade skip at hornet, its easy to do

[@mustbedensity]

You're right! I was trying to do the whole thing with no skips because it's difficult to draw the line on what's an intended skip and what isn't, and I find it hard to pull off some of the pogo skips. It will definitely save time though for people who can do it!

[@BinknotLink]

or the squit skip which is easier (because you don't have to die)

[@KominiTraktor]

Thank you so much

[@mustbedensity]

@@KominiTraktor happy to help :)

[@statsquo]

my biggest problem is knowing where the hell to go. i can /fight/ anything in this game but getting anywhere without a map and compass is a nightmare 😅

[@mustbedensity]

Ahahaha well I hope this video helped to keep you on track! :)

[@statsquo]

@@mustbedensity i just bought a compass and maps

[@rotfeller1477]

Does the time stop if i pause the game?

[@mustbedensity]

Yes! You can pause all day :)

[@axelerhate9705]

I'm late to the party, but what if you buy fragile strength too? Could that work?

[@mustbedensity]

Fragile Strength is awesome but, for this run, I think not so much! It breaks when you die and there are no stag stations near Leg Eater, so repairing it takes a lot of time. It's great for Steel Soul and Steel Heart though!

[@Sjamuelz]

Thank you

[@mustbedensity]

Thanks for watching!

[@foxmaster1919]

Did you know there is a geo thing to the left of the very beginning?

[@mustbedensity]

Yeah, thanks. But we didn't need it for this route :)

[@foxmaster1919]

@mustbedensity it was just something I found out today and I found it interesting

[@mustbedensity]

@@foxmaster1919 Try climbing up from there with Mantis Claw!

[@foxmaster1919]

@@mustbedensity ok?

[@mustbedensity]

@@foxmaster1919 Let me know how you get on :)

[@lasher6049]

Nice video!

[@mustbedensity]

Thanks! 😃

[@jeddite247]

thx bro, it's very basic and it's effective. i think u can improve it. maybe u can fight the mantis lord : tons of geos, mark of pride and 1 relic. Dashmaster is very close and u can go faster. 1 charm notch in fog canyon. try another run with few adjustments maybe u can win 20 minuts. Anyway gg !

[@mustbedensity]

Hey thanks for your comment! I originally had the Mantis Lords in my route but I found that I'd die on them about 10-20% of the time. I love Mark of Pride(!) but it needs an extra notch, and that fog canyon notch is a bit harder than it seems. There was plenty of time to get the 5 hour achievement from this route, and I wanted to make sure it's as easy as can be, so I decided to take them out. Watcher Knights and THK are definitely hard bosses in this route but there's not really any way to avoid them, except to strengthen yourself up - whereas Mantis Lords can be a bit trickier since they're earlier in the game, and entirely optional. I've been a bit busy lately but I'll soon start working on my route for Steel Soul and Steel Heart, so will definitely be taking on the Mantis Lords, Mark of Pride, Dashmaster and the fog canyon notch in that one :)

[@jeddite247]

great ! i hope u will succeed. good luck, bro @@mustbedensity

[@crystal_Sn4q]

I lost 1200 geo in crystalized moind and i dont know what do i do

[@mustbedensity]

Oh no! When you get to Resting Grounds, do Descending Dark into the tomb at ground level on the right side. Then follow that path to the right (check for breakable walls!). There's about 800-1000 geo that way. You can also sell relics to Lemm if you picked any more up! Hope this helps 🤞

[@crystal_Sn4q]

Thanks​@@mustbedensity

[@benjiwoah6762]

I died to soul master and then died trying to go back there. Losing my 3k geo :( should I restart or is there a way I can grind it back without taking too long?

[@mustbedensity]

Aw no! It's super important to hit the lever that allows you to skip all of those Soul Twisters (the mages that fire spells at you). Otherwise the runback can be very risky! Personally, I think it's worth carrying on anyway and trying to pick up more relics along the way, and hitting all of the geo rocks. There's also a spot in Resting Grounds (under the tomb on the right) where you can collect a lot of geo - do a Descending Dark into that tomb and then head right, checking for all the breakable walls. If you continue with the video then you might run into bits where you don't have enough money and have to grind some, but you don't have to get the achievement first time! You can use this one as a practice :) Hope this helps!

[@benjiwoah6762]

@@mustbedensityI tried carrying on a bit, beating soul master getting a bit more geo from rocks I haven’t gotten left of salubra. Which let me get 2 of the charms and the notch. I didn’t need to buy steady body because I had accidentally routed wrong and picked up dashmaster. If I go over there do you think I would have enough time to get it still? I am an hour and 45 minutes into this save

[@benjiwoah6762]

⁠@@mustbedensityI have 650 geo worth of relics and another 150 on me so I need around 1200 more geo to buy the Lumafly

[@benjiwoah6762]

@@mustbedensityalso if I’m going to resting grounds, do I need to make a stop to get crystal heart to even get there?

[@mustbedensity]

Can you sell the relics at Lemm? You'll definitely need to pick up Crystal Heart before Resting Grounds, so maybe my suggestion wasn't the best. I still don't think restarting is worth doing for one death - even if you don't get the achievement, you'll get more practice and ace it next time! :)

[@Pedro145a]

I died to hollow knight twice 🥲 (steel soul) third times the charm ig 😮‍💨

[@mustbedensity]

Aw! Try grabbing some lifeblood first!