How to Beat Hollow Knight in Under 5 Hours

[@2CPhoenix]

Hi everyone! Thanks for checking out my otherwise tiny channel! If you use the guide, go ahead and comment your final time! I’d love to know how you did!

[@moocowzz]

Just finished my run thanks bro

[@PhantoMace2012]

4 hours and 36 min.I never could have done this without your help! But I did have to start over. I tried to see if I could steel mode the run, then I died trying to do the shortcut you showed (dashing over the water without isma’s tear). So, on attempt # 2 i played it safe and did normal mode. It took 4hrs36 because I took the time to go get isma’s tear, I had a tough time trying to beat the Watcher Knights, and (like you mentioned) the Hollow Knight was unexpectedly difficult without all the best charms and upgrades. A thousand Thanks!

[@kindnessence]

3-4 hours :3 (i don't remember exactly)

[@matiascasalone8171]

u helped me a lot i finished in 2:18 i died 3 times for dumb things and got the wings just to clarify i did die with the hollow knight because it was too slow compared to his other version and that was the only boss that defeated me the other 2 times was for explosions

[@drawnoutrandom5953]

My final time was 2 hours and 40 minutes, thank you very much for making this guide!

[@micahlovescoffee0247]

Dude. Absolutely phenominal editing. Those graphics, and the frist part of the critical breakthrough was made extremely well! Totally expected your channel to be in the tens of thousands.

[@2CPhoenix]

Thank you so much! I worked incredibly hard on it, and I’m thrilled that people have noticed

[@battle_cats_enjoyer5332]

@@2CPhoenix your voice sounds like blue's, that I even checked if it was blue

[@ramrodbldm9876]

​@@battle_cats_enjoyer5332gaybian Lopez hop off man your knees are scuffed

[@vincepassarella5127]

Agreed

[@zachcrum9625]

HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THE MANTIS LORDS LIFEBLOOD WTF

[@NickMaovich]

I am shocked too hahah

[@bearpoop720]

I mean tbh it is kind of useless since the fight is so easy

[@bootaku]

1hr 56min run with getting monarch wings and getting fully lost 3 times and dying multiple times to random enemies. insane guide edit: u can beat the game to get the

[@jarlyk]

Very nicely put together video. The routing in this game can be intimidating at times and you broke it down in a way that's pretty easy to parse.

[@2CPhoenix]

I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that from you! I’m a huge fan of your videos, which were part of the inspiration to make this video, so thank you!

[@emanr.6716]

M - WOW! just wow! Phenomenal edit skillz! And what a personality-filled narrative! THIS is gonna go as far as you want it to!! Well done!

[@Shadessmh]

2023 this man substituted an s with a z,

[@funky5008]

Z

[@bearantarctic5843]

I did the achievement a few days ago, I nearly got it at 4 hours and 40 minutes. Your route seems a lot more friendly than mine, I hope I had seen this video sooner. You earned a sub, the editing is crazy, you deserve a lot more subs :)

[@perriwinkleiii5361]

4 hour 52 minute finish! I was starting to get really worried when I was struggling with Deepnest and the Watcher Knights (those bastard knights...) and I was left with only 20 minutes to beat the Hollow Knight, but I did it! And this guide was invaluable, so thank you very much!

[@Lincoln-r5p]

Dang, if you struggled with the watcher knights, and I can do them no problem (not bragging or saying that your bad) , does that mean I could do this?

[@perriwinkleiii5361]

@@Lincoln-r5p You absolutely can!

[@Maplekittycity]

@@Lincoln-r5p Dont see why not! Honestly, as long as your confident you can beat the few nessarcy bosses in just a couple tries, theres no reason you shouldn't be able to get under five hours (or at the very least, within a few attempts). And if u feel like you cant beat a boss on the run easily, you can always practice beating them on a save where you've unlocked godhome (Though I havent tried beating the achievement myself yet, so take with a grain of salt lol)

[@Max-vn5vf]

@@Lincoln-r5p Do keep in mind you won't have a lot of charms or masks

[@Lincoln-r5p]

@@perriwinkleiii5361 ye, I know, I'm goated tho, I've 101% hollow knight steel soul, and beat every boss in the game on radiant.

[@Blair5414]

Very nice video! Pretty comprehensive and edited well

[@2CPhoenix]

Thank you! And thanks for unknowingly donating some of your footage to the cause, lol

[@imposter895]

Saw this video and expected it to be from an account with over 100k subs. Was shocked to see how underrated you are! This editing is insane and this is the first hk speedrun tutorial i have ever seen and used! Keep up the fantastic work! It will pay off!

[@2CPhoenix]

Thank you! What was the end time on your run?

[@wooper2654]

Greatest thanks to you! I did it in 2 hours 48 minutes thanks to you! I did it by purchasing a 5th charm notch from Salubra, and buying fragile heart from Leg Eater. I used that and fragile strength to beat Hollow Knight. 3 mask shards were purchased from Sly, and the rest were from Grubfather, Queen's Station, Brooding Mawlek, Crossroads, and the one by Cornifer in Royal Waterways. Again, thank you so much!!!

[@ricecrackers6365]

Managed to get it in 1 hour and 40 minutes with this route. Wonderful video, I hope your channel starts to grow quickly, you deserve it

[@garg0y7e]

Quick note on the shade skip in Kingdom's Edge - I'd personally recommend going for an aspid skip instead. If you have mantis claw, you also only need to skip the first jump up, afterwards you can just mantis claw the side walls (although it initially looks like you shouldn't be able to, there are indeed spots where you can jump off using it). Saves you a lot of time from not having to die and is arguably less risky than a shade skip, since you don't risk any geo you might have had on you.

[@2CPhoenix]

That makes a lot of sense! In hindsight I think I should have highlighted the shade skip that can get you from Salubra’s shop to the blue lake… but ultimately the point was just to show off that skips LIKE it were possible, and the hornet one worked well for those purposes because it shows 3 shade pogos in a row, but you still raise some excellent points!

[@garg0y7e]

@@2CPhoenix While I agree that the Salubra skip probably would have been a good example, since it is such a staple when it comes to shade skips, I think you still did a really good job with the video. It's a great introduction to running Hollow Knight faster than normal while teasing speedrun strats just enough that it might get people interested without being overwhelming. That, combined with the great visuals, is something you should absolutely be proud of!

[@paultapping9510]

super useful, thanks dude. I didn't know about the chandelier for watchers or overcharming, so I'm glad I watched!

[@2CPhoenix]

Very pleased I could help! If you use the route I showed, you should let me know your final time!

[@Woog-04]

This guide freaking rocks, seriously. I finished the game in 3h 03m, and that's also with spending additional time to get monarch wings, Isthma's tear, and other equipment. The achievement really seemed daunting until I followed your route. Thank you so much!

[@NOMATfull]

I have already completed the achivement using fireborn's steam guide, but honestly your video is much more convenient and clear for those who haven't completed the game 16000 times so they know every single spot and every part of the map perfectly. Thanks for your effort =)

[@NOMATfull]

Also, fireborn completely ignores the strength charm and pale ores, idk how a casual player is supposed to kill the Hollow Knight using 2nd nail. (I myself used skips to get ore from the peak and bought the charm too)

[@sparkmanization]

Followed this video to a T and finished in 2 hours 55 mins thanks a bunch for this video brotha!

[@Axolot2705]

Man this is an amazing guide. I never intended to get those achivments but now I wanna try it. thanks

[@2CPhoenix]

I hope you’ll let me know what time you get if you do! It’s been a joy hearing from people who used this as a guide

[@casualnolifer2794]

I know this video is old and I'm a random person but I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate this video. I followed it nearly to a T and got my completion in 2 hours and 30 minutes (and that was with severe mess ups and forgetting to bench warp in some areas). This is in my top 3 favorite games of all time and I've been looking to get all achievements for it. These two speed run achievements are by far the ones that scared me the most of all of them and you made it easy. Thank you so much for your work on this. Will be subscribing.

[@ginniegill1026]

I'm glad to find a straightforward guide to finishing the game efficiently. Everything I looked up was either a full 100% walk-through or a speedrun guide with tons of glitches and stuff.

[@kingcyrusrodan6772]

Absolutely awesome video, thanks for making it! Managed to squeak it out under 5 hours with this guide, and that was even making a detour to get defender’s crest and isma’s tear

[@koray1621]

I was a bit uneasy with all the routes for me to get speedrun achievement. This video cleared it up. And looking up everything in comments section, i am now confident with this achievement. Thank you

[@joaovictormotacoelho3136]

Man this was fantastic. Time was 2h41m43s, i was unwilling to do this challenge, but your video appeared on my feed and it is so easy to understand and well edited, i simply couldn't resist trying it out and did it first try! Thanks!

[@sonnguyen7821]

I really didn't think anyone would spend tons of time giving newbies a rundown on the game. Thanks for all your hard work, your tutorials are super intuitive with all the visuals and audio. Hope your channel grows strong

[@khickman66]

Very helpful guide! I got the achievements at 3h 36m. Many deaths to Watcher Knights and Uumuu added to my time, but I did it. All thanks to your video! Pantheon 5 is all I have left now.

[@emml200]

insanely nice route. despite some of the mistakes i made i finished the game in 2hours and 26 minutes. didnt think these achievements would be so easy

[@jg-di5vl]

Best HK guide channel out there. You helped me finish Pantheon 4, NKG, and now the sub 5 hour speedrun. Thank you!

[@benthewin]

This video is incredibly well made, and honestly you deserve more subs!

[@magmafang]

basically, you have to get good.

[@dakumasuta1303]

Git gud

[@magmafang]

@@dakumasuta1303 gek tuu!

[@PKINGU]

Getgoo

[@wooper2654]

Gecko!

[@SirDeko216]

Thank You So Much for this Video. I followed your footsteps, using bench warpings, and i skipped the monarch wings. My final time was 1:56. That Isma Tear Skip to the Teacher was brutal, but very doable. Thanks Again.

[@FabulousFabOfFabs]

this is actually a really good route, whoever is having trouble getting achievements should definetly see this

[@marinazz9696]

your editing is amazing and the guide is really easy to follow! c:

[@DeriVy]

The 5/10 hour speedruns are my last achievs, you're literally giving me 100% on a silver platter lol, thank you

[@cashermans6947]

Completed it today with this guide in 2 hours and 11 minutes

[@Nixter1337]

This is ridiculously incredible! The fact that you have so few subscribers pains me. Haven’t had the chance to try this yet, as I haven’t had my laptop, but I love this, you have earned a sub.

[@2CPhoenix]

Thank you! Welcome to the channel!

[@xam4613]

thank you very much for the video, just did it on my second attemp (i died twice without getting back all my geos so i couldn't upgrade the nail woops). Very easy and well construct guide !

[@Banalytical]

This is really well edited for a simple tutorial. Like, it would’ve been so much easier to just list the steps and have game footage and some voiceover. This guy really went the extra, time consuming, pain-in-the-ass way, and this video is just that much better for it. This was great content, thanks for your video!

[@2CPhoenix]

If that doesn’t just sum me up…

[@neppickynepkey]

I first played and beat Hollow Knight 2 years ago with all the content that's in it, did the troupe, did godmaster. But the speedrun thing I only attempted twice before giving up and leaving it for later. I tried again today following your guidance step by step and I managed to do it in 2hours 13minutes 28seconds :D thank you so much for making this possible for me. Also I just realised your sub count, you deserve ten times the amount with the quality of this guide alone. Thank you again, and I hope that your channel flourishes.

[@JespersBiggestFan]

Got this on my first attempt, super helpful guide, followed it exactly expect I got 2 more mask shards from sly, one from queens and the mawlurk before killing Hollow Knight. Appreciate you making this :D

[@belieste]

This video gave me the confidence to go for the achievement and honestly it was not as bad as I had thought. Thank you so much!

[@naturelist]

I’m on a race with a friend, for the fastest hollow knight completion! Hope I’ll win using this route!

[@nwchef]

this is honestly one of my favorite videos on this platform, thank you for making it

[@oszlop5896]

Brooo thanks i've beaten it in like 4h 45m. (Like im thinked i got 5h 5 or worse in the credits) My heart is pumpin like shet. Thanks for the guide. I hope more ppl gonna find Hollow Knight and your channel! 🐤🐸😁🎉 ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@symphidoria7]

Super helpful guide!! I went out of my way to do a bunch of extra things(talk to a bunch of npcs, get monarch wings) and still got it in three hours. The watcher knights are surprisngly easy to beat once you get a hang of their attack styles(practised a bunch in godhome) hollow knight took a few tries to get used to the attacks. Thanks so much for this :)

[@marcelloparini7514]

Thank you. At the beginning I thought "Nah, I'll skip this, I'll never manage it". But with you guide it has been almost... easy!!

[@Toxikiller1350]

The only tutorial on this game I felt I could follow well such a great help your content is amazing!!!

[@yulunhsieh7012]

followed this guide and finished with no issue!

[@persononyoutube3000]

One tip on the acid skip because I found it pretty difficult trying to do it with the dash: If you just hold left and fall from the floating platform above the acid, that puts you on the perfect position on the wall

[@drosky2647]

juste after watching the tutorial, i finished the game in 2 hours and 12 minutes. Really great video, the run is really well explained and the editing is really good. Thank you !

[@yawnsohn]

THANK U, 4h21min (got stuck in the watcher knights fight and before that I decided to take the monarch wings because I'm not too skilled without them - in the part where we need to pogo in our way to city of tears I got stuck too and had to take the train to kingdom's edge and then go to city of tears)

[@arkananu7346]

I’ve made tons of mistakes and lost a lot time, and still, I completed the game in 4h WITH the monarch wings and Isma’s tear. Thanks for the tutorial, it’s the nicest I could have found.

[@kahlanamnell1386]

Blows my mind that this game can be beat in under 2 hours. Thanks for the great video!

[@nikolaradisavljevic1235]

Thanks for this incredible video! I beat the game in under 3 hours and finished both achievments I got left. You're underrated and i hope you'll be succesfull

[@kuzureta7441]

Thank you so much for this walkthrough! I attempted to beat this on my own with my own planning and met multiple dead ends with a lot of frustration. I can understand now how much time, effort, and understanding of the game you need to be able to show us how to do this. Again thank you and I got a time of 2h 50m and 52s

[@roseblood374]

I love this so much, I opted to save my geo on the second sly mask shard and went for brooding mollusk instead, and it worked out for me cause I ended up needing that money to later repair the charm, but all it all I say the adaptability of this run and the help with all the options at the beginning made this 5 hour experience so fun for me to do. Thanks for this video's help.

[@Master_Cinar]

Thanks for the guide! I just finished the game in 2 hours and 52 minutes with the help of you. I think skipping tram pass completely and doing a blue lake shade skip to get to resting grounds is better but still a great guide.

[@siyad7288]

Really good route. I had quite a few major fuckups, because I skipped benches feeling cocky and also took a good 30 mins to kill the rolling bishes infront of the last dreamer. Killed the final boss first try and that way still got a sub 3 hour run.

[@_Tekz]

the quality of this video is shocking. bravo

[@2CPhoenix]

Hey Tekz! A bit of a departure from my usual fare, I know, but I’m very pleased by the response it’s gotten!

[@leafsnail5612]

Amazing guide, thanks! Beat the game in under 2 hours 40. I love the routing to get Fragile Strength and double Nail upgrades as soon as possible - that made everything after it way more manageable. I actually decided to get the Monarch Wings since that makes the game feel way easier to me, and also decided to get the Shade Cloak. That detour took around 40 minutes but meant that the final bosses matched up much better with my muscle memory from Pantheon 4 (since I could dash through their attacks as I did previously). It also meant I could dash through the shade door instead of learning the Isma's Tear skip to get to Monomon. On the other hand Hornet 2 was actually the hardest part of the run for me so I kindof screwed myself over there.

[@Evee369]

I wasted so much time and still ended up finishing it in just over 2 hrs. Thanks for the amazing guide! :)

[@djmcbreen581]

This is an amazing route. I managed to get shadecloak quick slash two more notches and coiled nailed while staying under 4hrs. Thanks

[@Nyota7766]

Thank you for your service. Good sir, this will make getting the 5 hour achievement so much easier.

[@gunnerbirkovitch]

finished in 2 hours and ten minutes, thanks for this man

[@francis318VH]

Playing for a while in godhome on my main file, now I tried this to get the achievements, and got 2 hours, 42 minutes, 27%. I went for the optional stuff (monarch wings, the laser guy at crystal peaks, etc.) and this route was wonderful. I didn't even need mark of pride, since I only died once VS the hollow knight (I had equipped the fragile strength all the way lol), but I had some scary moments like defeating uumuu with one mask left D: This video is so well built, I couldn´t bhave done it without it. Thanks!

[@albas6474]

Very nice video ! The result is worth your work ! I got 2h26 with your route (including monarchs wings and 3 deaths at watcher knights). You got my subscription :)

[@バックジャック-z6m]

Very fun quick run very easy to follow without it being to complicated. Thanks dude

[@zaglezigawa8415]

Just used your guide, made it in 2hr 39mins I also fought the "brood mother?" Boss in the crossroads. Really helpful guide. I literally reached the hallow Knight by the 2:10 mark

[@Justhunk]

This video allowed me to do both achievements in 1 run, thank you vey much!!

[@kiura3552]

Thanks a lot for your guide! I manage to finish the game in 2h27min16sec first try without skipping the Monarch Wing, and with doing the CrossRoads to Fog Canyon skip for the first time of my life (took me about 15 tries tho). Also, even if you adviced to not doing it, I've done it on Steel Soul! The nails upgrade and the additional masks are more than helpfull. I almost died in Deepnest, fighting the Stalking Devout, but manage to stay alive. The Hollow KNight itself is also a bit pressuring, but since it's not that hard, I manage to defeat it. I also never quit the game at 1hp to go back to the last bench and save my Steel Soul run, so I'm proud of myself!^^' So thanks a lot to you, I got 3 achievments (4 with "Neglect" that I never did) in one run, so thanks again for your guide, and your overall amazing video!

[@Legengade]

bros got the highest quality graphics I've ever seen! keep up the good work!

[@Beziopl]

I fnished my run in 3hours and 1 minute. Fighting bosses wasn't really an issue but I've got lost multiple times but I somehow managed to finish it under 5 hours. All thanks to your awesome guide ^^

[@SlippySloppyyy]

REALLY AWESOME AND HELPFUL VIDEO! UNDERRATED AS HECK!!

[@hunkygod7624]

Final Time: 3:50:54. Didn't find your guide until about two hours of me trying this on my own. Thanks for the guide and phenomonal video, you deserve way more attention!

[@pcgus]

Thank you very much for making this guide! It is super solid and I was able to get the achievement done!

[@Yourface343]

Thx you so much @2CPhoenix for this awesome guide!!! It was a very friendly route to use as a reference for my run. After a couple of years that I last played Hollow Knight, I've managed to complete all the speedrun achievements and even steel soul except this one. I dreaded to even try it, so I never attempted it for a long time. Over the years, I watched some youtubers doing some insane speedrun's, and that inspired me to at the very least attempt it once. I was trying to find a good guide and that's how I stumbled at this hidden gem of a guide. Your channel is so underrated for this well edited video. I managed to finish almost first try with a time of 4h 09 min even when I was rusty lol. During the run, I got the monarch wings, shade cloak, desolate dive, isma's tear, the 3rd nail upgrade and having 8 masks as extra precaution. I was pretty much set during my run. I'm very surprised that I managed to pull it off without to much hardship. Thx again!!! Hope you continue doing great videos.

[@2CPhoenix]

I’m so happy to hear it helped! My channel may be small but it’s also quite young, and has a few growing pains to work through yet, but I’m very optimistic for its future, and I hope you’ll stick around for all I’ve got planned!

[@crampy1893]

Did my first run following your path and i made 3h 57min, i went for the isma's tear as i failed A LOT the acid skip. I'll probably redo it sometime soon i believe a can do a lot less time. Perfect video, really good content, congrats

[@BrekekeReal]

Thank you! I finished the game at 27% and had monarch wings, took me 2h 41m 37s. My last two achievements finally completed thanks to you!

[@Slattstudio]

Nice! I gave this a try and got 2 hr 20 min exactly lol! Got both achievements, thanks! Although I never got a hang of using the crystal dash to get into the fog canyon. I found that just using the regular dash with double-jump works there just as well (even better for me)! Hardest part: watcher knights, but your strategy worked well for them

[@2CPhoenix]

I didn’t even consider the possibility that the skip COULD be done with the dash and double jump! I figured the little dip the monarch wings do before gaining height would have dropped the knight in the acid, so that’s very cool! I wish I’d thought of that. Also I love that your time is almost exactly the same as mine, lol

[@Maverick7r]

Thanks for the guide, just what I was looking for!! Finished in 5hrs and 18mim on the first attempt and 3hrs and 4min on the second. The Watcher Knights were my biggest hang up with so few upgrades but I got 'em in the end!! 🤘🤘

[@AI_TakeOver]

3 hours and 45 minutes, got super turned around at some point, but made up for it with an easy watcher knight fight, awesome video and thanks for the help!!!!

[@CalebB-kr6tf]

My time was 2 hours 37 minutes and 14 seconds thanks for the help

[@john190m]

This helped so much! I wanted to get the achievement but I didn't want to sit through hours of try-hard speedruner tips.

[@EmdenGoose]

Thank you so much! This video helped me a lot with the speedrun achievements!

[@OGDarkPhoenix]

AAAAAAAARRRRRRGHHHHH. I was aiming for speedrun one and beat the game in, I’m not kidding now, 5hr 5 min

[@racsoboom8570]

3h45m. I could easily have beaten is sub 2 if it weren't for 3 factors. 1: That crystal dash skip to get into fog canyon (30 minutes) 2: Uumuu. I did not expect it to be so annoying (20 minutes) 3: The Hollow Knight. The Watcher knights were a surprising breeze but oh my god I hate the Hollow Knight with a passion now. This took ONE HOUR AND 20 MINUTES and now my ego is shattered and I am not looking forward to Pure Vessel in P4. It's so much worse considering how easy it was when I was just fighting it to get to the Radiance in my 100% run.

[@antongrigoryev6381]

Great guide! I like it. But it really shows how great of a game HK is that there are several possible ways, even for this achievement. Though when I was getting it, I deliberately didn't look up any guides - if I were to do a challenge, especially one that relies more on the game knowledge than skill, I'll better do it all by myself. Here's my route in case someone is interested: - Start as normal - clear Forgotten Crossroads (don't forget Soul Catcher), Greenpath, and get Cloak. Be sure to get as much geo along the way as you can, don't spend it on anything other than Stag Stations, my route requires some heavy spending before getting to Lemm. - Then, before getting to Fungal, visit Solubra, get Shaman Stone, and equip it. I'm going with the spell build. - Go to Fungal Wastes, get the Charm Notch, then go for Claw and Mantis Lords' stash. After that, be sure to grab Dashmaster and save Bretta. Then exit the area via Queen's Station, grabbing a Mask Shard there. - Back in Crossroads, go around a bit to save some Grubs till you have 5 for a Mask Shard. You could've saved some in Greenpath or Fungal. Grab that one Mask Shard in the ceiling, then beat Brooding Mawlek for another. You should have a full extra Mask now. - You should have 1800 Geo by this point, or close to it; you may need to farm a bit. Husk Guard on the way to False Knight is a good option. Buy the Lantern, then head to Peaks. - In Peaks, make sure you get Shopkeeper's key. Also, you may get some money - kill Crystal Guardian and get the King's Idol above Cornifer's spot (you can get there via pogoing background objects). Just like in video, get CDash and then go down to Resting Grounds. - In Resting Grounds, pick up Dreamshield. You should have 5 Charms now - Soul Catcher, Shaman Stone, Mark of Pride, Dashmaster, and Dreamshield. That's enough to get a Charm Notch from Solubra. Go to Crossroads via a Stag, then go to her. Now you can equip both Shaman Stone and Soul Catcher at the same time, the build for the run. - Go to the exit of the Gruzz Mother's arena, climb up to the ceiling, and then CDash to the entrance to Blue Lake. Make your way across it, then down into the right side of the City. - In the City, get the money you can, then make a detour down into Basin for Pale Ore and (optionally) the Wings. Broken Vessel might be a bit tough with this setup though. - Then, go up the Watcher's Spire (with or without the skip. Mark of Pride isn't necessary btw), bench up there. It's a neat place for benchwarping after several following steps. ̶D̶i̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶o̶z̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶W̶a̶t̶c̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶K̶n̶i̶g̶h̶t̶s̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶i̶z̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶t̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶N̶a̶i̶l̶ ̶U̶p̶g̶r̶a̶d̶e̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶r̶a̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶n̶ ̶l̶a̶t̶e̶r̶.̶ Go to the left side of the city via a walkway above, visit Lemm for Geo (you should've gotten plenty of Relics along the way), then go to Nailsmith and get your two upgrades. - Head up towards the Storeroom Stag (make sure to get the Simple Key, if you didn't get one in the Basin), then to Sly. Get the Elegant Key. - If you can, also buy 3 Mask Shards. With another one in Bretta's house, you should have another mask done. If you don't get enough Geo, you can get them after Watcher Knights, chest after them drops plenty. - Head back to the City, enter Soul Sanctum, beat up the second Soul Warrior, and get Shade Soul. We're fully upgraded for the run. You now can go fight Watcher Knights and get Lurien. - Go down to Waterways, beat Dung Defender (he's easy), then get Isma's Tear. I'm really not in the mood of doing that acid skip, though you can still do it and skip this step. - And the finale is a classic. Go to Teacher's Archives through Crossroads (make sure to buy your Mask Shards if you didn't before), beat up Uumu, and get Monomon. - Get to Deepnest the way you wish. If you got the Tear, you can make the amazing QGA Skip Skip and get there through Queen's Gardens, otherwise, go through Fungal Wastes. Take Herrah. - And finish off the game by traveling back to Dirtmough and fighting Hollow Knight, ̶̶d̶y̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶a̶l̶f̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶o̶z̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶s̶,̶ ̶r̶e̶g̶r̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶W̶i̶n̶g̶s̶. It's a quick route I made up almost on the fly. There are many routes, but this one is mine. It took me about 3 hours 13 minutes to complete, of which about an hour was spent dying to Watcher Knights and Hollow Knight. I really wasn't used to fighting with such low equipment (spell-focused playstyle also is new to me), I usually max out before getting to any of them so they end up easy. Some changes to routing were made in hindsight - when I was doing it, I fought Watcher Knights without Shade Soul (not to mention trying to fight them without any nail upgrades), though there was little reason for not getting it at that point. I also for some reason decided that walking from Waterways all the way to Queen's Station would be faster than just climbing out of them and going to either Storerooms or King's Stag. Compared to the route in the video, it has better damage output while not relying on not dying to bosses. Also, minimum amounts of Deepnest, if you do get Isma's and go there through Gardens, and Devouts die to three casts of Shade Soul, which makes fighting them much easier. Of downsides - Waterways, and also a bit strict Geo requirements early on.

[@obolegao]

dude i beat the game in 2 and half hours , really good guide, with some speedruns tricks but nothing too crazy, pretty casually friendly like he said. 10/10

[@andrescbp397]

Speedrun complete! 2:27min Thanks for the video my man.

[@Silly_Billy1]

Bro you are criminally underrated this video was incredibly helpful and just what I needed to figure out how to do the speed run achievements thank you frfr

[@2CPhoenix]

The positivity everyone’s been sending my way on this has been overwhelming! Thank you! And you should let me know what your end time is if you use the route!

[@Earthdebunker]

Thanks dude! I've completed the game in just 2 hours thanks to you!

[@kaede_yuki]

I cleared hollow knight for the first time today with the sealed siblings ending and wanted to get the speed running achievements and I got half way through already, it does feel a bit fast when I’m playing but it’s really helpful. Thanks

[@SaraAlias69]

I'll try this route and update how it went! The tutorial seems amazing! Great work!:)

[@galacticreaper1405]

thanks for making this vid. was able to do it/follow along somewhat. i finished in 3 hour 57 min but that was with a lot of detouring and obtaining other items. working on getting 100% in 20 hours. currently bc of ur help i did accomplish 36% lol

[@Skrill15]

I got it in 2:35 with monarch wings and getting lost around 200 times Great Guide!

[@richardkupper]

Holy shit how do you only have 260 subs i thought u had like 100k plus, the quality is mesmerizing its crazy how so many good creators are just overseen. Damn respect, crazy inspiration too. Thanks for the video very informative keep up you will definetly blow up. Another sub earned.

[@noahwilson4311]

Great route, got my run first try 2 hours 1 minute 56 seconds. Speedrunning made easy, thanks mate

[@tiagocosmos]

I just got the achievements, thank you so much for providing this video and this route. I got in 2h47m. I did grab the monarch wings, but that was my only addition.

[@Rinus00]

Thanks my man, I got sick of my charm breaking after 2 deaths and did hollow knight with mark of pride. 1.5 hours of pain but eventually I got it at 4hours14minutes. Definitly one if not the hardest challenges I have done.

[@spectraldragon09]

I was following along with this video for practice and on my first run i got a 1:48.18. this really helped out a lot compared to my original route.

[@coraliep-r4346]

Finished in 4h25! I went to get shade soul, a charm notch and shaman stone because the watcher knights were giving me a hard time. Best guide out there, thanks!