Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania game with a heavy emphasis on fast-paced combat and interconnected dungeons. The game can be extremely punishing to the unprepared. Thankfully, there are a ton of abilities and spells in the game to help any player get through the game much easier.
These abilities are necessary for seeing through every level of this beautiful indie game. A lot of the game's areas are soft gated, meaning the player can only get to or complete them after they've earned certain abilities. Outside of traversal, these abilities can also be extremely useful in combat. Here are the best spells and abilities in the game every player should take advantage of as much as they can.
10 Isma's Tear
Isma's Tear is a necessary item for the player to access early levels that are difficult to traverse due to acidic pools. Once the player gets the ability, they'll be able to swim in acid without having to worry about taking damage.
Isma's tear can be obtained in Isma's Grove, located in the far southeastern corner of the Royal Waterways. The player will first need to have Crystal Heart and defeat the Dung Defender to gain access to the area Isma's Tear is located.
9 Shade Soul
Shade Soul is an upgrade to the Vengeful Spirit spell. This propels a shadow across the player, damaging anything in its path. This spell will penetrate walls and shields, making it reach enemies Vengeful Spirit is unable to hit.
To get the Shade Soul, the player must first get the Elegant Key from Sly, who will head back to Dirtmouth after he's been rescued at the Forgotten Crossroads. Once the player has the key, they can then unlock the Soul Sanctum. This spell is located here.
8 Descending Dark
The Descending Dark spell will allow the player to plunge into the ground. This allows them to break floors which opens up levels that are previously inaccessible. It can be taken from a snail shaman's corpse located in Crystallised Mound.
Aside from using it to access new locations, the Descending Dark spell is also very useful in combat. The Descending Dark will damage those who are caught in the blast. Activating the spell will also enable invincibility frames that last 0.4 seconds, more than enough to avoid being damaged.
7 Shade Cloak
The Shade Cloak is an upgrade to the Mothwing Cloak, the ability that allows the player to dash forward. Unlike its previous iteration, the Shade Cloak is capable of dashing through Shade Gates. Shade Gates make certain areas of the game inaccessible.
Dashing will also make the player invincible for a few moments, which means they can dash through enemies and projectiles. The player can also equip the Sharp Shadow Charm, making Shade Cloak an offensive ability.
6 Awoken Dream Nail
Once the player collects 1,800 essences, they can awaken the Dream Nail by going back to Seer. The Awoken Dream Nail will allow the player to reach the White Palace by swinging the Dream Nail on the trodden corpse in the Palace Grounds.
The Dream Nail can also be used in combat to gather a substantial amount of Souls when used in the proper window of opportunity. The player can also make the Dream Nail swing faster by equipping the Dream Wielder Charm.
5 Abyss Shriek
The Abyss Shriek is an upgrade to the Howling Wraiths spell. This will activate a powerful blast of soul and shadow that damages enemies above the player. It will also hit enemies that are within close proximity of the player.
The Abyss Shriek is considerably more powerful than the Shade Soul and equipping the Shaman Stone Charm will make the attack 50% stronger. This spell can be found in the southwest area of the Abyss. The player can only get this spell if they've already acquired Howling Wraiths.
4 Mantis Claw
Those who wear the Mantis Claw will give them the ability to cling to walls and jump off them. This makes the verticality of the game's traversal system much more fluid. It is also a necessary item. This ability is needed to access certain areas that are integral to completing the game.
The Mantis Claw is located in the west part of the Mantis Village. It is guarded by Mantis Warriors and Mantis Youths.
3 Monarch Wings
The Monarch Wings gives the player the ability to double jump. This gives them access to a couple of previously inaccessible areas such as the Palace Grounds, the boss room of the Enraged Guardian, the Fungal Core, various charms, and locations of Grubs.
Aside from making the game's platforming elements so much more entertaining, the ability to double jump will also make fighting bosses way easier as it will allow them to dodge projectiles that have a long vertical range.
2 Dreamgate
The Dreamgate ability is unlocked after the player acquires 900 essences by going back to the Seer. This ability essentially opens a portal the player can teleport back to. It can also be placed almost anywhere on the map and it only consumes 1 essence to use.
The only areas where the player can't use the Dreamgate are the White Palace, trams, lift shafts, and the White Lady's room. It makes tedious side quests such as the Delicate Flower quest much easier.
1 Crystal Heart
Located at the top of the Crystal Peak, at the core of the mining golem, is the Crystal Heart. This ability gives the player the ability to super dash forward until they either hit an enemy or a wall.
The Crystal Heart is extremely important in reaching a lot of places integral to the game's main campaign. It also makes horizontal traversal much faster. The player can activate Crystal Heart while they're on the ground and while clinging to walls.