Hollow Knight: How to Unlock Every Ending (2024)

Hollow Knight is a fantastic indie Metroidvania that has plenty of secrets and lore hidden within its tunnels. For a platformer centered on hacking and slashing, there's a lot to findand do that reveals more about what's happening in the Hallownest -- and it even change the outcome of the game. Hollow Knight isn't just worth replaying because it's a good game; there's plenty to do and new endings to discover.

Over the course of the game, players will follow the call and fight throughthe Hallownest deep underground to discover what led the small Knight there and reveal ancient mysteries. It's a dark journey with great gameplay and a beautiful soundtrack.Interestingly, while there are numerous endings, developer Team Cherry has said that all are equally canonical. Here's what you should know about all five of Hollow Knight's endings, plus the bonus cutscene.

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The Hollow Knight

This is the simplest ending to get, and likely the oneplayers will achieve on their first playthrough, as it'sthe basic culminationof game's progression. Follow the paths, defeat the Dreamers and head to the Hollow Knight's sealed Black Egg. You'll fight the Hollow Knight, who has become infected himself even though he was meant to be a protector of sorts.

The Hollow Knight was chosen to be a vessel for the true enemy, the Radiance, who spreads the infection which grows throughout the game although it too succumbs. In this ending, the little Knight becomes the new chosen, taking its place as the Hollow Knight is trapped within the Black Egg to guard against the Radiance and the cycle repeats itself. Aim for this ending first, as obtaining the Void Heart may lock you out of it.

Sealed Siblings

This oneis similar to the Hollow Knight ending at first, but with a sadder outcome. It requires having an item called Void Heart before confronting the Hollow Knight. This can be found in an area called the Birthplace which is only accessible with the Kingsoul Charm on the West side of the bottom of the Abyss.

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Towards the end of the battle with the Hollow Knight, Hornet will come in and crack its shell then restrain it, giving the little Knight an opening. After a certain amount of damage or time it will break free and knock Hornet away. Unfortunately, she doesn't recover in time to escape the Black Egg before she's sealed inside with the new Hollow Knight. Hornet's face also appears on the door just like the Dreamers were, which means she may have become one herself in this ending.

Dream No More

This ending also requires having found the Void Heart andthe Awoken Dream Nail, but it involves fighting the true enemy instead of the Hollow Knight. The Awoken Dream Nail is tough to get if you haven't done much exploring since it requires obtaining 18,000 Essence. These can be acquired from Whispering Roots, defeating Warriors, Spirits and Dream Bosses. The events of the Sealed Siblings Ending will take place, but by hitting the Hollow Knight with the Awoken Dream Nail, you'll be ported into the dream to fight the Radiance -- the real final boss and a tougher foe.

The Radiance is defeated with the help of the Knight's Shade and taken to the Void for good. This means the Infection is completely dealt with and there is no more need for a Hollow Knight, causing the Black Egg and Knight to disappear. On top of this, any Void creatures or Siblings found in the Abyss are also put to rest since their task is complete. This time, Hornet survives.

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Embrace the Void

This is where the endings become difficult to unlock. You'll need to fight the Radiance in its true form, Absolute Radiance, by fighting your way through the Pantheon of Hallownest located in Godhomewhile having the Void Heart. There are five Pantheon levels, with Hallownest being the highest. This means fighting through some of the game's toughest enemies and never-before-seen bosses.

Absolute Radiance is an even harder version of the final boss, but instead of simply banishing the Radiance to the Void, the Knight's shade summons a massive Void creature or God who tears apart the Absolute Radiance, utterly destroying it and darkening Godhome with the Void. The Godseeker, the one who may have given Radiance its power is seen with Void bursting out of them in Hallownest. In this ending, the Hollow Knight is freed from its duty as the vessel for the Radiance, but the Void may become a new God. Complete this one before the next to prevent it from being locked out.

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Delicate Flower

This ending is similar to Embrace the Void with one additional requirement: you must give an item called the Delicate Flower to the Godseeker before fighting the Absolute Radiance. The ending plays out like Embrace the Void, but instead of a possible Void God bursting forth from the Godseeker, Void touches the flower its holding before the creature dies and instead it's absorbed into it. The flower survives on the ground, but with one of its petals cracked and Void tainted.

It's not entirely clear what happens in this ending, but it may mean the Void was contained by this bright flower similar to how the Siblings and the Knight's Shade seem to be contained within their shells or masks. It may have prevented the tides from shifting and having a different entity poisoning the Hollow Nest. In both Godmaster endings, Hornet's fate is unknown and will likely remain so until Silksong.

Bonus: Passing of the Age

This isn't a stand-alone ending, butrather an extra cutscenethat can be obtained as part of any of them. It involves finding a character named Mister Mushroom in various places of the Hallownest after defeating all three of the Dreamers, those who sealed away the Hollow Knight. There is a tablet in the bottom right corner of the Kingdom's Edge area which requires the Spore Shroom Charm to read and contains riddles. Each line tells Mister Mushroom's location, and you'll also need the Spore Shroom Charm to speak with him. Talk to him in order, and he'll tell you his secrets before departing. Later, you'll get this bonus scene with your ending.

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