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Hollow Knight: 100% Achievement Guide & Speedrun Routes

Gamer IT KBTactical Quick Answer

Hollow Knight contains 63 total Steam achievements. Completing all achievements requires at least two separate playthroughs: one standard completion for missable choice achievements, and one Steel Soul playthrough under 20 hours with 100 percent completion.

Getting 100 percent achievement status in Hollow Knight tests combat endurance, routing efficiency, and boss mastery. Several achievements are mutually exclusive based on story choices, requiring multiple save files.

Which achievements are missable on a single save file?​

Four pairs of achievements depend on irreversible decisions made during your journey.

Choice EncounterOption A AchievementOption B AchievementKey Condition
Zote in Vengeful WastesNeglect (Leave Zote to die)Rivalry (Rescue Zote and defeat him in Colosseum)Save Zote from Vengefly King or walk past
The NailsmithHappy Couple (Spare Nailsmith, visit Sheo)Purity (Kill Nailsmith with Pure Nail)Strike or spare Nailsmith after final upgrade
Grimm TroupeRitual (Defeat Nightmare King Grimm)Banishment (Banish troupe with Brumm in Distant Village)Complete flame torch collection
Bankkeeper MillibelleExecutioner (Beat up Millibelle in Pleasure House)-Deposit 2,500+ Geo and sit at bench

How do you route Speedrun II (Under 5 Hours)?​

Speedrunner II requires beating the game in under 5 hours (5.2 percent global unlock rate). Following a streamlined route avoids unnecessary backtracking and boss fights.

  1. Forgotten Crossroads: Buy Crossroads map from Cornifer, defeat False Knight, acquire Vengeful Spirit.
  2. Greenpath: Defeat Hornet Protector, pick up Mothwing Cloak.
  3. Fungal Wastes: Pick up Mantis Claw. Skip Mantis Lords for now.
  4. City of Tears: Insert City Crest, visit Nailsmith for Sharpened Nail (+1), defeat Soul Master for Desolate Dive.
  5. Crystal Peak: Buy Lumafly Lantern from Sly (1,800 Geo) or use Desolate Dive to enter Crystal Peak. Grab Crystal Dash.
  6. Ancient Basin: Drop down shaft, defeat Broken Vessel, acquire Monarch Wings.
  7. Dreamers: Defeat Lurien (City Watchtower), Herrah (Deepnest), and Monomon (Teacher's Archives in Fog Canyon).
  8. Black Egg Temple: Defeat The Hollow Knight to finish the run.
tip

Pause the game whenever you stop to review maps or guides. Pausing halts the internal speedrun timer completely.

What are the hardest Steel Soul & Endgame achievements?​

Steel Soul mode permanent death rules mean losing your character resets the save file completely.

  • Steel Soul (3.8% Global Unlock): Finish the game in Steel Soul mode without dying once.
  • Steel Heart (3.4% Global Unlock): Achieve 100 percent game completion in Steel Soul mode without dying.
  • Speed Completion (5.8% Global Unlock): Achieve 100 percent game completion in under 20 hours.
  • Embrace the Void (4.6% Global Unlock): Complete the 5th Pantheon (Pantheon of Hallownest) in Godhome.
Total Game Completion Percentage Calculation (112% Max):
├── 16 Bosses = 16%
├── 4 Spells + 3 Upgrades = 7%
├── 40 Charms = 40%
├── 3 Dream Nails + Upgrades = 3%
├── 4 Nail Upgrades + 3 Nail Arts = 7%
├── 4 Pantheon Clears (P1-P4) = 4%
├── 9 Mask Shards (3 Full Masks) = 3%
└── 9 Vessel Fragments (3 Full Vessels) = 3%

How do you resolve cross-platform achievement bugs?​

  • GOG/Steam Blank Menu Bug: Deleting Galaxy64.dll and GalaxyCSharpGlue.dll in the game root folder and Hollow Knight_Data\Plugins\x86_64 folder prevents GOG overlay conflicts from breaking Steam achievement hooks.
  • Linux Input & Sync Lag: Force Steam Proton (Windows-to-Linux compatibility layer) in Steam game properties to bypass input drop issues present in the native Linux build.
Does quitting to menu save you from dying in Steel Soul?

Yes. Pausing and quitting to the main menu at 1 mask of health teleports your character back to the last bench safely with full health intact.

Do Pantheons count toward 112% completion?

Pantheons 1 through 4 each grant 1 percent completion (4 percent total). Pantheon 5 (Embrace the Void) is required for its achievement but adds zero percentage points to your save stats.

Can I get Speedrun I and Speedrun II on the same run?

Yes. Beating the game in under 5 hours unlocks both Speedrunner I (under 10 hours) and Speedrunner II simultaneously.