How to equip charms in Hollow Knight?

Learning how to equip charms in Hollow Knight is essential for customizing your gameplay experience and surviving the challenging depths of Hallownest.

Accessing Your Charm Menu

To equip charms, open your inventory by pressing the designated button (Tab on PC, X on Nintendo Switch, or Square on PlayStation). Navigate to the charm tab, which displays all available charms you've collected throughout your journey.

Understanding Charm Notches

Each charm requires a specific number of charm notches to equip, ranging from 1 to 4 notches. You start with 3 charm notches, but can expand your capacity by finding additional notch upgrades hidden throughout the game world. Salubra the shopkeeper in the Forgotten Crossroads sells notches after you've collected enough charms.

Equipping and Managing Charms

Simply select a charm and press the confirm button to equip it, provided you have enough available notches. Equipped charms appear with a glowing border, while unequipped ones remain dimmed. You can mix and match different combinations to suit your playstyle – whether you prefer increased health, enhanced nail damage, or improved mobility.

Strategic Charm Combinations

Some charms work synergistically when equipped together. For example, pairing Fragile Strength with Quick Slash creates a powerful offensive combination, while Stalwart Shell and Quick Focus provide excellent defensive support for newer players.

Overcharming Mechanic

Hollow Knight allows overcharming – equipping more charms than your notch limit allows. However, this causes you to take double damage from all sources, making it a high-risk, high-reward strategy best reserved for experienced players.

Mastering charm combinations opens up countless strategic possibilities and can dramatically improve your performance in boss fights. Experiment with different setups to discover which combinations work best for your unique playstyle and the challenges ahead.