How to increase health in Hollow Knight?
Learning how to increase health in Hollow Knight is crucial for surviving the challenging depths of Hallownest and progressing through increasingly difficult areas.
Mask Shards: Your Primary Health Upgrade
The main way to boost your health is by collecting Mask Shards. Every four Mask Shards you gather will permanently increase your health by one full mask (health point). There are 16 Mask Shards scattered throughout Hallownest, allowing you to increase your base health from 5 masks to 9 masks total.
Key Mask Shard Locations
Some notable Mask Shard locations include:
- Forgotten Crossroads: Purchase from Sly the shopkeeper for 150 Geo
- Greenpath: Hidden behind breakable walls near the Acid Pools
- City of Tears: Reward for completing the Pleasure House challenge
- Crystal Peak: Found in the Crystal Heart area after solving platforming puzzles
- Deepnest: Multiple shards hidden in this dangerous late-game area
Temporary Health Boosts
Charms for Health Management
Several charms can effectively increase your survivability:
- Fragile Heart/Unbreakable Heart: Adds 2 extra masks to your health pool
- Lifeblood Heart: Grants 2 temporary blue masks at each bench
- Lifeblood Core: Provides 4 temporary blue masks when resting
Lifeblood Cocoons
Throughout your journey, you'll discover Lifeblood Cocoons that grant temporary blue masks. These don't increase your permanent health but provide valuable extra protection for challenging sections.
Strategic Health Management
Combining permanent Mask Shard upgrades with health-boosting charms creates a robust defense system. Prioritize finding Mask Shards early in your playthrough, as the permanent health increase will benefit you throughout the entire game.
Mastering health management opens up new possibilities for tackling Hallownest's toughest bosses and most treacherous platforming sections. Ready to dive deeper into advanced combat strategies and charm combinations?
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