Hollow Knight on PC supports a mod menu through the Modding API. Nintendo Switch players get access to shade farming loops, charm combinations, and bench warp methods that improve progression speed significantly.
PC MOD MENU SETUP
Download the Hollow Knight Modding API from GitHub (search HollowKnight.Modding).
Install it to your Hollow Knight installation folder.
Download the DebugMod from the same GitHub organization.
Press F1 in-game to open the Debug Menu.
Available functions:
Infinite Health: Health never decreases.
Infinite Soul: Soul meter stays full for spell casting.
Add Geo: Set your Geo (currency) to any amount.
Unlock All Charms: All 45 charms available immediately.
Scene Warp: Teleport to any room in the game instantly.
Kill All Enemies: Removes all enemies in the current room.
GEO AND SHADE FARMING
Your Shade stores your Geo and Pale Ore when you die. Recovering it returns everything.
Shade farming method for Geo:
1. Farm Geo from Grubs and enemies until you have 3,000 to 5,000 Geo.
2. Die intentionally in a room with easy access from the nearest bench.
3. Walk back and collect your Shade.
4. Repeat.
This method does not gain you net Geo. Use it to understand Shade mechanics before attempting Steel Soul.
Fastest direct Geo farming:
Location: Kingdom's Edge, near the Nailmaster Oro area.
Enemies: Great Hoppers each give 36 Geo per kill.
Three Great Hoppers spawn in a cluster. Kill all three, rest at the nearby bench, and repeat.
Each loop gives 108 Geo in 40 seconds.
In 10 minutes, you earn approximately 1,600 Geo.
BEST CHARM COMBINATIONS
Combo 1: Quick Slash plus Fragile Strength plus Mark of Pride
This combination increases attack speed, damage, and nail range simultaneously.
Your nail covers 40 percent more range and swings 40 percent faster with 50 percent more damage.
This is the strongest general-purpose combat build in the game.
Combo 2: Spell Twister plus Shaman Stone plus Quick Focus
Reduces Soul cost by 33 percent, increases spell damage by 33 percent, and halves healing time.
Best build for boss fights where healing between attacks is required.
Combo 3: Grubsong plus Grubberfly's Elegy plus Joni's Blessing
Grubsong generates Soul when you take damage.
Grubberfly's Elegy shoots beams when you are at full health.
Joni's Blessing replaces your standard health masks with blue masks that do not decrease.
This combination makes you effectively invincible against chip damage while maintaining beam attacks.
STEEL SOUL MODE TIPS
Steel Soul is the permadeath mode. One death ends the run and resets all progress.
Preparation before starting Steel Soul:
Complete a full standard playthrough first. Know every boss pattern before attempting.
Memorize bench locations in the four most dangerous areas: Deepnest, Ancient Basin, Kingdom's Edge, and White Palace.
Carry a Fragile Charm for key boss fights. Fragile Charms break on death, but in Steel Soul mode there is no death recovery, so they function identically to Unbreakable Charms.
White Palace tips (the hardest area in Steel Soul):
Slow down at every saw blade section. Rushing is the primary cause of Steel Soul deaths in White Palace.
The Path of Pain optional section is not required. Skip it in Steel Soul runs.
Take the upper route through White Palace whenever you have a choice. The lower routes have tighter timings.