Hollow Knight 112% Completion Checklist: The Full Guide

Achieving 112% completion in Hollow Knight requires tracking down every single mask shard, vessel fragment, nail upgrade, spell upgrade, and secret boss across the sprawling expanse of Hallownest. The base game accounts for 100%, and the four expansion packs—Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood, and Godmaster—add the remaining 12%. Because the game doesn't feature an in-game checklist or a quest log, tracking your exact percentage manually is essential to avoid missing obscure late-game items.

This guide provides a structured breakdown of every percentage-yielding item, quest, and boss fight in the game, alongside strategic notes for efficient routing.

Understanding the Percentage Breakdown

Every completed objective in Hallownest contributes a specific decimal or integer value toward your final save file percentage. A fresh save file starts at 0% and maxes out at 112%.

Here is how the main components distribute:

Nail Upgrades: 4 upgrades total, 1% each (4% total).
Nail Arts: 3 arts total, 1% each (3% total).
Spells: 3 base spells plus their upgraded variants (Vengeful Spirit/Abyss Shriek, etc.), 6 total, 2% each (12% total).
Abilities (Movement): Mothwing Cloak, Mantis Claw, Mothwing Cloak variants, Monarch Wings, Isma's Tear, Crystal Heart, Monarch Wings, Monarch Wings variations, Shade Soul components—movement abilities and item upgrades make up standard progression blocks.
Mask Shards: 16 shards total, translating to 4 full masks, 1% per full mask (4% total).
Vessel Fragments: 9 fragments total, translating to 3 full vessels, 1% per full vessel (3% total).
Dreamers: 3 Dreamers, 1% each (3% total).
Dream Nail Upgrades: Awoken Dream Nail is worth 1%.
Bosses: Various main-story and optional bosses award percentages upon defeat.
Colosseum of Fools: Each of the three trials awards 1% (3% total).
Expansions: Grimm Troupe (Nightmare King Grimm or Banishment grants percentages) and Godmaster (Pantheons 1 through 5 grant 1% each, totaling 5%).

Early to Mid-Game Essentials Checklist

Before pushing into late-game areas, lock down your foundational upgrades. Missing these early makes mid-game boss encounters unnecessarily punishing.

Movement and Traversal

Mothwing Cloak: Found in Greenpath after defeating the False Knight and Hornet. Essential for dashing across gaps.
Mantis Claw: Located in the Mantis Village. Allows wall-climbing and changes vertical exploration entirely.
Crystal Heart: Found in the Crystal Peak. Grants the Super Dash to cross wide chasms.
Monarch Wings: Found in the Ancient Basin after defeating the Broken Vessel. Provides double jump.
Isma's Tear: Located in the Royal Waterways. Grants immunity to acid pools.
Monarch Wings / Shade Cloak: Found in the Abyss. Grants an invincible dash.

Nail Upgrades and Arts

Old Nail: Starting weapon.
Sharpened Nail: Crafted by the Nailsmith in the City of Tears (requires 250 Geo and Pale Ore).
Channelled Nail: Crafted by the Nailsmith (requires 800 Geo and 2 Pale Ore).
Coiled Nail: Crafted by the Nailsmith (requires 2,000 Geo and 3 Pale Ore).
Pure Nail: Crafted by the Nailsmith (requires 4,000 Geo and 5 Pale Ore). Note: Choosing whether to spare or kill the Nailsmith has no impact on your completion percentage.
Cyclone Slash: Learned from Sheo in Greenpath.
Dash Slash: Learned from Oro in Kingdom's Edge.
Great Slash: Learned from Mato in Howling Cliffs.

Mask Shards and Vessel Fragments

You need every single mask shard and vessel fragment to maximize your health and Soul capacity, though you only need a specific threshold for the 112% completion marker (since maxing out health and soul counts directly toward specific percentages).

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Mask Shard Tracking

Sly's Shop: Four shards can be purchased from Sly in Dirtmouth as you find Shopkeeper's Keys.
Mini-Bosses & Quests: Rescue all 30 Grubs for a mask shard reward from the Grubfather. Defeat the Brooding Mawlek in Forgotten Crossroads. Complete Bretta's rescue in Fungal Wastes.
World Exploration: Scattered shards rest in Forgotten Crossroads, Greenpath, Deepnest (near the Failed Tramway), Queen's Gardens, and the Hive.

Vessel Fragment Tracking

Sly's Shop: Two fragments available for purchase from Sly.
Stagway & Crossroad Stations: Found near the Stag Nest, Greenpath, City of Tears, and Deepnest.
Fountain: Submitting 3,000 Geo to the Fountain in the City of Tears rewards a vessel fragment.

Spell Upgrades and Dream Nail Progression

Spells deal heavy damage when positioned correctly, and their upgrades are mandatory for completionists.

Vengeful Spirit & Shade Soul: Vengeful Spirit is found in the Ancestral Mound; Shade Soul is found in the Soul Sanctum via the Elegant Key.
Howling Wraiths & Abyss Shriek: Howling Wraiths is found in the Howling Cliffs; Abyss Shriek is found in the Abyss by casting Howling Wraiths near the statue.
Desolate Dive & Descending Dark: Desolate Dive is dropped by the Soul Master; Descending Dark is found in the Crystal Peak by slamming through a cracked floor in the Crystallized Mound.
Dream Nail: Obtained from the Moth in the Resting Grounds after collecting 200 Essence.
Awoken Dream Nail: Requires 1,800 Essence collected by defeating Dream Warriors and Dream Bosses.

Late-Game Challenges and Colosseum Trials

The Colosseum of Fools in the Kingdom's Edge houses three brutal arena trials. Each completed trial yields a percentage point and vital resources.

Trial of the Warrior: Grants Geo, a Notch, and 1% completion.
Trial of the Conqueror: Grants Pale Ore, Geo, and 1% completion.
Trial of the Fool: The hardest trial in the game. Grants massive Geo, an achievement, and 1% completion. Focus heavily on aerial combat and charms like Quick Slash, Unbreakable Strength, and Shaman Stone.

The Grimm Troupe and Godmaster Expansions

The expansion content accounts for 12% of your overall score. Managing the Grimm Troupe questline requires a pivotal choice.

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Grimm Troupe Choices: Defeating Nightmare King Grimm grants 1% completion. Alternatively, banishing the troupe via Brumm in the Distant Village also grants 1% completion. Both paths lock out the other, but either grants the required percentage.
Pantheons (Godmaster): Speak to the Junk Pit seeker to unlock the Godhome. Completing the first four Pantheons (Master, Artist, Sage, and Knight) grants 1% each (4% total). The fifth Pantheon (Hallownest) does not grant a percentage point, making it purely optional for completionists unless you want the absolute 112% achievement seal or specific ending variations.

When stuck at 111%, finding the missing 1% is notoriously frustrating. Check these frequently missed milestones first:

The Seer's Final Reward: Many players stop collecting Essence once they hit 1,800 for the Awoken Dream Nail. You must push past that threshold to reach 2,400 Essence to claim the final reward (a Vessel Fragment or achievement item, depending on the patch, but make sure to exhaust dialogue with the Seer).
The Last Grub: Double-check the Collector's map or look up specific Grub locations if you are missing one in the edge cases of the Hive or Deepnest.
Forgotten Crossroads Shifts: When the infection spreads, certain enemies change, but make sure you didn't miss optional NPCs like Menderbug hiding in the well shaft.
Missed Bosses: The White Defender (in the Royal Waterways) and Grey Prince Zote (in Dirtmouth, if you saved him and defeated him in the Colosseum) both offer percentage progression upon defeating their multiple difficulty tiers or initial forms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to beat Pantheon 5 for 112% completion?

No. Pantheons 1 through 4 contribute 1% each, totaling 4%. Pantheon 5 (Pantheon of Hallownest) is excluded from the percentage calculation.

Does killing the Nailsmith lock me out of 112%?

No. Striking him or sparing him has zero effect on your percentage counter. Both choices result in the exact same weapon progression value.

Where can I check my current completion percentage?

Once you acquire the World Sense ability from the Black Egg Temple after beating a specific boss, sitting on a bench or opening your inventory will display your exact percentage on the save file selection screen.

Does Steel Soul mode change the percentage requirements?

The percentage calculations remain identical in Steel Soul mode, though the stakes are significantly higher since death is permanent.