You’re exploring the damp, echoing ruins of the Forgotten Crossroads when you hear it. That tiny, high-pitched weep. It’s a sound that stops any Hollow Knight player in their tracks. You know there’s a Grub nearby, trapped in a glass jar, waiting for you to swing your nail and send it home to its weeping father.
Finding all grub locations in Hollow Knight is more than just a completionist’s checklist. It’s a journey across every single corner of Hallownest, from the sun-drenched greenery of Greenpath to the suffocating darkness of Deepnest. There are 46 of these little guys. Some are easy. Others? They’re tucked behind breakable walls or guarded by bosses that will make you want to throw your controller.
The Hunt for 46 Grubs: Where to Even Start?
Most players stumble upon their first few grubs by accident. You’ll find five of them just wandering around the Forgotten Crossroads. One is guarded by a Gruz Mother, while another is hidden behind a wall you have to smash near the entrance to the Fungal Wastes.
But as you go deeper, it gets weird. The game stops handing them to you.
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Take Greenpath, for instance. You’ve got four grubs here. One is sitting in a room filled with acid that requires some tricky platforming. Another is hidden behind a mossy wall that looks exactly like every other wall in the area. This is where the frustration starts for most people. You know you’re missing one, but the map doesn't tell you where.
The Secret Map Every Hunter Needs
Honestly, if you're trying to find all 46 without help, you're a masochist. There is a specific item called the Collector’s Map that reveals every single grub location on your in-game map.
To get it, you have to find the Love Key in the Queen’s Gardens. Then, you take that key to the Tower of Love in the City of Tears. You’ll fight The Collector—a spindly, laughing creep who has been the one bottling up these grubs all along. Beat him, and the map is yours.
Suddenly, your world map is covered in little jar icons. It’s a game-changer.
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Breaking Down the Regional Nightmare
Every area has its own flavor of difficulty when it comes to rescue missions.
In Crystal Peak, there are seven grubs. One of them is stuck at the end of a corridor of crushing pistons. You have to time your dashes perfectly or get flattened into bug-paste. Another is hidden in the Crystallised Mound, an area many players skip entirely because it’s tucked away behind a dive-floor.
Then there’s Deepnest. Five grubs live here. Deepnest is already a nightmare of spikes and skittering sounds, but finding the grubs here is truly stressful. One is hidden in a "secret" room within the Beast’s Den. If you don't have the Lumafly Lantern, you're basically bumbling around in the dark hoping to hear a chirp.
Don't Fall for the Mimics
The Fungal Wastes and Crystal Peak have a nasty surprise: Grub Mimics.
You see a jar. You hear the cry. You break the glass. But instead of a cute green friend, a multi-legged horror lunges at your face. It’s one of the best "gotcha" moments in the game. You can actually tell them apart if you use the Dream Nail on the jar before breaking it. A real grub will think things like "...Home..." or "...Father...", while a mimic will think "...Kill..." or "...Empty...".
Why Bother Saving Them All?
Is it just for the Geo? No. While the Grubfather throws money at you like he’s won the lottery, the real rewards are the items.
- 5 Grubs: Mask Shard (Essential for staying alive).
- 10 Grubs: Grubsong Charm (Gives you SOUL when you take damage—huge for boss fights).
- 31 Grubs: Pale Ore (You need this to upgrade your Nail to its final forms).
- 46 Grubs: Grubberfly’s Elegy.
That final charm is interesting. It lets you fire projectiles from your nail when you have full health. It turns Hollow Knight into a bit of a side-scrolling shooter. It’s niche, sure, but it’s a badge of honor.
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That Ending... Let’s Talk About It
If you’ve found all grub locations in Hollow Knight, you’ve probably returned to the Grubhome for your final reward. You get the charm, you leave, you come back later to check on them... and the room is quiet.
The little holes in the wall are empty. The Grubfather is lying on the floor, his belly massive and pulsating. If you listen closely, you can hear the grubs chirping happily inside him.
People freak out about this. They think he ate them. They think you spent hours saving these kids just to deliver them to a predator. But look at the achievement name: Metamorphosis. In the world of bugs, sometimes the parent acts as a cocoon. He’s sacrificing his body to let them grow into the next stage of their life cycle. It’s gross, yeah, but it’s actually a "good" ending in the weird, dark logic of Hallownest.
Actionable Advice for Your Hunt
If you're stuck at 45/46, check the Hive. There’s one grub hidden behind a wall that only breaks if you bait a large Hive Guardian into charging into it. It doesn’t show up clearly on the map if you haven't fully explored the bottom-right corner of the world.
Another frequent "miss" is the one in the Tower of Love itself. After beating the Collector, don't just grab the map and leave. There are three grubs sitting right there in the boss room.
Go get the Collector's Map first. It saves you dozens of hours of aimless wandering. Once you have it, clear out the easy areas like the Crossroads and Greenpath before heading into the high-stress zones like Kingdom's Edge. Your upgraded Nail and extra health will make those "guarded" grubs a lot easier to handle.