You’re standing in front of the Nightmare King Grimm or maybe just a particularly nasty Great Hopper in Kingdom’s Edge, and you realize you’re one notch short of the perfect build. It’s frustrating. You want to keep your Quick Slash and Mark of Pride, but you also desperately need Unbreakable Strength to make the fight end before your nerves fry. This is the constant tug-of-war with charm slots in Hollow Knight. It’s not just about collecting shiny badges; it’s about the mathematical economy of your survival in Hallownest.
Honestly, the game starts you off feeling pretty claustrophobic. You begin your journey with a measly three Notches. That’s barely enough to fit Wayward Compass and maybe a Soul Catcher if you’re feeling spicy. But as you descend deeper into the fungal wastes and the rain-slicked streets of the City of Tears, the "build" becomes the most important part of your kit.
Most people think getting more slots is just a matter of shopping at Salubra’s hut in Forgotten Crossroads. While that’s where the bulk of your upgrades come from, there’s a specific rhythm to unlocking them that keeps you from becoming too powerful too early. Team Cherry balanced this game on a knife's edge. If you had 11 slots in Greenpath, the Hornet fight would be a joke.
The Salubra Gatekeeper
Salubra is the primary source of your expansion, but she doesn't just hand them over for Geo. She’s a collector. She wants to see that you’ve actually explored the world. To buy her first Notch, you need five charms. Simple enough. By the time you’re looking for the fourth Notch from her shop, you need to have tracked down 25 different charms.
This creates a natural progression. You can’t just farm Geo from Husk Sentry mobs and max out your slots immediately. You have to find the charms hidden behind breakable walls in the Queen's Gardens or win them from the Colosseum of Fools. It forces you to engage with the world’s lore and its deadliest corners.
Wait, I should mention the cost. Geo is rarely the bottleneck in the mid-game, but Salubra’s prices do scale up. Her final Notch costs 1,400 Geo. That sounds like a lot when you're first starting out, but by the time you've found 25 charms, you’ve likely sold enough King’s Idols to Lemm to buy out her entire shop twice over.
Hunting the Hidden Notches
Outside of the shop, there are four "wild" Notches scattered across the map. These are the ones that separate the casual players from the completionists. One is tucked away in the Fog Canyon, specifically in a room that requires the Isma’s Tear or some very precise Monarch Wings movement to reach. It’s easy to miss because the Fog Canyon is a place most players sprint through to avoid those explosive jellyfish.
Then there’s the Fungal Wastes. You have to fight two Shrumal Ogres. It’s a claustrophobic fight. They spit orange blobs and slam their heads down, but the reward is a Notch that makes the early-to-mid game significantly smoother.
The Trial of the Warrior
If you want to prove your worth, you head to the top of the world. The Colosseum of Fools. The first trial, the Trial of the Warrior, rewards you with a Notch upon your first completion. It’s a rite of passage. If you can’t handle the waves of enemies there, you probably don't need the extra slot anyway, because the game is about to get much harder.
The Grimm Troupe’s Gift
The final Notch is tied to the Grimm Troupe DLC. You don't even have to beat the Nightmare King to get it (thank goodness). You just need to defeat Grimm’s first form. He’s a dance partner. Once you learn the rhythm of his fire bats and cloak spikes, the fight becomes a beautiful, gothic ballet. Beating him pops that final Notch, bringing your total to 11.
The Overcharmed Risk
Here is something the game doesn't explicitly explain in a tutorial pop-up: Overcharming.
You can actually force a charm into your build even if you don't have enough slots. Say you have one slot left, but you want to equip Shaman Stone, which takes three. If you click it enough times—usually five—it will eventually snap into place. Your notches will glow with a strange, purple energy.
You’re now Overcharmed.
It sounds like a cheat code, but the penalty is brutal. You take double damage from every single source. A regular hit from a Primal Aspid (the true villain of the game) will now take two masks instead of one. In the late-game areas like the White Palace or against Ascended bosses in Godhome, being Overcharmed is basically a "one-hit-death" mode.
Is it worth it? For speedrunners and Radiant boss hunters, absolutely. For a first-time playthrough? You’re playing with fire. One mistimed dash and your run back to your shade is going to be a lot more stressful.
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Building Around Your Slots
Strategy changes based on how many charm slots in Hollow Knight you’ve managed to secure.
Early on (3-5 slots), you’re usually picking between utility and power. Do you take Wayward Compass because you’re lost, or Thorns of Agony because you keep getting hit? Most veterans will tell you to ditch the compass as soon as you recognize the landmarks, but honestly, Hallownest is a labyrinth. Keep the compass if it stops you from getting frustrated.
Mid-game (6-8 slots) is where the "Spell Build" vs "Nail Build" debate starts.
- The Spellcaster: You’re looking at Shaman Stone and Spell Twister. This setup lets you spam Vengeful Spirit and Descending Dark. The i-frames (invincibility frames) on Descending Dark are literally life-saving.
- The Nail Master: You want Longnail and Quick Slash. If you’ve found Mark of Pride from the Mantis Lords, you can stay miles away from enemies while still hitting them.
Late-game (9-11 slots) is where you become a god. You can combine Quick Slash, Unbreakable Strength, and Mark of Pride. This turns the Knight into a blender. You can also pivot to a "Tank Build" using Quick Focus and Deep Focus, though the slow heal speed of Deep Focus can be a trap in fast boss fights.
The Misconception of More
People often ask if there’s a way to get 12 or 13 slots. There isn't. Not in the base game. Mods exist, sure, but 11 is the hard cap set by Team Cherry.
The beauty of the 11-slot limit is that it forces a choice. You can never have everything. You can’t have the ultimate spell power, the longest nail reach, and the fastest healing all at once. You have to compromise. That compromise is where your personal playstyle is born. Some people swear by Sharp Shadow for the extra dash distance and damage. Others think it ruins their muscle memory for platforming. Both are right.
Real-World Mastery: Actionable Steps
If you’re staring at your inventory wondering how to bridge the gap to a better build, follow this sequence:
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- Clear the Crossroads: Buy every cheap charm Salubra has. Even the "useless" ones like Gathering Swarm count toward your total for unlocking more Notches.
- Mantis Lords: Go beat them early. It opens up the map and gives you one of the best charms in the game, which incentivizes you to get the slots to actually use it.
- Fungal Ogre Hunt: Don't skip the Fungal Wastes mini-bosses. It’s one of the easiest Notches to get if you just stay mobile.
- Grub Hunting: Saving Grubs gives you charms as rewards from the Father Grub. This is the most efficient way to hit Salubra’s "25 charms" requirement without spending a fortune.
- Godhome Practice: If you’re struggling with the Colosseum Notch, go to Godhome and practice the enemy patterns. It’s lower stakes since you don't actually "die" and lose your Geo there.
The climb from 3 to 11 slots is the story of your growth as a player. By the time you’ve filled that final notch, you aren't just a tiny knight lost in a bug kingdom anymore. You’re a powerhouse ready to face the Radiance. Just remember: even with 11 slots, a fall into the spikes still hurts just as much.
Prioritize the Fog Canyon Notch as soon as you get the Monarch Wings; it’s the one most players forget exists until they’re at 10 slots and scratching their heads. Once you have it, you can finally slot in that one extra charm that changes everything.