Hollow Knight Dirtmouth Guide

The hub area in Hollow Knight is called Dirtmouth. This area is home to a few NPCs and services that will be very important as you progress through the game. Before you reach Dirtmouth you need to complete a opening section. Below I will walk you through that section and highlight what’s important in the hub. Scroll below for our Hollow Knight Dirtmouth Guide

Getting to Dirtmouth (aka Tutorial)

The Hollow Knight starts with the Knight dropping into a named area called King’s Pass. This area acts as a sort of loose tutorial for players and does not hold many secrets. Before making the trek to Dirtmouth: The Fading Town there are a few Geo Clusters (Geo is the game’s currency) we can collect on the way.

Geo Cluster 1

The first Geo Cluster is located in the room to the left of the room start the game in in King’s Pass. Walking off screen to the left takes you to a smallish cave which has the Geo Cluster inside. Geo Clusters can be collected by smashing them with your nail (character’s weapon). Early in the game Geo needs to be manually collected, so make sure to collect every piece. Once this cluster is collected, exit the cave and head right.

Geo Cluster 2

Heading right will take you through a hallway of breakable doors. Breaks the doors with your nail. Head through each door and watch for enemies. Once you make it through the hallway, you will arrive in a large room with platforms in the middle.

Head to the bottom right area of the room to find Geo Cluster 2. After collecting the Geo make your way up the room via the conveniently placed platforms. Once you make it to the top of the room you will enter a hallway to the left with a tutorial marker in it. This mark introduces us to Focus which is the games healing system. Continue left and you will enter another large room.

Geo Cluster 3

Take out the flying enemy in the large room and proceed left to the breakable door. Break the door and enter the room. Use the platforms to head up while watching out for the flying enemy and claim Geo Cluster 3. Head back to the large room and proceed upward by platforming up the planforms.

Overheal

At the top of this room is an alcove which has a large Lifseed in it. If the Knight hits the Lifeseed and the pieces it explodes into he receives Lifeblood masks (additional health on top of his normal health bar). This health buff is removed after sitting at a bench. Collect the Lifeblood masks and head right across the gap to the ledge. Go right on this platform until you reach another breakable door.

Geo Cluster 4

As you make your way through the breakable door, you will come to an area where the floor collapses under you. Try and trigger the collapse while remaining on the sturdy portion of the walkway. This will let you collect the Geo Cluster 4 in the area which is located along the left side of the wall left after the collapse. Simply drop down along the wall to land in the hallway and collect it. Leave the hallway and drop down below. Head right into the next area.

Geo Cluster 5

In the room with the spiked floor, make your way across and drop down to the right corner of the room. Enter the next room to find Geo Cluster 5. Collect the Geo, return to the spiked room and make your way up. You will come across a board which appears to be holding the ground above up. Hit the board and jump to the higher level. Head right until you come to a large gate.

Getting to Dirtmouth: The Fading Town

The large gate is the gate to Dirtmouth. Hit the gate multiple times until it eventually breaks and opens. You will then be able to pass through the gate into the hub town of Dirtmouth: The Fading Town.

Dirtmouth: The Fading Town

Dirtmouth is the central hub in Hollow Knight. Here you are able to shop for items as well as use the Stagway (fast travel). Merchants and the Stagway need to be unlocked before they move in, so when you first enter Dirtmouth it will appear pretty empty. There is the Elderbug NPC who acts as a sort of ‘guide’, basically he tells you things that are happening in the world when you speak to him.

Vendors in Dirtmouth

When you first arrive in Dirtmouth it is very barren, without any life around. As you progress through the game you will be able to unlock merchants in the town. These unlocks lead to merchants moving into town and offering you items for sale. The three possible merchants that move into town are.

Sly

One of the first vendors you will have move into Dirtmouth is Sly. Sly moves in after being found in the Forgotten Crossroads once you beat the first boss in the game, False Knight. Sly sells the following items:

Item	Cost (in Geo)
Masked Shard x4	150
Vessel Fragment	550
Simple Key	950
Gathering Swarm	300
Stalwart Shell	200
Lumafly Lantern	1800
Rancid Egg	60

If you speak with Sly he mentions honing the Nail. This is a hint for the Knight to unlock all three Nail Arts. Once this is done Sly will gift the player the Nailmaster’s Glory charm. Simply speak to him in the basement to get the charm once the requirements are met.

Iselda

The second vendor that comes to Dirtmouth is Iselda. Iselda moves into town after you advance through the main story and either meet her husband Cornifer, defeats the boss the False Knight, or skips the boss fight entirely. When her shop is open Iselda sells Maps, Mapping Tools, and Pins. The following is available when she first opens the shop:

Item	Cost (in Geo)
Wayward Compass	220
Quill	120
Bench Pin	100
Cocoon Pin	100
Vendor Pin	100
Hot Spring Pin	100

Iselda’s shop inventory will grow as you advance through the game. She will add a number of important map tools that are very useful. Be sure to check back when you’ve advanced through the game to see what she has available.

Confessor Jiji

Confessor Jiji is the final NPC merchant you will find in Dirtmouth. Unlike the other merchants who move into town, Jiji is trapped there from the start. If you head right in Dirtmouth you will encounter a locked door. This locked door is opened with a Simple Key. Behind the locked door is Jiji.

Once Jiji is free she will offer her services to you. The main service that she offers is summoning your death Shade. This is done in exchange for a Rancid Egg item. Jiji’s service makes it possible to retrieve your Shade from especially difficult locations.

Where to Go in Dirtmouth

Now that you’ve learned about the hub area in Hollow Knight it’s time to move the story along. To go to the first area of the game head to the middle of the town. Here you will find a broken well. Drop down into the broken well to reach the named area called Forgotten Crossroads.

This guide is part of our Hollow Knight guide and walkthrough hub. Check it out for guide detailing the game’s various bosses, Stagway locations, Endings, and more.

Thoughts on our Hollow Knight Dirtmouth guide? Drop them in the comments below.