Hallownest is a kingdom of staggering depth, not just in its verticality but in its narrative ambiguity. For many players, the credit roll is just the beginning of a much larger conversation about what actually happened to the Knight and the decaying world it inhabits. With five primary endings and one secret scene, the path you take depends entirely on how much of the kingdom's darker secrets you are willing to uncover.

Achieving these endings isn't just about skill; it’s about understanding the internal logic of the game’s items and lore triggers. This breakdown covers the specific requirements for every conclusion, the impact of the Void Heart, and how to navigate the brutal challenges of the Godmaster content.

The Great Divergence: The Void Heart

Before diving into the specific endings, it is essential to understand the single most important item in the game: the Void Heart. This charm is the permanent toggle that determines which endings remain accessible on a save file.

Once you obtain the Void Heart from the depths of the Abyss, you are permanently locked out of the first ending. Therefore, if you are a completionist aiming to see everything in a single run, you must finish the game once before seeking this charm. The Void Heart transforms the Knight's identity, unifying the Void under its will and allowing it to confront the true source of the infection, rather than merely containing it.

Ending 1: The Hollow Knight

This is the most common ending for a first playthrough and is often the most tragic. It represents the path of the "Vessel" fulfilling its original, albeit flawed, purpose.

Requirements

  • Kill the three Dreamers (Lurien, Monomon, and Herrah).
  • Enter the Temple of the Black Egg.
  • Defeat the Hollow Knight without possessing the Void Heart charm.

The Outcome

After a grueling battle where the Hollow Knight begins to stab itself—showing its desperation and the corruption of the infection—the Knight defeats it. The Knight then absorbs the infection into its own body, becoming the new vessel to hold the Radiance. Chains descend, the Black Egg is sealed, and the cycle continues.

This ending is a bittersweet "stalling of the inevitable." The White Lady suggests that the Knight is a stronger, more pure vessel than its predecessor, but the visual cues—the Knight’s glowing orange eyes as the screen fades—suggest that the infection will eventually break this seal too, just as it did the last.

Ending 2: Sealed Siblings

This ending occurs if you have progressed far enough to earn Hornet’s help but fail to take the initiative during the final confrontation. It is widely considered the bleakest conclusion for Hallownest's protectors.

Requirements

  • Acquire the Void Heart.
  • Enter the Temple of the Black Egg and fight the Hollow Knight.
  • Near the end of the fight, Hornet will burst in and crack the Hollow Knight's shell, pinning it down.
  • Do not use the Dream Nail on the Hollow Knight while Hornet is holding it. Instead, keep attacking or wait.

The Outcome

The Hollow Knight eventually breaks free from Hornet’s grasp, knocking her unconscious. The fight continues until the Hollow Knight is defeated. The Knight absorbs the infection as in the first ending, but because Hornet was inside the chamber when the seal was formed, she is trapped inside as well. Her mask appears on the door of the Black Egg, becoming a new seal. Both the Knight and Hornet are now locked away forever, sacrificing any hope of a future for the sake of a temporary peace.

Ending 3: Dream No More

Many fans refer to this as the "true ending" of the base game. It involves confronting the deity responsible for the kingdom's downfall directly.

Requirements

  • Acquire the Void Heart.
  • Acquire the Awoken Dream Nail (collect 1800 Essence and talk to the Seer).
  • During the fight with the Hollow Knight, when Hornet pins the boss down, hit the Hollow Knight with the Awoken Dream Nail.
  • This transports you into the dream world to face The Radiance.

The Outcome

Upon defeating the Radiance, the shades of the siblings and the original Hollow Knight appear to help the Knight. The Knight’s shell shatters, revealing its true form—the Shade—which then tears the Radiance apart and drags her into the Void. The infection is completely purged from Hallownest.

Hornet wakes up in the Temple to find the Knight’s shell broken in half, signifying that the Knight has returned to the Void, its purpose fulfilled. This is a definitive resolution: the source of the plague is gone, and the restless spirits of the Abyss can finally find peace.

The Godmaster Endings: Embracing the Void

The Godmaster DLC introduced two additional endings that are significantly more difficult to achieve, requiring players to master the most punishing boss rushes in the game. These endings take place within Godhome rather than the Temple of the Black Egg.

Ending 4: Embrace the Void

To see this, you must conquer the Pantheon of Hallownest, a gauntlet of nearly every boss in the game, culminating in a fight with Absolute Radiance.

Requirements

  • Unlock the Junk Pit and enter Godhome using a Simple Key on the Godseeker.
  • Complete the first four Pantheons.
  • Complete the fifth Pantheon (Pantheon of Hallownest).
  • Defeat Absolute Radiance at the peak.
  • Do not give the Delicate Flower to the Godseeker.

The Outcome

When Absolute Radiance is defeated, the Knight doesn’t just destroy her; it ascends. The Knight's shade expands and transforms into the Shade Lord (or the Entity of the Void), a god-like being of pure darkness. The Shade Lord obliterates the Radiance. In the physical world, the Godseeker’s body begins to leak Void until it eventually erupts with dark tentacles.

Outside the Black Egg, Hornet is seen waiting when a figure—presumably the original Hollow Knight, now freed from the infection—walks out to meet her. This ending suggests a massive shift in the cosmic balance: the light of the Radiance is gone, but it has been replaced by an unchecked, god-like power of Void.

Ending 5: Delicate Flower

This is a variation of the fourth ending that provides a slightly more "contained" result, though it requires an extra layer of questing.

Requirements

  • Complete the same steps as Ending 4 (Pantheon of Hallownest).
  • Crucial Step: Before finishing the Pantheon, give a Delicate Flower to the Godseeker in the Junk Pit. (You can get these from the Grey Mourner’s grave or from the Traitor Lord’s child’s grave after the quest is finished).

The Outcome

The sequence plays out identically to "Embrace the Void" until the moment the Void begins to erupt from the Godseeker. Instead of the Void consuming everything, it comes into contact with the Delicate Flower. The flower glows with a brilliant white light, and both the Void and the Godseeker vanish, leaving only a single scorched petal behind. This ending suggests that the power of the Delicate Flower acts as a catalyst to neutralize or contain the Shade Lord, potentially saving the world from being overrun by the Void it just used to save itself.

The Secret Ending: Passing of the Age

Regardless of which of the five main endings you achieve, there is a secret cutscene involving one of the game's most enigmatic NPCs: Mister Mushroom.

How to Unlock

You must find and speak to Mister Mushroom in seven specific locations across Hallownest. You must have the Spore Shroom charm equipped to understand his dialogue. He moves to the next location only after you speak to him in the correct order:

  1. Fungal Wastes: Near the Queen's Station.
  2. Kingdom’s Edge: Near the Hive entrance.
  3. Deepnest: In the area where you find the Galien boss.
  4. Howling Cliffs: Inside a house near the Nailmaster.
  5. Ancient Basin: Near where you get the Monarch Wings.
  6. Fog Canyon: Near the overgrown mound.
  7. King’s Pass: The very beginning area of the game.

The Scene

After the credits of any main ending, a short clip plays showing Mister Mushroom rocket-launching himself into the sky. A "To Be Continued" screen appears, which is the only explicit narrative bridge to the sequel, Silksong.

Strategy: Seeing All Endings in One Save

Because Hollow Knight resets your save to the last bench before the final boss fight after the credits roll, you can technically get all endings on one character. However, you must follow this specific order:

  1. Avoid the Void Heart: Focus on the Dreamers first. Go straight to the Black Egg and kill the Hollow Knight. This earns you the first ending.
  2. Get the Void Heart: Now, go to the Queen’s Gardens to get half of the Kingsoul, then the White Palace for the other half. Convert it in the Abyss to get the Void Heart.
  3. The Trapped Choice: Go back to the Black Egg. Fight the boss again. When Hornet intervenes, don't Dream Nail the boss. This gets you the "Sealed Siblings" ending.
  4. The Dream Choice: Reload, fight again, and this time use the Dream Nail to fight the Radiance. This earns "Dream No More."
  5. The Godhome Grind: Head to the Junk Pit. This is the ultimate test of skill. You can do Ending 4 and 5 in either order, but if you give the flower first, you cannot see the non-flower version of the ending on that save unless you have a backup.

Narrative Analysis: Which Ending is "Canon"?

Team Cherry has famously stated that all endings are equally valid. In a world like Hallownest, there isn't a single "perfect" outcome; there are only different ways the scales can tip.

  • The Cycles: Endings 1 and 2 represent the continuation of the Pale King's flawed logic—that things can be preserved forever in stasis. These are generally seen as failures because they ignore the root cause of the rot.
  • The Purge: Ending 3 is the most traditional "good" ending. It destroys the infection and allows the Knight to rest. It is a clean break from the past.
  • The Ascension: Endings 4 and 5 are the most polarizing. They represent the Knight evolving beyond the Pale King's design into something entirely new. Is the Shade Lord a savior or a new threat? The game leaves this intentionally vague, though the presence of the Delicate Flower suggests that there are forces in the world capable of keeping even the Void in check.

Ultimately, the "best" ending is the one that resonates most with your journey through the wastes. Whether you choose to become the new vessel, purge the light, or ascend to godhood, each conclusion offers a unique perspective on the tragedy of Hallownest. The inclusion of Mister Mushroom's cliffhanger only adds to the mystery, reminding us that while Hallownest may fall, the world beyond its borders is vast and full of its own strange logic.