How to Find and Complete the Hunter’s Journal
During their travels in Hollow Knight, players will battle hordes of enemies, many of which are unique to specific regions of Hallownest. Because of this, it can be difficult to keep track of enemy types and how to combat them, and this is where a bestiary comes in handy.
Players do not have immediate access to this compendium and instead must visit an NPC to obtain it and begin the associated quest. There are two Hunter’s Journal-related achievements up for grabs for players who rise to the challenge, but it’s not an easy task and only a true hunter can complete it.
Where can I find the hunter?
The hunter resides in a dark cave, set apart from the rest of Hallownest in a quiet corner of Green way. East of Greenpath, players should head south from Cornifer’s location and turn right through a narrow path that opens up into a larger area. The Hunter’s position is signaled to the player by its numerous spikes protruding from the floor and ceiling of an otherwise lush environment.
As players approach, the hunter will roar from his lair as a warning, but don’t be put off by this display. Players should keep going until they can interact with him. So the hunter gives the knight his diary, Explain that the words may be difficult to understand at first, but players can learn to read them.
Along with Spells, the Map and Inventory, the Hunter’s Journal will be added as a new tab to the player’s menu screen. Here players can view details of enemies they have previously encountered, and it will update automatically as new enemies are defeated. Many Hunter’s Journal entries are incomplete, but killing a certain number of each will reveal the Hunter’s notes. These notes contain lore, battle tactics and even the hunter’s personal opinions, but most of all they are needed to officially complete the journal.
Completion of the hunter’s journal
There are altogether 168 entries which can be added as the hunter’s journal progresses Hollow Knight. While not all of these are required for any of the associated achievements, there are still plenty of enemies for players to track down in order to earn them. How many entries were logged can only be recorded after receipt of the world sense ability, players receive after interacting with a Knowledge Tablet in the Temple of the Black Egg.
For the performance Keen Hunter players must record 146 specific entries for the hunter’s journal, but the hunter’s notes are not required. However, players can also earn”True Hunter” as they work toward unlocking all of the Hunter’s Notes along with completing the journal.
Due to the sheer number of journal entries players can collect while traveling through Hallownest, it is easier to list the enemies and entries that players have do not for one of the available achievements. They include:
- healing beetle
- White defender
- smut
- Gray Prince Zote
- Winged Zoteling
- Hopping Zoteling
- Fleeting Zoteling
- Grimmkin novice
- Grimmkin Master
- Grimmkin nightmare
- grim
- Nightmare King Grimm
- Nailmasters Oro & Mato
- Nail Master Sheo
- Great Nailsage Sly
- The hollow knight
- Pure Vessel
- The broadcast
- hunter sign
- Sigil of Binding
- Idol of the Void
- Weathered Mask
Hard-to-find entries
There are several entries in the Hunter’s Journal that can only be found in certain locations that can be difficult to find unless players know where to look. Here’s a handy list of the more obscure critters.
Goam
These creatures can be found in the forgotten crossing, but players will quickly find that they are impervious to damage. To unlock her journal entry, players must instead travel southwest from the False Knight’s location to the Mushroom Desert entrance. Here players can find a passage leading to the right where they can use Desolate Dive/Descending Dark to breach the unstable ground. Below will be one petrified goam that players can interact with to add it to the hunter’s journal.
Mossy Drifter
In a space connecting the Fungal Wastes, Deepnest and the Queen’s Gardens, players will stumble across the Moss Prophet and his followers. Depending on when players arrive at this location, the moss prophet can either preach to the mossy vagabonds accompanying them, or lifeless as the infection has overwhelmed them all.
Supercharged Lumafly
After defeating Uumuu, players can explore the teacher archive. Here they will find that one of the Dreamers, Monomon, kept many specimens in glass tanks for research purposes. One of these tanks houses several charged Lumaflies that players can inspect to unlock their journal entry.
Beautiful case
The only Gorgeous Husk found in Hallownest is in a secret room in the City of Tears. The players have to Head east from Brunnenplatz until they reach an area with multiple platforms and rooms to enter. Just above and to the right of the Hot Springs sign, players should enter this room and defeat the enemies within before going all the way to the right and jumping through a hidden gap in the wall to find the Gorgeous Husk.
Flukemunga
To the northeast of Flukemarm’s location in the Royal Waterways, players can find a fragile wall leading to the junk pit where players can access the Godhome content. However, their passage is blocked by a nest of Flukemunga, surprisingly powerful creatures that can damage two masks if players aren’t careful in their approach.
Crystal Guardian
Players will surely find this enemy on the most central bank in Crystal Peaks, but obtaining the Hunter’s Notes for this entry is required They defeat their stronger counterpart, the Enraged Warden. After defeating the Crystal Guardian the first time, they escape by jumping off-screen, and players can follow them to a higher platform using the Monarch Wings to challenge them to a rematch.
garpede
Similar to Goams, Garpedes can be found in Deepnest and cannot be damaged. The players have to Find the corpse of a Garpede to complete the entry for the hunter’s journal. One such specimen is in the southeast, near the tram and Nosks Arena. Arriving from the tram, players will have to navigate through the living garpedes until they get to the far left and fall into the next room. Immediately to the left is a lantern and a hidden entrance to a room containing the Garpede’s corpse.
Brooding Mawlek
From Cornifer’s location in the Forgotten Crossroads, players should enter the chamber with the Tiktiks and Gruzzers and go to the first door on the left wall. Following the path while avoiding spikes will lead you to the Brooding Mawlek.
Lightseed
Mainly found in the old pool, players will encounter these tiny creatures on the path leading to the broken jar, but they will run away when the player approaches. Use Vengeful Spirit/Shadow Soul as they flee, ensures the player can add their entry to the hunter’s journal. Light Seeds will also spawn during the Broken Vessel fight, but killing them does not count towards the journal.
Players can also find Lightseeds in the Forgotten Crossroads after being infected near the elevator that leads to the City of Tears. However, they no longer appear in this location after defeating the Broken Vessel.
infected balloon
While in the Ancient Basin, players will notice an area along the route to the Broken Vessel inaccessible until obtaining the Monarch Wings. Several infected balloons will spawn here, making it difficult to complete the platform challenge. Similar to the Lightseeds, any Infected Ballons defeated during the Broken Vessel or Winged Nosk battle do not count towards the Hunter’s Journal.
wafers
These enemies can be found in the Coliseum of Fools north of Kingdom’s Edge. During Conqueror’s Trial, players will encounter two Oblobbbles that can be repeated any number of times to collect the numbers needed for the Hunter’s Notes.
Pale Stalker
Located in one secret area of the colosseum of fools, Players can travel inside directly from the bank and use the Mantis Claw to climb up the shaft. This leads to the restricted area on the far right of the Coliseum arena, and players can break through the wall on the right. Players must then keep going before falling down a large cliff where the Pale Lurker will be startled and run away. Players must defeat her to add her entry to the hunter’s journal and Collect a simple key from her body.
Empty tendrils
Void tendrils can only be found in the Abyss, which is accessible to the player after obtaining the King’s Mark. Once you reach the bottom of the main chamber of the Abyss, you should go right until you reach the lighthouse. players must turn the lighthouse back on to calm the Void Sea before crossing and following the path to obtain the Shadow Cloak, which will allow them to go through the Shadow Gate above. Players can then iinteract with a mural on the wall to get the Void Tendrils entry on this path.
successes
Recording all 146 entries required for the Hunter’s Journal automatically grants players the Avid Hunter achievement, but unlocking each Hunter’s Note does not immediately grant players True Hunter. Instead, players must go back to greenpath to talk to the hunter to get the hunter mark, a mark of recognition and respect from one hunter to another.
Hollow Knight is available for PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.