How to Obtain the Stalwart Shell Charm

Team Cherry’s Metroidvania action-adventure game, Hollow Knight, follows the journey of a nameless warrior called the Knight as he travels through Hallownest, which is now a kingdom in ruins because of a supernatural disease. As the Knight journeys through Hallownest, he can unlock new abilities, spells, and charms that will help him traverse through different areas of Hallownest and defeat enemies.

In the game, special items give the Knight different abilities and bonuses called Charms. To equip or unequip these Charms, the Knight must be sitting on a Bench, and the Knight must have enough unused Notches to equip them. In this guide, we will learn about the Stalwart Shell charm.

One of the 45 Charms in the game is the Stalwart Shell Charm which requires and takes up two Charm Notches. When equipped, the Stalwart Shell charm increases the invincibility frames to about 35% and reduces the hit recoil by 60% every time that the Knight is hit and takes damage.

This means that the Knight will be invulnerable to attacks for longer, and the Knight would be pushed back less than without the Stalwart Shell Charm after the Knight is hit. With the Stalwart Shell charm, it makes it easier to deal damage to enemies after getting hit!

Location

The Stalwart Shell charm can be purchased for 200 Geo from Sly in his shop, which is on the left side of the Elderbug, Bench, and Stagway Station in Dirtmouth. 

At the start of the game, Sly’s shop will be closed, and it will be unlocked after the Knight meets Sly. So, before the Knight can purchase the Stalwart Shell charm from Sly, the Knight must first find him in the Forgotten Crossroads. 

The Knight will encounter lots of various enemies in the Forgotten Crossroads. Still, the Knight will specifically encounter the following enemies on the way to Sly: Tiktiks, Crawlids, Gruzzers, Aspid Hunters, Goams, Vengeflies, Leaping Husks, Wandering Husks, Husk Hornheads, and the Gruz Mother, which is a mini-boss in the game.

To find Sly in the Forgotten Crossroads, this is what the Knight must do:

1. From the Bench in Dirtmouth, head to the right, then drop down on the well to take the exit downwards and reach the Forgotten Crossroads.
2. Next, head to the left, where the Knight will encounter a Tiktik and a Crawlid, then take the exit on the leftmost side of the room.
3. After that, the Knight will be in a large room filled with Gruzzers and more Tiktiks. Head to the bottom of the room and take the exit downwards.
4. Then, head down at the bottom and take the exit on the right.
5. Next, head to the right, where the Knight will encounter an Aspid Hunter. Take the exit on the lower right side of the room.
6. After that, continue on the right, where the Knight will encounter three Goams repeatedly rising out of the ground, a Vengefly, and another Goam. Take the exit on the right.
7. Then, continue on the right, where the Knight will encounter more Vengeflies and more Goams. The Knight can either take the path on the right straight ahead or a little bit up the platforms. However, the Knight will not have to evade Goams on the platform path. Take the exit on the rightmost part of the room.
8. Next, upon entering the next room, drop down from the platform, and the Knight will encounter another Aspid Hunter. Head to the bottom of the room, head to the right, where the Knight will encounter a Leaping Husk (there is also a Soul Totem on top of a platform above the Leaping Husk), then take the exit on the right.
9. After that, head to the right, and the Knight will eventually enter an arena where you must face the Gruz Mother. Strike the sleeping Gruz Mother to start the battle. The Knight must defeat the Gruz Mother to continue. After defeating the Gruz Mother (and its Gruzzers), the path back and to continue will be opened. Head to the path on the right to continue.
10.  Next, drop down on the gap, then head to the left, and the Knight will encounter two Wandering Husks and a Husk Hornhead. Then, you will find a house that the Knight can enter.
11. Enter the house, and, finally, the Knight will find Sly!

It is worth mentioning that the Knight will find a Bench and Charm Lover Salubra’s shop if the Knight heads to the right outside of Sly’s whereabouts. However, these can only be accessed by using the Mothwing Cloak ability and the Mantis Claw ability, by Nail-bouncing from a Shade, or by using the path from the Blue Lake.

Talk to Sly, and he will mumble until he realizes that the Knight is there. Sly will then say that a strange dream led him to this place and that if it was not for the Knight finding him, he would not have ever awoken. He will then introduce himself and say that he lives an uneventful life up in Dirtmouth. However, as the air in these ruins does not agree with him, he thinks it is best that he heads back up to Dirtmouth. Finally, he will tell the Knight to come and see him if the Knight is back in Dirtmouth so that he can properly thank the Knight for the good deed.

After that interaction with Sly, the Knight can head back up to Dirtmouth and inside Sly’s shop to purchase the Stalwart Shell charm for 200 Geo, along with some other items from Sly!

Now that the Knight has the Stalwart Shell charm, the Knight can now equip it while sitting down on a Bench, and the Knight now has a longer invulnerability time, and the Knight will be pushed back less after taking damage!