The Hunter's Journal is not essential for achieving 100% Completion but rewards an Achievement. The journal tracks all enemies you've defeated, providing lore entries and completion tracking. There are 237 possible entries total, with 7 being optional for achievements.
Is Hunter's Journal required for 100% in Hollow Knight: Silksong?
- Completing Hunter's Journal in Hollow Knight: Silksong does not count towards the 100% in-game progression, displayed when Hornet uses the Farsight.
- You will get the 100% Completion related achievements - "Completion", "Speed Completion" and "Steel Heart Completion" even without completing Hunter's Journal.
- But, to even reach Act 3, you need to defeat at least 100 different enemies. That fulfills Nuu's Wish: Bugs of Pharloom quest and is one of the prerequisites for Wish: Silk and Soul to appear.
- There are also 2 separate achievements tied to completing Hunter's Journal - "Keen Hunter" for completing Wish: Bugs of Pharloom and defeating 100 enemies, and "True Hunter" for defeating 230 enemies and completing their entries.
- If you will attempt getting All Achievements or the Platinum trophy, you will need to complete every entry in Hunter's Journal, in full.
- There is a total of 230 enemies required for getting the final Achievement. There are also 7 extra hidden enemies that add to the total count when discovered.
Tip: Use our Hunter's Journal checklist to track all 237 entries throughout your playthrough. The in-game journal max entries number changes between 231-237, so this checklist helps you track completed entries accurately.
How to Get the Hunter's Journal
The Hunter's Journal is given to you by Nuu in Greymoor at the start of his quest, Wish: Bugs of Pharloom. However, all enemies killed before receiving the journal still count towards your progress, so you don't need to worry about missing any early-game enemies.
Nuu is located in Greymoor, and you'll encounter him during your exploration. Once you start his quest, the journal becomes available and will retroactively track all enemies you've already defeated.
How Journal Entries Work
Most enemies require around 15 kills to fully unlock their journal entries. Each kill contributes to the entry's completion, and you'll see the entry gradually fill in as you defeat more of that enemy type.
Some enemies only require 1 kill, particularly bosses and unique enemies. Others may require more kills, with some common enemies needing up to 35 kills to fully complete their entries.
The best strategy is to kill most enemies during run-backs and traversal to easily complete most entries. Try to engage with enemies naturally as you explore, rather than farming them later. We strongly recommend completing your Hunter's Journal only on your first run and not a Steel Soul run, to avoid dangerous areas unnecessarily.
Pro Tip: Complete the Hunter's Journal during your first playthrough. The second run should be more optimized for speedrunning and Steel Soul, and finishing every entry in the Journal is a time sink. Use your first run to naturally encounter and defeat enemies as you explore.
Required vs Optional Entries
There are 237 total entries in the Hunter's Journal, but only 230 are required for achievements. Seven entries are optional and don't count towards the Keen Hunter and True Hunter achievements.
The 7 optional entries are:
- Flintbeetle
- Palestag
- Summoned Saviour
- Shakra
- Garmond & Zaza
- Lost Garmond
- Lost Lace
While these entries are not required for achievements, completing them gives you the full journal completion and all associated lore.
Nuu and His Wish: Bugs of Pharloom
Nuu is the NPC who gives you the Hunter's Journal and offers the quest Wish: Bugs of Pharloom. This quest requires you to complete the Hunter's Journal by defeating all required enemies.
Completing Nuu's Wish is necessary for the All Achievements completion, as it's one of the required quests. Once you've completed all 230 required journal entries, return to Nuu in Greymoor to complete his quest and receive your reward.
After completing the Hunter's Journal, you can also talk to Nuu to unlock Hunter's Memento, which is one of the 11 Mementos in the game. Hunter's Memento gives an achievement but is not required for 100% Completion. Use our All Mementos checklist to track all Mementos.
Important: Completing the Hunter's Journal is required for All Achievements. The Keen Hunter achievement requires completing most entries, and True Hunter requires completing all required entries. Use our All Achievements checklist to track your progress.
Rewards for completing Hunter's Journal in Hollow Knight: Silksong
Completing the Hunter's Journal provides several rewards:
Tool Pouch: Defeating 100 different enemies rewards you with a Tool Pouch, which is required for 100% Completion. This is an important early-game reward that expands your tool inventory. See our 100% Completion checklist to track your progress.
Keen Hunter Achievement: Complete most journal entries to unlock this achievement.
True Hunter Achievement: Complete all 230 required journal entries to unlock this achievement.
Hunter's Memento: After completing the journal and talking to Nuu, you'll receive Hunter's Memento, which grants an achievement but is not required for 100% Completion. Use our All Mementos checklist to track all Mementos.
Achievements for completing Hunter's Journal
Keen Hunter
Grant Nuu's Wish
True Hunter
Receive the Hunter's Memento
Hollow Knight: Silksong Hunter's Journal FAQ
Is Hunter's Journal required for 100% completion in Hollow Knight: Silksong?
Completing Hunter's Journal does not count towards the 100% in-game progression displayed when Hornet uses the Farsight. You will get the 100% Completion related achievements - "Completion", "Speed Completion" and "Steel Heart Completion" even without completing Hunter's Journal.
How many enemies do I need to defeat for Hunter's Journal?
To reach Act 3, you need to defeat at least 100 different enemies, which fulfills Nuu's Wish: Bugs of Pharloom quest. For the True Hunter achievement, you need to defeat 230 enemies and complete their entries. There are also 7 extra hidden enemies that add to the total count when discovered.
What achievements are tied to Hunter's Journal?
There are 2 separate achievements tied to completing Hunter's Journal - "Keen Hunter" for completing Wish: Bugs of Pharloom and defeating 100 enemies, and "True Hunter" for defeating 230 enemies and completing their entries.
Is Hunter's Journal required for All Achievements or Platinum trophy?
If you will attempt getting All Achievements or the Platinum trophy, you will need to complete every entry in Hunter's Journal, in full. There is a total of 230 enemies required for getting the final Achievement.
How do I use the Hunter's Journal checklist?
Our Hunter's Journal checklist features auto-save functionality - progress is automatically saved locally in your browser with no login required. Check off entries as you complete them and your progress will be preserved when you return.