Team Cherry released the Godmaster DLC for Hollow Knight on January 31, 2018. Godseeker Mode was one of the many things that came with this DLC, specifically for those who wanted to experience every aspect of Godhome to have a separate Save File for it.
It technically isn’t connected to the rest of the game, however, so even if you had certain items, charms, or a certain number of masks in your regular game, it’ll be slightly different in the Godseeker Mode.
Other than that, many Godseeker modes are the same as Godhome. The Pantheons are the same; the same challenges are still present; it’s just much easier to access once you finally unlock it and can make a new save file in this game mode.
Bottom Line Up Front:
To unlock Godseeker Mode, you must complete the first three Pantheons in Godhome in your regular game or mod your game to get access. A large amount of Godseeker Mode is the same as the standard Godhome in your regular game.
However, you can’t access the Delicate Flower ending, and some of the dialogue with the Godseeker will be different.
You won’t have the items you obtained in your regular game; you will have every possible Mask, every Soul Vessel, and every Charm in the game too. It’s worth playing around in if you like Godhome and you like fighting Hollow Knight’s many bosses over and over again.
The Details Of Godseeker Mode
Godseeker mode is a late-stage game mode that you’ll probably gain access to after you’ve already spent dozens of hours in Hollow Knight. In fact, there’s a good chance that you won’t even have unlocked it until you’ve beaten the game or gotten close to beating it.
The point of this game mode isn’t to play Hollow Knight like usual but rather to give you direct access to challenging almost every boss in the game. If you go to the Hall of Gods, you can challenge anyone with a statue (even the hidden statue of Zote the Mighty, if you can find it), even if you didn’t beat them in your regular playthrough of Hollow Knight.
Unlocking Godhome
To unlock Godseeker Mode and have constant access to Godhome, you’ll need to unlock Godhome by freeing the Godseeker from her cocoon in the Junk Pit. After that, you’ll need to hit her with her Dream Nail.
However, that won’t be enough to unlock Godseeker Mode. You’ll need to beat the first three pantheons: the Pantheon of the Master, the Pantheon of the Artist, and the Pantheon of the Sage.
Easy Mode Unlock
Suppose you want to unlock Godseeker Mode the easy way. In that case, you can just download Scarab and some of the Hollow Knight mods included in it, like GodSeeker Plus, which should automatically unlock your access to Godseeker Mode.
Admittedly, this isn’t the most rewarding way to access Godseeker Mode, and you may not know the bosses you’re going into battle with, but to each their own! I will fully fess up that this is how I first got access to Godseeker Mode because I like to repeat exceptionally fun boss battles, like the Mantis Lords, without starting entirely new games.
Standard Godhome Versus Godseeker Mode’s Godhome
You might notice that when you enter Godseeker Mode, a few things are different from the standard way of getting into Godhome. Not only is the entrance dialogue different but so is the dialogue the Godseeker has in the first three pantheons.
You also won’t be able to access the map or the Hunter’s Journal in Godseeker Mode, so if you do make it to the Land of Storms, you won’t be able to unlock the Weathered Mask entry for the Hunter’s Journal.
You might also notice that in Godseeker’s Mode Godhome, you won’t have any Geo (or any way to earn it), and while you have a Dream Nail, it won’t be awakened or able to gain any essence.
This means that placing down a Dream Portal is impossible. The only other item you’ll enter Godseeker Mode’s Godhome with is the Lumifly Lantern, though the only area where the Lumifly Lantern is a bit more useful is when you’re exploring the Hall of Gods.
Exploring Godseeker Mode
There are a few things that you gain access to in Godseeker Mode and a few things that you lose access to. You can’t leave Godseeker Mode and return to Hallownest like you could in the standard game when you’re visiting Godhome.
Instead, you’re pretty much stuck in Godhome and left to your own devices. Fortunately, there’s quite a bit to do (even if there isn’t much to explore) that helps make Godseeker Mode a fun experience for both old and new players.
Charms
In Godseeker Mode, you’ll have access to every single charm in the game except two. Instead of Carefree Melody and Kingsoul, you’ll have a fully upgraded Grimmchild (honestly, this is the best choice) and Voidheart.
The exchange for Voidheart makes a bit more sense because it’s the only way to get the “ending” in Godseeker mode, and you really won’t be in each battle long enough for Kingsoul to have any worth considering how slowly it generates Soul.
You should also have all 11 Charm Notches in Godseeker Mode, so you’ll finally be able to mix, match, and create all your favorite Charm Combos without having to work super hard to find all the Notches and Charms required.
Pantheons
In Godseeker Mode, you’ll have access to all the Pantheons of Godhome, but, much like unlocking it the standard way, you’ll need to go through each one in order before you can access the next. Fortunately, you don’t have to go out of your way to fight each boss before each Pantheon unlocks.
So, if you really wanted to, you could mod your game with Scarab and immediately fight your way through every boss in Godhome without ever playing the base game of Hollow Knight. Although you can do this, you probably shouldn’t, even if you’re just moving over from a different console.
Hall of Gods
The Hall of Gods allows you to access just about any boss fight in Hollow Knight, and you can even increase the difficulty of each fight. This is a great way to train before taking on each Pantheon and experience your favorite fights repeatedly.
Plus, if you’re struggling with any particular boss in a Pantheon, you can work at that to improve your skill set. Of course, not everyone will want to do this, but being able to wander through the Hall of Gods and look at each statue is cool too.
There are a lot of bosses and mini-bosses in Hollow Knight, and being able to see most of them gathered in one spot (on multiple floors) is kind of a fun experience (like touring a museum)!
Zote the Mighty Boss Fight
This is a secret area in the Hall of Gods and can be a little bit of a pain in the neck to reach. This boss fight is an exceptionally funny one to find because it’s so apparent that Zote the Mighty wasn’t even supposed to be in the Hall of Gods, and yet, he has forced his way in to desecrate its sanctity.
I jokingly call this boss fight my happy place because it’s legitimately incredibly fun to experience and play around with.
If you, like me, have a love-hate relationship with Zote and just want to smack him around for a little bit as revenge for talking badly about the Knight to Bretta, then this is a great way to have an absolute blast and teach Zote a lesson that he’ll never take to heart.
As a fun note, regardless of whether or not you saved Zote in your standard playthrough, you can and will still face the Grey Prince Zote in Godseeker Mode.
The Land Of Storms
Unfortunately, the Land of Storms won’t be unlocked from the beginning in Godseeker Mode. If you want to see this obscure (and slightly ominous) piece of lore, you’ll need to work pretty hard to see it.
To see the Land of Storms, you’ll need to clear every Pantheon and fill out all the Binding Notches for each one of the five Pantheons. If you really are struggling with this (especially with the Pantheon of Hallownest), I would encourage you to try modding the game a little bit to make it slightly easier.
Embrace The Void Ending
In the normal-playthrough mode of Hollow Knight, you can technically get two endings through Godhome: Embrace the Void and Delicate Flower.
Unfortunately, because you can’t leave the mind of the Godseeker (and therefore Godhome), you can’t get the Delicate Flower ending, which would require giving the Godseeker’s physical form one of the Grey Mourner’s Delicate Flowers.
What you can get, however, is the Embrace the Void ending, which requires beating the fifth Pantheon: The Pantheon of Hallownest. This will put you through the wringer, facing off against almost every boss in the game with very few breaks.
And if you die at the very end against Absolute Radiance (the hardest version of the Radiance), you have to redo the entire Pantheon. Again.
It doesn’t matter how far you get into the Pantheon; you’ll have to redo every single fight again. I love Hollow Knight, not because it’s a fun metroidvania, but because it has both the Path of Pain and the Pantheon of Pain. It’s a two-for-one pain bargain.
The Pantheons And Bindings
Plus, it will help you to prepare properly before each of your fights. My only tip is that if you’re struggling and on the verge of rage-quitting Hollow Knight (despite wanting to see the Embrace the Void ending for yourself), you should genuinely consider adding mods to your game.
There’s nothing wrong with modding the game to make it easier for yourself because, really, having fun should be your priority.
FAQs
Question: What is the Point of Godseeker Mode in Hollow Knight?
Answer: The point of Godseeker Mode is to have a self-contained experience in Godhome in its own save file. Plus, it saves you the hassle of having to run around and find every Charm, Charm Notch, Mask, and Soul Shard in the game so you can go into Godhome completely prepared to take on every Pantheon – even the Pantheon of Hallownest.
Question: How do You Get to Godhome in Hollow Knight?
Answer: You can get to Godhome in Hollow Knight by freeing the Godseeker in the Junk Pit with a Simple Key and then using the Dream Nail on them.
Question: Do You Get Achievements in Godseeker Mode?
Answer: Yes, you can still get achievements in Godseeker Mode, though they will really only be related to the bosses, to Godhome, and to the Embrace the Void ending.
Hollow Knight Goodseeker Mode Guide: Finishing The Pantheons (Finally)
Personally, I think Godseeker Mode is really fun and very pretty just to sit in and enjoy for a little bit. Did I earn it by beating all three Pantheons in my regular game? Absolutely not. But you know what? That’s alright because I enjoy the game this way.
I like being able to regularly take on different boss fights that you, generally, can only experience one time in Hollow Knight. Running through the Hall of Gods without having to spend six years trying to get into Godhome is fun, and, as I mentioned, the Zote the Mighty “boss fight” is my happy place.
Trying to kill as many Zotes as possible is an absolute blast of an experience. Godseeker mode offers a chance for you to undertake some personal challenges without worrying too much about how much time you have on your hands.
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