For beginners diving into Hollow Knight, selecting the right charms can significantly enhance your gameplay experience and provide a solid footing as you explore Hallownest. Here’s a breakdown of some of the best charms to start with, detailing their benefits and strategies for effective use:

1. Soul Catcher
– Description: This charm increases the amount of soul gained from hitting enemies.
– Benefits: More soul means faster healing and allows for more frequent use of spells, which is vital in tougher encounters.
– Accessibility: It’s inexpensive and easily obtainable early in the game, making it an ideal choice for new players.

2. Shaman Stone
– Description: Boosts the damage and area of your spells.
– Benefits: Essential for players who plan to utilize magic attacks, especially against tougher enemies and bosses.
– Accessibility: Available from Salubra, the Charm Lover NPC, in the Forgotten Crossroads, after you’ve acquired the Double Jump or Wall Jump abilities (Mothwing Cloak or Mantis Claw).

3. Longnail or Mark of Pride
– Longnail:
– Description: Increases your nail’s attack range.
– Benefits: Allows you to hit enemies from a safer distance, helping to avoid damage during combat.
– Mark of Pride:
– Description: A more powerful version of Longnail with greater range.
– Benefits: Recommended for later phases of the game, but requires defeating the Mantis Lords for access.
– Strategy: Longnail is an easy charm to acquire early on, while Mark of Pride serves as a strong upgrade.

4. Quick Slash
– Description: Increases the speed of your nail attacks.
– Benefits: This charm enables faster combo attacks, making combat more efficient and allowing you to dispatch enemies before they can retaliate.
– Combination: Works exceptionally well with Longnail or Mark of Pride, forming a classic charm combo that enhances both speed and range.

5. Fragile Strength (later replaced by Unbreakable Strength)
– Description: Significantly boosts your nail damage but has a risk factor.
– Benefits: Greatly enhances your combat effectiveness, especially in challenging boss fights. However, be cautious—this fragile version breaks upon death.
– Progression: As you become more confident in combat, transitioning to the Unbreakable version offers similar benefits without the risk of breaking.

Recommended Charm Combo
A strong combination for beginners is Quick Slash + Longnail + Soul Catcher or Shaman Stone. This setup balances speed, range, and soul gain, enabling smoother navigation through early areas and making boss fights more manageable.

Accessing Key Charms
To obtain critical charms like Shaman Stone and either Longnail or Mark of Pride as early as possible, ensure you have the Mothwing Cloak (Double Jump) or Mantis Claw (Wall Jump). These abilities are essential for reaching the locations of these charms in the Forgotten Crossroads.

Conclusion
With this foundational setup, you’ll be better equipped to handle combat, explore the vast world of Hallownest, and tackle early bosses with a greater sense of confidence. Happy exploring and enjoy your journey in Hollow Knight!