That last point catches out more players than anything else. If you buy an area map and explore for twenty minutes without sitting down, the map stays as it was. Sit on a bench, and the whole route you took fills in at once. You also need the Quill from Iselda for this to work at all.
Benches are everywhere, with just over fifty across Hallownest, but the distribution is uneven. The City of Tears and the Forgotten Crossroads have several each. Deepnest, the Abyss and the White Palace are deliberately sparse, which is a large part of why they feel dangerous.
How to collect them
Walk up to a bench and press up. Some benches are hidden behind breakable walls or in side rooms you would not check, which makes them worth hunting before a hard boss. A few are in awkward spots specifically to give you a checkpoint near a gauntlet, like the ones in the White Palace.
Buy the Bench pin from Iselda for 100 Geo. It puts a marker on every bench you have found, which makes route planning far faster. Filtering this map to the Bench category does the same thing for benches you have not reached yet.
What you get
Benches give no completion percent. What they give is control: a save, a full heal, a charm reset and a map update. Two of them are special. The bench in Dirtmouth is where most runs start and end, and the Dreamgate you buy from the Seer lets you plant a second warp point anywhere and jump to it from any bench, which turns the whole bench network into a fast travel system.
All 50 locations by area
Dirtmouth (1)
-
Beside the well, next to Elderbug
The first bench of the game, right where you climb out of the well into Dirtmouth.
Forgotten Crossroads (5)
-
Inside the Ancestral Mound
In the horned dome where the Snail Shaman teaches Vengeful Spirit.
-
Hot Spring room, central Crossroads
Beside the steaming pool. Sitting in the spring refills your masks, so it is a handy stop before the False Knight.
-
Forgotten Crossroads Stag Station
Right next to the stag platform, so you can rest and travel from the same room.
-
Temple of the Black Egg, east of Dirtmouth
A stone bench inside the temple, right before the sealed door. It is the last rest stop before the Hollow Knight, so set your charms here.
-
Outside Salubra's shop, east Crossroads
Beside Charm Lover Salubra in the east Crossroads. Handy for swapping charms after buying her notches.
Greenpath (6)
-
North-east Greenpath, near the Crossroads door
A Toll Machine sits beside this bench. Feed it Geo once and the bench stays usable for good.
-
Central vertical shaft
Halfway up the middle shaft of Greenpath, a short walk from Hornet's arena.
-
Shrine above the Lake of Unn
On the mossy mound over the lake, near the Moss Prophet path and the shrine of Unn.
-
Greenpath Stag Station
Shares a room with the stag platform in the middle of Greenpath.
-
Outside Sheo's hut, far west Greenpath
Nailmaster Sheo lives at the end of a spike-filled tunnel in the far west of Greenpath, where he teaches Great Slash. Either the Crystal Heart or the Monarch Wings are needed to reach him.
-
Outside the Stone Sanctuary
Rest here before waking No Eyes with the Dream Nail inside the ruined sanctuary.
Fungal Wastes (4)
-
South-east of Mantis Village, where Bretta is trapped
In the room where Bretta is pinned under rubble. Free her and she moves to Dirtmouth.
-
Queen's Station
Beside the stag platform at Queen's Station, the main hub of the Fungal Wastes.
-
Mantis Village, above the Lords arena
The last rest before the Mantis Lords. It is a long walk back, so use it.
-
Outside Leg Eater's shop
In the east Fungal Wastes next to the Fragile charm seller. The bench is a bug corpse and can be Dream Nailed.
City of Tears (6)
-
City Storerooms Stag Station
Shares a room with the stag in the north-west of the City.
-
Lower Soul Sanctum, upper middle City
The closest rest to the Soul Master fight. Cornifer sits beside this bench when he is mapping the City.
-
Base of the Watcher's Spire
At the foot of the spire, before the lift up to the Watcher Knights and Lurien.
-
Western rooftops
Out in the rain on the west side of the City, above the way down into the Royal Waterways. Quirrel sits here on your first visit.
-
Inside the Pleasure House
Behind the Simple Key door in the east City. Pay the Toll Machine to use the bench beside the hot spring.
-
King's Station platform
On the station platform in the south-east City, beside the stag and the way out to Kingdom's Edge.
Crystal Peak (2)
-
Crystal Guardian room
The Crystal Guardian is first met sitting on this bench, so it only works as a rest point once he is beaten. The Shopkeeper's Key is in the room to the left.
-
Near the Forgotten Crossroads entrance
The first bench you meet after climbing into the Peak from the Crossroads.
Resting Grounds (2)
-
Resting Grounds Stag Station
Beside the stag platform, a short walk from the Dream Nail altar and the Seer.
-
Outside the Grey Mourner's house
East of the Resting Grounds proper. Rest here before starting the Delicate Flower run.
Howling Cliffs (1)
-
Outside Mato's hut
On the ledge in front of Nailmaster Mato's hut, where he teaches Cyclone Slash.
Fog Canyon (1)
-
Inside the Teacher's Archives
The only safe spot in the Archives, a short way before Uumuu and Monomon.
Royal Waterways (2)
-
Central Waterways junction
The only ordinary bench in the sewers, in the dry room at the middle junction.
-
Junk Pit, below the Royal Waterways
The Godseeker's cocoon at the bottom of the Junk Pit counts as a bench on the map once it is unlocked with a Simple Key. Dream Nail her here to travel to Godhome.
Deepnest (4)
-
Failed Tramway, north Deepnest
Beside the wrecked tram cars. The safest rest point in the upper half of Deepnest.
-
Hot Spring, south Deepnest
Next to the warm pool in the south of Deepnest, close to Nosk's lair.
-
Beast's Den, before Herrah
Deep inside the den below the Distant Village, in the chamber before Herrah the Beast.
-
Distant Village
This bench is bait set by the Distant Villagers. Sitting on it drops you into the Beast's Den, so it never works as a save point and the game does not count it as a bench.
Ancient Basin (2)
-
Central Basin
A Toll Machine guards this bench in the middle of the Basin. Worth paying before the Broken Vessel.
-
Palace Grounds, east Basin
Outside the gate of the White Palace, next to the Hidden Station.
Kingdom's Edge (2)
-
Tent in the ash fields
The little camp in the middle of the ash, on the route to Hornet Sentinel and the Cast-Off Shell.
-
Outside Oro's hut
In the south-east of Kingdom's Edge by Oro's hut, near the entrance to the Hive.
The Hive (1)
-
Lower Hive
A wax bench deep in the Hive, the only rest before the Hive Knight.
Queen's Gardens (3)
-
Near the Fungal Wastes entrance
A Toll Machine locks this bench until you pay it. It saves a long walk back from the Traitor Lord.
-
Queen's Gardens Stag Station
Shares the platform room with the stag, in the middle of the Gardens.
-
In front of the Pale King statue
On the west side of the Gardens in front of a statue of the Pale King, close to the overgrown route down into Deepnest.
Colosseum of Fools (1)
-
Colosseum entrance hall
Just outside the arena doors. Rest, set your charms and then pay for a trial.
White Palace (3)
-
First room of the White Palace
Inside the dream of the palace, just past the gate. You need the Kingsoul charm to enter at all.
-
Middle of the palace, at the fork
The rest point where the left and right wings split. The entrance to the Path of Pain sits nearby.
-
Throne room at the top of the palace
The final bench of the White Palace, beside the throne where the second half of the Kingsoul waits.
Godhome (4)
-
Godhome entrance platform
The bench you land on when the Godseeker pulls you into Godhome.
-
Beside the Hall of Gods
Set your charms here before picking a statue to fight in the Hall of Gods.
-
Upper level of Godhome
The bench on the upper level of Godhome, right before the doors of the fifth Pantheon.
-
Hot Spring room inside the Pantheons
The rest point shared by every Pantheon run. It heals and lets you swap charms, but it never changes your respawn point.