You start with zero notches worth using and build up to 11. Salubra in the Forgotten Crossroads sells four notches for 120, 500, 900 and 1400 Geo. The Trial of the Warrior in the Colosseum gives one. The rest are found in the world, including one in Fungal Wastes, one in Crystal Peak and several behind late-game obstacles.
Charms come from three sources: bosses drop them, NPCs sell them, and a lot of them sit in plain rooms behind breakable walls. Sly, Salubra, Leg Eater and Iselda all sell charms. Leg Eater in particular is the only source of the three Fragile charms, and he is the only one who repairs them after they break on death.
How to collect them
Charms cannot be swapped mid-fight. You change them at any bench, which is why boss runs usually start with a trip back to a bench to rebuild your loadout. Overcharming lets you exceed your notch count by one charm but doubles all damage you take, so it is a deliberate trade rather than free value.
For a first run, Wayward Compass, Gathering Swarm and Quick Focus solve most early problems. Once you have five or six notches, Quick Slash, Mark of Pride, Shaman Stone and Soul Catcher cover the majority of builds. Filter the map to the Charm category to see which ones are still sitting in areas you have already visited.
What you get
Collecting charms is worth 36 percent of the 112 in the base game, plus Dreamshield, Grimmchild, Sprintmaster and Weaversong from the Grimm Troupe pack. Buying every charm Salubra stocks also unlocks Salubra's Blessing, which gives you a permanent extra bit of healing, and collecting them all is required for the Charmed and Enchanted achievements.
All 45 locations by area
King's Pass (1)
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East of the starting cavern, King's Pass
Boosts nail damage massively while you are down to a single mask. Look for the Geo cluster in the south east of the pit room in King's Pass, cross the spikes by dashing or nail bouncing, then continue east.
Dirtmouth (11)
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Sly's shop in Dirtmouth
A swarm of tiny bugs collects loose Geo for you, so nothing is left behind after a fight or a death. Buy it from Sly once you have freed him from the Forgotten Crossroads.
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Sly's shop in Dirtmouth
Lengthens your invulnerability after taking a hit and shortens the recoil. Cheap insurance for early bosses and one of Sly's first stock items.
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Sly's upstairs stock, Dirtmouth
Increases the knockback your nail deals, which keeps crowds and smaller bosses off you. It only appears in Sly's stock after you bring him the Shopkeeper's Key from Crystal Peak.
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Sly's upstairs stock, Dirtmouth
Raises your running speed, which pairs well with Dashmaster for routing and speedruns. Unlocked in Sly's shop after handing over the Shopkeeper's Key.
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Sly's shop in Dirtmouth
Halves the charge time of every Nail Art. Sly hands it over for free once you have learned Cyclone Slash, Great Slash and Dash Slash from all three Nailmasters.
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Iselda's map stall in Dirtmouth
Shows your position on the map, which makes exploring unmapped corners far less painful. Iselda sells it in the shop attached to Cornifer's house once you have met Cornifer.
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Grimm's tent in Dirtmouth
A small companion that spits fireballs at nearby enemies and grows stronger as you collect Grimmkin flames. Troupe Master Grimm gives it to you when you light the Nightmare Lantern and accept the ritual.
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Nymm in Dirtmouth
Gives a chance to nullify incoming damage entirely. You only get it on the banishment route: take Brumm's offer in the Howling Cliffs, destroy the Nightmare Lantern, then speak to Nymm in Dirtmouth. It shares its inventory slot with Grimmchild, so the two are mutually exclusive.
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Divine's tent in Dirtmouth
The permanent version of Fragile Heart, so the extra masks never break on death. Divine forges it once you give her the Fragile Heart and pay the fee. It shares its completion point with Fragile Heart.
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Divine's tent in Dirtmouth
Permanent Fragile Greed, giving extra Geo from every enemy without the risk of shattering. Hand Fragile Greed to Divine and pay her price.
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Divine's tent in Dirtmouth
Permanent Fragile Strength, a flat 50 percent nail damage boost that survives death. The most expensive charm in the game, so save up before visiting Divine.
Forgotten Crossroads (9)
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Ancestral Mound, Forgotten Crossroads
Adds extra Soul to every nail hit, which speeds up both healing and spell casting. It waits at the very end of the Ancestral Mound, past the Elder Baldur.
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Salubra's shop, Forgotten Crossroads
Makes Focus channel noticeably faster so you can steal heals in tight boss windows. Salubra sells it in her hut at the bottom of the Crossroads.
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Salubra's shop, Forgotten Crossroads
Grants two Lifeblood masks whenever you rest at a bench, acting as a free buffer. One of Salubra's five charms.
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Salubra's shop, Forgotten Crossroads
Extends your nail range so you can hit from a safer distance. Mark of Pride is a bigger version of the same effect, and the two do not stack.
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Salubra's shop, Forgotten Crossroads
Increases the size and damage of all three spells, which makes spell builds viable for the whole game. Bought from Salubra.
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Salubra's shop, Forgotten Crossroads
Removes the recoil you get when your nail connects, which keeps you glued to a target. Cheap and useful with Nail Arts.
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Grubfather's chamber, north west Forgotten Crossroads
Gives you Soul every time you take damage, which turns bad fights into free heals. Grubfather hands it over after you free 10 Grubs.
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Grubfather's chamber, north west Forgotten Crossroads
Fires a beam from your nail whenever you are at full masks, giving you a free ranged attack. Grubfather's final reward for rescuing all 46 Grubs.
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Infected chamber east of the False Knight arena
Spends Soul to spawn hatchlings that ram into enemies for you. The entrance is hidden in the ceiling to the right of the False Knight arena, past a spike tunnel that only the super dash can cross, and the charm sits on a giant Aspid Mother.
Greenpath (2)
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Lake of Unn, beneath the acid lake
Lets you slide along the ground as a slug while Focusing, so you can heal on the move. Swim to the bottom of the Lake of Unn and speak to the slug god Unn.
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Thorn maze in central Greenpath
Bursts damaging thorns out of you whenever you take a hit, which often kills the enemy that hit you. It is hidden in a maze of thorns patrolled by Charged Lumaflies.
Fungal Wastes (6)
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Mantis Village treasury, north east of the Lords arena
Gives the largest nail range increase in the game, bigger than Longnail. It sits in a chest in the room north east of the Mantis Lords arena, which only opens after you beat them.
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Beneath the Dashmaster statue, south of Mantis Village
Shortens dash cooldown and lets you dash downwards, which changes movement completely. It is buried beneath a statue below Mantis Village, near the route down to the Royal Waterways.
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Acid pool near the Queen's Gardens entrance, west Fungal Wastes
Releases a damaging spore cloud whenever you finish a Focus, and it also lets you read the fungal lore tablets and talk to Mister Mushroom. It sits by an acid pool in the west of the Wastes near the doors to Queen's Gardens and Deepnest.
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Leg Eater's shop, north east Fungal Wastes
Adds two extra masks but breaks if you die, and Leg Eater charges to repair it. Take it to Divine later to make it Unbreakable.
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Leg Eater's shop, north east Fungal Wastes
Every enemy drops extra Geo while it is equipped, but it shatters on death. Great for farming a nail upgrade or Salubra's stock early.
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Leg Eater's shop, north east Fungal Wastes
Raises nail damage by 50 percent, the single biggest damage boost available, until you die. Equip it only for boss attempts you expect to win.
City of Tears (1)
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Secret room at the top of the Soul Sanctum
Drops the Soul cost of every spell from 33 to 24, letting you fit an extra cast per bar. It hangs on a machine in a hidden room just before the Soul Master arena, in a corridor that constantly spawns Mistakes and Follies.
Crystal Peak (1)
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Hidden crystal cave below Cornifer, Crystal Peak
Heals two masks per Focus but takes much longer to channel. Below the room where Cornifer sits, look for a Husk Miner hammering a wall and break through it with the super dash.
Resting Grounds (3)
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Catacombs east of the Resting Grounds Stag Station
A stronger Soul Catcher, granting a large amount of extra Soul per nail hit. Dive through the grave just under the Stag Station, then head east along the passage to the Snail Shaman sarcophagus.
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Room below the Seer's chamber, Resting Grounds
Summons a slow orbiting shield that blocks projectiles and chips at enemies. It sits in a small room directly below the Seer.
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The Seer's chamber, Resting Grounds
Charges the Dream Nail faster and generates extra Soul on every dream hit. The Seer rewards it once you bring her 500 Essence.
Howling Cliffs (2)
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Cave guarded by Elder Baldurs, south Howling Cliffs
Focusing curls you into a shell that blocks up to four hits while you heal, then it has to be repaired at a bench. Drop into the chest in the south west of the Cliffs, kill the right hand Elder Baldur and follow the tunnel.
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Joni's Repose, Howling Cliffs
Converts your whole health bar to Lifeblood, raising max HP but making healing impossible. It rests on the corpse of Blue Child Joni in the upper Cliffs.
Royal Waterways (2)
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Dung Defender's arena, Royal Waterways
Surrounds you with a cloud of dung that damages nearby enemies, and it powers up Spore Shroom and Flukenest enormously. Dropped by Dung Defender, and wearing it makes Leg Eater repair your Fragile charms for free.
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Flukemarm's nest, Royal Waterways
Turns Vengeful Spirit into a spray of baby flukes, and with Defender's Crest it becomes one of the strongest attacks in the game. Dropped by Flukemarm.
Deepnest (2)
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Behind a Shade Gate south east of the Hot Spring, Deepnest
Makes your Shade Cloak dash damage enemies and extends its length by 40 percent. It lies behind a Shade Gate south east of the Deepnest Hot Spring, so you need the Shade Cloak to get in.
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Upper Weavers' Den, Deepnest
Summons three weaverlings that chase and attack enemies on their own. Climb into the upper part of the Weavers' Den to collect it, and the Midwife will comment if you do.
The Abyss (2)
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Sealed door on the west wall of the Abyss
Gives a large number of Lifeblood masks on every bench rest, the strongest defensive charm for a no-heal run. The door only opens if you arrive with 14 or more Lifeblood masks, or 15 with Joni's Blessing equipped, and it shuts for good once you take the charm.
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The Birthplace, bottom of the Abyss
Costs no notches, cannot be unequipped, and calms the Siblings and your Shade so you can unlock the true ending. Wear the Kingsoul and walk into the sea of Siblings at the bottom of the Abyss, then Dream Nail the egg. It shares its completion point with Kingsoul.
Kingdom's Edge (1)
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Ancient Nailsmith's anvil, east Kingdom's Edge
Cuts the time between nail swings dramatically, the best raw damage charm in the game. Break the floor beside Oro's training dummy, drop a few levels, then loop up the west end of the section to a small tunnel in the wall.
The Hive (1)
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Below the Hive Knight arena, the Hive
Slowly regenerates the most recently lost mask for free, which trivialises spike rooms and the Path of Pain. It sits in the room below the Hive Knight arena, so you have to beat him first.
Queen's Gardens (1)
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White Lady's root chamber, north west Queen's Gardens
Slowly builds Soul while you stand still and is the key to the true ending. The White Lady here gives the first White Fragment; the second is taken from the Pale King's body at the end of the White Palace, and the two halves then merge automatically.
