Grubfather | Hollow Knight Wiki

Grubfather is an NPCs in Hollow Knight. Grubfather is an elderly caterpillar-like creature and is the patriarchal figure of a family of Grubs in Hallownest. The Grubfather can be encountered early on in the Forgotten Crossroads, bemoaning the disappearance of his children. The Knight can rescue his Grubs and be rewarded for each one returned to him.

Hollow Knight Grubfather Information

Grubfather is an old caterpillar who resides in his "Grubhome" in the Forgotten Crossroads. Once you encounter him, he provides you with the task to find his missing Grubs scattered across Hallownest (trapped in jars by The Collector) and in exchange, he will give rewards for each grub found. There is a total number of 46 Grubs; after finding the last Grub, he will provide the Grubberfly's Elegy charm.
After the quest of freeing all the Grubs is complete, if you rest at a bench and return to him, the Grubfather can be found lying on the ground in his chamber, distended from swallowing all of the grubs, who are distinctly heard cooing happily and contentedly, fully alive inside him.
The description of Grubberfly's Elegy suggests that this is a step in the grub life cycle, as it reads "Contains the gratitude of grubs who will move to the next stage of their lives." That is further implied by the achievement "Metamorphosis", rewarded upon saving all of the grubs.

• Location: Grubfather Can be found at the Forgotten Crossroads
• Combat: Players may not kill Grubfather. After rescuing al 46 Grubs and returning to the Grubfather in his bloated state, he can be attacked but this deals no damage and instead prompts laughter from the old bug.
• Rewards: Finishing his quest grants various rewards which will be listed below.
  • Also Unlocks the Grubfriend and Metamorphosis Achievements/Trophies for rescuing 23 and 46 Grubs, respectively.

Grubfather Related Quests in Hollow Knight

• Grubfather's Lament - This quest tasks The Knight with finding and rescuing the 46 missing Grubs throughout Hallownest. The Grubs can be found trapped in glass jars across many different locations in Hallownest. Many require some clever platforming in order to reach, some can be found behind breakable walls or guarded by bosses, and others require The Knight to obtain certain upgrades first such as the ability to double jump with the Monarch Wings or swim across pools with Isma's Tear. Once rescued, Grubs will return back to the Grubhome. With each Grub rescued, the Grubfather will reward the Knight with many different items and Geo. You can return to the Grubfather at anytime after rescuing a Grub to collect your reward. You may also collect them all at once or in groups.

Hollow Knight Grub Locations

The tables below list the general location of all Grubs in Hallownest, as well as the rewards obtained by rescuing them and returning to the Grubfather. You can return to the Grubfather at anytime after rescuing a Grub to collect your reward. You may also collect them all at once or in groups. Most Grub rescues are rewarded with an increasing amount of Geo starting from 10 and up to 300. At certain thresholds, you will instead receive a valuable item.

• 5 Grubs Rescued:  Mask Shard
• 10 Grubs Rescued: Grubsong charm
• 16 Grubs Rescued:  Rancid Egg
• 23 Grubs Rescued:  Hallownest Seal relic, Grubfriend Achievement
• 31 Grubs Rescued: Pale Ore
• 38 Grubs Rescued:  King's Idol relic
• 46 Grubs Rescued: Grubberfly's Elegy charm, Metamorphosis Achievement

After obtaining Isma's Tear, the Knight can acquire The Collector's Map which marks down the exact location of all Grubs yet to be rescued on the map, aiding players in locating these creatures. See the Grubfather's Lament page for a guide on how to obtain the map.

#	Location	Reward
1	5 Grubs in the Forgotten Crossroads	10
2		20
3		30
4		40
5		Mask Shard
6	4 Grubs in Greenpath	50
7		60
8		70
9		80
10	2 Grubs in the Fungal Wastes	Grubsong
11		90
12	5 Grubs in the City of Tears	100
13		110
14		120
15		120
16		Rancid Egg
17	7 Grubs in Crystal Peak	140
18		150
19		160
20		165
21		170
22		180
23		Hallownest Seal

#	Location	Reward
24	1 Grub in the Resting Grounds	200
25	3 Grubs in the Royal Waterways	200
26		210
27		215
28	1 Grub in the Howling Cliffs	220
29	2 Grubs in Kingdom's Edge	220
30		220
31	1 Grub in Fog Canyon	Pale Ore
32	3 Grubs in the Queen's Gardens	230
33		235
34		240
35	5 Grubs in Deepnest	245
36		250
37		255
38		King's Idol
39		260
40	2 Grubs in the Ancient Basin	265
41		270
42	2 Grubs in The Hive	280
43		290
44	3 Grubs in the Tower of Love	295
45		300
46		Grubberfly's Elegy

Grubfather Dialogue in Hollow Knight

• After rescuing all 46 Grubs: "Happy...happy...happy!!!"

Hollow Knight Grubfather Notes & Tips

What kind of bug is the Grubfather in Hollow Knight?

• Despite being called a grub (beetle larvae), the Grubfather and his young are technically caterpillars known as hornworms (as said in other translations of the game, and based on their obvious appearance, especially their bright green coloration). A “Grubberfly” as seen on the Grubberfly's Elegy Charm resembles and suggests that they metamorphose into a six-winged butterfly-like creature, further confirming this.
• True grubs are the larvae of beetles; they are very plump and white in colour (not green), highly resembling and sharing numerous traits with the “Maggots” associated with False Knight.

Other notes

• Other notes go here.