A complete breakdown of Mina the Hollower hollow mechanics — how to burrow, the hidden burrow meter, invincibility while underground, terrain interactions, and advanced techniques including burrow-jump extension, edge pops, and water traversal chains.
Hollowing is Mina’s signature mechanic — the ability to burrow underground and travel beneath the surface. It functions simultaneously as a dodge tool, a platforming tool, and the game’s primary skill expression. GameSpot described the combat as building around this mechanic to the point where the game “feels more akin to Elden Ring than Link’s Awakening” in terms of depth.
Polygon’s guide states it directly: “If you get used to burrowing, your time in Mina the Hollower will become much easier, so burrow whenever you can — even if you don’t need to.” This is not hyperbole. Players who burrow constantly discover secrets, take fewer hits, and develop faster combat rhythm than players who use it reactively.
Burrowing uses the same button as jumping but with extended hold timing:
| Action | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jump | Press jump button (do not hold) | Mina jumps normally |
| Burrow | Press jump, then hold jump as you land | Mina dives underground instead of standing on the surface |
| Move underground | Normal movement controls (stick/d-pad) | Mina tunnels in the direction you press |
| Surface immediately | Release the jump button | Mina pops up from the ground immediately |
| Auto-surface | Hold jump until burrow timer expires | Mina automatically surfaces when the internal burrow limit is reached |
While underground, Mina moves in whichever direction you press on the stick or d-pad. You can burrow horizontally across rooms, diagonally into sloped terrain in some areas, and the direction is fully player-controlled within the constraints of burrowable terrain. You do not need to pre-aim your burrow direction before entering the ground.
Burrowing is limited by an internal duration timer — effectively a hidden burrow meter. There is no visible on-screen gauge, but Mina will automatically surface after a set time underground. The game describes it as running out of “burrow energy” or “air.”
Burrowing provides strong damage avoidance. Guides uniformly describe it as a reliable evasion tool against projectiles and most enemy attack patterns. Polygon explicitly recommends burrowing “even when you don’t need to” as a general safety measure.
The general principle: if an attack hits the surface and you are underground, it misses. This covers the large majority of attacks in the game.
A specific list of burrow-piercing boss attacks is not yet published in community documentation. Players are advised to test each new boss’s attacks empirically.
Most standard ground in Mina the Hollower is burrowable. The game is built with this assumption — “if you’re ever stuck, always try to burrow first” is direct advice from early guides.
| Terrain Type | Burrowable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dirt / soil | Yes | Standard burrowable surface in most areas |
| Wooden floors & platforms | Yes | Confirmed burrowable in dungeon environments |
| Ropes & planks | Yes | Burrowing under ropes and planks is shown in early tips videos |
| Deep water | Special | Burrow as soon as you hit the water surface. When the timer expires, Mina auto-jumps rather than drowning, enabling water traversal chains |
| Pits | Special | Interacts with burrowing; a “Walk on Pits” modifier exists suggesting non-standard interaction; pit traversal is possible in some contexts |
| Hard stone / metal floors | Likely No | Not confirmed burrowable in documentation; specific blocked terrain types are not formally listed yet |
| Certain dungeon tiles | Varies | Some special dungeon floors block burrowing as a puzzle mechanic; not catalogued by type |
Boss fights in Mina the Hollower are designed around the burrow mechanic. The core combat rhythm across all builds is a variation of the same pattern:
Burrow toward the boss from a safe position. You are invulnerable during this travel phase for most attack types. Position underground so you surface directly on the boss or at your weapon’s optimal range.
Surface and immediately attack. With Nightstar, swing while the boss is at flail range. With Daggers, surface directly on the hitbox and rapid-stab. With Battery Buster, surface at mid-range and fire charged shots. The attack window lasts until you see the next attack telegraph.
Burrow back underground before the attack hits. Do not wait for the attack animation to start — burrow on the telegraph. This is the timing discipline the game trains you toward. Once learned, boss fights become a rhythm of burrow approach, attack, burrow escape.
Three concrete advanced techniques are documented by the community. These are not obscure tricks — the game is designed with them in mind.
A standard jump covers one grid space horizontally. A burrow-jump covers two grid spaces.
How to execute: Jump as normal, then hold the jump button as you would land on a surface. Instead of landing, Mina burrows, which propels her forward as she travels underground. When she surfaces at an edge or after the burrow timer expires, she pops out into a jump that extends the total distance covered.
Why it matters: Many platforming puzzles in Mina the Hollower are built around this extended range. Gaps that look impossible to cross with a normal jump are intentionally designed for burrow-jump traversal. If you find a gap you cannot cross normally, attempt a burrow-jump before looking for an alternate route.
When you burrow to an edge that has an obstacle overhead blocking your surface path, Mina automatically pops out into a jump rather than being stuck. This is the game detecting the collision and resolving it by launching Mina upward.
How to use intentionally: Burrow toward a ledge with a low ceiling or obstacle overhead. Mina will automatically jump out at the edge, effectively performing a ledge-grab equivalent. This can be chained with normal movement to clear tricky ledges without precise manual timing.
Deep water cannot be crossed by swimming, but it can be crossed by repeated burrow-pops.
How to execute: Jump toward the water and hold the jump button as you land on the surface. Mina burrows into the water and tunnels forward. When the burrow timer expires, instead of surface-landing (there is no solid surface), she automatically pops up into a jump. Land again and immediately hold jump to burrow again. Repeat across the water gap.
Why it matters: Several areas in Mina the Hollower have water gaps that are specifically designed for this chain. Knowing the technique turns impassable water sections into straightforward traversal puzzles.
Several trinkets and game modifiers interact directly with burrowing, though a comprehensive documented list of every burrow-modifying trinket is not yet published.
| Trinket / Modifier | Type | Effect on Burrowing |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Lung | Trinket | Widely cited as extending burrow duration. Recommended in virtually every build guide as a top-priority early trinket. Exact duration multiplier not published. Effect: more time underground per burrow, enabling longer approach paths and extended Dagger Storm attack windows. |
| 2x Burrow Speed | Game Modifier (accessibility/assist menu) | Doubles the speed at which Mina moves while underground. Does not affect the duration limit. Useful for players who find burrow movement too slow for reactive combat. |
| Walk on Pits | Game Modifier | Modifies how Mina interacts with pit terrain, including during burrowing. Removes the fall hazard from pits, simplifying pit-adjacent burrow traversal. |
| Keri the Wisp | Trinket | Adds a float ability for aerial movement. While not directly modifying burrowing, it extends the Mina’s airtime after surfacing into a jump, enabling further reach after water traversal chains and edge pops. |
| Bellows Bustle | Trinket | Adds an air dash. Combines with the jump portion of burrow-jump extension to cover additional horizontal distance after surfacing. |
Press jump, then hold the jump button as you land. Mina dives underground instead of standing on the surface. Use normal movement controls to move while underground. Release the jump button to surface immediately, or wait for the internal burrow timer to expire and Mina will auto-surface.
Yes. There is a hidden internal timer limiting how long Mina can stay underground. There is no visible on-screen gauge. When the timer expires, Mina automatically surfaces. Over water, she pops into a jump instead. The Iron Lung trinket extends this duration.
Burrowing provides strong damage avoidance against projectiles and most attack patterns. Exact invincibility frame counts are not yet published, but the underground state is described universally as a high-safety position. Some boss attacks may penetrate underground — these are best identified per boss through experimentation.
A burrow-jump covers two grid spaces horizontally instead of the one grid space a normal jump covers. To execute: jump, hold the jump button as you land, burrow forward, and Mina surfaces at extended range. Many platforming puzzles in the game are specifically designed around this technique.
Use the water traversal chain: jump toward water and hold jump as you hit the surface to burrow into it. When the burrow timer expires, Mina auto-pops into a jump (there is no solid surface to land on). Hold jump as you land again to immediately burrow again. Repeat to chain across long water gaps.
When you burrow to an edge with an obstacle overhead, Mina automatically launches upward into a jump instead of being blocked. This is an intentional game mechanic for navigating ledges with low ceilings. You can use it deliberately by burrowing toward a ledge you want to pop onto.
Iron Lung. It extends burrow duration, giving you more time underground per burrow for approach, attack, and escape. It is recommended as a top-priority early pickup on every build and is essential for the Dagger Storm build’s burrow-in, stab, burrow-out rhythm.
The core rhythm: burrow toward the boss (safe approach), surface and attack, burrow away before the next attack. Repeat. The discipline is burrowing on the attack telegraph, not waiting to see if the attack will hit. Players who wait for “one more hit” are the ones who take damage. Burrow on the telegraph, not on the hit.