Complete walkthrough · recommended area order · missable items · Bones benchmarks
Mina the Hollower wiki guide

Mina the Hollower Walkthrough

This Mina the Hollower walkthrough covers the recommended dungeon order, what unlocks after each area, how to access the Astral Orrery, missable items, Bones benchmarks per boss, and true ending requirements. Use this Mina the Hollower walkthrough guide alongside the mirror guide for the fastest route to the true ending.

Spoiler-AwareAll 6 RegionsMissables Flagged~18 Hours First Run
Also useful: ⚔️ Boss Guide ⚡ Builds 💎 Trinkets 🏛 Ossex Hub 🔮 Mirrors

Mina the Hollower Walkthrough at a Glance

Mina the Hollower is an open Metroidvania, so area order is not fully locked. However, a soft intended route exists based on enemy difficulty scaling and item availability. Deviating from it significantly mid-game leads to hitting walls on bosses with insufficient upgrades.

Before you leave Ossex: Rescue Rhene at the Rebel Barracks south of Ossex, escort her to the Hollower Guild Hall, then free Drillhardt. Buy the basic map (500 Bones) from him immediately. Without the map, navigation and collectible hunting are significantly harder for the entire run.

Recommended Area Order

#AreaDirection from OssexTime Est.
1Queensbury CryptNortheast1.5–3 hrs
2Nox’s Bayou / BackwaterSouthwest2–3 hrs
3Septemburg / KindlewoodNorthwest2–3 hrs
4Coltrane PeakNorth~2 hrs
5Bone Beach / SandfallSoutheast2–3 hrs
6Deprived Path + Astral Orrery finaleVia 3 mirrors2–4 hrs

Total: approximately 18 hours for a focused first run. Completionists (all secret bosses, all trinkets) should budget 25–30 hours. The speedrun trophy requires a full clear in under 4 hours.

Mina the Hollower full world map of Tenebrous Isle
Tenebrous Isle world map — all 6 regions visible once you buy the Isle Map from Drillhardt

Early Ossex — Setup Before First Dungeon (2–3 Hours)

Ossex is the central hub connecting all regions. Several early actions here have a large impact on the rest of the run. Do not rush past them.

Step 1: Rescue Rhene and Unlock the Map

Head south of Ossex to the Rebel Barracks. Find Rhene, escort her safely back, and heal her when prompted. Once she reaches the Hollower Guild Hall, free Drillhardt inside. He sells you a basic map for 500 Bones — buy it immediately. After completing Septemburg, he sells an Enhanced Map for another 500 Bones, which adds collectible detail. Playing without a map is possible but significantly slows exploration.

Step 2: Choose Your Starting Weapon

Visit Legovich’s Arms in Ossex to pick your weapon. See the weapons guide for full breakdowns. Community recommendation for new players: Nightstar (flail) for its reach, or Battery Buster for players who prefer ranged combat. You can switch weapons at any point at no cost.

Step 3: Buy Early Trinkets and Upgrade Slots

You start with 4 trinket slots. The Trinket Bag upgrade expands this to 6 — buy it as soon as it appears in a shop. Also look for the Primed Vial Pouch trinket, which increases your healing item count, before the first dungeon. These two items have the largest survivability impact in the early game.

Step 4: Fund the Train Station

A fast-travel train station can be unlocked by donating 10,000 Bones total. Start contributing early. The station is tied to late-game progression and the true ending — ignoring it forces slower traversal across the island in the later hours.

1Queensbury Crypt (Northeast)

The intended first dungeon. Gothic crypt and manor environment. Boss difficulty is calibrated as the easiest of the six generators, making it the right place to learn Hollowing timing and burrow mechanics.

Objectives

  • Reach and reactivate the Spark Generator
  • Defeat the Queensbury Crypt boss
  • Find the Duke before the boss fight (missable)
  • Escort the Duke out and throw him into a coffin for Proto Spark
  • Activate the mirror inside the crypt

What Unlocks After

  • Ossex Guild Hall begins to repopulate with NPCs
  • New vendor services unlock (map upgrades)
  • Proto Spark trinket (extra life) if Duke quest completed
  • Route west and southwest begins to open
Missable: The Duke escort quest. You must find him before the boss fight. If you defeat the boss without finding him, the quest fails and you lose access to Proto Spark on this playthrough. Proto Spark (a revive trinket that recharges at checkpoints) is one of the most impactful safety items in the game.

Bones Benchmark Before Boss

2–3 HP upgrades, at least one trinket slot open, and Primed Vial Pouch or equivalent equipped. The boss is learnable without heavy investment, but Proto Spark significantly reduces frustration on first attempts.

2Nox’s Bayou / Backwater (Southwest)

Mina the Hollower Nox's Bayou swamp area gameplay
Nox's Bayou — the purple swamp region southwest of Ossex

Dark swamp environment with water traversal mechanics. More enemy variety than Queensbury Crypt. The optional Willis secret boss is located in or around this region.

Objectives

  • Navigate the bayou and Backwater zones
  • Reactivate the regional Spark Generator
  • Defeat Nox’s Beast (main boss)
  • Activate the mirror in this region
  • Optional: complete the frog band side quest to unlock Willis (secret boss)

Recommended Upgrades

  • 3–4 HP upgrades before the main boss
  • 1–2 Attack or Defense Bone Ups purchased
  • A crowd-control sidearm (Volt Hatchet or Gyro Dagger)
  • Plasma Funnel from the Molten Forge if reachable between dungeons
Terrain tip: Water slows Mina’s movement and affects Hollowing. Practice burrowing in and out of shallow water sections before boss rooms — the mechanics behave slightly differently near water edges.

3Septemburg / Kindlewood (Northwest)

Gothic farmland with a distinct Crow Town sub-area. One of the more visually striking regions. Contains the Septemburg mirror, one of the six fast-travel connection points.

Objectives

  • Clear Kindlewood area and reach Septemburg generator
  • Defeat the Septemburg boss
  • Activate the Septemburg mirror
  • Return to Ossex to buy the Enhanced Map (500 Bones) from Drillhardt

What Unlocks After

  • Enhanced Map available from Drillhardt — adds collectible indicators
  • More of Ossex’s story content becomes available
  • Mina’s relationship with Thorne faction advances
  • Northern routes begin to open toward Coltrane Peak
After completing Septemburg: Go back to Ossex and buy the Enhanced Map immediately before continuing. It makes collectible hunting in Coltrane Peak and beyond significantly faster.

4Coltrane Peak (North)

Ice mountain environment with slippery floors and elevated platforming. One of the harder regions due to environmental hazards layered onto the normal combat. The Mirren secret boss is found in or around this region.

Objectives

  • Navigate icy mountain paths to the Spark Generator
  • Defeat the Coltrane Peak boss
  • Activate the Coltrane Peak mirror
  • Purchase the All-Seeing Skull from the shop (available after this region)

Recommended Upgrades

  • Extra HP upgrades — environmental hazards deal damage separately from combat
  • Steady Soles trinket — counters slippery ice floor movement
  • Defense-focused Bone Ups more valuable here than Attack
  • Proto Spark if you have it; revives are more valuable on environmental deaths
After Coltrane Peak: The All-Seeing Skull becomes purchasable. It glows red if a collectible is on your current screen and blue if one is nearby. Highly recommended for completionists — buy it before tackling Bone Beach if you care about full trinket collection.

5Bone Beach / Sandfall (Southeast)

Coastal graveyard and desert environment. Contains the Dark Deluxy secret boss. One of the six mirrors is located here. By this point you should have 3+ mirrors activated, giving you access to Mirror’s End and the ability to unlock the northern path to the finale.

Objectives

  • Clear Sandfall/coastal zone and reach the generator
  • Defeat the Bone Beach boss
  • Activate the Bone Beach mirror
  • Optional: unlock the Dark Deluxy secret boss

Before the Finale Checklist

  • All 5 main generators restored
  • 3+ mirrors activated (required for Astral Orrery)
  • Enhanced Map purchased
  • All-Seeing Skull purchased if aiming for completion
  • Train station funded (10,000 Bones total donated)
  • All children rescued from dungeons (true ending)

6Deprived Path + Astral Orrery Finale (Via Mirrors)

Mina the Hollower Astral Orrery finale level
The Astral Orrery — the game's final celestial realm, accessed through the Mirror's End network

The final stretch. Astral Orrery is a celestial realm accessed only through the Mirror’s End network. It is the hardest region in the game with the most demanding boss fights. Budget 2–4 hours depending on difficulty and how many mirrors you have activated for fast travel.

Accessing the Astral Orrery

You need exactly 3 activated mirrors to open the blocked northern path in Mirror’s End. Any combination of 3 from the available mirrors works. If you have been activating mirrors as recommended throughout the walkthrough, you will have 4–5 by now.

To enter a mirror: hold the movement direction into it repeatedly until Mina phases through. Do not press an interact button. Once inside, find and activate the gold mechanism in the room. Leaving without triggering the mechanism means the mirror does not count as activated for progression.

Deprived Path

An optional but recommended late-game area with high-value trinkets and lore content. Complete it before entering the Astral Orrery if aiming for full completion.

Final Boss

Multi-phase fight. Ensure you have: Proto Spark equipped, Plasma Vials fully stocked, and a combat trinket loadout you are comfortable with. See the boss guide for specific strategies. After the final boss, the ending plays based on whether you met the true ending requirements.

Mina the Hollower Mirror Activation Guide

There are 6 enterable mirrors across Tenebrous Isle plus a seventh exit-only mirror used in the endgame. You need 3 activated for story progression, but activating all 6 provides full fast-travel coverage across the island.

Mirror LocationRegionRequired for 3-mirror gate?
Queensbury Crypt mirrorNortheastCounts toward any 3-mirror set
Nox’s Bayou mirrorSouthwestCounts toward any 3-mirror set
Septemburg mirrorNorthwestCounts toward any 3-mirror set
Coltrane Peak mirrorNorthCounts toward any 3-mirror set
Bone Beach mirrorSoutheastCounts toward any 3-mirror set
Ossex area mirrorCentral hubCounts toward any 3-mirror set
How to activate a mirror: Walk up to the mirror and hold the movement direction into it repeatedly. Mina will phase through after a moment. Inside, locate the gold mechanism and activate it. Exit the mirror interior. The game now registers this mirror as activated. Entering but not triggering the mechanism does not count.

See the full mirror locations guide for exact screen positions of each mirror, including the harder-to-find Ossex area and Bone Beach mirrors.

Missable Items and Events

These items and events can be permanently missed on your current playthrough if skipped. All are recoverable in New Game Plus.

Item / EventHow to GetMiss Risk
Proto Spark (trinket — extra life) Find the Duke before the Queensbury Crypt boss. Guide him through a platforming puzzle. After defeating the boss, throw him into a coffin while escorting him out. High — miss if boss killed first
Basic Map (navigation) Rescue Rhene at Rebel Barracks south of Ossex, escort to Guild Hall, free Drillhardt. Buy map for 500 Bones. Medium — delays all collectible hunting
Enhanced Map (navigation upgrade) Available from Drillhardt after completing Septemburg. Buy for 500 Bones. Medium — missable if Drillhardt not freed first
All-Seeing Skull (collectible detector) Purchasable from a shop after completing Coltrane Peak. Glows red for on-screen collectibles, blue for nearby collectibles. Low — just buy it when available
Train Station Fast Travel Donate 10,000 Bones total to the train station fund in Ossex. Tied to true ending and late-game progression. Medium — requires consistent Bones donations
All Trapped Children (true ending) Each major dungeon contains trapped children. Rescue all of them during dungeon completion. High — required for true ending, easy to overlook

Mina the Hollower Walkthrough: Bones Benchmarks Per Boss

The game has no fixed level system. Think in terms of: "Have I bought key trinkets and 2–3 core stat upgrades?" rather than a numeric level. These are the community-recommended checkpoints.

BossRecommended Before Attempting
Queensbury Crypt boss 2–3 HP upgrades, 1+ trinket slot, Primed Vial Pouch equipped. Enough Bones spare to fund Proto Spark quest reward.
Nox’s Bayou boss 3–4 HP upgrades, 1–2 Attack or Defense Bone Ups, at least one crowd-control sidearm equipped.
Septemburg boss Similar to Bayou with slight increase. At least one safety-net trinket (Proto Spark or equivalent) equipped.
Coltrane Peak boss Extra HP Bone Ups due to environmental hazard damage. Steady Soles trinket equipped. Defense Bone Ups prioritised over Attack.
Bone Beach boss Most major HP and Bone Up purchases complete. Full trinket loadout with healing, extra life, and at least one damage trinket.
Astral Orrery final boss All remaining HP and Bone Ups complete. Proto Spark, healing trinket, and damage trinket all equipped. Plasma Vials fully stocked before entering.
General rule: If you are dying more than 5–6 times to a boss, go back to Ossex and spend any unspent Bones on upgrades. The game is designed so that persistent difficulty usually means you skipped a purchasable upgrade rather than that the boss is overtuned.

Mina the Hollower True Ending Requirements

Completing the final boss without the optional objectives gives a normal ending. The fuller “true” ending requires meeting several additional conditions before the finale.

● Required: Main Story

  • All 5 Spark Generators restored
  • All main dungeon bosses defeated
  • Astral Orrery final boss defeated

● Required: NPC Arcs

  • Duke escort quest completed (Proto Spark)
  • Thorne faction arc resolved
  • All Hollower Guild Hall NPCs returned
  • Train station funded (10,000 Bones)

● Required: Collectibles

  • All trapped children rescued from dungeons
  • 3+ mirrors activated
  • Rebel Barracks (Rhene) quest complete
Most-missed requirement: Rescuing all trapped children. Children are hidden in dungeon rooms and easy to walk past during a first run. If you are aiming for the true ending, check each room carefully or use the All-Seeing Skull detector after purchasing it post-Coltrane Peak.

Mina the Hollower Walkthrough FAQ

What order should I do the dungeons in?

Recommended: Queensbury Crypt (northeast) → Nox’s Bayou (southwest) → Septemburg (northwest) → Coltrane Peak (north) → Bone Beach (southeast) → Astral Orrery finale. This matches the soft intended difficulty scaling and item availability curve.

What do I do first before leaving Ossex?

Rescue Rhene at the Rebel Barracks south of Ossex and escort her to the Hollower Guild Hall. Free Drillhardt. Buy the basic map for 500 Bones. Also buy the Trinket Bag upgrade and Primed Vial Pouch if available. Then head northeast to Queensbury Crypt.

How many mirrors do I need for the Astral Orrery?

Exactly 3 activated mirrors unlock the blocked northern path in Mirror’s End leading to the Astral Orrery. Any combination of 3 from the 6 available mirrors works. Activating additional mirrors just provides more fast-travel points.

How do I actually activate a mirror?

Walk up to the mirror and hold the movement direction into it until Mina phases through. Do not press a button — just hold direction. Inside, find the gold mechanism and activate it. Leaving without triggering the mechanism means the mirror does not count as activated for story progression.

What is the Proto Spark trinket and how do I not miss it?

Proto Spark is a trinket that revives Mina with most of her health once per checkpoint (recharges at every checkpoint). To get it: find the Duke inside Queensbury Crypt before fighting the boss. Guide him through a platforming puzzle to safety. After defeating the boss, escort him out and throw him into a coffin. If you fight the boss before finding the Duke, the quest fails permanently for this playthrough.

Is there a true ending? What do I need?

Yes. The true ending requires: all 5 generators restored, all trapped children rescued from dungeons, key NPC arcs completed (Duke, Thorne, Hollower Guild), and the train station funded with 10,000 Bones. Simply defeating the final boss without these gives a normal ending. The most-missed requirement is rescuing all children — use the All-Seeing Skull (available after Coltrane Peak) to find them.

How long is the full walkthrough?

Approximately 18 hours for a first playthrough with moderate exploration. Completionists hunting all secret bosses, all trinkets, and the true ending can expect 25–30 hours. The speedrun trophy requires finishing in under 4 hours.

I’m stuck on a boss. What should I do?

Return to Ossex and spend any unspent Bones on upgrades at the Underlab and Legovich’s Arms. If you are dying repeatedly, you likely skipped a Bone Up or trinket purchase. Check the Bones benchmarks table on this page for the recommended upgrade level per boss. Also see the boss-by-boss strategy guide for specific tactics.

Continue Reading

⚔️ Boss Strategies

All 26 bosses with full strategies, trinket loadouts, and secret boss unlock conditions.

🎮 Beginner Guide

First weapon choice, Hollowing basics, Bones management, and early-game priorities.

🔮 Mirror Locations

All 6 mirror locations with exact map positions and activation instructions.