A mark of honor handed out by the Hunter once you fill in most of the Hunter's Journal.
The Hunter's Mark is the reward for filling out the bestiary in Hollow Knight. Per the wiki, it is "a mark of honor belonging to a true hunter," granted once the Knight has logged most of the creatures of Hallownest.
According to the wiki, the Mark is handed over by 
the Hunter, the large bug who gave you the 
Hunter's Journal early in the game. He lives in a small lair on the east side of 
Greenpath.
The wiki notes the Mark is a special journal entry rather than a usable item. It does not change the Knight's combat or movement; it is recognition that you have hunted nearly every enemy in the game, and it comes with the True Hunter achievement.
This guide covers what the Hunter's Mark is, how to earn it by completing the Hunter's Journal, where to find the Hunter to claim it, and whether chasing it is worth the effort. As a completion prize, the Mark is about pride more than power.
A journal entry awarded for honor, with no combat use. Fill in most of the Hunter's Journal bestiary. The Hunter, in his lair in eastern Greenpath.
Unlocks the True Hunter achievement.The Hunter's Mark is a journal entry, not a relic, charm, or tool. Per the wiki, it sits in the Hunter's Journal alongside the enemy entries, but it is a token of recognition rather than a creature you can fight or study.
According to the wiki, the Mark is one of a handful of journal entries that do not raise the journal's creature count. It appears only after the real work of logging enemies is mostly done, so it acts as the capstone on the page rather than another entry to chase.
In practice, the Hunter's Mark is a pure prestige reward. It gives the Knight nothing mechanical, but it stands as proof that you tracked down and fought nearly every bug in Hallownest.
The Mark has no icon art of its own in the journal, which some players read as a bug. In actual play it is intentional, a quiet nod to the Hunter passing on the sum of his work rather than an object.
You earn the Hunter's Mark by completing most of the Hunter's Journal, the in-game bestiary. Per the wiki, each entry fills in once you have killed enough of that enemy, and the Hunter adds his own combat notes to every creature you log.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fight enough of each enemy to fill its journal entry |
| 2 | Track down rare and region-locked enemies you have missed |
| 3 | Reach the completion threshold for the journal |
| 4 | Return to the Hunter to receive the Mark |
According to the wiki, not every entry is required; the Mark unlocks once you have most of them, not a perfect 100 percent. A stronger 
nail speeds up the grind, since many entries need several kills of the same foe.
In real runs, the last few entries are the hard part. Enemies tucked into 
Deepnest and 
Crystal Peak are easy to overlook, so a checklist helps near the end.
The Mark is collected from the Hunter in person. Per the wiki, he is located on the east side of Greenpath, in a small cave set above the Stone Sanctuary.
According to the wiki, this is the same spot where the Knight first meets him and receives the Hunter's Journal. Once the journal is mostly full, returning to his lair and speaking with him triggers the reward scene, after which the Mark is added to the journal.
The wiki also notes a small joke in the handover. The Hunter rises as if a 
boss fight is about to start, complete with dramatic music, before simply gifting the Mark. In actual play it is a memorable fake-out that fits his character.
Set a Bench near the Hunter's lair before your final enemy hunt. That way you can claim the Mark right after the last entry fills without a long trek back to Greenpath.
That depends on what you want from a run. The Hunter's Mark gives no stats and unlocks no abilities, so for a pure power route it is skippable. For completion and achievement hunters, it is one of the more satisfying goals in the game.
In real runs, most players who finish the journal do it late, mopping up missed enemies after the main story is already well underway.
The Hunter's Mark caps off the bestiary, but the combat and collectibles around it run deeper. These spokes pick up the connected threads.
Game data and screenshots adapted from hollowknight.fandom.com, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Original content remains the property of the wiki contributors and Team Cherry.