Mina the Hollower is built like a hub-and-spoke adventure — reviewers compare it to Demon’s Souls’ Nexus. Ossex City is your safe centre, and you strike out in different compass directions to restore six failing Spark Generators, each buried in a region and guarded by a ferocious boss. This walkthrough lays out the route in canonical order, but remember: the first four regions are genuinely free-order, so swap them around if a boss gives you trouble.
How the world is structured
- One island, six dungeons. Tenebrous Isle breaks into themed regions, each with its own Spark Generator and several sub-areas.
- No item-gates. Every core tool — burrow, jump, swim, bombs, fire-handling — is available from the start. Ars Technica notes “nothing is gated behind an item or ability you have to earn.” Harder areas open via secret passages, side quests, or a Sidearm/Trinket you already own.
- Gentle nudges only. Newspapers and the town fountain’s six lightbulbs each point roughly toward a dungeon. There’s no detailed map, so landmarks matter.
- Backtracking is minimal and exists mainly to make opening shortcuts feel rewarding.
Prologue — Shipwreck to Ossex City
You begin shipwrecked on the shore and make your way to Ossex City, the hub. Get your bearings here first:
- Legovich’s Arms — the smithy; buy and swap weapons (2,000+ Bones each).
- The Emporium (City Center) — spend Sparks on max HP, Plasma Vial count, Spark count, Joules and trinket slots. Make this your habit.
- Bone Up stations, the Trinket Bazaar (Lady Susan), a Kears key shop, the Hollower’s Guild Hall, a pawn shop, and the Bowery train station to the north.
Canonical region order
| # | Region | Direction | Spark Generator boss | Key pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queensbury Crypt | NE | The Duchess of Queensbury | Proto Spark (free revive) |
| 2 | Nox’s Bayou | SW | Nox Beast | Bayou mirror / Mock Moon mini-boss |
| 3 | Septemburg | NW (via Kindlewood) | (region boss) | Crow Town mirror |
| 4 | Bone Beach | S/SE (via Sandfalls) | (region boss) | Worm’s Back mirror/upgrade |
| 5 | Coltrane Peak | N (train access) | Frozen Horror | Icebound Cavern mirror |
| 6 | Astral Orrery | Final (via mirrors) | Finale | — |
1. Queensbury Crypt (do this first)
A gothic cemetery of rolling grounds and silent headstones where monsters rise from graves. Escort the Duke to his casket to earn the Proto Spark trinket — a free one-time revive and the best early pickup in the game. Solve the Statue Head Hall puzzle (carry two statue heads via burrow), and burrow into the wall-mounted candle there to reach a “Plundered Cache” mirror. The generator boss is The Duchess of Queensbury; the secret boss Midden lurks in the Ancestral Chamber.
2. Nox’s Bayou
A poisonous, semi-settled swamp with uneven ground, noxious deep water and an enormous predator — the Nox Beast. Reach it by paddling a boat outside town through the Backwaters. Climb the Moonlit Path to face the mini-boss Mock Moon and reach the region mirror.
3. Septemburg
A region of perpetual autumn and scarecrows, reached via Kindlewood. A stalker known as the Carving Man haunts it. The Crow Town mirror anchors this region.
4. Bone Beach
A mining town built inside a giant creature, reached through Sandfalls. The Worm’s Back holds a mirror and an upgrade.
5. Coltrane Peak (Frozen Trainyard)
A frozen trainyard haunted by ghosts, reached by train from Ossex. Beat the Frozen Horror and find the Icebound Cavern mirror. The secret boss Mirren waits in the nearby Frostbite Woods.
6. Astral Orrery — the finale
Once you’ve restored the earlier generators, the six region mirrors open the path to the Astral Orrery for the climactic sequence. The big mirror in the Ossex castle (north) is the Astral Orrery exit — you can’t enter from there normally.
Saving and fast travel
Save and re-equip at the Underlab (the game’s bonfire-equivalent). Train stations unlock fast travel for 10,000 Bones, and the six region mirrors form the network that leads to the Astral Orrery. For the full breakdown, see Underlab, Saving & Fast Travel.
When a region wall stops you, swap to a different generator — the open structure is there to be used. For per-boss strategies, jump to the bosses hub.