Bones play a vital role in your advancement within Mina the Hollower. They are required for almost everything in the game, such as buying useful items and also unlocking the powerful Bone Up upgrades. The most annoying thing is that all the bones you are carrying are lost when you die in the game.
This guide explains the fastest method for obtaining Bones in the early game, identifies the best trinkets for boosting Bone income, explains how Bonestones function, and tells you which Bone Up upgrades you should pick first.
What Are Bones Used For?
The main roles of bones are:
- Purchase items from merchants.
- Trigger Bone Up (level up) upgrades that permanently enhance Mina’s stats.
When you have collected enough Bones, the game will automatically offer you the option to Bone Up. At that point, you can spend your Bones on a stat upgrade or convert them into a Bonestone for later use.
Bones are so valuable that having a reliable farming method can make the rest of the adventure much easier.
How To Earn More Bones In Mina The Hollower
You will naturally come across bones when exploring, but there are many more rewarding methods of obtaining them.
Defeat Enemies
When you defeat enemies, each one drops Bones.
The number of bones you receive will vary according to the enemy.
- Small enemies like bats give you only a few Bones.
- Enemies who are more powerful, for example armoured knights and big frogs, drop a lot of bones.
When you want to farm bones as quickly as possible, you should always choose tougher enemies over weaker ones.
Search Every Area Carefully
A large number of Bones are hidden all over the world.
Keep an eye out for:
- Bone fragments lying on the ground
- Half-buried Bone piles
- Treasure chests
- Breakable crates
- Destructible boulders containing Bones
- Hidden collectibles while burrowing
Many players simply run past these objects, but destroying everything along your path adds up to a large amount of extra Bones over time.
Use Gameplay Modifiers (Optional)
If you don’t care about earning achievements, use the gameplay modifiers for Bone farming.
Some of the most useful options include:
- Boning Up 20% Faster
- No Bone Loss on Death
These modifiers speed up progression a lot, but remember that turning them on disables in-game achievements.
Best Early-Game Bone Farming Route
One of the fastest farming spots available early in the game is found in Mourner’s Mile: Knight’s Rest, located east of Ossex.
This route is fast, offering valuable enemies, bone-filled boulders, and Underlab entrances nearby, resetting the area right away.
How to Reach Knight’s Rest
- Travel through the Eastern Heath.
- Continue toward the area filled with armored knights.
- Find the graveyard with the headless statue.
- Head north to locate the Underlab entrance.
Actually there are two entrances to the Underlab in the area, which is why this place is one of the most convenient farming locations at the beginning of the game.
Fast Bone Farming Method
Once you’ve reached the farming spot, follow this loop:
- Leave the Underlab.
- Destroy the three Bone-filled boulders nearby.
- Defeat the nearby armored knight.
- Continue south to eliminate another knight.
- Break any additional Bone-containing rocks.
- Return to the Underlab.
- Exit again to respawn enemies and collectibles.
- Repeat the process.
Since entering and leaving the Underlab causes the overworld enemies and collectible objects to be refreshed, you can repeat this route as often as you like.
Longer Farming Route
If you want even better returns, extend the route toward Queensbury Crypt.
Once you have cleared the enemies and the bone deposits along the path, go through the Underlab entrance and then retrac your steps.
Even though each run takes more time, you will gain more Bones per cycle.
Best Trinkets for Farming Bones
There are certain trinkets which are very helpful when it comes to bone farming.
You get even better results if you use them together.
Deboning Wand
The Deboning Wand increases the number of Bones dropped by defeated enemies by roughly 50%.
The only disadvantage is that the additional Bones end up scattered on the ground rather than being stored directly in your inventory.
This becomes a problem if enemies die near pits, since some Bones may fall where you can’t collect them.
The good news is that the Knight’s Rest farming route is extremely safe and has very few hazards, which is why it is one of the safest places to equip this trinket.
Stolenoid
The Stolenoid automatically attracts nearby pickups, including Bones.
As long as you are nearby, the Bone drops will quickly move towards Mina rather than having them gathered manually.
This trinket almost completely makes up for the downside of the Deboning Wand.
Best Trinket Combination
For maximum Bone income, equip:
- Deboning Wand
- Stolenoid
The first increases Bone drops, while the second makes collecting those extra Bones much easier.
Together, they create one of the most efficient Bone farming setups available.
Best Bone Up Upgrade Priority
Every time you collect enough Bones, you’ll automatically trigger a Bone Up.
The best upgrade for you depends on how you like to play.
Defense First
It is generally the best idea to boost your defensive stats if you learning the enemy’s patterns or if you take a lot of damage.
The less damage you take, the longer you’ll survive and the more of your hard-earned Bones you’ll retain.
Increase Attack Power
Players who are aggressive might choose to attack.
Causing more damage allows you to kill enemies more quickly, which in turn speeds up farming and results in shorter difficult boss fights.
Upgrade Shortarm Damage
Players who use Shortarm abilities frequently may want to boost that category instead.
This upgrade is worth it if a lot of your combat revolves around those abilities.
Bone Up Can Save You During Tough Battles
Bone Up is a useful mechanic that many players overlook. It completely refills your Health, Joules, and Sparks.
It might be a good idea if you’re about to level up during a difficult boss battle. You can save up enough Bones to use them for the Bone Up action at the right moment.
The full restoration can completely change the outcome of an encounter.
Should You Choose a Bonestone Instead?
You don’t always have to spend your Bones immediately.
Instead of selecting a stat upgrade, you can convert that Bone Up into a Bonestone.
Doing this safely stores your accumulated Bones instead of spending them.
Since Bonestones can’t be lost in the same way as ordinary carried Bones, they are an excellent method of protecting valuable resources.
You’ll be able to get them from the Bone-Former in the upper-right part of the Underlab at any time when you’re ready to use them.
When to Store Bones as Bonestones
Saving Bones instead of leveling immediately is useful when:
- You’re carrying a large number of Bones.
- You’re about to explore a dangerous new area.
- You’re saving for an expensive merchant item.
- You want several Bone Up upgrades in quick succession later.
This method lowers the chance of having to start from scratch after an unexpected death.
In order to make Mina as strong as possible, you should focus on the Knight’s Rest farming method at the beginning of the game. This involves killing all the armoured knights, destroying all the boulders that are filled with bone, and continuously resetting the area using the Underlab.
