Reach the Sands of Karak in Hollow Knight: Silksong with this route guide: get Clawline, beat Great Conchflies, meet Pinstress, and climb up.

Reaching the Sands of Karak in Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of those late-Act 2 milestones that feels equal parts triumph and test of patience. The area sits behind a demanding platforming route, a duo boss, and a few ability checks, so players who rush in without Clawline or a healthy supply of Rosaries will likely find themselves backtracking. The good news is that the path becomes much clearer once players understand the intended sequence: obtain Clawline in the eastern Underworks through Whiteward, travel to the Bellway Station in Blasted Steps, float down near the left wall, defeat the Great Conchflies, meet the Pinstress, and then use Needle Strike and Clawline to climb into the Sands of Karak. As of 2026, this route remains one of the most memorable and mechanically demanding stretches in Silksong's second act.

Quick Route at a Glance

Step
Action
Important Detail

1
Acquire Clawline
Found in eastern Underworks, accessed through Whiteward

2
Reach Blasted Steps Bellway Station
Head right, then down

3
Descend carefully
Float throughout the fall and stay near the left wall

4
Enter first left passage
Leads to the Great Conchflies duo boss

5
Defeat Great Conchflies
Dodge both bosses and attack when they pop up

6
Head left after arena
Glide right to the Pinstress hut

7
Talk to Pinstress
Grants Needle Strike

8
Head left for grapple point
Harpoon and use Clawline to climb

9
Take top-left passage
Continue upward while avoiding wall bugs

10
Arrive in Sands of Karak
Hit yellow balls, use corals, find Shakra

Prerequisites and Preparation

The first hard requirement is the Clawline ability. It is located inside the eastern part of the Underworks, which players can access through Whiteward. Without Clawline, the later harpoon points and vertical traversal in this route simply cannot be completed. Players should also prepare for a boss fight, because the path to the Sands of Karak passes directly through the Great Conchflies arena.

Rosaries are another consideration. Shakra sells the Sands of Karak map for 90 Rosaries, and players who arrive with an empty purse may feel stuck. Fortunately, the area is not a dead end. There are quite a few shortcuts that lead to different locations, as well as a Bellway Station. Players can use the Bellway Station to travel to an area where farming is easier, collect a substantial purse, and then return to buy the map. That makes the journey less punishing than it first appears, especially for explorers who like to bank resources before committing to a long platforming run.

The Route to the Sands of Karak

Once Clawline is in hand, players should make their way to the Bellway Station in Blasted Steps. From there, the route begins by heading right and then down. The fall is long, and control matters more than speed. Players should float throughout the fall and stay near the left wall. The first passage they come across on the left will lead them to an area where they will face the Great Conchflies.

This is a duo boss fight, so awareness is everything. Players need to watch where both bosses are coming from and dodge them while finding windows to attack whenever they pop up. Greedy hits are dangerous here; the fight rewards patience, positioning, and clean dodges more than raw aggression. After the Great Conchflies are defeated, players should head left of the boss arena.

The next section is a small but satisfying traversal challenge. Players can basically glide all the way to the right and reach the hut where the Pinstress resides. Talking to the Pinstress grants the Needle Strike ability. From there, players should head left to find a grapple point they can harpoon at. By repeatedly using Clawline to make their way up, they will eventually need to go through the passage on the top left.

The climb continues upward, and this is where the wall bugs become a serious threat. They deal two mask damage, so trading hits is a bad idea. Players should keep their movement deliberate and avoid panicking when the platforming tightens. As they progress further, they will finally reach the Sands of Karak.

Inside the Sands of Karak

The Sands of Karak introduce a new layer of platforming built around yellow balls and coral. Players should hit the yellow ball in the area, which causes platforms to appear in front of them, as well as corals that they can down slash to make their way forward. After the second yellow ball, the platforms begin forming to the right and to the top left corner as well. The top left corner leads to a Memory Locket that players can pick up to increase the slots on their Crest. That reward alone makes the detour worthwhile, especially for players who want more flexibility in their build.

After grabbing the Memory Locket, players should head right. They will need to jump, float, and then harpoon to the wall, where they will find the yellow ball on top. Hitting the ball and going down causes platforms to form on the left. Players should then harpoon across the spikes and head up, then through the right passage. Here they will spot a new enemy. Towards the left, above them, is a room where Shakra is sitting at the end. Talking to Shakra allows players to buy the map for 90 Rosaries.

Tips for a Smoother Run

• 🧗 Use Clawline patiently. The route is built around it, and rushing often leads to unnecessary falls.

• ️ Respect two-mask damage. The wall bugs in the climb are not worth trading hits with.

• 🪙 Farm Rosaries before the final stretch if the purse is light. The Bellway Station makes this practical.

• ️ Buy the map from Shakra for 90 Rosaries. It makes later exploration in the Sands of Karak far less confusing.

• Grab the Memory Locket. Extra Crest slots are a long-term benefit.

• ️ Learn Needle Strike. The Pinstress grants it before the hardest climbing begins.

Final Thoughts

The Sands of Karak is not just another map room in Silksong. It is a test of the movement vocabulary that Act 2 keeps expanding: Clawline, floating, harpooning, down slashing, and boss dodging all come together in one route. Players who prepare properly, defeat the Great Conchflies, speak with the Pinstress, and keep an eye out for Shakra will walk away with a new map, a Memory Locket, and a stronger understanding of Silksong's vertical design. For completionists and explorers alike, it is a journey worth taking.

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Silksong's Weavenest Atla guide reveals how to unlock the hidden area using Needolin Skill and wall jump in Moss Grotto.

How to Reach Weavenest Atla in Silksong

Weavenest Atla is a hidden area in Hollow Knight: Silksong that many players see within the first hour of play, yet cannot enter until the end of Act 1. Its entrance is a large weaver-shaped door in Moss Grotto, visible from the early game but sealed by a missing ability. This guide explains the prerequisites, the exact route, and the location of the area map, along with the major rewards waiting inside. As of 2026, the process remains tied to story progression, the Needolin Skill, and a few precise movements through Bellhart, Shellwood, and Bone Bottom.

Prerequisites for Weavenest Atla ️

Before the door opens, players must advance the main story until they reach Bellhart. At that point, a new objective appears: The Threadspun Town. This objective sends the player into Shellwood to acquire the wall jump ability. After gaining wall jump, they must continue right and defeat the Widow. The reward for defeating the Widow is the Needolin Skill, which is the key to opening Weavenest Atla. Without Needolin, the weaver-shaped door remains inert, no matter how many times the player interacts with it.

Requirement
Location
Purpose

Story progress to Bellhart
Bellhart
Unlocks The Threadspun Town objective

Wall jump ability
Shellwood
Allows vertical traversal and route access

Defeat the Widow
Shellwood, right side
Grants the Needolin Skill

Needolin Skill
Reward from Widow
Opens the weaver-shaped door

Bellway fast travel
Any Bellway Station
Speeds up return to Bone Bottom

Step-by-Step Route to Weavenest Atla 🧭

• Progress the main story until Bellhart is reached and The Threadspun Town objective appears.

• Travel into Shellwood and obtain the wall jump ability.

• Head right through Shellwood and defeat the Widow to earn the Needolin Skill.

• Go to the nearest Bellway Station and fast travel to Bone Bottom.

• From Bone Bottom, head left and down into Moss Grotto.

• Inside Moss Grotto, move right until a large weaver-shaped door comes into view.

• Stand next to the door and press Triangle or Y on a controller, or D on a keyboard.

• Pass through the door to arrive in Weavenest Atla.

The door itself is impossible to miss for observant players. It has a distinctive weaver motif and sits in a part of Moss Grotto that many people explore early. The trick is not finding the door but returning with the correct skill. Once Needolin is active, the interaction prompt appears and the path opens.

Finding the Weavenest Atla Map

The map for Weavenest Atla is close to the entrance, but it is easy to overlook. After entering the area, the player should keep going straight and then head right. They will find two glowing cylinders. Striking these cylinders activates a mechanism in the room behind them. That mechanism jets the player down to the bottom of the area. However, before taking that downward route, the player should interact with the rune tablet nearby. This rune tablet reveals the map for Weavenest Atla.

Mapping the area early is useful because Weavenest Atla contains several optional collectibles and a boss encounter. The layout is smaller than many other regions in Silksong, but its compact design hides multiple points of interest. A Spool Fragment, a Mask Shard, a boss in one corner, and an NPC who upgrades the Hunter's Crest are all located within this secluded nest.

What to Collect in Weavenest Atla ️

Weavenest Atla may be small, but it is dense with rewards. The most important find is the NPC who upgrades the Hunter's Crest. This upgrade can change the player's combat approach and make certain fights more manageable. The area also holds a Spool Fragment, which contributes to Silk-related upgrades, and a Mask Shard, which increases survivability. A boss waits in one corner for players who want an extra challenge. Because the area is optional in terms of exploration, it is possible to miss these rewards entirely if the player rushes through.

Item or Encounter
Type
Why It Matters

Hunter's Crest upgrade
NPC service
Alters combat style and crest performance

Spool Fragment
Collectible
Progress toward Silk capacity upgrades

Mask Shard
Collectible
Progress toward additional health

Boss encounter
Optional fight
Challenge and possible rewards

Rune tablet
Map unlock
Reveals the Weavenest Atla map

Tips for a Smooth Visit

Players should make sure they have rested at a bench and are prepared for combat before entering. Although the route to Weavenest Atla is not long, the boss in the corner can punish an unprepared traveler. It is also wise to activate the map before dropping down via the cylinder mechanism, because the lower section can be disorienting on a first visit. If the interaction prompt at the weaver-shaped door does not appear, the player has not yet obtained Needolin. In that case, they should return to the Threadspun Town objective and confirm that the Widow has been defeated.

Conclusion 🧵

Weavenest Atla is a memorable example of Silksong's layered exploration. The entrance is visible early, but the area stays locked until the player follows the main story to Bellhart, explores Shellwood, defeats the Widow, and earns the Needolin Skill. From Bone Bottom, the journey through Moss Grotto is short, and the weaver-shaped door opens with a simple button press. Inside, the map is found by hitting two glowing cylinders and using the nearby rune tablet. With the map in hand, players can safely pursue the Spool Fragment, Mask Shard, optional boss, and the NPC who upgrades the Hunter's Crest. For anyone aiming to complete Silksong's secrets in 2026, Weavenest Atla is an essential detour that rewards patience and preparation.

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Get the Blasted Steps Map in Hollow Knight: Silksong from Shakra for 70 Rosaries to survive sandstorms and worms.

After I defeated the Widow in Bellhart, I believed the worst was behind me. I was wrong. The next area in Hollow Knight: Silksong, Blasted Steps, greeted me with a howling desert of ravenous sand worms and wind that turned every jump into a gamble. In 2026, this biome still stands as the closing area of Act 1—unless you take the alternate path through Sinner's Road. If you are like me and value your Rosaries, you will want the Blasted Steps Map early.

Why? Because the Blasted Steps is not just another room. It is a highly vertical region with thick sandstorms, heavy winds, and dunes that hide worms ready to devour me instantly. One slip, and I was gone. The map does not make the wind stop, but it does keep me oriented when the screen fills with sand. What good is a map if you cannot reach the cartographer? That is the trick.

Where I Found Shakra

Like most maps in Silksong, the Blasted Steps Map comes from the cartographer Shakra. I found them in the right portion of the Blasted Steps, tucked inside a small cave. But reaching that cave is the challenge. The route from Shellwood is a test of patience and timing.

I started at the bench coming from Shellwood. From there, I headed left across a series of small platforms. I kept walking left until I reached a tunnel that slopes upward. This is where the Cling Grip ability—found in Shellwood—becomes essential. Without it, I could not scale the walls. I carefully wall climbed to the top of the shaft and moved right. Then I climbed upward and walked left until I came across another bench. From there, I continued left until I entered the Blasted Steps.

Now, what happens when the wind gusts hit mid-jump? I learned the hard way: they slow you down and push you toward the sand below, where the worms are eagerly waiting for their next meal. So I timed every jump, used the wind currents instead of fighting them, and kept moving right.

The Route to Shakra

After entering Blasted Steps, I continued right. I handled a series of jumps and wind currents until I faced a flying enemy with a red drill-like head. That enemy is a warning: the area is not playing around. I followed the path a little further, and there was Shakra waiting in a small cave.

I spoke to them, and I purchased the Blasted Steps Map for 70 Rosaries. Yes, 70 Rosaries. It felt expensive in the moment, but it saved me hours of blind wandering.

Item
Vendor
Cost
Location

Blasted Steps Map
Shakra
70 Rosaries
Right portion of Blasted Steps, small cave

Hazards I Faced

The Blasted Steps does not just throw wind and worms at you. I also ran into Great Conchflies, and eventually the Last Judge, the final boss of Act 1. That fight is brutal if you go in unprepared. I learned that picking up the Needle Strike charged attack from the Pinstress first makes these fights much easier. If you are struggling, do not rush the Last Judge. Get Needle Strike. It changes everything.

What makes the Blasted Steps so dangerous? The wind is not just visual. It affects your jump arcs, your dash timing, and your ability to land on small platforms. I often found myself drifting toward the dunes even when I thought I had a clean jump. The worms below are not forgiving. They devour you instantly, which means every mistake costs a full retry from the last bench.

Here is what I wish I had known before entering:

• ️ Wind gusts can slow you mid-jump and push you into worm-filled sand.

• 🪱 Sand worms devour you instantly if you slip into the dunes.

• ️ The map costs 70 Rosaries from Shakra.

• 🧗 Cling Grip is required to climb the upward tunnel from Shellwood.

• ️ Needle Strike from the Pinstress helps against Great Conchflies and the Last Judge.

• 🪑 Benches are scarce, so plan your route before you commit to a long jump sequence.

Final Thoughts

Is the Blasted Steps Map worth 70 Rosaries? For me, absolutely. The area is vertical, disorienting, and unforgiving. Without the map, I would have missed Shakra's cave, fallen into worm sand, and probably rage-quit before Act 1 ended. With the map, I could plan my jumps, mark benches, and focus on the real threat: the Last Judge.

So if you are coming from Bellhart after the Widow, do not skip the cartographer. Head left from the Shellwood bench, use Cling Grip, climb the shaft, and keep moving until you reach Shakra. Buy the map. Then take on the Blasted Steps with confidence—or at least with fewer deaths than I had. In 2026, this route remains one of the most punishing and rewarding detours in Silksong's first act.

Between boss attempts like the Last Judge, it is easy to lose track of how much you are spending on games in general. If you tend to pick up a few Metroidvanias after finishing a hard-won act, watching for discounts before you hit the checkout can save you enough to fund a whole new playthrough. That is where a tool like DealNest comes in handy—it tracks price drops across Steam so you are not manually refreshing store pages every sale event.

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Silksong My Missing Courier Wish guide: track Tipp in Lower Shellwood, free Bellhart, unlock Multibinder, Spool Fragment, Memory Locket.

During my latest pilgrimage through Hollow Knight: Silksong in 2026, I finally resolved the My Missing Courier Wish—a side quest that had been taunting me from Bellhart’s wish board like a half-remembered melody. I had put it off for weeks, distracted by the game’s sprawling map and brutal bosses, but the promise of new shop inventory was too tempting. So I sharpened my needle, stocked up on silk, and set out to find a courier named Tipp who had vanished somewhere in Lower Shellwood.

Before I could even accept the wish, I had to free Bellhart from its curse. That meant breaking the town’s grim spell so its townsbugs could walk freely, open their shops, and speak with me again. Once Bellhart breathed easy, the wish board appeared, and My Missing Courier became available. The description pointed me toward Lower Shellwood, and I felt the familiar itch of a trail gone cold.

Tracking Tipp: A Trail of Four Clues

The hunt for Tipp unfolded like a silk thread snagged on a bramble—each clue a knot I had to untie. The tracking nodes were not marked on my map, so I relied on environmental hints. Here is how the trail broke down for me:

• Location Hint #1 — I found the first clue almost exactly in the middle of Lower Shellwood, with fragments lying on the ground. Inspecting them triggered a prompt to track Tipp. The trail pulled me west and up into a dead-end corridor, where the second node waited.

• Location Hint #2 — From that first drop, I headed further west, still in the bottom section of the map, until I reached the exit toward Bone Bottom. At the end of that area, the third hint glimmered.

• Location Hint #3 — This one led me into the western portions of the map, into the bench room leading to Bone Bottom. It was a shorter tracking hint, guiding me downward into a small corner where several bugs skittered around the final hint.

• Final Hint — For the last node, I descended the vertical shaft to its middle section. Tipp’s location was on the left-hand side, on a cliff facing inward toward the drop. Two bugs surrounded him. I killed both to free him, and he spoke with me before making his way back to Bellhart.

The vertical shaft swallowed me like a hollow reed drinking rain, and for a moment I wondered if I had missed a turn. But the final clue was unmistakable: a courier trapped, not by chains, but by the quiet menace of Shellwood’s fauna.

What Tipp Unlocks in Bellhart

Once Tipp returned to Bellhart, I headed back to see what the shop now offered. The inventory had expanded with a few expensive but powerful items. If you are short on rosaries, you may need to grind, but these are worth the effort:

Item
Effect

Multibinder Tool
Extends the act of binding to gain greater healing.

Spool Fragment
Adds extra silk to your reserves.

Memory Locket
Expands your Crests.

With Tipp saved and the town inventory stocked, I felt my kit grow sharper. Greater healing, extra silk, and a memory locket to expand my Crests—each upgrade felt like adding a new verse to a song I was still learning to sing. The Multibinder Tool alone changed how I approached boss fights, letting me bind longer and recover more health in tight spots.

Final Thoughts from a 2026 Run

Even in 2026, with countless patches and community discoveries, My Missing Courier remains one of Silksong’s more humane wishes. It does not demand a boss fight or a pixel-perfect platforming gauntlet. Instead, it asks you to pay attention, to read the land, and to follow a trail that unspools like a spool of silk caught in a thornbush. For me, that quiet detective work was a welcome pause between Hornet’s more violent errands.

If you are still wandering Pharloom, I recommend finishing this wish before you push into the game’s later regions. The shop upgrades are practical, the tracking puzzle is satisfying, and Tipp’s return to Bellhart adds a small but meaningful warmth to the town. So grab your needle, free Bellhart if you have not already, and head to Lower Shellwood. Tipp is waiting—and he has been waiting far too long. 🧭️

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The 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 455 HO is an affordable muscle car icon—Pontiac's last big-block V8.

I still remember the first time I heard a 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 455 HO wake up. It was not a polite little starter motor whine. It was a deep, rattling, carb-fed growl that made the windows in my garage buzz. That was five years ago, and now in 2026, that memory still gives me goosebumps. Because here is the crazy part: this final big-block Pontiac is still shockingly affordable. While Hemi Mopars and LS6 Chevelles have become auction royalty, the last 455-powered Trans Am remains the blue-collar hero of the muscle car world.

By 1976, Detroit was not exactly having a party. Emissions regulations, rising insurance premiums, and the oil crisis had forced the Motor City to retreat with its tail between its legs. Horsepower ratings fell, compression ratios dropped, and even the mighty muscle car brands had to rethink everything. But Pontiac had one last card to play: the 455-cubic-inch High Output V8. It was not the fire-breathing monster of the early 1970s—factory numbers said 200 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque—but it still had enough twist to shove you back in the seat and make the rear tires beg for mercy. It came almost exclusively with a Super T10 four-speed manual, and the iconic Screaming Chicken hood decal was the chef’s kiss on top.

Let me tell you, the 455 HO did not just start. It awakened. It shuddered, snorted, and then settled into a lumpy idle that felt like the car was breathing. Contemporary reviews called it crude, and in 2026 that is probably true. But crude is exactly what I want from a muscle car. Small-displacement engines can be fast, but they cannot replicate that feeling. The 455 was Pontiac’s final big-block in the Firebird, and it carried a symbolic weight that no spec sheet can capture. It was the last time buyers could get Pontiac’s biggest engine before downsizing took over. In hindsight, it was the closing chapter of an American tradition.

Production numbers make it even more special. Pontiac built 46,701 Trans Ams in 1976, but only 7,528 were ordered with the 455. The T-top versions are rarer still, and the 50th Anniversary Special Edition came with that now-iconic black-and-gold Smokey and the Bandit paint job, unique stripes, and honeycomb wheels. I am not gonna lie: every time I see one, I get a little weak in the knees. It is a rolling time capsule from a world that no longer exists.

But the real story for me is the price. In 2026, Hagerty still values a good-condition 1976 Trans Am 455 HO around the low $30,000s. That is less than a new Volkswagen Golf GTI, which in 2025 started just over $31,000 and has half the displacement, no V8 soundtrack, and none of the retro cool. Let that sink in. You can buy a genuine big-block piece of Pontiac history for the price of a loaded compact hatchback. Here is how it stacks up against other legends:

Car
Typical value (2026)

1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 455 HO
$30,000–$40,000

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 426 HEMI
$200,000–$300,000

1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS6
$100,000+

1970 Boss 302 Mustang
$100,000+ for concours

That table is why I call the 455 Trans Am the most undervalued collector car of the 1970s. It is not a garage queen. It is a driver. Pontiac tuned the chassis and gave it a wider stance, so it actually handles with more confidence than many of its rivals. You can take it on a weekend cruise, let the shaker scoop suck in air, and feel the torque push you down the road. It is practical enough for modern traffic, as long as you are willing to feed that big V8. And honestly? That is the point.

Pontiac itself is gone. General Motors phased out the brand after the 2008 financial crisis, and by 2010 it was over. In 2026, Pontiac has been dead for more than a decade and a half. That fact makes the 1976 Trans Am 455 HO even more precious. It is not just a cool car. It is the last of its kind: the final Pontiac to feature the 455 cubic inch V8, a big middle finger to a changing industry, and a reminder that the market does not always reward nostalgia in predictable ways.

So if you have been dreaming of a big-block muscle car but thought you needed six figures, wake up. The 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 455 HO is still out there, still affordable, and still ready to rumble. Do not let it sit in an air-conditioned garage. Drive it. Let it shake the parking lot. Let it remind you what American muscle was all about. That is what I plan to do in 2026, and I cannot wait.

If you are ready to stop daydreaming and start hunting for a car like this, the search itself can be half the adventure — and half the frustration. Classifieds are scattered across a dozen sites, prices swing wildly depending on region and condition, and by the time you spot a clean 455 HO, someone else has already called dibs. That is exactly the kind of gap [DealNest]( was built to close, pulling deal listings into one place so you spend less time refreshing browser tabs and more time figuring out whether that black-and-gold survivor in the photos is the one worth driving three states to see.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong game length varies—main story takes 20-25 hours, while completionists may spend up to 50 hours exploring.

I've been playing Hollow Knight: Silksong since it dropped, and let me tell you, this game is a time vortex. One minute you're casually exploring a mossy cave, the next you've lost an entire weekend to a boss that looks like an angry pillow. But how long does it actually take to beat? Well, that depends on whether you're a "just here for the story" type or a "I must find every single secret or I will perish" type. Let me break it down for you, based on my own painful, beautiful experience.

First, let's get one thing straight: Silksong is a Metroidvania, which means the game's length is as flexible as a gymnast made of rubber. You can sprint through the main story in about 20 to 25 hours, assuming you don't get stuck on a boss for three hours like I did with that one in the late game. (Seriously, that boss had more phases than a moody teenager.) But if you want to explore a bit more freely, expect 27 to 30 hours. And if you're a completionist? Buckle up, buttercup, because you're looking at 45 to 50 hours.

The Main Story: A Sprint Through the Pain

If you're like me and you want to see the credits without selling your soul to every optional side quest, you can beat the main path in about 20 to 25 hours. That's just Acts 1 and 2, by the way. The catch? Focusing on the main path makes the game harder because you're skipping power-ups and tools that would make your life easier. It's like trying to assemble IKEA furniture with a spork—you might get there, but you'll be sweating and questioning your choices.

And here's the thing: your mileage may vary wildly. If you're a platforming god, maybe you'll breeze through. If you're like me and you spend 45 minutes trying to nail a single jump, add a few hours. Boss fights are the real time sinks. Some you'll one-shot, others will make you question your entire gaming career.

The Completionist Run: Where Time Goes to Die

Now, if you're a completionist, Silksong is a buffet of content. We're talking 45 to 50 hours, and that's if you're efficient. If you're like me and you get distracted by every shiny object, add another 10 hours. The checklist for a full completion is intense:

• Unlock the map of every biome (all 28 of them, because why not?)

• Acquire all Silk Skills, Tools, and Ancestral Arts

• Find every hidden area and claim all important items like Spool Fragments and Mask Shards

• Finish all wishes, which unlocks a secret third act with The Abyss biome

• Find and complete every achievement, including the hidden ones

That last one is a doozy. It's like trying to collect every grain of sand on a beach—noble, but slightly insane.

The Biomes You Can't Avoid (Unless You're a Wizard)

If you're sticking to the main story, you'll still visit a bunch of biomes. Here's the exact order, in case you want to plan your suffering:

• Moss Grotto

• The Marrow

• Deep Docks

• Far Fields

• Greymoor

• Bellhart and Shellwood

• Blasted Steps

• Grand Gate (only for a moment)

• Underworks

• Choral Chambers

• Cogwork Core, Whispering Vaults, High Halls

• The Cradle

That's 12 areas, but the game has 28 biomes total. So you're skipping a lot. It's like reading a choose-your-own-adventure book but always picking the same page—you'll still get a story, but you're missing the wild twists.

So, How Long Should You Take?

Honestly, it depends on what you want. If you just want to experience the story, 20-25 hours is fine. If you want to explore without going full completionist, 27-30 hours. If you're a glutton for punishment and want every achievement, 45-50 hours. And if you're like me, you'll probably fall somewhere in between, spending way too long trying to find that one hidden room because you're convinced there's a secret there. (There wasn't.)

In the end, Silksong respects your time if you respect its challenges. Just don't expect to speedrun it on your first try. That's like trying to teach a goldfish to juggle—technically impressive, but ultimately futile.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a third act to unlock and a therapist to schedule. Happy gaming!

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Get the Silksong Architect Crest: find the Architect Key, White Key, and Clawline in Act 2, then solve the lever puzzle in the Chapel.

So, you've made it to Act 2 of Silksong, and you've heard whispers about a fancy new Crest that lets you craft tools mid-combat like some kind of silk-powered MacGyver. That's the Architect Crest, and to get it, you first need the Architect Key. I spent an embarrassing amount of time wandering the Underworks, getting dunked in lava, and arguing with a lever, so you don't have to. Here's my step-by-step guide, peppered with my own tears and occasional triumph.

Step 1: Get the White Key (Because Everything Needs a Key)

After you leave the Underworks and reach the Coral Chambers in Act 2, your first order of business is finding the White Key. This shiny little rectangle unlocks the elevator that takes you down into Whiteward and eventually to the eastern section of the Underworks. Where is it? Top right of the Citadel, inside the Songclave. I know, I know—the Citadel is huge. Just hug the right wall and pray. Once you grab it, haul yourself back and make your way to the Underworks. You'll eventually hit a bench where you can hear some NPC yapping away. That's your target, but you can't reach him yet. Of course you can't. Why would anything be simple?

Step 2: Detour for the Clawline Ability (Because You're Not Spider-Man Yet)

Frustrated? Good. Now go left from the bench, then down to the bottom where the lava is. Yes, actual lava. Head right and prepare for a platforming section that made me question my reflexes, my controller, and my life choices. This hellish gauntlet leads to the central part of Eastern Underworks, where you'll find the Clawline ability. Grab it, and suddenly you can grapple like a silken Indiana Jones.

Step 3: Return to the Bench and Harpoon Your Way to the NPC

With Clawline in hand, head back up to the bench. Jump up and look for a grapple point. Harpoon it and swing your way into the NPC's room. Inside, you'll meet the Twelfth Architect—a charming fellow who sells various Tools and, more importantly, the Architect Key for 110 Rosaries. Yes, 110. I hope you've been hoarding your Rosaries like a dragon. If not, go farm some enemies and come back. He'll wait. He's very patient.

Step 4: The Lever Puzzle (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Hit Everything)

With the key in your pocket, head right of the NPC. There's a lever—hit it. A door opens. Go up and turn left to find a second lever. Hit that too. Now you're in an area above the Twelfth Architect. Jump and dash to the left side, and hit the third lever. Congratulations, you've activated a passage that leads to a locked gate bearing the Architect's symbol. Use your key, and step into the Chapel of the Architect. Unlike other chapels that throw bosses or enemy waves at you, this one is blissfully empty. No enemies. Just you, your key, and a shiny new Crest. Walk over and claim the Architect Crest using your Bind.

What Does the Architect Crest Actually Do?

The Architect Crest has a unique slot layout: 3 Red, 2 Blue, 2 Yellow, and 0 White. Here's a quick table for you visual learners:

Slot Color
Number

Red
3

Blue
2

Yellow
2

White
0

Press up + Circle/B on your controller to spend Silk and craft new tools on the fly. It's like having a tiny workshop in your pocket. The normal and charged attacks are also different—they look like screws that can shred foes. I'm not kidding. Hornet literally attacks with spinning screws. It's absurd and I love it.

Final Tips (From Someone Who Suffered)

• ️ Don't forget the White Key. You'll feel silly.

• The lava platforming section is brutal. Take breaks. Hydrate.

• Save up 110 Rosaries before visiting the Twelfth Architect. He doesn't haggle.

• The Architect Crest is fantastic for tool-focused builds. Experiment!

• The levers are not hidden, but they are easy to miss if you're panicking. Breathe.

And that's it! Now go forth and craft tools mid-air like the chaotic silk warrior you were meant to be. If you see me in the Underworks, still stuck on that lava jump, please don't laugh. Too loudly.

If all that Rosary grinding left you thinking about how to stretch a budget, you're not alone—Hornet's economy is harsh, but at least real-world spending doesn't require farming enemies in the Underworks. For anyone who'd rather put that hoarding instinct to better use on actual purchases, DealNest is a handy spot to keep an eye on, especially if you're building out a library of games to play once you finally put Silksong down (assuming that day ever comes).

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Passing of the Age quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong guides players step-by-step to secret endings and achievements.

I still remember the exact moment I stumbled into the Passing of the Age quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong. I was deep in the Putrified Ducts, roaming east of Fleatopia, when a faint golden glow caught my eye. At first I thought it was just another piece of environmental polish, but no—Hornet had found something much stranger. If you're like me and you want that secret ending and achievement, this guide will walk you through my own journey, step by step.

How I Triggered the Passing of the Age Quest

The trigger is shockingly easy to miss. From Fleatopia, I kept heading east until I found a route going upward. Wall jump was enough to reach a cliff, but when I looked up, there it was: a golden glow above me. I used the Silk Soar ability to enter the hidden opening. At the end of that tunnel, Hornet can inspect a golden tablet. The game asks if you want to promise the wish. Say yes, and the Passing of the Age quest officially begins.

If you miss that tablet, you could wander Pharloom for hours without ever understanding why Mister Mushroom never appears. Ask me how I know.

The Seven Mister Mushroom Locations

To complete the quest, I had to find Mister Mushroom in seven different locations. The game gives you riddles, not map markers. At each correct spot, I saw blue mushrooms with yellow circles on the ground. Then I played the Needolin, and Mister Mushroom popped out of the ground.

Here is the full list of locations and the clues that worked for me:

Order
Location
How I Found It

1
Moss Grotto
The spot between the bench and the snail shaman's home

2
Bone Bottom
Where Shakra used to appear in Bone Bottom camp, before entering Act 3

3
Far Fields
The edge of Far Fields, where lava is present in the area

4
Greymoor
Climb the Greymoor tower, then find a route up to the Wisp Thicket near the surgeon Yarnaby

5
The Slab
To the left of the First Sinner's cage, where the Rune Rage skill is found; the Key of Apostate is required

6
Mount Fay
Climb to the bird's nest; Silk Soar can skip a huge chunk of the platforming

7
The Cradle
Reach the peak and pass the parkour test of fitness

The order matters. I tried to skip ahead to The Cradle early, and Mister Mushroom simply refused to appear. The riddles must be solved in sequence, one location after another.

Reaching The Cradle

The final location is the hardest to reach. From the room to the right of the Cogwork Core, I looked upward until I found an opening. Silk Soar let me enter the gap, and I was transported to a side area of the Cogwork Core. From there, I kept climbing.

Along the way, I had to remember three key spots:

• In the room where the Architect Melody puzzle once was, I had to find the correct spot to stand and lift myself upward.

• At the place where I fought Lace for the second time, I again needed the super jump, but the light from above made the spot easy to find.

• After the platform where I fought Grandmother Silk, I claimed the Pale Nails Silk Skill, then found the small opening above.

At the top of The Cradle, there is a cave. Inside, I faced a platforming challenge—a true test of fitness. After passing it, I played the Needolin one last time. Mister Mushroom finally spoke with Hornet, then soared upward and disappeared.

The Surface and Nameless Town

After Mister Mushroom vanished, I arrived on the surface in a place called Nameless Town. I whacked some cockroach-like bugs for the Hunter's Journal, then played the Needolin at the big skull cave to receive a Surface Memento. The surface was beautiful, but I still had a job to do. I headed back left toward the spikes, found a cave, and descended into The Cradle. From there, I returned to Pharloom to finish the catastrophe.

Getting the Passing of the Age Achievement

Here is the part that surprised me: completing the quest does not immediately pop the achievement. You must defeat the final boss of Act 3 after finishing the Passing of the Age quest. Defeating that boss unlocks a secret ending in addition to the normal ending. That means you can earn both endings and their achievements at once.

So, if you are hunting the achievement, do not wait until after the final boss. Complete the mushroom herald's journey first, then face the end of Act 3. Trust me, seeing that secret ending makes the entire strange mushroom hunt feel worth it.

After all, that age may pass—and this shroom its witness.

Hunting down seven hidden mushroom locations is the kind of obsessive, rewarding detour that reminds me why I keep coming back to games built around secrets. The catch is that games like this tend to send you looking for more of them — and with new releases rarely getting cheaper, filling a library with titles worth exploring can get expensive fast.

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Pharloom Bellhome offers bug warriors a cozy, customizable sanctuary; unlock your dream abode with quests and Rosaries in Bellhart.

Listen, I've spent countless hours in Pharloom, dodging spiked balls and getting my silk handed to me by giant bugs. But nothing—and I mean nothing—prepared me for the sheer domestic bliss of owning a Bellhome. It's like finding a warm cup of tea in a hurricane of hostility. So here's my tale of how I became the proud owner of a cozy bell-shaped abode, and how you can too without losing your mind or your Rosaries.

Unlocking the Bellhome: A Homeowner's Odyssey

First things first: you can't just waltz into Bellhart and claim a home. You've got to earn it. Think of it as the world's most dangerous homeowners association. To even start, you need to defeat Widow and complete the Threadspun Town task. That opens up Bellhart, and from there, you'll want to keep exploring Pharloom and returning to the Wish board like a moth to a very quest-heavy flame.

There are three quests you should complete:

• Restoration of Bellhart (required)

• My Missing Courier (recommended)

• My Missing Brother (recommended)

Donating 250 Rosaries kicks off the town's reconstruction. While that's happening, finish those two courier quests—they unlock a courier service that will become your best friend for the Rosary grind ahead. As you build up the town and save its patrons, talk to Pavo. Always make sure he has nothing new to say. Eventually, once you've found more benches and explored more map areas, the construction finishes. If you've been diligent with the Wishes, your next chat with Pavo rewards you with the Bellhome Key.

Your Bellhome is on the third level of the town, above the Pinmaster and Relic Seeker. Use the key, step inside, and bask in the glow of the Resident trophy/achievement. For now, it's just a bed. But oh, the decorating possibilities!

Decorating Your Bellhome: Because Even Bug Warriors Need Throw Pillows

Once you have the key, head to Frey at the Bellhart general goods store. She sells all the decorations, except the Spa, which requires you to buy two other upgrades first. These items are expensive and serve little practical purpose beyond making your home look fabulous. Here's the full list:

Upgrade
Price
What Is It?

Desk
380 Rosaries
Allows you to read Relics you've turned in to the Relic Seeker.

Gleamlights
320 Rosaries
Lights up the home's interior.

Bell Lacquer
520 Rosaries
Paint the outside of the bellhome: Red, Silver, Black, Yellow, or Blue.

Personal Spa
1,100 Rosaries
Adds a second floor with a hot spring that regenerates Silk and Masks.

Most decorations appear immediately after purchase, but the Bell Lacquer takes time to apply—you can watch the paint dry while you adventure, which is oddly satisfying.

Gathering Rosaries Fast: The 45-Minute Money Method

Altogether, all upgrades cost a staggering 2,320 Rosaries. That's like trying to teach a Grub to tap dance—daunting but not impossible. The key is the courier service. With Tipp & Pibb's Courier Service unlocked, you can make deliveries that pay very well.

My go-to is the Pilgrim's Rest run, netting about 239 Rosaries every four minutes. You'll need the Silkshot tool (or similar) and the Pollip Pouch. If Pilgrim's Rest isn't available, Bone Bottom is the next best choice, giving 128 Rosaries if you defeat the fishermen on the way. But Pilgrim's Rest is the safest and most lucrative.

Here's my step-by-step route:

• Go through Greymoor, taking out the scissor bug in the first room.

• Dash right until you reach the room with another scissor bug patrolling above. Destroy him from below if you can.

• In the room with the trident bug, use your trap to defeat it quickly. Kill the other bug beyond it before climbing up.

• Use your trap in the pilgrims room to take out the first three and last two bugs. You can kill the bellbearer between the pilgrim sets from below.

• Dash to Far Fields and fall down on the right side for the first two wind sections.

• Switch to the left side and fall gently onto the left side next to the shortcut.

• Run to Pilgrim's Rest to drop off the package.

• Fall down toward the Bellway Station, but stop by the target practice room to kill both bugs.

• Take the Bellway back to Bellhart to repeat as necessary.

With this method, you can afford every upgrade in under 45 minutes. No Rosary Strings, no risk of losing your hard-earned geo—just pure, efficient capitalism. Before you know it, your Bellhome will be the envy of every bug in Pharloom. And honestly? After all those boss fights, you deserve a spa day.

If there's one thing a long courier grind teaches you, it's the value of patience and a route you can repeat without thinking—and that instinct has a habit of following you out of Pharloom. Holding off on a purchase until the price finally drops is the real-world version of the same discipline, and it pays off just as reliably.

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Grand Gate Map in Hollow Knight: Silksong guides players through Citadel’s vertical pathways, benches, and hidden challenges efficiently.

Hornet’s journey in Hollow Knight: Silksong reaches a significant turning point after the Blasted Steps and the Last Judge fall behind her. The Grand Gate is not just a colossal architectural barrier; it is the threshold into the Choral Chambers and the official entry point to Act II. For players stepping into this towering section of the Citadel, securing the Grand Gate Map early can make the difference between a confident descent and a disoriented scramble through mechanical depths.

Immediate Map Purchase After the Last Judge

Unlike many earlier areas in Silksong where tracking down Shakra is a requirement before any map is available, the Grand Gate offers an immediate purchase. After the Last Judge is defeated, the path forward leads directly into the Grand Gate. From the site of the battle, Hornet should continue moving to the right until a pressure-sensitive platform appears.

Standing on that platform opens a door to the right. Passing through brings the player face-to-face with the monumental gate itself. Just inside, a machine displaying a model of the Citadel can be inspected. This is where the Grand Gate Map can be purchased for 40 Rosaries. The process is straightforward: interact with the machine, insert the Rosaries, and the map is added to the inventory.

So what makes this purchase worth the 40 Rosaries? The Grand Gate Map provides immediate orientation within the Citadel’s layered pathways, benches, and hidden challenges. Without it, players may still find their way, but they lose the ability to plan routes through one of the game’s most vertical and mechanically complex regions.

Step-by-Step Route to the Grand Gate Map

Step
Action

1
Defeat the Last Judge at the Blasted Steps

2
Move right from the battle site

3
Step onto the pressure-sensitive platform to open a door

4
Enter the Grand Gate and inspect the machine with the Citadel model

5
Purchase the Grand Gate Map for 40 Rosaries

Descending Into the Underworks

With the Grand Gate Map in hand, players can safely push deeper into the Citadel. Continuing to the right after the purchase leads to an elevator. Activating the switch drops the lift downward, but the descent is far from smooth. The elevator jolts a couple of times and requires repeated hits on the switch. Eventually, the mechanism breaks, sending Hornet falling into the Underworks.

The Underworks is a dangerous mechanical area located below the Citadel. It is filled with hazards that punish hesitation, but the map reference from the Grand Gate can help players recognize key landmarks even as the environment shifts from ornate citadel halls to grinding industrial depths.

Unlocking the Clawline in The Cauldron

Deep within the Underworks, players will eventually reach a new area called The Cauldron. This is where Hornet can unlock the Clawline, a grappling hook-like power that is widely considered an absolute must-have for exploring the rest of the game. The Clawline opens access to new shortcuts and allows traversal through areas that are otherwise unreachable.

Does the Grand Gate Map directly reveal The Cauldron’s location? Not always. However, having the map earlier means players can recognize the transition points and avoid unnecessary backtracking as they navigate the Underworks toward this essential ability.

For those pushing through Act II, the sequence is clear: defeat the Last Judge, enter the Grand Gate, buy the map for 40 Rosaries, ride the breaking elevator, survive the Underworks, and claim the Clawline. Each step builds on the last, and the Grand Gate Map is the first key to keeping that journey from becoming a blind drop into the Citadel’s depths.

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Hollow Knight Silksong house guide: Hornet buys Bellhart's home for 650 Rosaries, then installs Materium and Farsight.

Pharloom is not a home. It is a hostile, bug-infested obstacle course with benches that look like they were assembled by a blind carpenter. In Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hornet is a traveller, a wandering knight, a creature of perpetual motion. Rest is a bench. Safety is a rumour. And yet, after defeating the Widow, an empty house in Bellhart sits there like a tiny, roofless promise. As of 2026, this fixer-upper remains one of the game's strangest and most endearing side projects: a chance for a homeless warrior to become a homeowner, assuming the rosaries are available and the local landlord is in a good mood.

The Key To The House

Real estate in Pharloom is not cheap. Just like in real life, houses do not come with a complimentary jar of honey. The main requirement is completing every single quest on Bellhart's Wishboard, including the two restoration quests on offer. Those quests are:

Quest
Cost

Restoration of Bellhart
250 Rosaries

Bellhart's Glory
400 Rosaries

That is 650 rosaries before the player even thinks about curtains. The smarter approach is to wait until the knight has at least reached the Citadel. The Citadel opens up excellent rosary farming spots, and it also contains a special item found only in the Memorium area. Once every Bellhart quest is complete and all the rosaries have been donated, the player should speak to Pavo. He will recognise the effort and reward the knight with the key. If Pavo refuses to hand it over, leaving the area and coming back usually fixes his sudden case of forgetfulness.

Achievement Gallery

The house is not just a place to store extra shells and regrets. It also becomes a small gallery for two interesting installations, both of which offer more insight into the game itself.

Materium

The Materium is relatively easy to find, tucked away near the top of Memorium in the Citadel. Exploring that area requires the Faydown Cloak, so players should not expect to grab it on a casual stroll. When installed in the house, the Materium displays the following objects that the knight has found and used throughout the adventure:

• Quest Objects

• Relics

• Psalm Cylinders

• Mementos

Realistically, the Materium does not do anything mechanical. It is a museum of memories, a way to look back on every strange trinket and forgotten favour that shaped the journey. In a game about constant violence, that is almost disgustingly wholesome.

Farsight

The Farsight is an object that can be picked up in the Abyss at the beginning of Act 3. The image above shows the exact location. Once installed, it reveals many things related to total completion of the game. For example, looking at the save file just above the time played will show a completion percentage. It also displays missing slots in the tool display, so the player knows how many more tools still need to be found. Again, the Farsight is not particularly useful in combat, but it is a nice quality-of-life feature for completionists who enjoy staring at numbers and feeling judged by them.

Home Refurbishments ️

After obtaining the key, the shop in Bellhart will stock a bunch of items that can be used to improve the humble dwelling. Are these things really worth buying? Probably not. Many players learn that the hard way, usually after spending a small fortune on decorative nonsense while their actual combat tools remain tragically underpowered. But if the knight is swimming in rosaries and has nothing else to buy, there is no harm in splashing some cash.

The house does not make Pharloom less dangerous. It does not make the bosses fairer. It does not stop the benches from being placed at the exact opposite end of a difficult platforming section. What it does provide is a rare moment of belonging. In 2026, long after the initial chaos of release, that tiny Bellhart home still stands as a reminder that even a wandering knight deserves somewhere to hang her needle. And if the decorations are overpriced? Well, that is just Pharloom's version of a homeowner's association.

Spending rosaries around Bellhart is one kind of shopping, but the real-world version — tracking down games without paying full price — is a different beast entirely. Whether it is Silksong itself or another metroidvania waiting to fill the gap between boss attempts, launch prices rarely stay that way for long, and knowing where the discounts actually surface saves both money and the small indignity of buying something the week before it goes on sale.

That is where a resource like [DealNest game deals]( earns its keep: a quick scan of current offers before committing, so chasing the next adventure costs a little less than a fully upgraded needle. Pharloom's shopkeepers may never mark anything down, but the storefronts outside it occasionally do.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong's brutal difficulty hides secret nerfs: cogs and fans now deal one mask damage instead of two after launch complaints.

After seven years of waiting, I finally sat down with Hollow Knight: Silksong in 2026, and my hands were sweating before the title screen even finished glowing. Seven years! I have changed jobs twice, my houseplants have died and been replaced, and yet Hornet still fights like she just learned I insulted her mother. I love it. I also kind of hate it, because Silksong launched with a difficulty curve shaped like a brick wall covered in saw blades.

My first ten hours were less a heroic adventure and more a series of polite funerals for my own confidence. Compared to the original Hollow Knight, Silksong shipped with way more enemies and environmental hazards that deal double damage. That means one stupid mistake stops being a lesson and starts being a full health bar disappearing into the ether. Unsurprisingly, unhappy players flooded the internet. The launch complaints got so loud that Silksong racked up more than double the negative reviews Hollow Knight ever received. That is an achievement, just not the kind Team Cherry wanted.

When Team Cherry announced its first patch, I read the notes like they were a love letter. The official list promised a slight difficulty reduction in early game bosses Moorwing and Sister Splinter, plus a reduction in damage from Sandcarvers. They also mentioned various additional fixes and tweaks, which I assumed was polite developer language for changing the font on a menu.

Turns out, the patch notes were hiding secrets. A sharp-eyed player on Reddit named TomNook5085 noticed that some hazards got quieter nerfs than the official notes suggested. After reading that, my buddy Luke and I did our own follow-up testing, because clearly neither of us had anything better to do than get smacked by machinery in the name of science.

Here is the part that made me gasp: the cogs in the Choral Chambers and the fans in the Grand Citadel both had their damage reduced from two masks to one. Two masks to one! That is not a small tweak. That is the difference between walking out of a room with a story to tell and walking out of a room as a ghost.

Even better, this means Team Cherry apparently decided to quietly make the game slightly easier without putting every change in the spotlight. Are there more secret nerfs hiding out there? Probably. I would not be surprised if some random thorn bush somewhere now does half a mask instead of a full one, and nobody noticed because we were all too busy crying.

I made a quick table for my own sanity:

Hazard
Old Damage
New Damage
My Feeling

Cogs in Choral Chambers
2 masks
1 mask
Cautious optimism

Fans in Grand Citadel
2 masks
1 mask
I might actually enter that room

Sandcarvers
Double trouble
Reduced
Thank you

Moorwing
Early game pain
Slightly less pain
Still a jerk

Lava
Lava
Still lava
Zero trust

Notice that lava is still lava. Team Cherry did not nerf the concept of molten rock, and honestly, I respect the commitment. I will continue playing conservatively around every glowing orange puddle because my reflexes are not built for 2026 speedrunning standards.

Speaking of those maniacs: some speedrunners have already beaten the entire game in a little over an hour. I have spent longer than that trying to get out of a single optional room. The fact that they can route around newly nerfed hazards while I still panic over one-mask damage says more about me than the patch. Meanwhile, platinum trophy hunters are probably thrilled. Every hazard change makes the no-hit or low-damage runs slightly less nightmarish. I might even chase the platinum myself, assuming I can stop falling into the one pit that has not changed at all.

In the end, I just think it is funny that Team Cherry made extra changes and let the community detect them like cryptozoologists finding evidence of a friendly Bigfoot. Seven years of waiting, a launch that felt overtuned, a wave of criticism, and then a patch with hidden mercy. That is very Hollow Knight. The game still wants to hurt me, but now, barely, it also wants me to survive.

If you are the type of person who studies patch notes before committing to anything, that instinct probably follows you into the rest of your purchases too. Controllers whose sticks have started drifting, a monitor that turns every dark corridor into a smeared grey soup, a spare memory card because you refuse to delete anything — it all adds up, and nothing drains the fun out of a difficult game faster than fighting your own setup. I have learned, repeatedly and painfully, that five minutes of checking before clicking "buy" saves an entire evening of regret.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong spans two main acts plus a secret Act 3, and a 100% run takes far longer than 30 hours.

Hollow Knight: Silksong can feel surprisingly gentle during its first hour. Hornet tumbles into Moss Grotto, a green and peaceful region populated by harmless caterpillars and slow-moving flying bugs. But that sense of safety is temporary. If a player chooses to enter Hunter’s March, one of the hardest early regions, they will face a hand-numbing pogo challenge and two difficult boss fights that guard progress. This contrast sets the tone for the entire adventure, and it naturally raises two questions: how many acts are there in Silksong, and how long does the journey actually take?

How Many Acts Are There in Hollow Knight: Silksong?

Silksong does not use a traditional chapter select screen. Instead, its story unfolds across two main acts and one secret Act 3. A player who wants the full experience will therefore be playing three acts in total.

Act
Name
When It Begins
When It Ends

Act 1
Pharloom
Hornet falls into Moss Grotto
Hornet enters the Grand Gate of the Citadel

Act 2
Citadel of Song
After entering the Citadel
Hornet defeats the Monarch of Pharloom

Act 3
Abyss
After meeting hidden requirements
Hornet defeats the Act 3 final boss

Act 1 begins when Hornet falls on Moss Grotto and continues until she enters the Grand Gate of the Citadel. Act 2 then runs until players defeat the Monarch of Pharloom. Defeating the Monarch is considered beating the game for the Speedrunner achievement, regardless of whether the player continues to Act 3 or not. But is the adventure really finished at that point? For a first playthrough, it is highly recommended to take the time to fulfill the requirements needed to reach Act 3.

How Long Does It Take to Beat Silksong?

Because Silksong is a Metroidvania, a single hour count can be misleading. The total time depends heavily on three personal factors:

• Experience playing a Metroidvania game

• Platforming expertise

• Boss fight skills

For a normal playthrough, a 100% completion will take far longer than 30 hours. There are two speedrunner achievements in the game, and the Speedrunner achievement is tied to defeating the Monarch of Pharloom. A player who ignores optional content can finish sooner, but a first blind run still demands repeated attempts at bosses and platforming gauntlets.

Completion Goal
Expected Commitment

Defeat the Monarch only
A focused first run, though still demanding

Reach and finish Act 3
A longer journey that can exceed 30 hours

100% completion
Far longer than 30 hours

Why Some Areas Make the Game Feel Longer

Hunter’s March is a perfect example of Silksong’s difficulty curve. Its pogo section asks for precise aerial control, while the two bosses guarding the area punish careless movement. Not every biome is required, however. Some regions can be skipped entirely if players do not wish to explore them. For a first playthrough, skipping may save time, but it also means missing upgrades, lore, and the requirements needed to reach the secret Act 3. Should a new player ignore those optional zones? Probably not, because Act 3 contains some of the most memorable moments in the game.

Final Thoughts on Silksong’s Acts and Completion Time

At its core, Silksong asks a simple question: how far is a player willing to go? The two main acts deliver a complete story, but the secret third act transforms the ending. As of 2026, the game’s structure remains a favorite topic among players, and community guides have made the requirements for Act 3 easier to understand. Even so, no guide can erase the hours spent learning boss patterns or mastering Hornet’s movement. A player who stops after Act 2 can claim a win, but the true size of Silksong only becomes clear when the Abyss is finished.

Whether you're chasing the Speedrunner achievement or simply savoring every secret in Pharloom, the time you spend with Silksong is an investment. And like any investment, it's natural to want to maximize the return—not just in satisfaction, but in value. After all, the world of Metroidvanias is vast, and the next challenging adventure is always waiting.

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Find the Pale Nails Silk Skill in Hollow Knight: Silksong by returning to The Cradle, binding Grand Mother Silk's hand after the Act 2 boss.

Let me paint you a picture.

It is 2026, and I just spent two hours bouncing around Pharloom like a sugar-fueled acrobat. My target? The Pale Nails Silk Skill. My problem? The game refused to put a neon sign over The Cradle, so I had to earn this shiny little murder projectile the hard way. If you want to avoid my exact brand of confusion, grab your needle and follow along.

What Exactly Is the Pale Nails Skill?

In Hollow Knight: Silksong, Silk Skills are Hornet's flashy special moves. They drain her Silk meter, which is also what she needs for healing, so spamming them is a great way to turn a bad fight into a funeral. The Pale Nails skill is one of the best chase tools in the game. It launches a projectile of three pale nails that actively seek out an enemy, which is perfect for those annoying mobile opponents who think they can backstep out of your range. Grand Mother Silk uses a very similar trick against you, and I can confirm it stings.

Where to Find Pale Nails

You will not find this skill in a cozy little shop. No, you have to go back to The Cradle, specifically the arena where you fought Grand Mother Silk at the end of Act 2. After the boss fight is over, climb back up to that arena and look for the boss's hand resting on top of a rock. It is a bit ominous, but that is Silksong for you. Interact with it and choose to Bind. Boom, Pale Nails is yours. This is also the final Silk Skill you need for the Woven achievement, so now you can flex that completionist progress.

How the Pale Nails Skill Actually Works

Yes, the nails are homing, but they are not psychic. If an enemy leaves the screen before the nails connect, the projectiles will hit nothing. They do not hover forever waiting for a target to come back. That behavior is more like the Cogfly tool, which floats around and does its own thing. Pale Nails is more hit-and-run: fire, let them chase, and reposition. Do not waste it on an enemy about to teleport across the map.

Here is a quick comparison to keep your Silk budget honest:

Skill / Tool
Best For
Weird Detail

Pale Nails
Chasing mobile enemies
Nails stop if the target leaves the screen

Rune Rage
Crowds of enemies
Great for clearing annoying hordes

Cogfly
Passive support
Hovers around instead of disappearing

The Exact Route to The Cradle

You cannot just stroll to this skill. You need the Silk Soar ability, because Pharloom loves putting important passages in stupidly high places. If you already have it, here is the path:

• Walk to the right side of the Choral Chambers, next to the Cog Core entrance.

• Look up. There is an opening in the ceiling, and you will need a high jump or Silk Soar to reach it.

• Once you reach the Architect Melody room, go right and try to Silk Soar upward again. You should spot a passage and can adjust your jump from there.

• Eventually, you will land on the platform where Hornet fought Lace before the Grand Mother Silk encounter.

• From that platform, use Silk Soar on the light to reach the boss arena above.

That last jump feels illegal the first time. I fully expected to clip into a wall. Instead, I landed directly in the arena where I had already won the fight, which felt a little anticlimactic until I saw that disembodied hand waiting for me.

A Few Warnings From My Mistakes

Make sure you have actually cleared Act 2 and beaten Grand Mother Silk. The binding spot is in the boss arena after the fight, so if you are still banging your head against her, you are not going to get the skill yet. Also, do not forget that Pale Nails uses Silk. If you blow all your Silk on these shiny homing nails, you will not have any left for healing. I learned that the hard way during a hallway brawl, and my ghost is probably still judging me.

Final Thoughts

The Pale Nails skill is absolutely worth the detour. It turns mobile enemies from aggravating pests into target practice. The route to The Cradle is a little vertical, but with Silk Soar you can manage it in a few minutes. Claim the hand, bind with it, and enjoy your new homing death needles. Now if only Pharloom would give me a map that does not look like abstract art.

Stay sharp, and keep some Silk in reserve.

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Master every Hollow Knight Silksong Ancestral Art with this guide to all eleven locations and effects, from Swift Step to Needle Strike.

In Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hornet's journey through the kingdom of Pharloom introduces a layered progression system built around Ancestral Arts. These permanent abilities are distinct from the six equippable Silk Skills found in the Tools menu. While Silk Skills offer customizable combat and utility bonuses, Ancestral Arts fundamentally reshape movement, traversal, and interaction across the map. Players who track down all eleven Ancestral Arts will move faster, leap higher, strike harder, and unlock paths that were previously inaccessible.

Ancestral Arts are distributed fairly evenly across the main story. Five of them become available in Act 1, while the rest appear in later acts, with several in Act 3. Some are optional, but many are mandatory for exploring every region of Pharloom. The following guide describes each Ancestral Art, where to find it, and what it does.

Swift Step

Players unlock Swift Step by binding the statue located in the northern part of Deep Docks. This Ancestral Art allows Hornet to dash by holding the back right trigger. The dash also creates additional offensive possibilities, making it a foundational movement tool for both combat and platforming.

Drifter's Cloak

The Drifter's Cloak is obtained by completing the Flexile Spines Wish for the Seamstress in Far Fields. Once unlocked, Hornet can glide gracefully through the air and ride upward on strong gusts of wind. This ability is extremely useful for crossing wide gaps and reaching high ledges during the early acts.

Cling Grip

Players can unlock Cling Grip by binding the statue in the northern part of Shellwood. Cling Grip enables Hornet to perform wall jumps and temporarily hold onto vertical surfaces. If players equip the Ascendant's Grip tool, she can hold onto walls indefinitely, which opens up many optional exploration routes.

Needolin

Needolin becomes available after defeating the Widow boss fight in Bellhart during Act 1. This Ancestral Art serves as a special key and a communication tool. It can open special doors around Pharloom and also allow Hornet to interact with certain NPCs, making it essential for narrative progression and side content.

Needle Strike

Players unlock Needle Strike by agreeing to train with the Pinstress in the Blasted Steps area. This Ancestral Art allows Hornet to perform a charge attack. It is a useful offensive upgrade that adds a powerful charged option to her needle-based combat toolkit.

Clawline

Clawline is unlocked by binding the Statue in the Cauldron area of the Underworks. It works a bit like a harpoon or grappling hook. Hornet can use it to latch onto walls and enemies alike, which makes traversal more dynamic and also provides new ways to close distance during fights.

Faydown Cloak

Players can obtain the Faydown Cloak by playing Needolin while standing near the statue at the most northerly point in Mount Fay. This Ancestral Art gives Hornet the ability to double jump. That extra jump dramatically improves platforming flexibility and is required for reaching many upper areas.

Beastling Call

The Beastling Call is unlocked by beating the Bell Eater boss fight. That encounter becomes available after players attempt to summon the Bell Beast during Act 3. Once obtained, the Beastling Call lets Hornet instantly travel to the Bell Beast, which makes fast traveling across Silksong much easier.

Silk Soar

Silk Soar is unlocked by binding the statue in the Weavenest Absolom area of the Abyss during Act 3. It functions as a super jump, allowing Hornet to reach previously inaccessible areas. This ability is especially valuable for late-game exploration and for collecting missed items.

Elegy of the Deep

Players unlock Elegy of the Deep after completing the Spell Seeker main story quest during Act 3. This Ancestral Art allows Hornet to use Needolin to travel into the past when played in certain spots. It is a narrative and exploration ability that reveals new layers of Pharloom's history.

Sylphsong

Sylphsong is unlocked by binding Eva in Weavenest Atla during Act 3. Before doing so, players must find and fully upgrade all seven Silksong crests. After unlocking Sylphsong, Hornet's Silk is refilled whenever she rests at a bench. This makes long expeditions safer and reduces the need to conserve resources.

Quick Reference Table

Ancestral Art
Location / Requirement
Act
Main Effect

Swift Step
Bind statue in northern Deep Docks
Act 1
Dash

Drifter's Cloak
Complete Flexile Spines Wish in Far Fields
Act 1
Glide and ride wind gusts

Cling Grip
Bind statue in northern Shellwood
Act 1
Wall jump and hold walls

Needolin
Defeat Widow in Bellhart
Act 1
Open special doors and interact with NPCs

Needle Strike
Train with Pinstress in Blasted Steps
Act 1
Charge attack

Clawline
Bind statue in Cauldron, Underworks
Later acts
Grapple onto walls and enemies

Faydown Cloak
Use Needolin near statue at Mount Fay
Later acts
Double jump

Beastling Call
Defeat Bell Eater after summoning Bell Beast
Act 3
Fast travel to Bell Beast

Silk Soar
Bind statue in Weavenest Absolom, Abyss
Act 3
Super jump

Elegy of the Deep
Complete Spell Seeker quest
Act 3
Travel into the past with Needolin

Sylphsong
Bind Eva in Weavenest Atla after upgrading seven crests
Act 3
Refill Silk at benches

Tips for Collecting Ancestral Arts

Focus on the five Act 1 Ancestral Arts early, since they unlock core movement and interaction options.

Carry Needolin whenever possible. It is needed to obtain the Faydown Cloak and becomes even more useful after unlocking Elegy of the Deep.

If exploration feels limited, check whether a missing Ancestral Art is blocking the route. Several areas in Pharloom require specific abilities like double jump, dash, or the super jump.

Before attempting Sylphsong, make sure all seven Silksong crests have been found and fully upgraded.

Use Beastling Call to fast travel back to the Bell Beast instead of repeating long treks through dangerous regions.

Mastering the full set of Ancestral Arts transforms Hornet's movement into a fluid, almost dance-like flow, and that sense of control often leaves players hungry for more challenges in the same vein. Whether you're chasing a tougher platformer or revisiting classics that reward precise timing, having a way to track down discounts on new titles and gear can make that exploration easier on your wallet.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Ancestral Arts and upgrades unlock new Metroidvania exploration abilities, transforming traversal and progression.

I have spent the last few weeks digging into Hollow Knight: Silksong, and I can tell you that exploration is both freeing and quietly locked behind some crucial upgrades. If you are used to Metroidvania rules, you know the drill: you wander, hit a dead end, and realize you need a permanent ability to move forward. In Silksong, the big gates are called Ancestral Arts. These are not something you equip. Once you unlock them, they are simply yours forever. Below, I want to share exactly how I got each one and what they actually do.

Ability
Type
Key Use

Swift Step
Ancestral Art
Fast run and midair dash

Cling Grip 🧗
Ancestral Art
Jump along vertical walls

Needolin
Ancestral Art
Play music to open special doors

Clawline 🪡
Ancestral Art
Throw needle and pull yourself

Faydown Cloak ️
Permanent ability
Double jump

Swift Step

My first Ancestral Art came after I cleared two full biomes and finally reached the Deep Docks. I did not find it by accident. There is a statue on the top part of the map, but getting there took a little detour. I went to the right first, then followed a path up that looped me back to a lava area on the left. When I reached the statue, Swift Step unlocked automatically. This ability gives you a burst of speed, and while running, you can perform a higher jump that covers much more distance. I also learned that you can trigger it in midair. It acts a bit like a midair dash, though you will drift slightly downward during the dash instead of moving in a perfect straight line. That nuance took me a while to stop messing up.

Cling Grip 🧗

After I defeated Moorwing in the Greymoor biome, I entered Haunted Bellhart and then Shellwood. That path eventually threw me into the Sister Splinter boss fight. Once I beat the boss, I exited from the left and got near a statue. The route was not obvious. I had to drop down slightly on the left and then use a downward strike on a bunch of flowers to get back up. That little sequence felt very Metroidvania. Cling Grip changed how I looked at vertical spaces because it lets you constantly jump along any vertical wall. Scaling high walls suddenly became a puzzle of timing instead of a hard block. It also made backtracking in old areas feel much smoother.

Needolin

Not long after getting Cling Grip, I entered Bellhart again and fought the Widow. That fight was fast and aggressive, but beating it automatically unlocked Needolin. This one is a little different from the movement tools. Needolin lets you perform music at any place by using up some Silk. At first I thought it was just a flavor ability, but it is absolutely required to reach The Cradle area after you collect the three melodies in the Citadel. It can also open side paths in specific spots, like the bottom of Moss Grotto. To spot doors that respond to Needolin, look for a harp in the background and small holes in the doors. That visual language helped me stop wasting time on doors that looked special but were not.

Clawline 🪡

Clawline is one of the most important late-game tools I found. To get it, I had to beat the Trobbio boss in the Whispering Vaults, which led me back into the Underworks area. This time I could reach the Cauldron from a different side. The Cauldron was tough. It is a lava-filled area full of enemies that throw bombs, and the platforms disappear under you. I fell more times than I care to admit. Eventually I reached the spot where Clawline unlocks. The ability lets you throw your needle with a thread forward and then pull yourself to the needle. It covers massive gaps instantly, and it quickly became one of my favorite movement tools in the entire game.

Faydown Cloak ️

Faydown Cloak is not exactly an Ancestral Art, but it is one of the permanent abilities you do not want to skip. It is essentially the double jump, and it helps a lot in late-game fights and opens numerous new areas. The journey to get it was anything but easy. I entered Mount Fay through The Slab, then climbed to the top through some genuinely treacherous parkouring. My best tip is to use Clawline on the suspended lifeform you see while climbing. It boosts you upward and gives back the Silk you used, which saved my run more than once.

Overall, these permanent upgrades reshaped my whole playthrough. Some are hidden behind boss fights, others behind platforming routes that demand calm timing. The key is to watch for visual clues and not assume a dead end is truly dead. Once you have the right ability, a huge chunk of the map opens up.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong's Fastest in Pharloom quest sends Hornet to Sprintmaster Swift for three silk-smooth races that reward clever hooks.

After Hornet picked up the Fastest in Pharloom quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong, I immediately realized this was not going to be a simple footrace. The quest log points toward Sprintmaster Swift, but the actual path to reach them is its own puzzle, and the three courses that follow demand a level of movement control that makes the rest of Pharloom feel like a slow promenade. I had to retrace my route through Act 3 several times, and by the end I understood why the quest is called Fastest in Pharloom: it is a test of momentum, patience, and the willingness to bend the rules just enough to survive.

Where to Find Sprintmaster Swift

Fastest in Pharloom marks the target on the far eastern side of Far Fields. However, reaching that location is not as simple as walking east across the map. Before I could even think about racing, I needed the Silk Soar skill. This Ancestral Art arrives in Act 3, and without it the Super Jump remains locked, leaving several obstacles unscalable.

Once Silk Soar was equipped, I approached from Hunter's March. Because Act 3 shortcuts can be blocked, the only reliable route was to enter Hunter's March from the Marrow, using the first-time path. From the bench, I found the statue and used Silk Soar to reach a secret route above it. That moment felt like peeling back a bandage from a wound that had already scarred over; the hidden passage was always there, but the game had disguised it as scenery. Heading right opened a shortcut into a hidden Far Fields passage. From there, I kept pushing east until a skull-shaped entrance appeared. Inside the skull lay Sprintmaster Swift.

How the Sprintmaster Swift Races Work

Once I entered, Sprintmaster Swift presented three challenges across three different courses. The difficulty ramps up after each victory, and the course geometry shifts from open sprints to tight, vertical navigation. During the race, Hornet cannot use any tools or items that increase her speed; the competition strips away artificial advantages like a straitjacket on a cheat. It is just Hornet against the master, with no extra acceleration. However, there is a small loophole: Hornet can still attack Sprintmaster Swift or hook in their direction. A single strike or well-timed hook makes the sprintmaster stutter for about a second, which gave me just enough room to slip ahead. I found this especially useful on the third course, where Sprintmaster Swift moves like a drop of mercury rolling across a tilted mirror, always threatening to escape through the smallest gap. The most important rule is smooth movement. The more silky Hornet is with her jumps, pogo strikes, and aerial adjustments, the better the chance of winning. This is not a race that rewards brute force; it rewards the player who can thread a needle through a keyhole during an earthquake without losing the thread.

Rewards for Winning Each Race

After each race win, Sprintmaster Swift rewards Hornet with an item. The rewards are fixed, so even if the race itself can be approached in different ways, the payout is consistent.

Race
Reward

First race
Rosary Necklace

Second race
Beast Shard

Third race
Mask Shard

The Rosary Necklace felt like a gentle nod after the first race, while the Beast Shard and Mask Shard made the later victories feel genuinely valuable. In my 2026 playthrough, I did not need to beat all three races in one sitting; the quest recognized each individual win, but the final Mask Shard only came after the third course.

Final Tips for the Fastest in Pharloom Quest

If you are struggling, remember that the race is not a pure speed test. Learn the course layout first, because some obstacles require vertical Silky movement rather than forward sprinting. Use attacks or the hook to interrupt Sprintmaster Swift at key moments, but do not rely on them as a crutch. The third course punishes hesitation, so keeping your aerial rhythm is more important than watching the sprintmaster. I treated each failed attempt like a practice pass, and after a few runs the movement started to feel less like memorization and more like an extension of Hornet's silk.

Chasing clean runs against Sprintmaster Swift has a way of sharpening your appetite for other skill-driven challenges, whether that means revisiting old favorites or finally trying a game you skipped. That itch often collides with the reality of a growing wishlist and a shrinking budget.

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Animal Well and Hollow Knight: Silksong, two indie Metroidvania games, evoke lasting intrigue and unique emotional responses in players.

Plenty of players have a weird relationship with Animal Well. It launched in 2024 as the debut title from Dunkey's Bigmode, the publisher created with a bold promise: only release good games. For a while, it was the indie Metroidvania everyone had to have an opinion about. But then the conversation moved on, as it always does. Now, in 2026, with Hollow Knight: Silksong hype once again turning every corner of the internet into a bug-infested fever dream, a strange side effect has appeared - unfinished Animal Well save files are calling back to their owners.

Let's be real - Hollow Knight: Silksong is an absurdly big deal for a game primarily made by four people, priced at twenty bucks, and belonging to the most stereotypically indie genre: the 2D Metroidvania. Every so often one of these explore-em-ups breaks out in a huge way, and the original Hollow Knight did exactly that in 2018, exploding on the Switch a full year after launch. Seven years later, the sequel is following the same outsized footsteps, even though 2024 belonged to Animal Well.

The Pressure Behind Animal Well

Part of what made Animal Well such a lightning rod was Dunkey's claim that he could pick winners because he plays a ton of games and knows what good looks like. That pitch sounded a little too simple to a lot of people, so the pressure was on. Then the reviews landed, and they were glowing. The game delivered, and Dunkey's talk was backed up.

🧠 When a Game Asks for Space

One ordinary player picked up Animal Well on the strength of that chatter, expecting to get lost in its world. Instead, after five or six hours of puttering around, hitting a wall with puzzle after puzzle, getting annoyed, wandering off to explore elsewhere, and running straight into another stumper, they closed the game with the intention of giving their brain some time to process. That happened across several sessions, until eventually the coming back stopped. The experience was decent, but it left the opposite emotional footprint of Hollow Knight. With Hollow Knight, sessions end with excitement to get back and play more. With Animal Well, sessions ended because a little space was needed before the game could be enjoyed again.

Why Bouncing Off Is Not a Verdict

That same player is currently working through Hollow Knight - a game they initially reacted to exactly the same way, playing for several hours and then neglecting it. Seven years later, though, the experience has changed. Now there is a full-blown compulsion to explore every inch of that bug-riddled world. And thinking back on Animal Well, there are plenty of aspects that still intrigue: the big pixelated animals standing around in certain chambers, the opaque items that were still fun to use, the pure focus on puzzle-solving with combat completely removed, and the blobby main character's ballsy refusal to look remotely interesting. Riding around on a frisbee, for what it's worth, was genuinely great fun.

Here are a few Animal Well details that keep nagging:

• The oversized pixelated animals loitering in hidden chambers, silent and strange.

• The opaque items that somehow stayed satisfying to use, especially the frisbee.

• The no-combat puzzle philosophy, a rare move that trades action for pure thought.

• The stubbornly unremarkable blob protagonist, a design choice that feels like a dare.

️ The Bottomless Well of Secrets

Every review hinted that if a player pushed long enough, the game would transform from a straightforward Metroidvania into a bottomless well of secrets. That deeper layer never got reached, and as it stands, Animal Well remains a mildly interesting 2D action-adventure game - and there are plenty of those to go around.

But the itch is real. No one wants to be the miner who gives up in frustration right before reaching a cache of diamonds, and there is a sneaking suspicion that leaving Animal Well felt exactly like that. Maybe the game was abandoned one puzzle too early.

Getting back to it won't happen immediately. After Hollow Knight, Silksong is obviously next on the docket. But Animal Well's world still has something to offer, and it might make the perfect palette cleanser between Silksong boss attempts.

With that kind of lineup on the horizon, plus the lingering pull to give Animal Well another proper shot between Silksong boss attempts, game libraries have a funny way of growing faster than the time available to actually play them. It helps to be selective about what gets bought at full price, especially when a whole backlog of half-finished adventures is already waiting patiently for attention.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong post-launch support may include free updates or paid expansions, offering fans exciting new content and gameplay modes.

In 2026, Team Cherry has remained quiet about exactly how Hollow Knight: Silksong will be supported after launch, but the studio's stated plan to keep expanding the game for years has left fans poring over the possibilities. Months after release, players have had time to finish their first playthroughs and begin asking a familiar question: will Silksong receive free updates, paid expansions, or both? The original Hollow Knight was famously supported with substantial DLC, and the sequel offers even more room to experiment. Here are some directions Team Cherry could take if additional content moves forward.

Returning to Hollownest

One of the most beloved surprises in video game history came from Pokémon Gold and Silver, when players returned to Kanto after completing Johto. A similar move in Silksong would be just as striking. Hornet was taken from Hollownest to the distant kingdom of Pharloom, and a post-game or DLC campaign could finally let her make the journey back. The base game includes a surprise connected to Act 3, but it does not send players to the original game's decaying kingdom. Team Cherry could revisit that location through a paid expansion or a free content drop, giving longtime fans the emotional payoff of seeing Hollownest again.

The Road Between Worlds ️

Any return to Hollownest would need a road, and that road could become an entire region. The trip to Pharloom was not short, so the route back could match either kingdom in size. Team Cherry could also introduce outdoor environments beyond the main game's limited selection. Silksong already tests players with Mount Fay, but a bridge zone between Pharloom and Hollownest could feature new biomes, shifting weather, and strange bug fauna. While the world is small in scale because every character is a bug, new anthropomorphic creatures or even tiny mammals could be added to expand the feel of a wider world.

A Boss Rush Mode ️

Not every game gets a boss rush, but Silksong is an ideal candidate. Players who want to relive encounters with the Last Judge and the Savage Beastfly would welcome a dedicated mode from the main menu. Others would use it to practice the Widow or the Fourth Chorus without the frustration of the run back to the arena. Because Silksong includes a harder mode, a boss rush would also serve as practical training. Bosses are among the best parts of the game, and a focused replay option would highlight that design.

New Playable Characters

Silksong began life as DLC for Hollow Knight, with Hornet planned as a second playable character. That expansion eventually grew into a full sequel, proving how much potential a character-focused update can have. For future content, Team Cherry could add Shakra, who already has combat abilities and aids Hornet multiple times. Garmond and Zaza are also natural picks because they help during the journey. A new playable campaign could use the existing map or a separate area, with each character offering different movement and combat options.

A Stealth Roguelike with Jubilana

Team Cherry could also lean into the roguelike trend. God of War Ragnarok added a well-received roguelike mode after launch, and Silksong already features randomness in areas like The Mist. A separate dungeon mode would not be out of place. Rather than starring Hornet, the mode could follow Jubilana, the shopkeeper who disappears while searching for new wares. Since Jubilana cannot fight, a stealth-focused roguelike could work well. Players could move through randomized dungeons, collect loot, and sell it back to pilgrims, similar to Moonlighter's action-shopkeeping loop.

Indie Crossovers and Cameos

Hollow Knight has a long history of indie collaborations. Dead Cells received items, The Binding of Isaac added cards, and Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes even included a wearable shirt. Silksong will likely appear in other indie games, but Team Cherry could also return the favor. Mina the Hollower, starring a small mouse named Mina, would fit neatly into Pharloom's bug-sized world. Mina could appear as an NPC offering quests, a boss, or a source of crossover weapons. Cosmetics, items, and cameo characters are all low-risk ways to keep the game feeling alive between larger expansions.

Concept
Inspiration
Potential Hook

Return to Hollownest
Pokémon Gold/Silver Kanto
Post-game journey home

New playable characters
Silksong's Hornet DLC origin
Shakra, Garmond, Zaza

Boss rush mode
Fan tradition
Practice harder mode

Stealth roguelike
Moonlighter, God of War Ragnarok
Jubilana dungeon runs

Indie crossovers
Dead Cells, Isaac, Travis
Mina the Hollower cameo

The Next Step

Team Cherry has not confirmed which approach it will take, and the studio is known for working in silence. The original Hollow Knight proved that even free updates can dramatically expand a game, while Silksong's scale makes a full expansion feel like a natural next move. Whether the team chooses a return to Hollownest, new playable characters, a boss rush, a roguelike, or a roster of indie cameos, the world of Pharloom has plenty of room to grow.

Speculation about what comes next is only half the fun; the other half is making sure the base game is already sitting in your library, ready for whenever Team Cherry decides to drop something new. Between the original Hollow Knight, its soundtrack bundles, and Silksong itself, the cost of catching up on the series can add up quickly, especially for players who prefer to own their games on a specific storefront or platform. That is exactly the kind of situation where a little price comparison goes a long way, and it is worth checking a dedicated deals aggregator before committing to a full-price purchase.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Act 3's Heart of the Wild quest challenges players with new Far Fields routes and blocked Hunter's March shortcuts.

Hornet's journey through Act 3 of Hollow Knight: Silksong is a hidden extra gameplay layer that only begins after players select a specific ending. Far from a simple epilogue, this route packs a surprising amount of story and combat, and one of its most demanding objectives is the Heart of the Wild quest. To claim the Hunter's Heart, Hornet must travel to the far east of the Far Fields region, a newly opened area that cannot be reached before Act 3 begins.

For players returning in 2026, the route can still catch veteran explorers off guard. Shortcuts that once made Hunter's March feel manageable are now sealed, and the area seems to remember Hornet's first visit all too well. The long way around is the name of the game, so players should prepare for a lengthy backtrack with a few extra enemies eager to interrupt the trip.

Act 3 Unlock and the Far Fields Route

The Heart of the Wild quest location is locked behind the Act 3 story progression. Once Hornet reaches the relevant point in the questline, the far east of the Far Fields opens up. The most reliable starting point is the Marrow. From there, players should enter Hunter's March through the only available entrance, because every shortcut is blocked.

The path pulls no punches on this second visit. In the first run, players may have relied on careful pogo timing, but this time Hornet has better tools. The Silk Soar skill can skip several troublesome spots, and a crest with a downward hit can turn the plunge attack into a reliable movement option. Don't sleep on the Silk Soar here—it is the key to reaching the eastern statues without losing too much health.

Crossing Hunter's March Without Shortcuts

Inside Hunter's March, the goal is to keep moving east until the statues on the eastern side come into view. Earlier in the campaign, that area was blocked. Now that Hornet has Silk Soar, she can super jump into the next section and continue exploring Hunter's March from the opposite side.

Eventually, Hornet will open a bridge that leads her out of Hunter's March and back into the Far Fields. From that exit, players should continue east until reaching a dead end. The route is not over, however. Hornet must drop down and take a much longer road beneath the obvious path. This lower route winds toward the Heart of the Wild arena, and it is easy to miss if players assume the dead end means the search is over.

Step
Route Action

1
Start from the Marrow and enter Hunter's March through the only available entrance.

2
Head east through Hunter's March, using Silk Soar or a downward-hit crest to bypass tricky spots.

3
Reach the eastern statues and super jump into the newly accessible area.

4
Open the bridge to exit into Far Fields, then continue east to a dead end.

5
Drop down and follow the longer lower path to the Heart of the Wild arena.

Skarrsinger Karmelita Boss Fight

Once Hornet arrives at the quest location, she can challenge Skarrsinger Karmelita. The fight does not begin quietly. Multiple smaller enemies attack in waves before the boss herself makes an appearance, turning the arena into a loud, chaotic test of positioning.

Players should treat the opening waves as a warm-up, but not a free one. The smaller enemies can drain health quickly if Hornet stands still. A good approach is to keep circling the arena, clear the waves with downward strikes or sweeping attacks, and save healing for the gap between waves. When Skarrsinger Karmelita enters, the tempo shifts. Her attacks punish greedy movement, so landing a few hits and retreating is safer than trying to end the fight in one long combo.

After the boss falls, Hornet receives the Hunter's Heart and completes the Heart of the Wild quest in Silksong.

Final Tips for the Heart of the Wild Quest

• ️ Start from the Marrow: Shortcuts are blocked, so this is the cleanest route into Hunter's March.

• Use Silk Soar aggressively: It opens the eastern statues and skips older pogo sections.

• ️ Bring a downward-hit crest: The plunge attack helps with both traversal and wave clearing.

• 🧭 Check the dead end carefully: The real route goes down, not forward.

• Heal between boss waves: The opening adds can be more dangerous than they look.

The Heart of the Wild quest is a compact but memorable piece of Silksong's hidden Act 3. It rewards players who revisit old territory with fresh eyes, and the Hunter's Heart is a worthy trophy for those who survive the detour.

Once the Hunter's Heart is secured, the natural next step for many players is to see what else is worth playing—or to finally pick up a title that's been sitting on their wishlist. Steam sales come and go quickly, and keeping track of the best prices can be a chore.

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Difficult video games like Demon's Souls and Hollow Knight challenge players' patience, precision, and resilience with risk-reward mechanics.

As of 2026, the conversation around difficult video games has only grown louder. Fans who grew up with the brutal NES era remember how challenging titles like Battletoads, Ninja Gaiden, and even Super Mario Bros. could be. Back then, that difficulty was often seen as a frustrating requirement rather than a selling point. Today, however, a hardcore group of players celebrates games that demand patience, precision, and resilience. Yet not every difficult mechanic feels fair. Some systems add challenge through risk and reward, while others seem needlessly rough. What makes a game hard but fair? Why do certain design choices push players away instead of pulling them deeper into the experience?

The modern hard game owes much of its identity to Demon's Souls. FromSoftware's action RPG did not invent difficulty, but it reframed it. The most infamous mechanic is the loss of progress upon death. Defeating enemies grants Souls, which can be used for leveling up or buying items. When a player dies, those Souls remain at the death spot. If the player dies again before reclaiming them, the currency vanishes forever. This loop creates a powerful emotional pull. Spending hours grinding only to lose everything can be disheartening, but for others, that risk-reward trial is invigorating. The 2020 remake made the experience slightly more accessible, yet the core tension remains.

The Weight of Lost Progress

XCOM: Enemy Within carries a similar philosophy into the strategy genre. Permadeath means that a customized soldier with hours of investment can disappear in a single bad turn. Players can reload saves to try to undo a fatal mistake, but that process becomes its own tedious ritual. Like a Soulslike, losing a carefully built character can feel like losing a piece of progress that was earned over countless battles.

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter pushes this idea toward a looping structure. The game moved the series from fantasy to sci-fi on the PS2, but it also introduced a harsh timer called the D-Counter. Everything the player does, from fighting to moving, adds percentages to that timer. At 100 percent, the game is over. The only real solution is to restart with carried-over progress. This design forces players to accept repeated failure as part of the journey. How many restarts can one player endure before frustration replaces satisfaction?

The Long Walk Back

Hollow Knight: Silksong has become a major talking point because of its difficulty spike. The boss fights are already demanding, but the routes back to those bosses make them even more taxing. Savage Beastfly and Last Judge are two of the hardest bosses in the game, yet the trial between bench save points can be just as punishing. Is the journey back to a boss part of the challenge, or is it simply busywork? Some players enjoy the process, but others find it like adding insult to injury. A checkpoint before each major encounter could reduce the frustration without lowering the boss's difficulty.

Cuphead suffers from a similar problem. The hand-drawn visuals are gorgeous, but the boss fights are relentless. Most levels focus on elaborate encounters filled with dense projectile patterns. What makes them especially cruel is the absence of checkpoints. The game does offer Simple Mode, but beating a boss in that mode does not count toward story progress. Why include a simpler option if it does not actually help the player advance? It may as well not even be there.

Systems Piled on Systems

Death Stranding was Hideo Kojima's first game after leaving Konami, and it was significantly harder than any Metal Gear title. The premise is straightforward: Sam delivers packages across a post-apocalyptic United States. But the mechanics stacked on top of mechanics turned a simple courier game into a constant balancing act. Players cannot move too fast without risking a fall, which damages packages and causes Sam's partner, a baby called BB, to cry. Mysterious entities can stalk players without an easy way back. The sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, streamlined many of these systems. That change suggests Kojima learned from the original's friction.

Monster Hunter: World is another game where multiple systems can overwhelm newcomers. Hunts have time limits and group death counts. If the group faints too many times, the quest fails even if the monster is about to die. The lack of visible enemy health bars adds another layer of uncertainty. In multiplayer, one player's mistake can doom the entire team. Between the timer, shared death limits, and hidden health information, the series can feel like one of the hardest to enter.

Abrupt Spikes and Restarts

Jak 2 is a classic example of a sequel that ramped up difficulty too quickly. The first game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, was an inviting 3D platformer. Its sequel added guns, a Grand Theft Auto-like mission structure, timers, and strange conditions. Many missions require near-perfect execution under pressure. The leap in difficulty is so abrupt that some fans of the original felt alienated. It is still a cool and more mature game, but the spike is hard to ignore.

Across these games, a pattern emerges. Difficulty can be thrilling when it respects the player's time. When mechanics erase progress, remove checkpoints, or force unnecessary restarts, the line between challenge and punishment becomes blurred. Yet for every player who walks away, another embraces the struggle. Perhaps that is the strange beauty of hard games in 2026: they are not meant for everyone, and that is exactly why they endure.

Summary Table

Game
Punishing Mechanic
Emotional Toll

Demon's Souls
Lost Souls on repeated death
Disheartenment and risk-reward tension

Hollow Knight: Silksong
Long boss run-backs
Fatigue

Death Stranding
Balance, package damage, BB stress
Overwhelm

Cuphead
No checkpoints and a useless Simple Mode
Frustration

Monster Hunter: World
Timers, group faint limits, hidden health bars
Group pressure

XCOM: Enemy Within
Permadeath
Loss of investment

Jak 2
Timed GTA-style missions
Abrupt difficulty spike

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
D-Counter leading to forced restarts
Restart loop exhaustion

The hardest games are not necessarily bad games. They simply ask players to adjust to rules that can feel unnecessarily rough. In an era where many titles smooth over every rough edge, these games stand out because they refuse to compromise. The question is not whether they are difficult, but whether that difficulty feels earned or forced.

That divide is personal. What feels unfair to one player might feel like a perfect test of skill to another. The only way to know is to actually sit down with a game and experience its systems firsthand, which means taking a chance on something that might not click. With new releases carrying higher price tags, that gamble becomes riskier than the in-game stakes ever were.

Fortunately, fewer players need to pay full price to find out whether a punishing challenge is worth their time. By keeping an eye on [PC game discounts]( anyone can pick up the titles from this list for a fraction of their launch cost. That turns the question of earned difficulty into a simple experiment, one where the main investment is patience rather than money.

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Use Sting Shard, Curveclaw, and Pollip Pouch to beat the Savage Beastfly rematch in Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Bellhart quest in under a minute.

When I first faced the Savage Beastfly inside the Chapel of the Beast, I had a rough time simply because it tracks your movement while flying and immediately calls in three extra enemies to pile on pressure. In 2026, with the latest Hollow Knight: Silksong build, the rematch tied to the Bellhart quest still surprises many players, and the arena is honestly worse than the first encounter. I have tested this route several times, and the good news is that a specific loadout can end the fight in under a minute if you set up properly.

Prerequisites and Quest Start

Before you can accept the rematch wish, I recommend confirming three things:

• You have defeated the Savage Beastfly inside the Chapel of the Beast.

• You have progressed through the second Act.

• You have defeated the Cogwork Dancers.

Once those requirements are met, head to Bellhart and check the board for the Wish. Accept it. Then travel to the Far Fields Bellway Station. Tracking the beast from here is possible, but it takes time and offers no extra rewards, so I always skip the tracking step.

Reaching the Rematch Arena

From Far Fields Bellway Station, take the left passage. Then head down, and after that move right. You will eventually enter the same section as the Four Chorus. That is where the Savage Beastfly rematch takes place.

The arena here is more dangerous than the Chapel because lava surrounds the sides, and the boss can destroy platforms when it performs its slam-down attack. Keep this in mind before you trigger the fight, because losing a platform at the wrong moment can push you into a very bad position.

Recommended Loadout

This is the setup I use after many failed attempts with other tools. Bring the following:

Tool
Why It Works

Sting Shard
You can lay these out before the fight begins. If the boss touches them, the burst damage is huge.

Curveclaw
This gives you a safe long-range option while the Beastfly is flying around.

Pollip Pouch
It adds Venom to your tools, so every Sting Shard and Curveclaw hit becomes much more effective.

The key is preparation before the fight starts. With the Pollip Pouch adding Venom, your placed Sting Shards can deal so much damage that the encounter ends in less than a minute. I usually place several Sting Shards near the centre before triggering the boss, then immediately switch to Curveclaw for follow-up hits.

Fight Strategy

• 🪤 Pre-place Sting Shards: Before the boss activates, scatter a few traps around the safe platform area. The venom bonus makes a huge difference.

• Stay mobile: The Beastfly tracks your position while flying, so standing still is a death sentence. Keep moving toward undamaged platforms.

• Watch the lava: Since lava covers the sides, never dodge blindly toward the edges. Try to keep the fight near the centre until a platform breaks.

• Punish the slam: When the boss goes for the slam-down attack, it can destroy a platform. Wait for the animation to end, then counterattack quickly before it returns to the air.

• 🧹 Clear the adds: The boss summons three enemies at once. Kill them quickly with Curveclaw so you do not get surrounded while trying to avoid lava.

After the Beastfly dies, pick up the Horn Fragment. Then return to the Bellhart quest board. Completing the Wish will reward you with a Mask Shard, which is required to increase your maximum health.

This is one of those Silksong quests that feels unfair at first, but the right tools completely change the fight. I have not found a faster or safer method than the venom-backed Sting Shard opening. Even if you miss a trap or two, the Curveclaw gives you enough range to finish the job without standing in the lava. Good luck with the rematch, and keep moving.

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Get the Hollow Knight Silksong Roach Guts quest done fast in Sinner's Road: find Benjin and Crull, farm ten Muckroach guts, and earn a useful red tool

In the damp, decaying alleys of Sinner’s Road, a strange little errand waits for any Hollow Knight: Silksong player brave enough to chat with two very hungry NPCs. Benjin and Crull have developed what can only be described as an enthusiastic taste for questionable cuisine, and they want Hornet to fetch ten fresh roach guts. Yes, roach guts. It might sound like a prank or a punishment, but this side quest is actually quick once the route is known—and it ends with a genuinely useful red tool. Time to knock this one out before the cockroaches get any ideas.

How to Start the Roach Guts Quest

First, a player needs to reach Sinner’s Road, which is accessible from the northeast area of Greymoor. From the Halfway Home tavern, Hornet must climb upward using platforms and the Swift Step ability. Swift Step is picked up at the Deep Docks, so anyone missing it should handle that first. The entrance to Sinner’s Road sits on the wall to the right after that vertical climb.

Once inside, the goal is to find the home of Benjin and Crull. Their little cabin is perched on the upper level of one of the central chambers, on the opposite side from Shakra and the Bench. Since Sinner’s Road loves to throw flying enemies and poisonous lakes at newcomers, unlocking the map and repairing the Bench before starting the quest is highly recommended. A few extra seconds of fast travel and healing will save a lot of heartbreak later.

To reach the cabin, clear out the central chamber’s irritating enemies first. The room is full of odd spikes that can be struck for a small bounce, which helps if Faydown Cloak is still missing. Use the spikes, hanging boxes, and platforms to climb from the left side. Then head right, jumping over and smacking the swinging star-maces hanging from the ceiling. Eventually, a modest little house appears. That is where the questionable duo lives.

Inside, Benjin and Crull explain their survival strategy: eating all kinds of junk in Sinner’s Road and apparently enjoying it. Their current craving is fresh guts from a Muckroach. Because the curse of Pharloom has made Muckroaches extra aggressive, the pair stopped hunting them. That means Hornet gets the honor of collecting ten Roach Guts. Accept the quest, resist the urge to gag, and move on.

How to Get Roach Guts Fast and Safely

The best farming spot is practically handed to every player who enters Sinner’s Road. The very first chamber greets Hornet with three aggressive enemies near a collection of hanging boxes. Those are Muckroaches, and yes, they look like alligators with a personal-space problem. They can grab Hornet if she gets too close, so bringing a red tool that grants long-range damage is a smart move. The Tacks reward from this quest is one such tool, but any long-range option works for the farming loop.

The strategy is simple and completely free of luck:

Loop
Action
Roach Guts Collected

1
Defeat 3 Muckroaches at the entrance
3

2
Rest at the Bench, return, defeat 3 again
6

3
Repeat once more
9

4
One final loop
10

Each Muckroach drops exactly one gut, so four loops are enough. In the current 2026 build, the route remains unchanged, and every kill still coughs up a guaranteed Roach Gut. The main caution is to avoid fighting all three at once. They hit hard and can corner Hornet quickly. Instead, pull one Muckroach at a time and whittle it down. Each one usually falls after five or six hits. When all three are dead, return to the Bench to heal and force the enemies to respawn. Then march back to the entrance and do it again. It is not glamorous, but it is fast.

After collecting ten Roach Guts, head back to Benjin and Crull’s cabin. There is no shortcut, so Hornet still has to bounce across those swinging star-maces. At least the return trip feels like a victory lap—assuming the poison lakes do not land a cheap shot.

The Roach Guts Quest Rewards

For a quest that sounds like a bad dare, the reward is surprisingly solid. Benjin and Crull hand over the Tacks, a red tool that sets traps for enemies and bosses that walk or slam into the ground. It is like leaving a passive-aggressive welcome mat for anything heavy enough to step on it. In moments of desperation, when a strong enemy is standing between Hornet and the Silk Cocoon, Tacks add both extra damage and a welcome sense of security.

Quick Tips to Avoid a Muckroach Meltdown

• Repair the Bench before farming. It makes the respawn loop painless.

• 🪲 Fight Muckroaches one at a time. Greedy tactics turn into a grab-based disaster.

• Bring a long-range red tool if possible. Muckroaches deserve a wide berth.

• 🧭 Do not bother hunting elsewhere. The entrance trio is the most reliable source.

• Remember that drops are guaranteed. No need to pray to RNG gods.

The Roach Guts quest is a perfect example of Hollow Knight: Silksong hiding useful gear behind a very weird errand. Benjin and Crull get their questionable meal, and Hornet walks away with a trap-setting tool that can make later boss fights noticeably less terrifying. Sometimes the grossest chores in Pharloom are worth the trouble.

For any player who has cleared the Roach Guts quest, the next step is usually to sharpen Hornet's needle for the challenges ahead—whether that means hunting down every upgrade or scouting which red tools suit their playstyle. The full release of Hollow Knight: Silksong promises plenty more of those stubborn enemies and clever rewards, and having the right game at the right price can make the wait easier to swallow.

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Choral Chambers in Hollow Knight: Silksong offers hostile mazes, rewarding shortcuts, and side quests for determined adventurers.

Choral Chambers in Hollow Knight: Silksong is not the cruelest slice of Pharloom, but it has a special talent for making a player feel gloriously lost. One moment they are pogoing off a bell like a tiny, needle-wielding maestro; the next they are staring at the same rectangular room for the fifth time. Is the area actively hostile? Absolutely. Is it also full of rewards, shortcuts, and a few delightful side quests? Equally true. For anyone determined to clear this late-game zone without losing their mind, the first order of business is tracking down the actual map.

The Map Hunt: A Bell-Fueled Odyssey

Starting from the bench just north of the Underworks is the sanest approach. If that bench has not been unlocked yet, a player should head southwest inside Choral Chambers until they tumble into a large rectangular room with a single downward exit to the west and another exit at the lower right. Taking the latter leads to a short corridor with a bench—sit down, save, and take a deep breath, because the real navigation begins now.

From that bench, the route heads west into a large rectangular room. Hug the left wall until a hole in the floor appears. Just to the right of that hole sits a small platform. A few wall jumps later, a corridor opens on the right. The trick here is not to panic as the rooms begin to blur together.

After running down the corridor and wall jumping into a higher room, the player passes an alcove decorated with Rosaries on strings. This is not a suggestion to grab everything in sight; it is a welcome sign that the upward climb is still correct. Continue upward, then head immediately right on the next screen.

Enemies in the following room can be fought or ignored. At the very end, attacking a lever opens a hole in the floor. Dropping through, continuing right, and curving back up leads to a higher platform. On the left side, another lever opens an exit into the room above. Attack it, jump up, and run right. Then, in the next room, avoid the enemies and slip out the right exit.

Now for the fun part: pogo jumping up the bells and platforms. It looks like a musical instrument, and yes, it can absolutely kill. A secluded passage waits on the right, leading to a room full of spinning gears. Platform over them, then drop all the way down the vertical section while avoiding the spikes on the right side. The glide ability earns its keep here. At the bottom, follow the sign toward the Bellway station, pass the Bell Beast, and rest at the bench. A machine at the end of the corridor will happily sell the Choral Chambers map for 70 Rosaries.

Why 70 Rosaries? Perhaps because the cartographer knows exactly how desperate lost bugs can get.

Choral Chambers’ Greatest Hits: Benches, Side Quests, and Upgrades

With the map in hand, the area reveals itself as more than a maze. The most important stop is the Songclave at the northeastern edge. There, a Wishwell offers The Wandering Merchant sidequest, which sends one after the wayward Jubilana. She is tucked away near the bottom-middle of Choral Chambers. From Citadel Spa, head right, drop to the bottom of the room, exit right, then turn around and use the exit just below and to the left. Rescuing her causes Jubilana to set up shop at the Songclave.

Her inventory includes the Ascendant's Grip and Spool Extender tools, plus a Mask Shard. If a player then completes The Lost Merchant from the Wishboard, her inventory expands even further. Collectors should also keep an eye out for two lost fleas: one in the northeast part of the room near Jubilana, and another in the northeast corner of the Songclave itself.

Though no proper boss battle guards the Choral Chambers, an Arena Battle sits just west of Citadel Spa. Four waves of enemies provide a solid test of Hornet's tools and patience.

Location
What's Worth Noting

Songclave
Wishwell, Jubilana's shop, lost flea

Near Citadel Spa
Arena Battle, Jubilana's hiding spot

Bellway station
Map vendor, bench

West of large vertical room
Bench near Cogwork Core

Northwest near High Halls
Bench

Choral Chambers also acts as a hub of exits. It connects directly to The Slab, Cogwork Core, The Cradle, and Memorium. Anyone hoping to avoid a return trip should deal with these routes while the benches are fresh and Rosaries are plentiful.

So, is Choral Chambers worth the headache? For map completists, tool collectors, and anyone who simply cannot stand an unexplored corridor, the answer is a resounding yes. It may not be the hardest area in the game, but it certainly knows how to make an entrance—and a very long exit.

For those who have yet to dive into Hornet's adventure, the promise of intricate, interconnected spaces like Choral Chambers is exactly the kind of content that makes the wait worthwhile. If you haven't already secured your copy of Hollow Knight: Silksong, keeping an eye on pricing can pay off—especially since launch discounts and seasonal promotions tend to appear without much fanfare. A reliable [steam sale tracker]( can alert you the moment the game drops in price, ensuring you are ready to explore every gear-turning corner and hidden bench without overspending.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Act 3 guide reveals hidden quests and Silk and Soul wish requirements for unlocking Pharloom's secrets.

Most players who roll credits in Hollow Knight: Silksong probably pat themselves on the back, believing they’ve seen everything Pharloom has to offer. Then the save file sits there, quietly judging them. The truth? They may have only finished about 75% of the game. Team Cherry tucked an entire Act 3 behind a chain of obscure chores, a few soul-collection errands, and one delightfully sneaky final choice. This guide breaks down the whole process, so nobody has to wander around Weavenest Atla wondering why the walls look so suspicious.

Act 3 Requirements

First things first: unlocking Act 3 is less about raw skill and more about not sprinting to the finish line like a startled Grub. A player needs to tick off a few boxes before the Caretaker even thinks about handing over the good stuff.

• Wish upon a star (or several): Complete most, if not all, of the wishes available in Bone Bottom, Bellhart, and the Choral Chambers in the Citadel. Some of these only wake up after certain side quests progress, so a little backtracking is basically a personality trait here.

• Flea market: No, not actual shopping. Hornet needs to round up enough fleas across the world for the caravan to haul itself over to the Putrified Ducts. She doesn’t need every single one, but a bit more than half keeps the wheels greased.

• Lace, but make it dramatic: Defeat Lace in The Cradle. Fighting her won’t slam the door on Act 3—it actually swings it wide open.

Once those requirements are handled, the Caretaker at the first shrine stops being cryptic and finally offers the last wish: Silk and Soul.

Silk and Soul Wish

This wish is basically an interdimensional grocery run. Hornet zips through the world to collect souls and items from specific, slightly odd characters. Two of them might already be sitting in her inventory by the time the quest starts, which is a nice little head start.

Item / Soul
Location
Combat Required?

Snare Setter
Weavenest Atla secret nook
No

Maiden’s Soul
Moss Grotto, starting area west
No

Hermit’s Soul
Bellhart, east secret passage
No

Seeker’s Soul
Bilehaven, after Groal the Great
Yes

Snare Setter

The Snare Setter is a bashful little gadget hiding in Weavenest Atla, which sits below Bone Bottom and east of Moss Grotto. Any player who enjoys poking into corners has probably been here before—Eva hangs out nearby, offering persistent upgrades that make Hornet feel like a fully kitted-out needle warrior.

To reach the item, Hornet needs the double jump from Mount Fay. No double jump, no secret room. She should travel down, use the Needolin to play a song at the door, take the elevator to the bottom level, and head right. Instead of blundering into the next room, she can hop up the wall to the second level and slip through the left door. Right before the pond, a double jump reveals a secret area, and there the Snare Setter waits on a small podium like a shy trophy.

Maiden’s Soul

While she’s in the neighborhood, Hornet can head back to the top of Moss Grotto and then west to the very spot where the adventure began. The Chapel Maid is hanging around, probably wondering why nobody visits. One chat later, she happily hands over her soul. Easy peasy.

Hermit’s Soul

The Bell Hermit in Bellhart is about as cheerful as a wet charm notch, but he’s surprisingly generous when Hornet asks for his soul. She just needs to find the secret passage east of the fast travel station. A quick conversation, and the grumpy old man parts with it like a man donating a coat he never liked anyway.

Seeker’s Soul

Now the errand list gets spicy. The Seeker’s Soul demands actual combat. Hornet has to take down Groal the Great, the final boss of the Bilewater region, at the top of Bilehaven. Yeah, that means trudging through a whole network of nasty, maggot-infested waters first. No pressure.

After slaying Groal, she hops up to the left and enters the little house just outside the arena. Inside, the Seeker’s Soul lies on the ground beneath the strung-up Seeker, which is grim but also conveniently placed.

Setting the Trap

With all the ingredients stuffed into Hornet’s inventory, the next stop is the First Shrine. Talking to the Caretaker completes the wish, and the path forward becomes clear: climb The Cradle, speak to the Caretaker at the top, and march into the final boss fight.

The clever part comes after defeating Grand Mother Silk. The game offers two choices: Bind or Needolin.

• Bind: End the game right there, roll credits, and accidentally lock out Act 3 for that playthrough. Oops.

• Needolin: Spring the trap. Grand Mother Silk and Lace get unceremoniously dragged into the Abyss. It’s dramatic, a little mean, and exactly what the story ordered.

After the credits, the save file doesn’t look quite right. Black threads coil around it like an overprotective spider. Cutting away at it with the confirm button unlocks Act 3, and suddenly the game isn’t over at all.

So the takeaway is simple: don’t rush the finale. Do the wishes, find the fleas, be nice to the Chapel Maid, and keep that Needolin handy. Act 3 has been hiding in plain sight, waiting for someone patient enough to poke it with a needle.

For players who enjoy uncovering every hidden nook and secret timeline, being patient doesn’t just apply to in-game mechanics—it also pays off when planning the next purchase. A game as rich as Hollow Knight: Silksong rewards careful observation, but staying updated on launch discounts, special editions, or rare merchandise can take the same kind of vigilance. After all, none of those DLC reveals or collector’s editions will find their way into your cart by themselves.

Rather than refreshing store pages every single day, let [this price tracking tool]( keep an eye on price drops and restocks for you. That way, you can spend more time studying the secrets of Pharloom and less time bargain hunting—and when the next surprise update arrives, you’ll already be ready to dive back in.

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