Hollow Knight Silksong is a sensational follow-up to Team Cherry’s 2017 breakout, and I’ve spent the past 48 hours imbibing this moreish Metroidvania. As I’ve been working my way through Act 1 and beyond, I’ve also been recording short video guides and posting them to the Postmode YouTube channel.
So, with that in mind, this article will serve as a hub for all of Postmode’s Hollow Knight Silksong guides, for my own sanity as well as yours. I’ll group the collectables and upgrades into sections — mask shards, spool fragments and so on — so that you can bookmark and refer to this page when you’re running low on masks or silk and need a push in the right direction.
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Hollow Knight Silksong Mask Shard Locations
In Hollow Knight Silksong, you can increase your maximum health (or masks, in this case) by collecting Mask Shards. Once you have four Mask Shards, they will fuse into one and add an extra HP block onto your health bar. It’s well worth seeking them out early on if you’re struggling against bosses like Lace, Widow and Sister Splinter. Here are the Mask Shards I’ve found so far!
Mask Shard 1 — Bone Bottom
For the first Mask Shard, make your way through Mosshome to the gap above Bone Bottom. Cross it and head down past the Simple Key door to the Wormways, and there’s a secret area you can open with the shard inside.
Mask Shard 2 — Far Fields
Once you’ve found the Seamstress, you can use the vents above their den to cross the gap from right to left, leading you to the second Mask Shard.
Mask Shard 3 — Pebb Vendor, Bone Bottom
You can buy this Mask Shard from Pebb, the vendor in Bone Bottom, for 300 Rosaries. If you’re short on resources, you can farm for rosaries in Mosshome, nearby, using the method outlined in this video.
Mask Shard 4 — Shellwood
Mask Shard 5 — Deep Docks
This Mask Shard requires the dash and the Cling Grip upgrade. Once you’ve got both, head back to the room that acts as a precursor to Deep Docks and climb up towards The Marrow side, then platform across to the top right corner. You’ll end up in a combat challenge, which, when completed, offers a Mask Shard.
Mask Shard 6 — Weavenest Atla (Needolin Upgrade)
The sixth Mask Shard requires you to unlock the Needolin upgrade, which you get from defeating Widow. This allows you to open a series of doors around the map, including one in Moss Grotto which leads to Weavenest Atla, and a platforming challenge that leads to a Mask Shard.
Mask Shard 7 — Cogwork Core
The seventh Mask Shard in Silksong can be found in the Cogwork Core, and is best accessed after you beat the Cogwork Dancers. On the left hand side of the core, there’s a route towards the Choral Chambers that ends in a Combat Challenge — beat it and the shard is yours.
Mask Shard 8 — Whispering Vaults
You can find the eighth Mask Shard near the moving box puzzle room inside Whispering Vaults. In the bottom left corner of the puzzle room there’s a little thoroughfare where you can attack the roof to drop a ladder hatch. Climb up, send the box skywards and then use Cling Grip to climb the walls towards the Mask Shard.
Mask Shard 9 — Mount Fay (Need Faydown Cloak)
For the ninth Mask Shard, you need to head to Mount Fay to the east of the Choral Chambers, and climb it all the way to the top. At the summit, you’ll retrieve the Faydown Cloak, which lets Hornet double jump. You can then use the double jump skill down by the first rest stop to retrieve a mask shard in a little tower cubby.
Mask Shard 10 — Songclave Jubilana Vendor
When you reach the Songclave in The Citadel, you’ll receive a quest to retrieve Jubilana, a vendor who has gotten lost as part of The Wandering Merchant wish. There’s a separate video on the channel dedicated to finding Jubilana if you need some help there. Once the wish is completed, you can buy the tenth Mask Shard for 750 Rosaries.
Mask Shard 11 — Far Fields Skull Hut Lava Challenge
Ok, this one is a real pain to complete, but it’s worth doing once you’ve got the Clawline and the Faydown Cloak. Head east from the Seamstress in Far Fields, until you reach an open area with lava flooring. Use the Clawline hooks to get to a hut shaped like a skull, and then float to the bottom, complete a combat challenge, and then climb all the way back out without the lava catching you to earn the Mask Shard.
Mask Shard 12 — Blasted Steps W/ Clawline & Cloak
The setup for this twelfth shard is pretty tricky, you have to head to the very west of the map in Blasted Steps, just before the part where Hornet is told to turn around and finish the fight. From the little raised platform, you have to run, clawline and then double jump and float (in that order) to reach another platform that leads to a little spiky platforming section. Watch out for the choreographed falling rocks, and you should be ok.
Mask Shard 13 — The Slab Clawline Puzzle
The unlucky number 13 Mask Shard in Hollow Knight Silksong is appropriately tricky to grab. First off, you need the Key of Apostate from Bilewater. Take this to The Slab, and there’s a room you can unlock with a central button. Activate it to spawn a saw that travels on a track around the room. You need to hit it with the Clawline to carry yourself up the track and towards the Mask Shard.
Mask Shard 14 — Bilewater Maggot Gauntlet
Mask Shard Number 14 is located in Bilewater, and best accessed from the main fast travel and rest stop hub. You have to clamber all the way up to a shaft with the umbrella enemies, avoiding the spew of the burly flies, then run a gauntlet consisting of crocodile grubs that grab you and pull you down into the maggot soup below. I wore the speed-boosting anklets and just gunned it.
Mask Shard 15 — Wisp Thicket Fire Gauntlet
The fifteenth Mask Shard can be found in Wisp Thicket, a little know area accessible via a skyward duct in Greymoor. If you need help getting there, we have a guide on the channel. Once inside you need to scale a vertical area and then jut off to the right for a gauntlet against a series of fire-throwing enemies, and then contend with a pool full of maggots to claim your prize.
Mask Shard 16 — Savage Beastfly Grand Hunt Wish
Shard 16 asks you to first beat the Savage Beastfly in Hunter’s March, and then go to Bellhart and accept the Savage Beastfly Grand Hunt Wish. You’ll find the rematch fight in the Far Fields, where you fought Fourth Chorus previously. Beat the Beastfly and you’ll receive the Mask Shard once you turn in the Horn Fragment at Bellhart. With that, you should have four extra masks for your health bar.
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Hollow Knight Silksong Spool Fragment Locations
Spool Fragments in Hollow Knight Silksong allow you to expand the maximum amount of Silk Hornet can carry. This is important, as Silk is the resource you expend when using crest combat skills like Silkspear, and most importantly, Bind, which lets Hornet heal in combat. You collect Silk from attacking enemies, and extending your spool will allow you to bank more ability uses and heals before you run out of road.
Spool Fragment 1 — Bone Bottom
Spool Fragment 2 — Deep Docks
Spool Fragment 3 — Greymoor (Need Cling Grip)
Spool Fragment 4 — Freya Vendor, Bellhart
Spool Fragment 5 — Underworks
Spool Fragment 6 — Grand Gate
Spool Fragment 7 — Weavenest Atla
Spool Fragment 8 — Underworks
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How To Farm Rosaries in Hollow Knight Silksong
Rosaries are the most important currency to collect in Silksong, but unfortunately, you lose them all when you die. Many purchases from early to midgame also cost a lot of rosaries. Thankfully, there’s a convenient rosary farming route in Mosshome that you can access and take advantage of during Act 1. Check it out in the video above!
What Does The Simple Key Unlock In Silksong?
Pebb, the merchant of Bone Bottom, will sell you a Simple Key for 500 rosaries… which is a lot! Especially in the early game. To my knowledge, there are two doors you can unlock with it. To find the first door —which lets you get into the Wormways area early — navigate through Mosshome and cross the gap above Bone Bottom to the west. You can see the route in the video above.
There’s also a door in Deep Docks that has the same simple padlock prompt when you interact with it, but I couldn’t find a second Simple Key to unlock it. Google tells me that it does work there, too, and rewards you with Craftmetal. Given that the early Wormways access allows you to unlock the Plasmium Phial, I’d say you’re better off using the Simple Key in Mosshome instead.
How to skip the Moorwing Boss Fight
Anecdotally, I know that a lot of people are getting tripped up on the Moorwing boss fight in Greymoor. Well, did you know that you can skip this boss entirely? You just need to complete The Lost Fleas Wish, and the head honcho flea in The Marrow will offer you a ride in his Flea Caravan. Take him up on the offer, and you’ll emerge in the boss arena in Greymoor, with Moorwing nowhere to be seen…
Hollow Knight Silksong Upgrade Locations
Cling Grip — Stick To Walls Upgrade
The Cling Grip is an important upgrade that allows Hornet to stick to walls like Super Meat Boy. You’ll need it to get the Spool Fragment in Greymoor, among other upgrades, and you can find it in Shellwood by following the video above.
Needle Strike
Needle Strike allows you to charge your needle by holding the attack button and releasing it to unleash a deadly strike. You can find the upgrade by beating the Great Conchflies in Blasted Steps and completing a platforming challenge in the windy area beyond the boss room.
Clawline — Grappling Hook for Metal Rings
You can find the Clawline in the Underworks, at the bottom of the main shaft on the right. There is a lava platforming challenge — beat it and you’ll find a tower to climb, and an entryway marked by a lever. Smack the lever to open the way and then jump across the lava to Bind the Ancestral Art. Now you can use those metal rings dotted around the map!
Faydown Cloak — Double Jump Upgrade
To get the Faydown Cloak, you’ll need to find Mount Fay and scale it to the very top, which is a devious platforming challenge. Thankfully, later on in this guide, we have a whole section dedicated to finding and climbing Mount Fay, with video accompaniment.
Tool Pouch Expansion (Loddie 15 Targets)
In The Marrow, you can encounter a prison area in the early game. Eventually, this will shift into a purple-hued challenge venue, hosted by Loddie the Ladybug. It costs 25 Rosaries to try the challenge, and you have to hit 15 targets (some static, others moving) by tapping the weapon skill button to shoot needles from a distance. Keep in mind that if you cross the line on the floor, you’ll be disqualified, and you’ll also fail if you miss the target three times. Complete the challenge and Loddie will expand your Tool Pouch, meaning you can hold more ammo for your tools.
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Hollow Knight Silksong Tool Locations
Pimpillo Tool Location — Greymoor
The Pimpillo is an explosive grenade with a low pouch capacity that causes devastating damage when lobbed at enemies, minibosses and bosses. You can find it in Greymoor, in a secret area above Yarnaby’s bellhome, by following the route outlined in the video above.
Barbed Bracelet Tool Location — Sinner’s Road
The Barbed Bracelet is a hidden tool in Sinner’s Room that has an interesting risk vs reward tradeoff — you take more damage, but you deal more damage too. You can find the Barbed Bracelet in a secret area in Sinner’s Road by following the route outlined in the video above.
Cogfly Tool Location — High Halls
The Cogfly is a handy sentry tool that hovers around and attacks enemies. You can find it in the High Halls area, but you’ll need the Clawline upgrade to reach it from Choral Chambers. Also, keep in mind that you’ll need a Craftmetal in order to construct the tool.
How to escape the Underworks after Last Judge
After beating Last Judge and entering Act 2, you can activate an elevator in The Citadel that breaks on the way down, leaving you stranded in the Underworks. The rest stops in the Underworks are temporary and cost rosaries. There also isn’t a nearby Bellway to get you back to a safe space like Bone Bottom.
With that in mind, you’ll want to leave soon, but it’s not easy. If you need some help, you can follow the route I’ve outlined in the video above, which leads you out of the Underworks through the Choral Chambers and back to the Grand Gate.
How to find Pale Oil in The Citadel (Pinmaster’s Oil)
Once you beat the Cogwork Dancers (boss guide here if needed), you can access the Cogwork Core, and within this area is the Pale Oil you need to collect. It’s quite a trek to get to the item — the best thing to do is follow along with the video above. The trickiest part is the fight against the choir in the middle — save your tools for the spider miniboss at the end. The spider stays on the ground at all times, so you can pogo slash to win. Also, remember to climb the vast space above you in this arena and use Bind near the roof to stay safe.
How to Evolve the Crest of the Hunter (Eva NPC)
Once you have the Needolin upgrade, you can open a series of doors around the map, including one in the Moss Grotto, which leads to Weavenest Atla. By entering a secret area you can speak to an NPC called Eva who will evolve the Crest of the Hunter, so that you can deal extra damage with successive strikes.
How to get to Mount Fay (Faydown Cloak Location)
Here’s a video guide showing you how to get to Mount Fay from the Choral Chambers. Once you’re there, you have to scale the mountain to get the Faydown Cloak upgrade, an Ancestral Art that lets you double jump.
