Hollow Knight: Silksong – So You Want to Finish It? Here’s How to Cast the Credit Spell!
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Dive into the intricate world of Hollow Knight: Silksong with this essential guide, mapping out the challenging boss fights, crucial ability unlocks, and treacherous paths you'll need to conquer across its two main acts to reach the credits (and hints of a mysterious Act 3!). It's a proper journey through Pharloom, so grab your needle and prepare for some serious platforming and combat.
Right, so *Hollow Knight: Silksong* has finally landed, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably already plummeted into some lava pit or been skewered by a giant bug that looked suspiciously like a cuddly friend from afar. Fair dinkum, Team Cherry always knows how to craft a world that’s as beautiful as it is utterly brutal. And Pharloom? She’s a proper labyrinth, mate, demanding every ounce of your focus, twitch reflexes, and an ungodly amount of patience. Remember how the original *Hollow Knight* made you feel like you needed an archaeology degree just to find the next boss? *Silksong* takes that brilliant, bewildering formula and cranks it up to eleven, adding a few extra layers of 'what in the bloody hell do I do now?' for good measure.
Now, I've been tinkering with the pathways and boss encounters myself, and I've come to the rather obvious conclusion that while this game revels in open-ended exploration (which is fantastic, by the way – go get lost, I insist!), there are some absolutely non-negotiable beats you'll need to hit if you want to see those credits roll. It’s like trying to brew a particularly potent spell; you can experiment with the ingredients all you like, but you *have* to follow the core incantation or you’ll just end up with a very sparkly puddle. This isn't about telling you *exactly* where every shiny bauble is (that's for your own discovery, you curious bug!), but rather, it's a navigational chart to keep you from accidentally teleporting yourself into a wall... again. So, let’s dig into the essential trajectory for Hornet’s grand, needle-slinging adventure through Pharloom, based on the brilliant legwork by the folks over at Polygon.
### Act 1: The Abduction, The Escape, and The Ascent
Our story begins with Hornet unceremoniously caged, which, let’s be honest, is a bit rude. Your primary objective in Act 1 is to escape this predicament and figure out *why* you've been nabbed by the bugs of the Citadel. It's a classic hero's journey, just with more wall-jumping and less actual talking. The game offers two paths to the Citadel – Blasted Steps or Sinner's Road – but for the sake of sanity (and the path that feels most naturally 'marked' by the game), we’re following the Blasted Steps route. It's the scenic path, apparently, if 'scenic' means 'riddled with death traps and formidable foes.'
You'll start in the rather damp Moss Grotto, and after a quick crash-landing and a scrap with your first proper boss, the rather deceptively named Moss Mother (who is anything but 'motherly'), you'll claw your way out and into the welcoming (and slightly ominous) Bone Bottom village. This is where your journey truly begins, and where you'll be told you were captured by bugs of the Citadel. Rude, still.
**Unlocking Bellways:** Before you dive headfirst into the wilderness, you'll want to unlock Silksong's version of fast travel: the Bellways. Think of them as the Stagways' slightly louder, more resonant cousins. You'll meet Shakra in The Marrow – a fierce warrior *and* a cartographer? What a multi-talented legend! Grab her maps, because wandering Pharloom without one is like trying to find your keys in a dimension full of angry wasps. After a bit of exploring and finding the 'Silkspear' technique (essential for breaking thick silk webs, among other things), you'll free and then defeat the Bell Beast. Boom! Bellways unlocked, and you've just befriended the bestest boy in all of Silksong (if 'bestest boy' means 'massive beast you had to fight').
**Deep Docks & Dashing Ambitions:** Your next major stop is the Deep Docks, a delightful (read: lava-filled) region where you'll gain the invaluable 'Swift Step' ability – your very own sprint and air-dash! Trust me, you'll be using this *a lot*. After a challenging dance with Lace (who, let's be fair, is quite stylish with her needle), you'll ring another massive bell and pave your way towards the Far Fields.
**Gliding Through Far Fields:** This area is all about air currents and figuring out how to navigate them. After helping the Seamstress with her 'Flexile Spines' quest (which sounds way more uncomfortable than it is), you'll earn the 'Drifter's Cloak,' allowing you to glide. Naturally, a massive robot called Fourth Chorus decides to gatekeep the exit, because why have an easy transition when you can have a boss fight? Once that's sorted, it's a vertical ascent using those glorious air plumes until you pop out into Greymoor.
**Greymoor, Bellhart, and Broken Curses:** Greymoor means more bell-ringing (are you sensing a pattern yet, mate?) and a choice: either collect five lost fleas for a caravan (a charming side-quest that encourages exploration) or simply beat the absolute snot out of Moorwing. Either path leads you to Bellhart, a haunted town where everyone’s tangled in a silken curse. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to free the town. This involves diving into Shellwood to defeat Sister Splinter, acquiring the 'Cling Grip' (hello, wall-jumping!), and taking down the formidable Widow to complete 'The Threadspun Town' quest. Once Bellhart is free, grab some needle upgrades and poison enhancements – you're going to need them.
**Blasted Steps & The Citadel Gate:** The final hurdle of Act 1 is the Blasted Steps, a region designed to test every single movement technique you've acquired. Dash, glide, wall-jump, repeat. It’s like a platforming obstacle course designed by a particularly mischievous wizard. At the top, you'll finally reach the Citadel gate, which, *surprise!*, requires five bells to unlock. Good thing you’ve been ringing them like a mad bug, eh? Then, it’s a showdown with Last Judge, a multi-phased boss who ensures you've truly earned your passage. Survive this, and you've officially made it to Act 2 – welcome to the Citadel, you magnificent bug!
### Act 2: Deep Within The Citadel – Songs, Harpoons, and Hard Mode
Entering the Citadel is a whole new ball game. Shakra's gone (boo!), Bellways are sparse, and maps come from dispensers like dodgy vending machines. Fast travel shifts to 'Ventricas' – essentially pneumatic tubes for bugs, which sounds both efficient and slightly alarming. Your main goal here is to learn the 'Threefold song' to unlock the path forward, but first, you've got some exploring to do.
**Choral Chambers & Cogwork Core:** You'll start in the Grand Gate, but your next major destination is the Choral Chambers. There's a 'quick' route and a 'long' route, and as any sensible explorer knows, the long route usually means more goodies (like a map of the Underworks!). Once in the Cogwork Core, you'll face the Cogwork Dancers – two robotic bugs who decided a partner dance battle was the best way to guard progress. Defeat them, and three statues emerge, setting you on a quest to learn their individual songs before you can combine them into the 'Threefold song.'
**Underworks & The Clawline:** Before you can croon any melodies, you'll need the 'Clawline' ability – a harpoon-like throw of your needle that lets you grapple to walls and rings. It’s a game-changer for navigation, turning previously impossible gaps into delightful swings. You'll find this essential ability in The Cauldron within the lava-filled, robot-infested Underworks. Navigating this area is a proper gauntlet of platforming and combat, ending with you using your new harpoon to ascend to greater heights (and meet the Twelfth Architect, a vendor with some proper tools).
**Vaultkeeper’s Melody:** Time to collect the first song! This one is sneaky, hidden beneath an elevator in the Underworks. You'll need to use every movement ability you've picked up to reach the Sacred Cylinder next to a fallen Vaultkeeper. Take it to Vaultkeeper Cardinus, a millipede in a pointy hat (because why not?), play your Needolin, and boom – first melody acquired! Don't forget to grab the Pale Oil nearby for another needle upgrade; your trusty pointy stick always needs sharpening.
**Architect’s Melody:** This melody calls you back to the Cogwork Core, specifically its upper regions. And fair warning, mate, this is one of the toughest platforming sections in *all* of Silksong. Expect to die, a lot. Use your Clawline, take breaks on platforms, and try to clear out those pesky robotic bugs. Once you've scaled this digital Everest, you'll face a rotating pillar puzzle. The trick? Line up three sections on each pillar, but leave the fourth. This way, the platforms don't vanish prematurely. Once all three sections are aligned across all pillars, complete the last segments, and the Architect's Melody is yours! One more to go!
**Constructor’s Melody & The Forum:** The final melody takes you to the High Halls, accessible via the top-left of Choral Chambers. Navigate through spikes and use your Clawline judiciously to reach the High Halls Ventrica station. Your ultimate destination here is The Forum, which hosts one of Silksong's most brutal fights: wave after wave of enemies, culminating in one, then *two* Choir Clappers – giant beetles wielding mallets. It's a proper slugfest. But here's a cheeky wizard's tip: there's a hidden wall in the Whispering Vaults. Activating a fan there leads you to the Songclave, where you can recruit Garmond and Zaza for a bit of extra muscle in The Forum fight. Trust me, it makes a world of difference. With their help (or sheer bloody-mindedness if you're a purist), you'll defeat the gauntlet and unlock the final melody from the Conductor.
### The Grand Finale: Credits, and What Lies Beyond
With all three melodies in your pocket, return to the Cogwork Core and play the 'Threefold song' at the statues. This opens the elevator to the final stretch. Brace yourself, because Lace (yes, *that* Lace) is waiting for a rematch. She's learned some new tricks, but paying attention to her needle stances will give you the edge. Defeat her, and you'll enter The Cradle, home of the final boss: Grandmother Silk. This fight is pure chaos – needles, silk, rocks, spikes everywhere! Focus on dodging first, finding those windows to weave in your own attacks. Once Grandmother Silk is defeated, you've done it, mate! The credits roll.
But here’s the kicker, because this wouldn't be a *Hollow Knight* game if it truly ended there. Those credits? They’re just Act 2. Apparently, there’s an entire Act 3 waiting for you, but only if you've been a truly diligent explorer, completing nearly every side quest and finding a majority of the lost fleas. So, while you've reached one ending, the true journey through Pharloom might have only just begun. Go on, get back out there and uncover those last few secrets – a true wizard always has another trick up their sleeve!
Tags: Metroidvania, Hollow Knight, Silksong, Action-Adventure, Walkthrough
Original article: Polygon