Where to Find All 3 Silk Hearts in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Silk Hearts in Hollow Knight: Silksong boost Hornet’s silk meter; this guide details every Silk Heart location and boss fight.

Silk is the high-octane bug juice that keeps Hornet alive in Hollow Knight: Silksong. She burns it to heal, and she also burns it to pull off some seriously flashy offensive moves. The usual way to refill the meter is to land hits, which is great for aggressive players who treat every room like a boxing ring. But for anyone who prefers a little passive income, the three Silk Hearts are the real prize. These things quietly restore a portion of the Silk meter without asking for much in return. A player can grab two of them by simply playing well and clobbering major bosses, but the third one? Oh no, one of them is a proper sneaky little needle in a very large haystack. This guide covers every Silk Heart location in Silksong, including the boss fights, the keys, the weird locks, and the Regenerated trophy that comes from collecting all three.

Silk Heart
Boss
Location
Act
Missable?
Extra Reward

First
Bell Beast
The Marrow
Act One
No
Bellway fast travel

Second
The Unravelled
Whiteward, Citadel
Act Two
Yes
Sneaky bragging rights

Third
Lace
The Cradle
Act Two finale
No
Regenerated trophy

1. First Silk Heart: Bell Beast in The Marrow

The first Silk Heart is a nice warm-up. Early in Act One, players roll into The Marrow and find the Bell Beast wrapped up like a leftover burrito in webbing. At first, the poor thing looks more like set dressing than a boss. But after Hornet grabs the Silkspear ability, she can cut the beast loose, and then the real fight begins. The Bell Beast is not the cruelest fight in the game, but it can absolutely punish a player who treats it like a tutorial pushover. Once the beast goes down, the first Silk Heart will be floating right over its body. The key here is not to fast travel away in a post-victory daze. Snag that heart. On top of that, beating this boss also unlocks the Bellway fast travel system, which is basically a quality-of-life gift from the developers.

2. Second Silk Heart: The Unravelled in Whiteward

If completionist anxiety had a mascot, it would be this heart. While the first Silk Heart practically hands itself over, the second one apparently took lessons from a hide-and-seek champion. It is hidden in the Citadel during Act Two, and a player can completely walk past it if they are not poking their antennae into every corner. The target is the Unravelled boss in the Whiteward area. To get there, players first need to pass through the Coral Chambers and track down a white key. That key opens a lift with a lock bearing a surgical symbol, which is the game's subtle way of saying \u201cabandon all comfy vibes.\u201d

After riding into Whiteward, the hunt continues. There is a Surgical Key needed to open an ornate lock mechanism, because one ominous medical lock simply was not enough. Once inside the crypt, things get spicy. A gang of enemies jumps out, and then the Unravelled boss crashes the party. This fight can be a genuine head-scratcher, especially for players who like to brute-force bosses without learning patterns. When the Unravelled finally falls, the second Silk Heart will be floating in the air like a smug little prize. Players should grab it immediately, because second chances are not exactly on the menu.

3. Third Silk Heart: Lace at the Cradle

The final Silk Heart shows up during the Act Two finale, and it is tied to Hornet's most stylish rival: Lace. To reach this showdown, players have to learn three melodies. Think of them as the world's creepiest elevator music:

• The Melody of Conductor

• The Melody of Architect

• The Melody of Vaultkeeper

Once all three tunes are learned, the lift unlocks and the player can enter the Cradle. That is where Lace is waiting, probably sharpening her needle and practicing dramatic entrances. Lace is fast, elegant, and more than happy to remind a careless player that standing still is a death sentence. After she is defeated, the third Silk Heart appears, and a player can finally complete the collection.

All Three Silk Hearts? Trophy Time

Collecting all three Silk Hearts causes the Regenerated trophy to pop like a champagne cork. These hearts are not just shiny collectibles; they make Hornet's Silk management a little more forgiving over a long run. The second heart is the main reason some players miss the Regenerated trophy, so anyone aiming for full completion should double-check Whiteward before moving on. As of 2026, the Silksong community has these three locations thoroughly mapped, but that second heart still catches plenty of overconfident players sleeping.

Silk Hearts are one of those small upgrades that feel minor on paper but make a huge difference in practice. A player who picks up all three will have a much smoother time in later sections, especially when healing windows are tight. So the next time someone asks why their Silk meter keeps refilling on its own, they can point to these three little treasures and say, \u201cThat\u2019s the good stuff.\u201d

For players who want to chase down every last boss and secret in Silksong, being patient with the grind is only half the battle. Managing time and knowing where to look is what separates a casual explorer from a true completionist. And for those who like to stock up on new adventures after finishing their Silk Heart hunt, keeping an eye on the best [game deals today]( is a smart way to keep the momentum going without emptying the wallet.

Hornet's journey may end once those three hearts are in hand, but the broader world of action-platformers is full of similar challenges waiting to be conquered. Whether it is a fresh indie gem or a polished AAA title, grabbing a solid discount at the right moment can turn a casual evening into another unforgettable playthrough. After all, the hunt for rewards does not have to stop at the Cradle.

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Hollow Knight Silksong: The Emotional Tribute Behind Shrine Guardian Seth

Hollow Knight Silksong's hidden Shrine Guardian Seth boss honors fan Seth Goldman and reappears across Pharloom, challenging Hornet in Fleatopia.

In the sprawling kingdom of Pharloom, players who wander far beyond the main routes of Hollow Knight Silksong may uncover a hidden boss tucked away in the Grand Gate. That encounter is far more than an ordinary test of combat skill. The warrior known as Shrine Guardian Seth carries the name and spirit of Seth Goldman, a young Hollow Knight fan whose real-life story became permanently woven into Team Cherry’s insectoid world. By 2026, as players continue to map every corner of Pharloom, the guardian has become one of Silksong’s most heartfelt tributes.

🧡 A Rare Diagnosis and a Special Wish

In 2019, Seth Goldman was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer. This aggressive illness affects bones or the soft tissue around bones and often appears in children and young adults. Facing a life-threatening diagnosis, Goldman connected with the Marty Lyons Foundation, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to granting wishes for children aged 3 to 17 who have terminal or life-threatening conditions. His wish was deeply personal: he wanted to meet the team at Team Cherry, the indie studio behind one of his favourite games, Hollow Knight.

The meeting turned into something far larger than a simple studio visit. After what Goldman described as a “super fun” talk with the developers, he received an extraordinary opportunity. Team Cherry invited him to design a character that would be implemented in the upcoming sequel, Hollow Knight Silksong. That collaborative dream eventually became Shrine Guardian Seth, a permanent fixture in Pharloom.

The Hidden Guardian of the Grand Gate

Shrine Guardian Seth resides in a concealed area of the Grand Gate, one of Pharloom’s grand and imposing landmarks. Visually, the character resembles an ant, which fits naturally alongside the game’s insect-inspired cast. In combat, he wields an oversized pin as a weapon and carries a cymbal as a shield, giving his fighting style a strange, rhythmic personality. His boss battle is accompanied by a hauntingly ethereal musical theme that deepens the otherworldly atmosphere of the hidden arena.

For players expecting a brief optional duel, the encounter offers much more. Once Shrine Guardian Seth is defeated, he does not disappear from the adventure. Instead, he reappears throughout Pharloom, making Goldman’s creation feel like a recurring presence rather than a one-off enemy. Following the initial fight, players can find him in Greymoor, Shellwood, the Grand Gate, and eventually Fleatopia.

In Fleatopia, the guardian shifts from adversary to friendly rival. He challenges Hornet to beat his high score in the various caravan minigames scattered across the settlement. Succeeding earns players the Guardian’s Memento, a special keepsake described in-game as “A gift given in respect of great skill.”

Location
Encounter

Grand Gate
Hidden boss fight

Greymoor
Post-defeat appearance

Shellwood
Post-defeat appearance

Fleatopia
Caravan minigame high-score challenge

️ A Farewell Before the Journey Ended

Goldman passed away shortly after designing the character, and he did not live to see Silksong’s eventual release. Still, he was able to witness his original character being brought to life during development. Around the time of the collaboration, Goldman shared his excitement online under the username u/big_boi878. He explained that he could not show much beyond the name, which he had chosen after himself, but that a blog post was coming soon. He added that he could not wait for others to see the character’s lore, design, and gameplay.

Those words now read as a quiet promise fulfilled by the finished game. Team Cherry also honoured Goldman in the credits, offering a special thanks to him after all the years of waiting. For players who know the story behind the hidden boss, that brief credit becomes one of the most emotional moments in the entire experience.

How the Community Keeps Seth’s Memory Alive

Within the Hollow Knight community, Shrine Guardian Seth has taken on a life of his own. Artists have produced extensive fan art, reimagining his ant-like silhouette in countless styles. Other passionate fans have created 3D blueprints for figurines, allowing the guardian to exist as a physical object outside the game. This steady wave of creative work has transformed Seth from a secret boss into a symbol of remembrance, immortalising Goldman inside one of his favourite fictional universes.

The Marty Lyons Foundation, which helped arrange the meeting with Team Cherry, continues to support children facing life-threatening illnesses. Players moved by the guardian’s story can support that mission through official channels, helping other young people create meaningful final memories. Through careful design, thoughtful placement, and lasting community affection, Shrine Guardian Seth remains much more than an optional encounter. He stands as a quiet monument to generosity, fandom, and the deep human connections that can grow out of video games.

For players eager to witness Shrine Guardian Seth's touching tribute firsthand, securing a copy of Silksong at the right price makes the journey all the sweeter. Hunting for bargains on beloved titles has become part of modern gaming culture, and knowing [where to buy cheap games]( can help fans spend less time worrying about cost and more time soaking in the emotional moments crafted by developers like Team Cherry. Every player deserves the chance to stumble upon Seth's hidden shrine and read the credits knowing that a real person's memory lives on inside the game.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Tops 92 On OpenCritic In Tight GOTY Race

Hollow Knight Silksong's 92 OpenCritic score tops the original and ties Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as 2025's best-reviewed game.

I’ve kept a close eye on Hollow Knight: Silksong’s post-launch reception, and after nearly two weeks of reviews filtering in, the picture is remarkably clear. Team Cherry’s long-awaited Metroidvania sequel currently sits at a 92 on OpenCritic across 45 critic reviews, including our own Josh Robertson’s 4/5. That score is two full points higher than the original Hollow Knight and ties it with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a game many considered the frontrunner for 2025’s Game of the Year before Silksong finally emerged.

That 92 is not just a number. It places Silksong at the top of an unusually crowded year while also outperforming one of the most beloved indie breakthroughs of the last decade. I’ve seen plenty of sequels struggle under expectation, but Silksong has managed to turn years of anticipation into critical validation.

What Critics Are Saying

Our own review captured the consensus well: “Its boss fights are exhilarating and challenging, its world is a gorgeous marvel to explore, its unpredictable art design is impeccable, and everything else about it looks and sounds stunning.” Robertson’s only real criticism was that Silksong’s punishing difficulty can sometimes feel “obnoxious,” which kept it just short of a perfect five.

That difficulty conversation has become one of the most debated points of the launch. VGC handed the game a 3/5 and argued that Silksong’s challenge sometimes becomes tiring rather than exciting, with spikes that hurt overall pacing. It is an interesting split: some reviewers see those same spikes as part of the game’s identity, while others think they go too far.

Outlet
Score
Key Takeaway

TheGamer
4/5
Exhilarating boss fights, gorgeous world, occasional obnoxious difficulty

VGC
3/5
Difficulty spikes feel tiring and disrupt pacing

Screen Rant
10/10
Masterful bosses and a high skill ceiling

Eurogamer
5/5
Mean-spirited at times, but charmingly so

Screen Rant gave Silksong a 10/10 and framed its controversial difficulty as a “high skill ceiling,” praising the boss encounters as masterful. Eurogamer was similarly unmoved by the difficulty complaints, awarding a 5/5 and describing the game as mean-spirited, but charmingly so. For me, that tension is exactly why the review spread feels so healthy: Silksong is demanding enough to produce radically different experiences depending on player temperament.

A Tight Race At The Top

The race for best-reviewed game of 2025 has shifted several times. Monster Hunter Wilds, Split Fiction, and Blue Prince all led at various points earlier in the year. Now the top of the pile is messier. Silksong and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are tied at 92 on OpenCritic, which makes direct comparisons difficult because both games occupy very different design spaces.

There are also two titles with higher aggregate scores worth acknowledging. Shujinkou sits at 94, but that average comes from only seven reviews, making it statistically fragile compared with Silksong’s larger sample. Tears of the Kingdom’s Switch 2 edition also holds a 94, though I hesitate to treat that as a brand-new 2025 release. It is a port or enhanced version of a game that already made its own historic mark elsewhere.

So as 2025’s award conversations move into their final phase, Silksong has done exactly what Team Cherry needed it to do. It did not merely match the original; it exceeded its critical standing, anchored itself at the center of the difficulty debate, and forced every other major contender to share the spotlight. Whether it ultimately takes Game of the Year honors depends on how voters weigh punishing challenge against flawless execution — but from where I sit, Silksong has earned its place among the very best of the year.

For players who have been waiting on the sidelines through the Silksong review discourse, the urge to finally dive into Hallownest is understandable. But with so many other major 2025 releases also competing for attention and budget, choosing where to commit your time and money is not always easy. PC players in particular have become savvy about waiting for the right moment to pick up a game, especially when a critical darling like Silksong is still hovering near full price after launch. Keeping an eye on [PC game discounts]( can make the decision much simpler, letting you grab several of this year's biggest contenders without blowing past your gaming budget.

That practical side of the hobby matters more as the calendar fills with heavy hitters. Even if Silksong or Clair Obscur ends up taking the top prize at year-end ceremonies, the conversation around 2025 will stay alive for months—and players will keep looking for ways to experience these games at a reasonable cost. Whether you are chasing the next high-skill boss fight or simply curating your backlog for the holidays, checking a reliable deals hub before you buy is a small move that can stretch your library much further, leaving you free to focus on what actually matters: the games themselves.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Endings Guide: All 5 Finales I Unlocked

Unlock all five Hollow Knight: Silksong endings with this definitive guide, from Weaver Queen to Passing of the Age.

I've been deep in Pharloom since the 2026 release, and after multiple clean saves I've now seen every unique finale Hollow Knight: Silksong has to offer. Team Cherry kept the original's habit: one default ending you'll find naturally, plus several alternatives that demand real detours. The payoff is worth it, because each route has its own fully animated cutscene showing the consequences of your choices.

For my own checklist, I count five endings, not three, because some special scenes can chain together on one file while others are mutually exclusive. From my runs, I could see Weaver Queen, Snared Silk, and Sister of the Void on a single save, while Twisted Child required a deliberately cursed Act 2 run. Passing of the Age is a bonus coda that plays after the true ending.

How the endings fit together

Ending
Type
Notes

Weaver Queen
Default ending
Can be seen in a normal playthrough if conditions are not met

Twisted Child
Cursed Act 2 ending
Mutually exclusive once you move into Act 3

Snared Silk
Void entrapment
Credits roll, then leads to the next ending

Sister of the Void
True ending
Follows Snared Silk

Passing of the Age
Mushroom coda
Not exclusive, adds a new final scene

Weaver Queen: the default finale

This is the ending most players will stumble into. I reached it by completing the main quests, reaching the Cradle at the peak of the Citadel, and avoiding the conditions for Twisted Child or Snared Silk. The minimum kit for the route is the dash, wall jump, and Needolin.

You can enter the Citadel either by ringing the bells and killing the Last Judge, or by taking the back path through the Mist and defeating Phantom. After that, I fought the Cogwork Dancers, collected the three song parts from the Cogwork Core, the Vault, and the High Halls, pushed past Lace on the ascent, and finally brought down Grand Mother Silk. In this ending, Hornet binds with Grand Mother Silk, absorbs her power, and becomes the Weaver Queen of Pharloom. It felt like an introductory ending, not the full stop.

Twisted Child: the cursed run I planned from the start

For this one I intentionally kept the Twisted Bud instead of taking it to the surgeon. That meant heading to the Cradle while still cursed and fighting the final boss with no tools, no silk abilities, and no healing. To me, the fight didn't become unbearably hard, but it did force a more focused style.

The big caveat is the lockout. If you start the Rite of Rebirth and move into the next act, you miss this ending. So if you want everything on one character, I recommend holding off on that quest until you are ready to finish the game. After the fight, Hornet cannot bind Grand Mother Silk. The Twisted Child erupts from her instead, and the cutscene suggests it takes over Hornet, Grand Mother Silk, and possibly the whole kingdom.

Snared Silk: not quite an ending, but it still rolls credits

I count this one because the credits do roll after its cutscene. Instead of rushing into the Grand Mother Silk fight, I did every quest on every quest board in all three towns, including donation quests. I also grabbed the Faydown Cloak, assembled the Cogheart and gave it to the Second Sentinel, and finished the world side objectives.

The most demanding part was finding the Putrified Ducts, reaching the lake inside, and relocating almost every flea. After that, the strange guy at the chapel in Songclave gave me a mission. I traveled around the kingdom, spoke with his siblings, trudged through Bilewater, and grabbed a tool from Weavenest Atla. At the end of the Grand Mother Silk fight, I played my Needolin. That entrapped both Grand Mother Silk and Lace in the void, and the scene rolled into the next route.

Sister of the Void: the true ending

After Snared Silk, I broke the void-soaked threads binding the save file, reopened it, and found the world ruined. The Snail Shamans at the ruined chapel in Moss Grotto sent me after three dream bosses: one at the Coral Tower, one near the Grand Gate, and one in the Far Fields. If you want an easier route, you can collect a heart from the Green Prince at the right edge of Greymoor instead.

With three hearts in hand, I returned to the Snail Shamans, played through an excellent retelling of Hornet's backstory, and claimed the Everbloom. Hornet then took it into the Abyss, dived in, and fought one last duel against a void-soaked Lace. This route feels like the true ending, and the final cutscene includes an appearance from a certain character that made the whole run feel complete.

Passing of the Age: the Mister Mushroom coda

This one is not mutually exclusive with the previous ending, so I added it to the same file. I started in the lake where the Fleas had taken residence and found a hole in the ceiling near the highest rocks. A super jump and a Needolin tune let me speak with Mister Mushroom.

He then visited a set of locations in order: Moss Grotto, Bone Bottom, Far Fields, Greymoor, The Slab, the peak of Mount Fay, and finally a newly unlocked room at the very top of The Cradle. After some genuinely scary platforming, I spoke to the mushroom man one last time, then fought Lost Lace again. After the normal ending, Mister Mushroom takes off with another "To Be Continued," just like the original Hollow Knight.

If you want the full 2026 completion route, I would do this: normal playthrough for Weaver Queen, back up your save, then do a dedicated cursed run for Twisted Child, and finally a completionist run through Snared Silk into Sister of the Void while stacking Passing of the Age. It takes time, but seeing all five cutscenes in Silksong is one of the best reasons to explore every corner of Pharloom.

The full completion run is a serious time investment, but it is also the kind of experience that makes Hollow Knight: Silksong worth every hour you put into it. Between the boss gauntlets, hidden dream fights, and those Mister Mushroom platforming sections, there are moments that will stick with you long after the credits roll. If you have not picked up the game yet or you want to gift a copy to a friend so they can finally understand why Hornet is such a beloved protagonist, it is smart to check a [game price comparison]( before you buy. Prices fluctuate across storefronts and regions, so a quick look can easily save you enough for a nice DLC or a fresh keycap set.

For anyone planning their own five-ending run, the main thing to remember is that Pharloom rewards patience and curiosity. Whether you are chasing the void-soaked true ending or just want the whimsical mushroom farewell, every route adds a layer to the story that makes the world feel alive. And once you have seen everything the game has to offer, you can always revisit your favorite areas or wait for the next content drop without worrying about having overpaid for the journey in the first place.

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The Heartbreaking Legacy of Seth, a Fan-Created Boss in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong's fan-designed Shrine Guardian boss Seth honors late fan Seth Goldman—a challenging, heartfelt tribute.

When Hollow Knight: Silksong finally arrived on September 4, 2025, it was more than just the end of a six-year wait. The long-anticipated sequel to Team Cherry's beloved indie hit launched with record-breaking player counts, crashed digital storefronts, and even pushed the original Hollow Knight to a new all-time high on Steam. But amid the chaos of millions of players diving into the Kingdom of Pharloom, one particular boss encounter carried a story far deeper than any health bar could suggest.

The boss in question is Seth, a Shrine Guardian who can be found in a secret area of the Grand Gate. His design feels both charming and fierce: an ant-like figure clutching a pin as a weapon and carrying a circular shield that was meant to be a coin by his creator. That shield serves double duty in battle—it blocks Hornet's attacks and then spins toward her with surprising speed. After the fight, Seth reappears in Shellwood, a calmer presence within a world full of threats.

So why does this particular enemy stand out? Because Seth was not born from Team Cherry's design studios. He was the creation of a fan named Seth Goldman, known online as big_boi878 on Reddit. Back in 2019, Goldman was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. His wish was simple but profound: to meet the developers behind Hollow Knight, the game he loved. Team Cherry granted that wish and went a step further—they allowed him to design a character for the upcoming sequel. Goldman provided a drawing, and fittingly, he named the NPC after himself.

The developers promised Seth a code so he could play Silksong on day one. Tragically, he passed away shortly after creating the character, never getting to see the final game. Instead, his legacy lives on in two ways: first, through the boss that bears his name and likeness, and second, through a special mention in the game's end credits. It is a quiet tribute, but one that has resonated deeply with the community.

However, encountering Seth is no easy feat—and defeating him is even harder. Many players have discovered that Hollow Knight: Silksong is significantly more difficult than its predecessor. The changes are subtle when considered individually, but together they create a brutal experience.

Consider the following challenges players have reported:

• Boss runs are longer and more punishing, forcing repeated treks through dangerous areas.

• ️ Enemies hit harder, meaning a single mistake can erase large chunks of health.

• 🩹 The healing mechanic has been altered, leaving less room for error.

• ️ Platforming with Hornet feels trickier than ever, with tighter timing and more complex layouts.

These combined elements mean that even mini bosses can feel like walls. For some players, the difficulty shift became so frustrating that they turned to mods within days of release.

The modding community responded quickly. Within a short time, players had created tools to ease the pain. One popular mod causes Hornet to respawn on the current screen rather than at a distant bench, cutting down on repetitive backtracking. Another reduces the amount of damage enemies inflict, making the journey slightly less punishing. There is also a mod that increases Hornet's damage output for players who prefer a power fantasy. Of course, for those who found the base game too easy—a brave claim—there are mods to make things even tougher.

Some purists argue that modding waters down the intended Hollow Knight experience. They believe the struggle is part of the art, that Team Cherry designed the difficulty deliberately. And they are not wrong. Yet for others, the story of Seth reminds us why accessibility matters. A player may not have infinite time or reflexes. They may simply want to explore Pharloom, meet its strange inhabitants, and uncover every hidden corner. Mods offer a bridge to that experience.

In retrospect, the launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong was a landmark moment for gaming. It broke records, sparked conversations about difficulty, and showcased a passionate fanbase. But beneath the hype lies a quieter truth: games are made of more than code and art. They are made of people—developers, players, and sometimes a young fan whose final gift was a tiny ant warrior with a coin for a shield.

And now, years later, players who discover Seth in the Grand Gate will know that every swing of that spinning shield carries a story of hope, loss, and remembrance. It is a boss fight that transcends mechanics. It is a memorial hidden in plain sight.

That is the true power of Hollow Knight: Silksong—not just its unforgiving combat or its beautiful world, but its ability to weave heartfelt human stories into the fabric of a bug kingdom.

Stories like Seth's are exactly why so many players are drawn to games like Hollow Knight: Silksong in the first place. They remind us that video games can be more than just challenges to overcome—they can be emotional journeys that stay with us long after we put down the controller. And with so many incredible titles out there, each carrying its own hidden stories and meaningful moments, it is no wonder players are always on the lookout for the [best game deals]( to expand their libraries without breaking the bank.

Whether you are a veteran hunter of every boss or a newcomer who simply wants to wander through Pharloom and take in the sights, there has never been a better time to explore the medium's most heartfelt creations. Platforms like DealNest track price drops across major stores, helping players discover their next unforgettable adventure at a price that feels just right. Because in the end, every great story deserves to be played.

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How I Beat Lace the Second Time in Silksong

Silksong Lace 2 boss fight guide reveals location, best gear, and survival tips for conquering this challenging rematch.

Let me paint you a picture: back in Hollow Knight, Hornet was the boss who made me hurl my controller across the room in Greenpath and later in Kingdom's Edge. Now, in Silksong, I finally get to play as her. But the universe has a twisted sense of humor, because Lace has arrived to fill the vacant role of 'nightmare that lives in my head rent-free.' If you have already fought Lace once in Deep Docks and thought that was the end of it, surprise! She is back for round two near The Cradle, and she has not come to cuddle. I was on my way to confront Big Momma Silk when Lace jumped me for the second time, and honestly, I was not emotionally prepared.

This guide is written from the perspective of an ordinary player—me—who got absolutely shredded by Lace 2 the first few tries. I will walk you through where to find her, what to equip, and how to survive all three phases without losing your mind.

Where This Rematch Happens

I will not lie to you: getting to Lace's second fight is a mini-quest in itself. You will need to collect the threefold melodies required to operate the elevator near Cogwork Core. That means:

• Clearing Whispering Vaults, which includes finding a secret sound cylinder for one very particular NPC.

• Surviving High Halls, home to one of the deadliest battle arenas in Silksong.

• Getting through Cogwork Core, a platforming and puzzle combo that will test your patience.

Once you have all three melodies, return to the elevator, play the tunes, and ride it up. Fair warning: the moment you step out of that elevator, the fight starts. No dramatic cutscene to catch your breath. Lace is just there, ready to ruin your day.

Preparing for Round Two (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cogfly)

Before I talk strategy, let us talk gear. Honestly, there is no single must-have item for this fight, but after my own trial and error, I found a combination that kept me alive long enough to actually enjoy the choreography.

Here is what I ran with:

Tool / Crest
Why It Matters

Cogfly
Your tiny mechanical buddies do consistent damage in phase three and help end the fight before Lace's nastiest attacks can stack up.

Silkspeed Anklets
This fight is all about hit-and-run. The extra speed lets you dart in, poke, and sprint to the other side of the arena before Lace can punish you.

Barbed Bracelet
Only use if you are extremely confident in phases one and two. It can shorten the fight, but if you are sloppy, it will cost you.

The core idea is to stay mobile. Standing still against Lace is basically asking her to turn you into a pincushion. Keep moving, keep poking, and let the Cogfly do a chunk of the heavy lifting when things get chaotic.

How To Beat Lace 2

Phase One: The Needle Dance

The first phase is all about reading Lace's quick stabs and closing the distance before retreating. Her main attack is a steady string of stabs that she uses to chase you down. My advice? Sprint away, and when you are out of room, pogo off her head to escape.

She also has a jump-and-diagonal lunge. Watch where she is going to land, jump above the impact point, and pogo on her after she touches down. Her thrust attack is even nastier: she slides across nearly the entire arena in one motion. The trick is to wait for her to commit, leap up, pogo on her head, and then haul yourself to the opposite side.

One more thing that caught me off guard: her parry. If you hear the clink of her blocking your attack, run. Fast. She will immediately launch into a flurry that can drain two masks if you are too close. Treat that sound as your early warning system.

Phase Two: Bubbles of Doom

After you stun Lace for the first time, she decides to get a little more creative. Her jump attack now leaves behind three light bubbles that deal damage if you touch them. Instead of trying to dodge around them, I found it more consistent to dash under her jump and hit her from behind—there is a small safe pocket between the bubbles if you time it right.

Beyond the bubbles, phase two is mostly the same as phase one. Keep chipping away at her health, avoid the new AOE trick, and you will eventually stun her again. That is when the real chaos begins.

Phase Three: Thread Storm Nightmare

Phase three is easily the worst. Lace takes flight and marks out a huge circle covering much of the arena, then unleashes a flurry of attacks that looks a lot like your own Thread Storm ability. The saving grace? It is very well telegraphed. Whenever you see that large glowing circle with white light fizzing in the center, dash away as fast as you can.

This is also the moment I started spamming my Cogfly minions like there was no tomorrow. They deal solid damage and can shorten this terrifying phase so you do not have to survive her barrage any longer than necessary. If you can stay calm, keep moving, and let your little mechanical helpers chip away at her, you will finally put Lace down for good.

Rewards (Or the Lack Thereof)

After all that effort, you might expect a shiny new crest or a pile of currency. Nope. Lace 2 gives you no tangible reward. Instead, she unlocks access to The Cradle, the game's final gauntlet between you and the credits. So in a way, the reward is more pain. But hey, that is Silksong for you.

Look, I am not going to pretend this fight is easy. But once you understand the rhythm—poke, retreat, pogo, dash—and you save your Cogfly spam for phase three, Lace 2 becomes less of a wall and more of a very sharp, very angry dance partner. Just remember to breathe, keep those Silkspeed Anklets on, and do not let the bubbles pop your morale. You have got this.

Regardless of how many attempts it takes, that moment when Lace finally crumples is well worth every death. Once you push through The Cradle and roll credits, you may find yourself craving another challenge that tests your reflexes and patience just as fiercely. If you are looking to expand your collection without emptying your wallet in the process, checking out the [best game deals]( curated by DealNest is a great way to stumble upon your next obsession for a fraction of the price.

And who knows—maybe a discounted gem will introduce you to a new favorite that gives you that same addictive blend of triumph and despair. Either way, you have more than earned a break. Go play something that lets you be the one dealing two-mask damage for a change.

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Facing Shrine Guardian Seth: My Emotional Hollow Knight Silksong Boss Fight

Hollow Knight: Silksong's hidden path leads to Shrine Guardian Seth, a poignant boss fight whose fair moveset demands patience and clean timing.

When I first dropped into the hidden corridor below Grand Gate in Hollow Knight: Silksong, I expected another silent guardian to throw itself at Hornet. Instead, Shrine Guardian Seth stopped, looked at me, and spoke. That small gesture changed everything. In 2026, after all the waiting and speculation, his boss fight still feels less like a duel and more like a conversation. The music is unusually slow and a little sad, which makes sense once you know the story. Seth was designed with and named after Hollow Knight fan Seth Goldman during his cancer treatment, thanks to the Marty Lyons Foundation and Team Cherry. I’m not going to lie, I put the controller down for a moment before the fight began.

It hit different.

Finding the Hidden Path to Seth

I had to climb the Grand Gate elevator shaft, hug the left wall near the top, and smash a breakable panel. The path beyond demanded a few careful pogo jumps over gaps. It felt like the game was asking me to slow down. Seth wasn’t guarding a main route; he was waiting at the end of a quiet detour.

Preparing for a Fair Fight

I’ll be honest—I overprepared for this one. In the end, my usual Crest worked fine. Seth seems to want a clean, evenly matched exchange. Ranged tools and area attacks can sneak in extra damage, but they aren’t required. Comfort mattered more than optimization.

Seth’s Moveset and How I Learned to Punish Him

Seth fights in two phases with a needle and a cymbal shield. In phase one, he signals much of what he does, and the real battle is patience. His shield isn’t just gear; it feels like a partner with its own rhythm, humming whenever it lands.

Attack
Tell
My Response

Three-hit melee lunge
Jumps backward before starting
Back away, then strike once or twice after the combo ends

Ground shield toss
Hurls shield across the arena, then dashes to catch it
Jump over the shield, run to the end of its arc, and hit him during recovery

Aerial shield throw
Leaps and throws the shield diagonally
Let the shield hit the ground, run beneath it, and attack when he lands

Downward dive
Dives from the air on a diagonal
Avoid it, then keep away from the golden shockwave after he lands

No joke, that shockwave caught me more times than the dive itself. After landing, Seth usually followed it with a lunge, so I learned to stay patient instead of forcing a hit.

In phase two, Seth chains multiple dive attacks before a final lunge. The same rule applies: avoid the golden shockwaves, keep him in sight, and wait for recovery. I prioritized front or back hits because his shield made aerial approaches feel sloppy.

Rewards, Rivalry, and a Song

Beating him opened a way to Shellwood Shrine and gave me the Shellwood Shrine Key plus 200 Rosaries. But the bigger reward was that Seth survived. He lost his Shrine Guardian status and became a wandering NPC. During Act Three, I found him in Greymoor, Shellwood, Grand Gate, and Fleatopia. Each meeting gave him a little more peace. In Fleatopia, he bragged—politely, I think—about setting high scores in all the flea mini-games. When I beat those scores, I earned the Guardian’s Memento, a spiny medallion that now hangs in Bellhome.

The final touch? If I played my Needolin in front of Seth after Fleatopia, he sang along. The melody wasn’t flashy; it was an ode to perseverance and courage. That moment turned a cameo into a tribute. Maybe that’s why the boss music always felt like a memory rather than a threat.

That quiet tribute stuck with me long after I put the game down. Silksong rewards that kind of patience—the willingness to learn a boss’s rhythm, adapt, and eventually turn a struggle into something close to harmony. It’s a feeling I chase in other games too, and it’s part of why I keep an eye on what’s coming next to Steam. Between the recent Hollow Knight-inspired metroidvanias and bigger indie showcases, there’s always another arena to learn and another melody to uncover.

But with so many releases dropping each week, the price tags add up fast. That’s where I’ve found the [steam deal finder]( at DealNest genuinely useful—it lets me wishlist everything that catches my eye and then jump in when the discounts line up. That way, the next song I’m humming doesn’t have to come with a full-price sting, and I can spend more time mastering the next boss instead of second-guessing a purchase.

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How Hollow Knight Silksong's 0.1% Achievements Broke and Rebuilt Me in 2026

Hollow Knight: Silksong bench locations and brutal achievements challenge even veteran players, making every victory in Pharloom hard-earned.

I never thought a game about a tiny bug princess with a needle could make me question my existence. But here I am, deep into 2026, still replaying Hollow Knight: Silksong like it is a personal grudge. The latest balance patch has certainly softened some of the early game's rougher edges, yet Silksong remains the kind of sequel that looks at your hundreds of hours in the original and just laughs. The movement is deeper, the combat is meaner, and the achievements? They are definitely not for the faint of heart.

Navigating Pharloom without losing my mind meant learning every bench location like the back of my hand. Those small safe havens became my lifeline, especially when I attempted some of the game's most brutal challenges.

Even with benches, though, the real horror starts when you open the achievement menu. When Silksong first launched in 2025, a few achievements were already hovering at just about 0.1 or 0.2 percent completion. Now in 2026? Those numbers have barely moved. I get it. To earn some of them, you have to beat the entire game a second time in Steel Soul mode, where a single death erases everything. No retries. No checkpoints. Just memory, muscle, and a whole lot of anxiety.

I tried Steel Soul once. Honestly? My longest run lasted nearly five hours. Then a regular enemy, the kind I had killed a hundred times before, caught me mid-dash. I just sat there, controller still in my hands, staring at the death screen. Silence. I did not rage quit; I just... sat. That is when I realized Silksong's hardest achievements are not mistakes. They are designed for a very specific kind of player — the ones who want bragging rights that take years to earn.

The game also mixes in speedrun challenges on top of Steel Soul completion, which turns an already punishing experience into an absolute nightmare. Unlike traditional RPGs that can be ground out with enough time and effort, Silksong's hardest achievements can take years of practice to master. It mirrors the original Hollow Knight in that way, and maybe that is why I keep coming back. There is something weirdly appealing about a challenge that does not care about my feelings.

But if Steel Soul or speedrunning is not your thing? Trust me, there is still plenty to do. The newly implemented Wish system and those adorable NPCs who would be completely helpless without Hornet make the side content just as rewarding as the main story. I spent an entire weekend chasing the 'Great Taste of Pharloom' quest, and it forced me to unlock locales and items I had completely missed. That quest is no joke, but it is the good kind of brutal.

Here is a quick breakdown of how different challenge types have treated me so far in 2026:

Challenge Type
What It Demands
My Experience

Steel Soul completion
Beat the whole game without dying
Five hours down the drain

Speedrun achievements
Finish under strict time limits
I am not built for this, honestly

Inventory completion
Find every item and upgrade
Doable and oddly satisfying

Alternative endings
See every story conclusion
Rewarding, less rage-inducing

Those alternative endings and inventory completion achievements are much more forgiving, and they still offer fun challenges for players of all skill levels. I found myself enjoying those far more because they let me appreciate Hornet's journey instead of just surviving it.

By this point in 2026, I still have not unlocked every impossible achievement. Maybe I never will. But every time I return to Pharloom, I learn a little more about patience and precision. And honestly? That might be the real reward.

That relentless pursuit of mastery extends beyond the game itself. For those of us who love testing our limits in games like Silksong, patience is a virtue that carries over into how we buy games too. I have learned the hard way that impulse-buying every title that looks challenging just drains the wallet and the willpower. These days, I wait for the right moment to strike.

That is exactly why I started checking a reliable [steam sale tracker]( before adding anything new to my backlog. It lets me grab the games I actually want at a price that does not sting when I inevitably fail twenty times in a row. Between grinding through Steel Soul attempts and hunting down hidden treasures, I can build a library of brutally hard games without breaking the bank.

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Chasing Black Muscle: A 1971 Challenger, a 550 HP Coronet, and the Mopars of Port Jervis

A 1971 Dodge Challenger in original TX9 Formal Black anchors this Mopar stockpile tour, joined by a 550-hp 1965 Coronet and a driver-ready 1967 Dart.

I’ll say it up front: I’m a sucker for wild Mopar colors. Plum Crazy, Go Mango, SubLime—you name it. But every so often, a black muscle car comes along and reminds me that nothing beats the original shade. Black hides nothing at night and absorbs everything in daylight. On a 1971 Dodge Challenger, the effect is pure intimidation. That’s exactly why a recent video from Backyard Barn Finds caught my attention. They traveled to Port Jervis, New York, to meet a father-son duo with a stockpile of Mopars, including a worn-out Challenger that still wears its TX9 Formal Black paint code.

The trip didn’t start in a garage. It started at Hawk’s Nest, a winding scenic overlook that has appeared in car commercials and movies. I appreciate that Parker and the crew took a moment to show the drive itself. It sets the mood. Old cars feel different on roads like that. You hear the engine against the guardrails, and suddenly the whole point of owning a classic makes sense.

That brings me to the first car they showed: a 1967 Dodge Dart. This wasn’t some trailer queen. They actually drove it to the meeting. It’s been restored, it runs, and it has a fresh 318 under the hood. Is it a fire-breathing muscle car? No. But it’s the kind of car you can jump in and drive anywhere. The owner didn’t seem desperate to sell, but he threw out a number around $20,000. In my world, that’s a fair entry point for a solid driver.

Then the tone shifted. The real showstopper for me was a 1965 Dodge Coronet. On the outside, it doesn’t scream outlaw. But under the hood sits a 440 with a four-speed behind it, aluminum heads, and a full TTI exhaust. The seller said it’s making around 550 horsepower. That’s nearly three times the Dart’s output. The Coronet has been worked over from front to back, and I can only imagine how it feels when the secondaries open. There was no asking price mentioned, but I suspect this one would require a much bigger wallet.

And then we got to the car I came for. The 1971 Challenger is not perfect—far from it. It sat for years in a muddy driveway, and the rust is there if you look. But it’s complete. The interior is present, and it runs and drives. The 318 and automatic aren’t glamorous, but the car still sounds mean. Maybe that’s just the black paint talking. The asking price is $18,000. In 2026, that’s still a chunk of change, but for a running, driving ’71 Challenger with an original TX9 black code, it feels like a project with real potential. I’d rather see someone restore this than let it rot further.

As if the garage tour wasn’t already enough, the seller also has a 1973 Plymouth Duster. It’s another 318 car, but it has a fresh transmission. The body is in better shape than the Challenger, though it still has some rust. The asking price sits somewhere between $14,000 and $16,000. For a first-time buyer wanting a lightweight Mopar, that might be the most sensible option on the table.

Here’s a quick summary of the cars and their rough numbers:

Vehicle
Drivetrain
Condition
Estimated Price

1967 Dodge Dart
318, fresh
Restored driver
~$20,000

1965 Dodge Coronet
440, 4-speed, ~550 hp
Restored, modified
Not listed

1971 Dodge Challenger
318, automatic
Complete, runs, rust
$18,000

1973 Plymouth Duster
318, fresh trans
Better body, rust
$14,000–$16,000

At the end of the day, I’m just a regular enthusiast watching from home. I don’t have a barn full of Hemis or a disposable budget. But that’s the great thing about this hobby. A car doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth saving. The black Challenger may have a tired small-block and some rust, but it still carries the same silhouette that made these cars legendary. If I had the space and the spare cash, I’d be making a call to Port Jervis.

The same thrill I get from spotting a fair-priced Mopar in a dusty driveway is what drives hobbyists of every stripe to keep hunting. Whether you're chasing a numbers-matching Hemi or a nearly forgotten arcade classic, the rush of finding genuine value never gets old. It's the kind of feeling that turns ordinary afternoons into stories you tell for years. That itch to uncover a steal isn't limited to sheet metal and carburetors—it carries right over to any market where patience and sharp eyes pay off.

Classic car forums have their endless "for sale" threads, and the digital world has its own equivalents. For anyone who enjoys the hunt for a good bargain on the gaming side of things, keeping an eye on [DealNest game deals]( scratches a similar itch. Just as I'll spend an evening scrolling through classifieds for a promising project car, someone else might spend that same hour sorting through price drops for an overlooked gem. Either way, the chase is half the fun—and landing that deal is the other half.

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My Complete Memory Locket Hunt in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Find all 20 Memory Lockets in Hollow Knight: Silksong to expand Crests and equip more Tools with this route-driven guide.

When I set out to collect all 20 Memory Lockets in Hollow Knight: Silksong, I thought it would be a short side errand. A few hours later, I was deep in hidden alcoves, breaking cocoons in Bilewater and juggling Rosaries at three different vendors. Memory Lockets are the key to expanding Crests, which lets Hornet equip more Tools on each Crest. Since maximizing her loadout can completely change how a fight plays out, I knew I had to find every single one.

First, let me mention the gear and unlocks I needed. The hunt is much smoother if you have wall jump, double jump, at least one Simple Key, Silk Soar from Act 3, and a decent pile of Rosaries. You will spend 480 Rosaries just on vendor lockets: Mort sells one for 150 after you pay 30 to enter his building in Pilgrim's Rest, and Frey in Bellhart sells another for 330. Keep those funds ready.

My early route looked like this. In Bone Bottom, I accepted the Volatile Flintbeetles Wish from the Wish Board and completed it to receive a Memory Locket. In the Marrow, I waited until I had wall jump, then climbed the route to a locket. Wormways, above Moss Grotto, was easier to reach once I knew the path; it sits just above the grotto. In Deep Docks, I used a Simple Key on the locked door and followed the path to the reward. The Far Fields area held two more: one from Mort in Pilgrim's Rest after paying the entrance fee and his price, and one at the end of a hidden path in the secret area that only opens after Act 3.

After that, I moved through Hunter's March and Greymoor. In Hunter's March, I found a cage at the marked position and hit it repeatedly until it released a Memory Locket. In Greymoor, the path to the locket forced me past a Mitemother, so I kept my guard up. The Bellhart region gave me three lockets. First, I entered Halfway Home and jumped to the top-left ledge to reach a hidden alcove. Second, I bought one from Frey for 330 Rosaries. Third, I used Silk Soar above Bellhart to reach an alcove that would otherwise be unreachable. That third one is easy to overlook because the unlock only arrives in Act 3.

The midgame regions tested my movement. In Blasted Steps, I followed the mapped route to the locket. In the Sands of Karak, the third seed created a forked tree; I took the left path, found the seed hanging from the ceiling, and that seed opened another leftward path ending at a Memory Locket. In the Slab, I double-jumped and broke through the ceiling, entered the cave, climbed the wall, and took the first path on the right to an alcove. In the Underworks, the room with three Rosaries devices hid a platform on the left wall; from there, I found a hidden hole in the ceiling and followed the path to another locket.

The late-game lockets required more careful navigation. For the Choral Chambers locket above the Grand Bellway Bell Beast, I started at Songlcave, passed through the Cogwork Core and Whispering Vaults, used the elevator down to the Underworks, hit the switch at the bottom without riding the elevator, and accessed the area beneath it. That route feels obscure, but the locket is sitting there once you commit to the detour. In the Whispering Vaults, a hidden path in the top-right corner of a room leads to a climb and another Memory Locket. In Memorium, I used double jump to enter and made my way to the marked position. Finally, Bilewater gave me two more. One was down a hidden path near the fast travel point, and the other was hidden inside suspended cocoons at the marked position; I broke them open and claimed the last locket.

I often ask myself: was every detour worth it? When I look at Hornet's Crests now, each one can hold an extra Tool or two, and that flexibility makes the whole hunt feel justified. If you are only planning to use a couple of Crests, you can skip some of these, but for a full build, all 20 Memory Lockets are worth collecting.

Here is my quick checklist:

Region
Method

1
Bone Bottom
Complete Volatile Flintbeetles Wish

2
The Marrow
Climb with wall jump

3
Wormways
Path above Moss Grotto

4
Deep Docks
Open Simple Key door

5
Far Fields / Pilgrim's Rest
Pay Mort 30 + 150 Rosaries

6
Far Fields
Hidden path after Act 3

7
Hunter's March
Hit the cage repeatedly

8
Greymoor
Follow path past Mitemother

9
Halfway Home
Top-left ledge alcove

10
Bellhart
Buy from Frey for 330

11
Bellhart
Use Silk Soar above Bellhart

12
Blasted Steps
Follow mapped route

13
Sands of Karak
Third seed left path, then ceiling seed

14
The Slab
Double jump through ceiling, first right path

15
Underworks
Left wall platform, hidden ceiling hole

16
Choral Chambers
Elevator switch route from Songlcave

17
Whispering Vaults
Hidden top-right path

18
Memorium
Double jump enter, marked position

19
Bilewater
Hidden path near fast travel

20
Bilewater
Break suspended cocoons

I hope this checklist saves you some backtracking and helps you fill out your Hornet's Crests without pulling your hair out. Sticking to the route above should get you through every locket in a single dedicated sweep, so you can spend less time wandering and more time actually enjoying the extra Tool flexibility.

Once your collection is complete, you might already be eyeing the next world to explore. If you're looking to pick up a similar Metroidvania without overpaying, a quick [game price comparison]( can point you toward the best deals on titles that reward that same sense of discovery — because hunting down hidden secrets is always better when you got the game at a fair price.

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How I Returned to Act 1 and Unlocked Early Bellways in Silksong

Stuck in Hollow Knight: Silksong's Underworks? Return to Act 1 via the Choral Chambers, then unlock early Bellways for fast travel.

After I defeated the Last Judge and the Grand Gates finally creaked open, I expected to leave Act 1 behind cleanly. Instead, the floor collapsed into the Underworks, the elevator groaned and snapped, and I was stuck with no obvious way back. If you left unfinished quests in Act 1, don’t panic—returning is possible, but it’s a bit of a hike.

Can You Return to Act 1?

Yes, but not by climbing. The elevator that takes you down to the Underworks breaks immediately, and Wall Climb cannot carry you back to the surface. To physically return to the Act 1 areas of Silksong, you need to climb up through the Underworks until you reach the Choral Chambers.

From the Choral Chambers, smash the breakable wall and follow the tunnels filled with spinning blades. This path eventually drops you back into the Grand Gate area. Once there, drop to the bottom and head left to reach the Blasted Steps.

If you did not activate any Bellways in Act 2, this long walk is your only return route—the elevator stays broken. Honestly, the elevator giving up felt a little personal after that boss fight.

Here is the shortest foot route I’ve used:

• Climb from the Underworks to the Choral Chambers.

• Break the hidden wall near the chambers.

• Follow the spinning-blade tunnels to the Grand Gate area.

• Drop down and move left toward the Blasted Steps.

Unlocking Early Bellways in Act 2

The walk back is doable, but it gets tedious as you push deeper into the Citadel. Fortunately, two Bellways sit very close to the opening section of Act 2. One is in The Slab, and the other is in The Grand Bellway. Both are easy to reach, but they serve slightly different purposes.

The Grand Bellway

After falling into the Underworks, go through the tunnels and climb to the Choral Chambers. Hit the lever to open a path below that leads to another room on the right. Cross that room, and you’ll enter a large hallway with floating platforms and hanging bells you can pogo across.

I recommend this as your first Bellway because The Grand Bellway also contains a Ventrica Tube. That makes it an excellent midway point that connects both fast travel methods in Silksong. Unlocking it early saves you from repeating the whole Underworks climb later.

The Slab Bellway

The Slab Bellway is located to the left of the Choral Chambers. Reaching it follows much of the same route as the Grand Bellway. From the Choral Chambers, take the path on the top left and keep going in a straight line. Then cross the large ornate bridge to arrive at The Slab.

This one is straightforward and a decent second unlock, but it doesn’t offer the same Ventrica Tube convenience as the Grand Bellway.

Which Bellway Should You Grab First?

Bellway
Location
Best For

The Grand Bellway
Close to Choral Chambers
First unlock; has a Ventrica Tube

The Slab
Left of Choral Chambers
Quick second fast travel point

Fast travel in Silksong has two layers: Bellways let you ring yourself between major locations, while Ventrica Tubes work as tram-like connectors. Having both in one spot is rare early on, so The Grand Bellway is the more efficient first stop.

As of 2026, this remains the most reliable route I’ve found. If you clean up Act 1 quests before activating any Bellways, you’ll be stuck with the long Underworks walk. Let’s be real—nobody wants to retrace that entire spinning-blade tunnel twice. So grab the Grand Bellway early, ride the Ventrica Tube when you can, and keep those old Act 1 quests from haunting you.

Nailing down this route early makes Act 2 far less painful, but you can only put the strategy to work if you have the game in hand. Whether you're picking up Hollow Knight: Silksong for the first time or grabbing a copy for a friend so you can finally talk through Bellway routes together, it's worth making sure you're not overpaying. If you want to save a little real-world Geo before your next playthrough, you can [compare prices here]( and land on the best deal without the usual storefront hunt.

Once the purchase is handled, the only thing left is the fun part: ringing those Bellways, gliding through Ventrica Tubes, and never crawling back through the Underworks again. With the Grand Bellway unlocked and your fast travel network taking shape, Act 2 stops being a chore and becomes the sprawling adventure it was always meant to be.

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Stardew Valley 1.7 Could Return the Hollow Knight Silksong Favor

Stardew Valley's 1.7 update sparks Hollow Knight Silksong crossover hopes after Eric Barone's voice-acting credit—expect a subtle pixel-art nod.

The farming sim community received an unexpected surprise when Eric Barone, known as ConcernedApe, confirmed that Stardew Valley would receive a version 1.7 update. The announcement took place during one of the Stardew Valley orchestral concerts, where Barone appeared on stage to share the news in person. A simple pixel art message then circulated on social media after the concert, making the reveal official. Even though Barone has said he wants to focus on Haunted Chocolatier, his next project, the valley has clearly not been left behind.

No one yet knows exactly what Update 1.7 will contain. The announcement was deliberately small, which has left fans with plenty of room to speculate. Some players expect new crops, furniture, or quality-of-life improvements. Others are looking for a proper crossover nod that would link two of the most respected indie games in recent memory.

Version 1.6 set a high bar when it launched, bringing the meadowlands farm, the desert festival, and the mastery system among many other additions. Even though Update 1.7 may be smaller by comparison, the use of a full version number rather than a small bug-fix patch suggests that Barone is planning something new. Small patches often arrive quietly, but numbered updates tend to give players a reason to start a fresh save file.

A Full Circle Indie Moment

Days after the concert, Hollow Knight: Silksong arrived on September 4, 2025, and attentive players discovered Eric Barone's name in the credits. His role was in voice acting rather than design or programming, but the credit still carried significant weight. Both Stardew Valley and Hollow Knight are indie darlings with devoted fanbases. Seeing the creator of one appear in the credits of the other felt like a rare full-circle moment.

Because Stardew Valley 1.7 is in development, there is a strong chance that Barone could return the favor inside his own game. The most likely path is not a literal character crossover but a subtle item reference. A small statue, a rosary-style wall hanging, or a new silk cloth material could serve as an unspoken nod while still fitting the game's rustic fantasy world.

Potential items could include:

• A carved nail-themed decoration for farmhouse walls

• A silk-based tailoring material that expands clothing options

• A Hornet-inspired charm or rosary to display in the home

A direct audio reference is unlikely. Barone contributed as a voice actor to Silksong, but Stardew Valley relies on simple sound effects that match its pixel art aesthetic. Hornet's iconic 'shaw' would feel out of place in the valley, so the tribute would probably be visual or mechanical rather than audible.

Stardew Valley already has a template for this kind of cross-game tribute. The Terraria crossover added items like Meowmere, but obtaining them required players to perform specific steps that mirrored moments from Terraria. A Silksong-inspired chain could work similarly. A hidden statue might be locked behind a season, a specific fish, or a bundle-style quest. If Team Cherry's world of silk and nail is referenced, it would likely arrive through discovery rather than a simple shop purchase.

The version 1.7 window is ideal for such an Easter egg. It does not need to be large, but it could deepen the connection between two landmark indie titles. For now, the only thing players can do is wait for a release date. As 2026 continues, the community keeps a close eye on any new pixel art message or patch note that might reveal what Barone has been quietly preparing.

While the community waits for any hint of a release window, many players are choosing to revisit the valley or introduce the game to friends who have somehow never played it. With the 1.7 update still shrouded in mystery, a fresh save file on a new platform can make the wait feel far more productive. Gamers looking to pick up Stardew Valley on another device or grab a copy for a friend can [compare prices here]( at DealNest to find the best current offer across multiple storefronts.

Until Barone reveals more, re-exploring the existing content remains the most reliable way to pass the time. Whether that means hunting for rare items, perfecting farm layouts, or chasing every hidden secret the game already holds, having the title at the best possible price makes the journey a little sweeter. The anticipation for 1.7 only grows with each passing week, and the community will be ready the moment that pixel art message finally appears again.

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All Seven Crests in Hollow Knight: Silksong and How to Get Them

Silksong Crests guide: uncover all seven powerful relics, their locations, and how they transform Hornet's abilities in Pharloom.

I have been running Hornet through Pharloom again in 2026, and if there is one thing that changes a Silksong playthrough more than tools, it is Crests. These seven equippable relics are hidden across chapels and questlines, and each one alters how your needle, silk, and survivability work. Below is my updated field guide for all seven crests, where to find them, and what they actually do.

Quick Crest Summary

Crest
Location
Main Benefit

1
Crest of the Wanderer
Bone Bottom
More critical hits at shorter range

2
Crest of the Beast
Hunter's March
Life-stealing savage attacks

3
Crest of the Reaper
Greymoor
Heavy slower attack plus extra silk drops

4
Crest of the Witch
Shellwood questline
Infestation transformed into crest

5
Crest of the Hunter Upgrade
Weavenest Atla
Base crest upgrade; possible Vesti Crest

6
Crest of the Architect
Underworks
Tool-related crest reward

7
Crest of the Shaman
Ruined Chapel
Final crest tied to Act 3 and Silk Soar

Crest #1: Chapel of the Wanderer

I almost skipped this one on my first run, but Grindle, the bug you rescue in The Marrow, can hint at the location if you pay him a few rosaries. From the maiden at the start, head right past the pond into a graveyard around a run-down old chapel. The inside is a wave fight against pilgrim bugs. They are simple if your health is full because their movement patterns match the ones outside.

After clearing the room, go deeper until you see a cloth-covered corpse. Stab it and bind to it three times. The screen will flash blinding white and you receive the Crest of the Wanderer, shaped like a lyre. It makes your needle strikes shorter but crit more often, which is great for aggressive close-range builds.

Crest #2: Chapel of the Beast

Deep in Hunter's March, the Chapel of the Beast is lit by candles. This chapel has a flying mini-boss, the Savage Beastfly. It moves like the smaller beastflies from Bone Bottom and Moss Home, but faster and far more aggressive.

I recommend entering with at least Swift Step to keep up with its movement. Silkspear or traps from Deep Docks also drain the beastfly quickly. Knock it out twice and a left chamber opens. Stab the large Savage Beastfly husk three times to claim the Crest of the Beast. It adds life-stealing to Hornet's attacks and lets you enter a wild fury while slashing into prey.

Crest #3: Chapel of the Reaper

On the far left of Greymoor is a chapel marked clearly on the map. This is another wave fight, but now you face scissor bugs, heavy staff bugs, and rake bugs. Clear them and travel upward to a cloth-covered corpse. Stab it three times for the Crest of the Reaper.

This crest gives Hornet slower, heavier needle attacks and allows you to collect extra silk from fallen foes. I found it especially useful in Bilewater, where the silk-eating affliction can quickly drain your resources.

Crest #4: Witch Crest

This one is a long questline involving Greyroot and Yarnaby, and it will lock away your other crests, combat silk abilities, and tools until the end. The route is:

• Enter Bilewater through the Whispering Vaults and find the Twisted Bud.

• Go to Shellwood, hand the Twisted Bud to Greyroot, and accept the Rite of Rebirth.

• After completing her wish, go to Bellhart and speak to Pavo to learn about Yarnaby in Greymoor.

• Find Yarnaby in Greymoor.

• Accept the Infestation Operation, go to Sinners Road, and purchase Steel Spines.

• Return to Yarnaby and finish the quest.

Yarnaby then transforms the infestation inside Hornet into the Crest of the Witch. It is difficult because you lose many abilities, but if you avoid unnecessary fights and rest often, it is manageable.

Crest #5: Hunter Crest Upgrade

Your base Crest of the Hunter can be upgraded after you complete Bellhart's silkspun curse wish and obtain the Needolin ability. Play the Needolin at the marked door in Bone Bottom and continue to the right. There is no chapel here. Instead, you meet an imprisoned bug named Eva. Let her offer insight into you and she will upgrade your Hunter Crest.

If you speak with her a second time and have four or more quests completed, she will also grant the Vesti Crest. That is extremely valuable because it lets you use a tool regardless of how many slots your current equipped Crest has.

Crest #6: Chapel of the Architect

Under the Citadel, in the Underworks, the Chapel of the Architect is locked by the Architect bug. To prove yourself, you need enough tools to purchase the key. The bug keeps a number counter beneath the key description so you can track your progress.

Some useful tools for the key include Magma Bell and Silkshot from the Forge Daughter, plus Scuttlebrace, Sawtooth Circlet, and Cogwork Wheel from the Architect Bug, and Sting Shard from the Forge Daughter. Once you buy the key, enter the chapel and claim the crest from the small platform in front of the defunct chorus machine.

Crest #7: Chapel of the Shaman

This is the final crest and only opens in Act 3 at the Ruined Chapel. It takes the longest but is worth it. After entering Act 3, make your way to Bone Bottom. The ruined chapel path will be open. You also need to unlock Silk Soar in the Deep Docks bell area. Return to the Ruined Chapel, head right until you find an opening, and use Silk Soar. Crush the boulders blocking the path until you reach a large snail shell. Bind to the shell and you will receive the Crest of the Shaman, ready to pair with your chosen silk abilities.

In 2026, this remains my preferred endgame setup path because the Crest of the Shaman opens up powerful silk-focused playstyles that feel completely different from the early game.

If this guide has convinced you to finally take on Hollow Knight: Silksong's crest system, you will want to make sure you actually own the game for as little as possible. Rather than paying full price at launch, many players hold out for a good deal before diving into Hornet's journey, especially if they are planning to replay the game to grab every upgrade across multiple saves.

Thankfully, you do not have to wait for a Steam sale to get a fair price. Game key marketplaces often offer significant discounts compared to the official storefront, and knowing where to look can save you a surprising amount of money. If you are ready to start your own crest hunt without breaking the bank, it is worth checking out DealNest for some of the [cheapest steam keys]( available before you set off into the depths of Pharloom.

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Silksong’s Rite of Rebirth: Surviving Hornet’s Most Annoying Errand

Hollow Knight: Silksong's Rite of Rebirth quest strips Hornet of healing and tools, challenging completionists to survive its harsh trials.

Nobody picks up a wailing, vine-covered baby for fun—except the most stubborn completionists in Hollow Knight: Silksong. The Rite of Rebirth sounds like a noble wish, but it quickly turns into a multi-zone scavenger hunt that strips Hornet of her healing, her tools, and her patience. Here is how Hornet can survive the ordeal without losing her mind.

Finding the Twisted Bud

The Twisted Bud sits in a cradle on the outskirts of Bilewater, hidden behind tiny passageways. To reach it, Hornet needs the grappling hook from the Whispering Vaults in The Citadel. From there, she should head east, pull down a hook, dodge a series of very rude gears, and drop into Bilewater. After progressing a little east, she must look for a hidden path on the left near the bottom. Small side paths eventually lead up and to the right, where the cradle waits.

The real problem starts after pickup. The Twisted Bud is described as consorted mass of ashen vine. Cries out incessantly. Opening the inventory becomes psychological warfare, because the bud screams every single time.

Greyroot’s “Help” Is a Trap

After grabbing the bud, Hornet heads to Greyroot. Players who completed the Rite of Pollip will gain access to the Rite of Rebirth. It sounds like a wholesome delivery. It is not.

Greyroot accepts the Twisted Bud, grabs Hornet, infects her with a parasite, and drops her at the Chapel of the Witch in Shellwood. So much for maternal warmth. The infection imposes three miserable restrictions:

• Cannot change Crests

• ️ Cannot equip tools

• ️🩹 Cannot Bind or heal

That final restriction hurts most. Every skirmish turns into a no-hit challenge. There is one upside: finishing the game while infected opens a different ending. Most first-time players, however, will want the parasite gone before the controller goes through a window.

Curing the Infection

The easiest lead comes from the Bell Hermit in Bellhart. He tells Hornet to seek an exiled bug named Yarnaby, who has moved “high up into the moors.”

Yarnaby lives in the northwest of Greymoor. Hornet must climb the towers, push all the way west, and eventually reach a small home belonging to a rather rude individual: Yarnaby. After Hornet explains the illness, Yarnaby agrees to help, but only in exchange for a specific item: Steel Spines.

Yarnaby’s directions are deliberately vague—“a tangled mess of cages.” Players who have visited Sinner’s Road will recognise the cages in the central section. At the top right of that area, two bugs named Benjin and Crull wait. They will sell the Steel Spines for 260 Rosaries.

Item
Cost
Location

Steel Spines
260 Rosaries
Benjin & Crull, Sinner’s Road central cages

Return to Yarnaby with the Steel Spines, and she will rip the parasite out of Hornet with zero bedside manner. The reward is the Witch crest, plus the return of healing and tools. The Twisted Bud’s crying finally stops.

Final Tips for the Rite of Rebirth

• Save 260 Rosaries before visiting Benjin and Crull.

• Avoid opening the inventory while carrying the cursed bud.

• 🧭 Explore Sinner’s Road early to mark the cage location.

• If attempting the infected ending, do it on a second run, not the first.

The Rite of Rebirth is less about rebirth and more about being repeatedly inconvenienced across Pharloom. But the story, the Witch crest, and the sweet sound of silence after the parasite is removed make it one of Silksong’s most memorable detours.

Once the parasite is gone and the Witch crest is equipped, the rest of Silksong opens up at your own pace. For many players, finishing this quest is also a signal to revisit other parts of Pharloom — or to start hunting for similar action-platformers with the same rich atmosphere. Whether you're picking up a physical copy of Silksong, investing in a new controller, or eyeing expansion packs, every Rosary saved at Benjin and Crull reminds us that frugality pays off.

That same mindset carries over into real-world gaming purchases. Before committing to a full-price order, it's worth checking whether a better offer is hiding nearby — just like a secret room in Greymoor. [DealNest]( regularly rounds up discounts, promo codes, and bundles across the gaming and tech space, so you can spend less time hunting for bargains and more time actually playing. A little patience rewards exploration in Hallownest, and it can do the same for your wallet.

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My 2026 Run Through the Great Taste of Pharloom for the Pale Oil

Hollow Knight: Silksong's third Pale Oil nail upgrade requires completing Mergwin's Great Taste of Pharloom wish—gather five ingredients.

Let me tell you, upgrading my nail in Hollow Knight: Silksong has been a ride. As of my 2026 run, the third Pale Oil still isn't just sitting around waiting for you—Mergwin locks it behind one of those sprawling Wishes, the Great Taste of Pharloom. I found the quest-giver in the Choral Chambers, that room on the left side of the map with the little building-like figures drawn in. It's northwest of the Citadel Spa and just west of Cogwork Core. When I reached Mergwin on the far right, I had to smack the Pale Oil container first. Then I accepted his grocery list: five items for his master. The list looked innocent enough.

Item
Where to Grab It
My Honest Vibe

Mossberry Stew
Mosshome, Moss Druid
easiest of the bunch

Vintage Nectar
Greymoor, Halfway House
ants. so many ants

Pickled Muckmaggot
Sinner's Road kitchen boss
cooking chaos

Crustnut
Sands of Karak
platforming pain

Courier's Rasher
Bellhart, timed delivery
don't get hit

How I Found the Mossberry Stew

The Mossberry Stew was a nice warm-up. You need to have finished the Berry Picking quest. If you did it ages ago like me, you can just pop back to the Moss Druid in Mosshome. I took the shortcut elevator up from Bone Bottom, went up to the room where I got the Silkspear art, and kept right until her room. A quick chat and the stew slid into my inventory. No fuss, no boss, just... stew.

How I Found the Vintage Nectar

Then I headed back to Greymoor, because Creig at the Halfway House knows his fancy drinks. He demanded 480 Rosaries—steep, but I paid. Of course, he “forgot” to mention the basement was basically an ant convention. Once I reached the cellar and touched the vintage on the shelf, Hunter's March sent in the cavalry: Skarrlid, Skarrwing, Skarr Scout, Skarr Stalker, Spear Skarr, Skarrgard. Two waves of them. I had to wipe them all out before the Vintage Nectar finally let me collect it. On my way out, I definitely gave Creig a piece of my mind—someone should really call the health inspector!

How I Found the Pickled Muckmaggot

This one sent me back to Sinner's Road. If you haven't found it, the best route is via the exit at the top-right above the Halfway House in Greymoor. Inside, I went all the way right to a dead-end, used a double jump to get into the walls, then wall-climbed into the next room. Pro tip: open the shortcut on the left as soon as you can, because the next room is a boss fight.

I rang the gong and faced the two lesser cooks first. Then Disgraced Chef Lugoli wrapped up the second and third parts. Honestly, I won't sugarcoat it—the chef had me scrambling. I learned to stay under the lesser cooks and dash behind them. Against Lugoli, I kept to the center, stayed grounded, and in the second phase I stood beside where he surfaced from the maggots. If the maggots clipped me, I healed after dashing under Lugoli to the far side.

How I Found the Crustnut

The Crustnut sounds like a snack, but it's a whole ordeal. It's in the Sands of Karak, an optional area you've walked past on the Blasted Steps but can't access without at least the Clawline. The entrance sits above the Pinstress's home on the west side, so I had to defeat the Great Conchflies first.

Then came the platforming—northwest through difficult but straightforward jumps to a tall vertical chamber. I highly recommend doing three things before pushing deeper: buy the map from Shakra on the second left from the bottom, knock down the giant red spike to open a shortcut back to Blasted Steps, and reach the east bench to move your checkpoint closer. That place is not a backtracking playground.

When I was ready, I climbed the vertical chamber, broke the coral crystals to reveal a chamber to the left above Shakra's map spot and below the Coral Tower road. My only real goal was to keep heading west until there was nowhere left. The Crustnut was waiting at the end of that long, spiky road.

How I Delivered the Courier's Rasher

This is the one I saved for last, and it's basically the White Flower quest on a timer. Tipp and Pill in Bellhart start you off, but first I made sure My Missing Courier and My Missing Brother were done. I equipped Silkspeed Anklets and used Flea Brew before talking to them—every second counts.

The moment I chatted with them, the timer started. I could pause it by opening either menu fully, but I mostly kept moving. My route in ten steps: right to the end of Shellwood before the bench; ascend to Blasted Steps; go right to where I met Shakra, then ascend to the room before Last Judge; use the left wall to skip the driznit; sprint through Last Judge's arena ignoring enemies; race right through the Grand Gate to the platform chamber; climb the platforms through Choral Chambers to the Terminus sign; sprint right using the floor shortcut; take the exit at the top left, then the second alcove on the right; and finally run right using levers to reach Mergwin. I stayed careful—walls hurt, enemies hurt, and I jumped over threats with Clawline. It was tense, but delivering all five at once saved me a trip.

Rewards for Completing Great Taste of Pharloom

When I handed over the Courier's Rasher with the other four, Mergwin made that gelatinous dessert for his master. The cutscene was a lot, but once it finished, he gave me the Pale Oil from the pedestal on his right.

Then it was back to the Pinmaster in Bellhart to put that oil to use. My nail gained a full level of sharpness, boosting both regular attacks and nail arts. Worth it? Absolutely.

That kind of payoff is exactly why I keep coming back to Silksong—every quest, no matter how frustrating, feeds into a bigger sense of progression. Between the map purchases, upgrades, and countless deaths, the game rewards patience. And with so many hours of content waiting in Pharloom, it is genuinely one of those games you want everyone to experience.

If you have been holding off on starting your own journey, now is a good time to pick it up. Prices for the game vary depending on the platform and region, so I always suggest doing a quick [game price comparison]( before committing. DealNest makes that easy by checking prices across multiple stores at once, letting you focus your energy on the quests ahead instead of hunting for deals.

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The Co-op Horizon Is Calling Me After Falling Hard for Split Fiction

Split Fiction fueled my love for cooperative games; 2026 titles like Voyagers, Haunted Paws, and Stage Fright promise chaotic fun and dark thrills.

I have spent a large portion of 2025 glued to my couch with a controller in hand, and I can honestly say that Split Fiction ruined me in the best possible way. It was that rare title where the split-screen action felt cinematic, the storytelling hit every emotional beat, and the cooperative interactions never felt tacked on. But as the year wrapped up and the calendar flipped toward 2026, I started looking ahead. The gaming landscape is shifting, and a wave of cooperative games is threatening to swallow my free time whole. From whimsical LEGO adventures to claustrophobic horror, there is an impressive lineup designed to bring couples, friends, and small groups closer together than ever before.

Voyagers of the Tiny Block

There is something undeniably magnetic about LEGO, so when I first saw Voyagers, I felt an immediate rush of childlike glee. This game lets me and a partner take control of two tiny blocky explorers as they trek across vibrant lands to rescue an abandoned spaceship. It lacks the relentless intensity of Split Fiction, but that is precisely why I want it. The puzzles seem creative without being punishing, and the freedom to roam at my own pace feels welcoming. Sometimes I do not want adrenaline; I want a calming journey with someone I love, complete with surprises hidden behind every brick-built corner.

Haunted Paws and Wholesome Spooks

As a lifelong dog person, Haunted Paws immediately grabbed my attention by casting players as canines exploring a spooky yet endearingly childish world. The idea of solving puzzles and uncovering secrets with my coop partner while wagging a virtual tail sounds absolutely delightful. Its charming aesthetic makes it approachable for all ages, and the mechanics seem built around creativity rather than raw skill. I can already picture myself laughing at the silly animations while we use our canine abilities to ward off spirits and save humans in need. It is whimsical, engaging, and exactly the kind of shared experience I crave on a lazy weekend.

Orchestrated Chaos with Stage Fright

Coming from the creators behind Overcooked, Stage Fright has my full attention. I have vivid memories of screaming orders at my friend while our virtual kitchen burned down, so I know this team understands chaotic teamwork. Stage Fright promises more puzzles, more communication, and more scares, all wrapped in a problem-solving setting. The concept of environments splitting into two drastically different themes excites me. One moment I might be navigating a cheerful room while my partner stands in a distorted nightmare version of the same space. That kind of mind-bending absurdity requires constant verbal coordination, and I am absolutely here for the madness.

The Darker Side of Togetherness

Beyond the colorful chaos lies a shadowy corner of cooperative gaming that I find deeply compelling. Little Nightmares 3 is finally bringing a friend into that desolate, shrinking world. The same gloomy atmosphere that gave me goosebumps in previous titles now comes with a companion, and that changes everything. Solving puzzles while both of us are tiny, vulnerable figures in a cold environment sounds emotionally draining in the best way. It is not just a sidescrolling adventure; it is an unsettling exploration of fear itself. Knowing that a beloved franchise is finally embracing cooperative play makes me eager to revisit that world with someone brave enough to stand beside me.

Then there is Reanimal, coming from the same devious minds behind Little Nightmares. This one dials the tension to eleven by forcing both players to share a single claustrophobic camera space. I cannot imagine the stress of squeezing into one cramped perspective while avoiding giants. The 2.5D action looks simple on the surface, but I suspect it will demand razor-sharp timing and constant communication. The pure nerve-shredding potential here is unmatched. Meanwhile, Visk is pulling me toward a misty island with little guidance and no safety net. As an atmosphere-first experience, it promises doubt and dread, where working together is the only way forward.

Puzzling My Way through 2026

For my brainier coop sessions, Escape Simulator 2 feels like the next big thing. The replayability through player-created content is enormous, meaning my puzzle-solving partner and I will never run out of fresh challenges. Built from the ground up for cooperative play, it rewards observation, creative thinking, and the kind of descriptive communication that turns a simple room into a social event. Every group approaches problems differently, so I expect endless variety and plenty of 'aha' moments shared over voice chat.

The next twelve months look genuinely stacked for cooperative gaming. Whether I am wandering through brick-built meadows, wagging a spectral tail with a friend, braving dark hallways side by side, or decoding escape rooms together, the future feels bright and deeply social. 2025 gave me Split Fiction as a high-water mark, but 2026 looks ready to fill my calendar with shared adventures. I cannot wait to see which of these titles becomes the next unforgettable couch co-op obsession.

With so many promising co-op experiences on the horizon, my wishlist is already overflowing. Between Split Fiction's spiritual successor, the return to Little Nightmares' haunting world, and the endless puzzle rooms waiting in Escape Simulator 2, I know my gaming budget is going to feel the strain. That is why I have started planning ahead, keeping an eye on [PC game discounts]( so I can pick up these titles at the right moment. A good deal turns an already exciting launch into something I can justify without hesitation, especially when I know my co-op partner will want to jump in alongside me.

Building a shared library of cooperative adventures has never been easier when you shop smart, and that extra savings can go toward the next hidden gem we discover together. After all, 2026 is shaping up to be a year where every session brings something fresh, so staying prepared financially just means more time spent exploring those worlds with a friend.

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The 10 Best Boss Fights in Hollow Knight: Silksong, Ranked

Hollow Knight: Silksong boss ranking highlights unforgettable encounters and masterful design, making Hornet's journey through Pharloom iconic.

Now in 2026, months after finishing Hollow Knight: Silksong, I still find myself replaying its bosses in my head. After fifty of the most glorious hours I have ever given to a video game, Team Cherry's adventure left me desperate to write about it until my fingers hurt. The bosses felt like the ideal starting point because they are not merely difficult obstacles; they are one of the highest quality collections of encounters I have ever experienced in this genre.

Below is my personal ranking of the ten best boss fights in Hollow Knight: Silksong, ordered from tenth to first. This is not a how-to guide, but rather a love letter to the encounters that made Hornet's journey through Pharloom unforgettable.

10. Forebrothers Signis and Gron

I met the Forebrothers quite late, which made the fight feel a little easier than it probably should have been. Even so, the encounter clicked because of how the two siblings work together. The game gives you time to learn one of them before throwing both at you, and from that moment it becomes a beautiful adaptation of the Mantis Lords from the original Hollow Knight, but with molten rain falling from above. Signis threatens the horizontal space while Gron covers vertical and diagonal lines, so my eyes had to stay sharp in every direction. It turned into a reflex challenge that felt genuinely fantastic.

9. Phantom

By the time I reached The Mist, I was stunned by the sheer size of the game and its ability to keep reinventing itself. Phantom is not an especially complex fight, but the buildup with the organ and the boss's entrance make the moments before the battle just as memorable as the clash itself. This encounter embodies what I love most about this type of duel: elegant movement, quick animations, attacks that feel ripped out of an anime, and plenty of parries. Phantom may be the least varied boss on this list, but its simplicity and superb presentation made me treasure it deeply.

8. Widow

Silksong begins with a noticeable difficulty spike compared to the original Hollow Knight, and the Widow goes beyond just being tougher. It was my personal introduction to the idea that beating the original game is not enough preparation for Pharloom. This boss throws multiple attacks from different directions at once, at speeds that made Soul Tyrant feel almost slow. The superb animations, wonderful introduction, and the lore tied to Bellhart's story all combined to convince me that even the best Hollow Knight bosses would fall below the average of this new creation. The Widow's design and arena are outstanding, so placing it this low only proves how absurd the overall quality is.

7. First Sinner

First Sinner feels like a boss that would have been locked away as a Pantheon 5 exclusive in the original game. From the aesthetics of its movements to the orientation and style of its attacks, this fight demands godlike precision while being extremely showy. I beat it on my second try, yet I still remember every pattern in minute detail, which is my biggest argument for its inclusion here. It summons runes like Pure Vessel, teleports like Grimm, and calls needles like Radiance. It works beautifully as an ode to its predecessor.

6. Shakra

I am a huge fan of humanoid fights that demand agile reaction times, and Shakra might be the fastest boss in the entire game. Wielding her iconic rings, she moves at the speed of light, throws them with pinpoint accuracy, and teleports in every direction like something straight out of Dragon Ball Z. Team Cherry seems to anticipate common player tactics and punishes you if you try to rely on them here. What gets me is that the fight is essentially a friendly sparring match between warriors before the end of time. There is no prize, no plot advancement, and nothing at stake. It is fighting for the art of it, and that adds a rare sense of solemnity and positive unproductiveness.

5. Second Sentinel

Aside from the Last Judge, I spent most of the first half of the campaign without facing any truly major challenge, so encountering the Second Sentinel was a much-needed reality check. Its entire questline is memorable, and I loved how I had to build its heart to activate it. It ranks highly because the fight itself is superbly designed. The Sentinel is fast, hits hard, strikes in every direction, and rarely leaves an opening. That is exactly the kind of boss I love to fight until I completely master it. When you learn its moveset, you understand when to go under it, when to pogo it, and when to dash back. It best embodies the philosophy that has given so many of us headaches and satisfactions over the years.

4. Lost Lace

Part of me feels that facing Lace three different times during the story could have diminished her final fight, and yet it remains among the best in the game. The entire scene is terrifying: fighting in the abyss while the Grand Mother Silk's daughter watches on, visually raising the stakes for Hornet and the whole kingdom. Lost Lace delivers one of the toughest fights in all of Silksong. She repeats her elegant and varied attacks while adding a repertoire of void moves that deal huge damage and are incredibly hard to dodge. Three phases, dark waves covering the screen, tentacles rising from the ground, and constant parries make this fight sensational.

3. Tormented Trobbio

The first time I faced Trobbio, I felt almost sad because I beat him on my first try and did not have the chance to properly appreciate him. Then Tormented Trobbio appeared, and it felt like a gift from the heavens. I got to fight him again at a harder level, with more time to enjoy the encounter. Somehow, he is so perfectly telegraphed and balanced that I defeated him on the first try again, but this time my heart was pounding and my senses were fully stimulated by the audiovisual spectacle. I still replay his colorful choreography and spectacular introduction in my mind, wishing for a boss rush mode just so I could fight him again and again.

2. Cogwork Dancers

It is curious that a boss who literally tells you what he is going to do next remains one of the hardest in the game. What first seems like a simple gimmick turns out to be one of the best fights in the entire genre. Each of the three phases is perfectly planned, giving you time to adjust to the increasing demands while positioning becomes vital for avoiding the overwhelming number of attacks they unleash together and individually. Their dance tells their story alongside that of their kingdom, suppressed by the Citadel like everything else. It is romantic and bleak, just like Hollow Knight: Silksong itself.

1. Skarrsinger Karmelita

In a game full of excellent bosses, choosing first place seemed difficult until I came across Skarrsinger Karmelita. Far Fields hides far more than meets the eye on a first playthrough, and I honestly did not expect the best boss in the entire franchise to be waiting there. Karmelita is both the hardest boss in all of Silksong and the most wonderful demonstration of why the game is a masterpiece. From her chants before entering to her unstoppable charges, her beautiful animations and smooth transitions make the fight flow like silk. Every parry she made, every projectile she hit me with from impossible angles, and every time I had to enjoy her tunes before getting my head kicked in convinced me: Skarrsinger Karmelita is the best boss in Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Whether Silksong is already sitting in your library or you have been waiting for the perfect excuse to dive into Hallownest's vibrant sequel, these boss fights alone are reason enough to pick up the game. Skarrsinger Karmelita's mesmerizing battle, the tragic dance of the Cogwork Dancers, and every other encounter on this list represent some of the most polished and memorable combat the genre has to offer—an experience that deserves to be felt firsthand rather than just read about.

If this ranking has convinced you to finally experience Hollow Knight: Silksong for yourself, you might want to check pricing across different stores before making the leap. Different platforms and regions can have surprisingly different rates, so it pays to [compare prices here]( before your journey into Pharloom begins.

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I Ranked Every Silk Skill In Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong Silk Skills ranking covers all six, from Silk Spear to Cross Stitch, by boss pressure, mobility, and consistency.

I have been tearing through Pharloom since Hollow Knight: Silksong settled into its 2026 release rhythm, and the Silk Skills remain one of the most misunderstood parts of Hornet's kit. Silk is your healing resource, but when you have spare silk, you can spend it on a powerful Silk Skill. There are six Silk Skills in total, and each one can change how you approach exploration, crowd control, and boss fights. Here is my ranking of every Silk Skill, based on boss pressure, mobility, consistency, and how much trouble it saves me.

Rank
Silk Skill
Best Role
My Take

6
Silk Spear
Frontal burst
Good early, outclassed later

5
Rune Rage
Screen AOE
Great in dense rooms, inconsistent elsewhere

4
Pale Nails
Homing missiles
Reliable while dodging

3
Thread Storm
Defensive AOE
A panic button for close fights

2
Sharp Dart
Invulnerable dash
Damage plus dodge in one

1
Cross Stitch
Counter
The best boss fight tool

6. Silk Spear ️

I unlocked Silk Spear first, and for the opening hours it felt like a huge upgrade. Hornet throws her Needle forward with power and deals about triple the damage of a normal attack. But that is where my praise ends. The skill cannot be aimed, so fast enemies can slip out of the way, and the recovery leaves Hornet open from other angles. Later, the Ancestral Art called Clawline makes this skill feel redundant. Clawline also throws the Needle forward, but it carries Hornet to the enemy she hits, which is safer and more useful. I have started leaving Silk Spear off my loadout as soon as that tool shows up.

5. Rune Rage

Rune Rage is my favorite skill for one very specific job: clearing a room packed with enemies. I unlocked it in The Slab, and when I use it, Hornet summons a cluster of runes around the room. They group up over enemies and explode after a short delay, which is perfect for airborne foes and on-screen crowds. The problem is consistency. The hardest enemies sometimes move sporadically and escape before the runes land. I still bring Rune Rage into dense areas, but I never trust it as my only answer in a boss fight.

4. Pale Nails

Pale Nails looks simple, and honestly, that is the point. It summons three thin nails behind Hornet. When I slash with her Needle, they fly off in different directions. The real value is that the nails track and home in on the first enemy they find. That makes Pale Nails one of the easiest Silk Skills to use while I am focused on dodging. I do not have to line up a perfect shot. I can slash, back off, and let the nails do the work. It will not solve every problem, but its low effort and reliable tracking make it a solid mid-tier choice.

3. Thread Storm

Thread Storm is the panic button I keep ready when a fight gets too crowded. It creates a massive AOE around Hornet that knocks back close enemies and can even stop many projectiles. I have used it to survive ambushes and messy rooms where I would otherwise die. The catch is real: Hornet cannot move for a short moment after the skill ends, so you need to time it carefully. Still, for defensive power and breathing room, Thread Storm is close to irreplaceable in my kit.

2. Sharp Dart

I slept on Sharp Dart at first because it costs silk, and silk is precious for healing. Then I started fighting bosses where every inch of movement mattered, and it completely won me over. Sharp Dart turns Hornet into a sharp spike that rushes forward, pierces enemies, and deals big damage. More importantly, Hornet becomes invulnerable during the move. That gives me one of the few ways to gain invincibility frames in the entire game. I use it as a dodge that also damages anything in the way. It makes Hornet even more mobile, and it has saved me from countless horrific boss attacks.

1. Cross Stitch ️

Cross Stitch is the best Silk Skill in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and I do not think it is close. Many Silk Skills give Hornet extra offense, but Cross Stitch adds an entirely new mechanic: a counter. If I time it well, Hornet blocks an enemy attack and strikes back for massive damage. I have used it to negate boss hits and punish the worst attacks in the game. Taking a single hit in Silksong can end a fight, so the ability to remove damage while dealing damage is invaluable. Against many enemies and even major bosses, Cross Stitch turns terrifying encounters into manageable duels. It is the one Silk Skill I cannot imagine leaving behind.

After testing all six Silk Skills across Pharloom in 2026, my loadout almost always includes Cross Stitch, Sharp Dart, and Thread Storm. The others have their moments, but these three give me damage, mobility, defense, and a counter that can change an entire fight. If you are low on silk, prioritize healing first, but when you have spare silk, these are the skills worth spending it on.

If you are excited to try these Silk Skills for yourself, you might want to keep an eye on the game's price before buying. Deals on Hollow Knight: Silksong come and go quickly, and grabbing it during a discount can leave you with spare cash for another indie gem or a future DLC.

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Silksong Fans Turn Savage Beastfly Into Their Most Despised Boss

Hollow Knight: Silksong's Savage Beastfly boss and r/f***savagebeastfly frustration inspire this guide to its two attacks and minion survival.

Hollow Knight: Silksong’s collection of challenging bosses has produced no shortage of frustration, yet few enemies inspire the same strange mixture of dread and resentment as the Savage Beastfly. It is not the most complex creature in the game, nor does it possess a sprawling moveset. In fact, the beast has only two attacks. Even so, its brutal damage output and constant stream of summoned minions have turned countless attempts into abrupt, humiliating deaths. By 2026, that frustration has solidified into a full-blown community phenomenon, complete with dedicated hate posts, victory celebrations, and tactical discussion.

Why The Savage Beastfly Feels So Unfair

The game already has vicious roadblocks like Sister Splinter and Moorwing, both of which were tuned down after launch. The Savage Beastfly, however, remains a different kind of challenge. It hits hard enough to erase health bars, spawns minions that disrupt the rhythm, and demands precise positioning even in seemingly open arenas. For many players, knowing what to do is not the problem; executing it while multiple smaller threats buzz around the screen is.

A brief look at the community paints a clear picture:

• Hate posts aimed directly at the boss

• Celebration threads for players who finally win

• 🧠 Strategy tips for dodging, damage windows, and minion control

• Complaints about the runback and its ambushing ant soldier

What makes a boss with only two attacks so maddening? That question sits at the heart of the subreddit. The answer usually involves the gap between theoretical simplicity and actual survival. The Savage Beastfly punishes greed, panic, and even small positioning errors with shocking efficiency.

A Subreddit Built On Shared Rage

The dedicated community space is aptly called r/f***savagebeastfly, and it began gaining traction shortly after Silksong launched. Scrolling through the posts reveals an almost therapeutic cycle of venting and support. Some players describe their first kill as a life-changing relief, while others warn newcomers about the specific bait-and-smash pattern that follows the minion summon.

The subreddit is not entirely consumed by rage. Hidden beneath the avalanche of insults directed at the boss are brief, useful tidbits:

• Strike during the short recovery after the ground charge

• Clear minions before they overwhelm the arena

• Do not dash too early when the Beastfly feints

• Save resources for the second phase if minions spawn in clusters

These tips matter because the boss often feels like a battle against chaos rather than a single creature.

The Ant Soldier That Adds Insult To Injury

Perhaps the most relatable target of frustration is not the boss itself, but a single ant soldier positioned on the runback. After a devastating loss, players must make the journey again, and this ant soldier waits with a well-placed trap that seems designed to drain whatever composure remains. One post in the community jabs at the ant for being unemployed, though others counter that the ant is extremely good at its current job: annoying every player it meets.

Is that ant soldier the real villain? For players already reeling from the Savage Beastfly, the answer often feels like a resounding yes. The runback becomes a psychological test, forcing Hornets to navigate a minor but persistent threat before facing the creature that already defeated them.

A Strange Kind Of Community Therapy

There is something oddly healthy about the shared hatred. In a genre that often celebrates silent perseverance, having a space to vent about a boss can soften the sting of failure. The Savage Beastfly may not have the legendary status of Silksong’s more complex fights, but it has earned a unique place in the community’s memory in 2026. It represents how a simple design, when tuned aggressively, can become a cultural lightning rod.

Anyone who has been flattened by the Savage Beastfly more times than they care to admit can find kindred spirits in the subreddit. They can read victory stories, borrow a trick or two, or simply add their voice to the chorus of frustration. The boss remains deceptively simple on paper, but as the community has proven, simplicity does not mean forgiveness.

For all the frustration it delivers, the Savage Beastfly fight is a testament to why games like Silksong keep players coming back. Every hard-earned victory, every new strategy discovered, and every shared joke about that ant soldier remind us why we play in the first place. The difficulty is part of the charm — it makes the triumphs sweeter and the community stronger.

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Hollow Knight: Silksong Bell Eater Guide: Defeat It and Reunite the Beast

Master the Hollow Knight: Silksong Bell Eater boss with this Beast in the Bells quest guide, covering loadouts, weak points, and phase tactics.

In the 2026 version of Hollow Knight: Silksong, few encounters test a player's nerve quite like the armored centipede known as the Bell Eater. The first time a player tries to summon the Bell Beast from a bell fast travel system after waking up in The Citadel, this creepy crawler makes a brief and unsettling cameo. From that moment on, the fast travel tunnels are locked down, and the only way to get things back on track is to start the quest Beast in the Bells and take the fight to the Bell Eater. This guide breaks down the whole shebang—preparations, phase-by-phase tactics, and the heartwarming reunion that follows.

️ At a Glance

Detail
Info

Boss
The Bell Eater

Location
Bell fast transport tunnels, Act 3

Quest
Beast in the Bells

Weak Points
Head and rear

Win Condition
Stagger the boss in Phase 1, stagger it twice more in Phase 2, then the Bell Beast finishes the job

Preparations

Before leaping into the bell tunnels, it pays to gear up properly. The Bell Eater is not the kind of boss that rewards half-baked loadouts. Since fast travel remains blocked until the quest is completed, players should knock this out as soon as Act 3 begins. The quest automatically pops into the wish tracker after the first Bell Eater sighting.

Crest Suggestions

• 🩸 Reaper's Crest – The Bell Eater only has two main weak points, so heavy damage is worth its weight in gold.

• ️ Architect's Crest – Trap-focused players can equip more tools and bank silk for healing, especially since some silk abilities will not affect the Bell Eater.

Tool Suggestions

Tool
Why It Helps

🪀 Shakra's Rings
Ricochet around the room and hammer the Eater's weak spots multiple times.

Fractured Mask
Provides a safety net against a fatal attack.

🪚 Sawtooth Circlet
Damages nearby enemies with every cloak flap.

🧵 Reserve Bind
Acts as emergency silk healing if Hornet runs dry during the fight.

Conch Cutter
Ricochets off walls and the Eater's body in Phase 2 to hit weaker areas more easily.

️ Longclaw
Extends needle reach so Hornet can stay outside the red orb bounce range while attacking.

🧪 Plasmium Phial
Adds a temporary mask of health and can be reused before needing an Alchemist refill.

Silk Ability Suggestions

• ️ Thread Storm – Excellent for high damage output on the Bell Eater's vulnerable areas.

• Sharpdart – Propels Hornet forward for blade and silk damage; use quick in-and-out dives for value.

Boss Fight: The Bell Eater

Phase 1

The Bell Eater has a handful of tricks up its sleeve to keep Hornet on her toes. Its body is covered in armor, leaving only the rear and head open to damage. It will hang down from the ceiling or pop up from the ground, swinging its scythe-like limbs around in a small radius. Players can use that moment to pogo off its head with a downward strike and deal damage.

The Eater also disappears and drops heavy bells from the ceiling. Looking up reveals dust that telegraphs where each bell will fall. Much like the Bell Beast fight, the bells bounce once before leaving the screen. At other times, the Eater shows its rear and spits red orbs that ricochet around the room. These can be parried, and the rear weak point can be punished before the boss retreats. On rare occasions, the Bell Eater rumbles underground, forcing Hornet to glide over long spines that erupt from the ground in arcing waves. Once the boss is staggered, it screeches and shifts into Phase 2.

Phase 2

In Phase 2, the Eater's long body blocks off the left and right sides of the arena, which makes the whole fight feel a lot more claustrophobic. The red orb attacks speed up, and the boss starts combining the ground arc attack with bell drops. When the Eater lifts its head and strikes at Hornet's last position, players should get out of dodge and use the opening to toss Shakra's Rings or let Conch Cutter ricochet around the arena.

This phase requires at least two more staggers. Downward pogo attacks on the rear weak point are the name of the game, because the head is often harder to reach while the rear offers a bigger opening for aerial hits and orb parries. A flea brew can also boost movement speed to help dodge the faster red orb launches. Just as the Bell Eater tries to shift again, the Bell Beast appears and tackles it into the sea of bells, taking care of the end of the fight.

Reunited with the Bell Beast

After the Bell Eater is soundly defeated, Hornet can finally speak with the Bell Beast. The creature lets out a loud purr before small baby Bell Beasts pop out of the ground beside their mother. Hornet can then take out the Needolin and play a song with the Bell Beast and its young, which unlocks a new melody called the Beastling Call.

The Beastling Call is a fitting reward for a fight that asks so much of Hornet, and it caps off one of Silksong's most memorable encounters. For players who want to experience this moment for themselves, the wait for a release date—or a good time to pick the game up—can feel just as tense as the boss fight itself.

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