Bagging the Speedrunner trophy in
Silksong
isn’t exactly a walk in the park. The community often ranks it right up there with the brutal Steel Soul and Cursed achievements. The challenge? Finish the entire game in less than five hours. It sounds like a ... moreBagging the Speedrunner trophy in
Silksong
isn’t exactly a walk in the park. The community often ranks it right up there with the brutal Steel Soul and Cursed achievements. The challenge? Finish the entire game in less than five hours. It sounds like a tall order, but trust me, with a solid route and the right priorities, any determined player can pull it off. It's all about knowing exactly where to go, which items to snag, and when to hit the gas and skip the optional fluff. This guide lays out the optimal speedrun route, step after step, leading Hornet from the Moss Grotto all the way to the final showdown with Grand Mother Silk. Just remember the golden rule of any speedrun: dying chews up the clock like crazy thanks to the long backtrack to your cocoon, so keep your cool and stay frosty.
First things first, the run kicks off in the linear tunnels of the
Moss Grotto
. Hornet moves through this area, takes down the Moss Mother without any fuss, and presses on to reach the gloomy expanse of Bone Bottom. From there, she hangs a sharp right to enter
The Marrow
. A shortcut door gets opened, then it’s a quick right and an upward squeeze through a gap in the ceiling. Once she’s topside, a leftward trek brings her face-to-face with
Shakra
, and then it’s up and left again to pop back into the upper portion of the Moss Grotto.
The next objective is freeing the Bell Beast. Hornet uses her trusty Silkspear to cut it loose, then quickly subdues the creature to keep things moving. With the beast dealt with, she scales the area above Shakra, navigates two rooms to the right, and then ascends into a small gauntlet packed with Skarr enemies. It’s a brief but hectic fight—stay nimble and don’t get greedy. Optionally, a quick detour can be made by dropping down below Shakra’s spot to meet the Forge Daughter, but true speedrunners often give that a miss. What isn’t optional is using the Swift Step ability to leap up and activate a lever, which swings open the boss door leading to the first major duel:
Lace
. With that gate unlocked, Hornet continues rightward through the windswept Far Fields, drops down a central chamber full of wind funnels, and finds the exit tucked away in the bottom-right corner.
After looping back from the Seamstress’ hut, Hornet faces the eerie
Fourth Chorus
on her return to that central funnel room. Then it’s all leftward momentum, making a beeline for the Halfway House. A bench here is a lifeline—take a seat and catch your breath. Once refreshed, Hornet goes left through the crumbling ruins of Greymoor until she hits the bottom‑left corner and squares off against
Moorwing
. Defeating this boss opens the path to Bellhart and, further left, the lush labyrinth of Shellwood.
Shellwood demands some nimble platforming. In the very first room, Hornet loops left, ascends to the right, then doubles back left again. The next room involves a drop, then a quick climb to unlock the central Bench. This bench is a crucial checkpoint, so don’t skip it. Continuing left reveals an elevator—ride it down, go left, and you’ll find a towering room blanketed in white flowers. Use these blossoms to climb skyward, then head right to unlock another elevator shortcut that zips you down to the central Bench. From there, Hornet goes right again, threads through the room, and takes the top‑left exit to confront
Sister Splinter
.
Boom—Sister Splinter goes down. After the fight, Hornet loops around the central pillar to the top‑left side of the room, hits a cluster of white flowers, and executes a precise jump sequence (left, then right) to reach the exit above the room’s entrance. In the next chamber, the ever‑useful
Cling Grip
skill awaits via a Weaver statue. Once that’s in the bag, the route swings back to the central Bench. From there, Hornet climbs up and to the right, wall‑climbing with her fresh Cling Grip into the Bellway tunnels above Bellhart. An optional stop here could be freeing Bellhart and visiting Pinmaster Plinney’s hut at the top level, but efficient runners often skip the chit‑chat.
With Widow defeated (yes, she shows up around this point), Hornet pushes to the tippy‑top of Shellwood’s left side and steps into the
Blasted Steps
. A mixed bag of movement skills is needed here—dashing, clinging, and sprinting through the gauntlet until a bench appears at the zone’s summit. A quick pit stop, then Hornet goes right to the Citadel entrance and throws down with
The Last Judge
. Toppling this boss kicks off Act 2.
Now things get seriously crafty. Hornet drops into the Underworks, navigating the dark passages to re‑enter the Choral Chambers. She heads up, follows a gently sloping long hallway to the right, then takes the top‑left exit in the next room. A full vertical climb leads to a bench in the far top‑left corner of the Choral Chambers—another precious save point. Just to the right of that bench sits the
Cogwork Da less
I’ve been spelunking through Pharloom for months now, and even in 2026,
Hollow Knight: Silksong
still finds ways to knock the wind out of me. The sheer density of secrets in this game is absurd – every crumbly wall, every shimmering crevice, every sus... moreI’ve been spelunking through Pharloom for months now, and even in 2026,
Hollow Knight: Silksong
still finds ways to knock the wind out of me. The sheer density of secrets in this game is absurd – every crumbly wall, every shimmering crevice, every suspiciously quiet room holds something that could flip your entire playthrough on its head. But after countless hours farming Rosaries in the Choral Chambers and dodging those dagger-clacking Clawmaidens, I stumbled onto a hidden mechanic so game-changing that I literally smacked my own forehead. Let me tell you, if you’ve been struggling through Act 2 and dreading every trip through the Citadel’s dusty halls, this one’s for you.
The Citadel’s Choral Chambers might look serene from a distance, but step inside and you’ll quickly realize they’re a pressure cooker. Act 2 cranks the difficulty up hard, throwing empowered bugs and fresh horrors at Hornet like confetti. And right at the top of my personal hit list? The Clawmaidens. These floating terrors hang just out of reach, pelting you with barbed projectiles that drain your precious Silk while you scramble to close the gap. What makes them truly insidious is their persistence – most enemies in
Silksong
politely reset when you leave an area, but Clawmaidens? They chase you. Through doorways, across loading zones, into that one hallway you thought was safe. I can’t count the number of delivery quests I botched because a rogue Clawmaiden decided to follow me into a narrow shaft and ruin my day.
And for all that trouble, they don’t even drop Rosaries when you kill them. Not a single shiny bead. It’s just pain for pain’s sake. So when I finally discovered there’s a way to
delete them from existence entirely
, you better believe I dropped everything to try it. The only catch? You’ll need the double jump ability first. No skipping ahead – this secret sits in the upper reaches of the Choral Chambers, specifically in the top-left zone called the High Halls. If you haven’t snagged that Crest yet, you’ll be grinding your teeth at those Clawmaidens a while longer.
Alright, here’s the step-by-step, because I know someone out there is pulling their hair out right now. Once you’ve got the double jump, warp to the fast-travel point inside the Choral Chambers and head left into the High Halls. The gauntlet isn’t kind – there are lancers, creepers, and yes, more Clawmaidens clogging every path. Fight your way upward until you reach a vertical shaft called the Ventrica shaft. Just above the fast-travel room, tucked away on the right, there’s a chamber with a massive, dusty trolley. At first glance it looks like background decoration, but push it directly under the skylight to the right, and a whole new area opens up.
Now comes the nerve-wracking part. As soon as you climb into that hidden nook, the game throws an
endless wave
of Clawmaidens at you. It’s a proper panic moment – exactly the kind of sadistic gauntlet Team Cherry loves. But keep your cool and focus on the center of the room: you’ll see a tangled web of thick, glistening Silk strands, pulsing faintly like a heart. That’s the Clawmaiden Silk nest. A few swings of your needle will shred those strands to ribbons, and the screen flashes with an almost eerie silence. No fanfare, no achievement pop – just the sudden absence of all Clawmaidens. Permanently. For the rest of your save file.
I won’t lie, the first time I executed this I felt a twinge of guilt. It almost feels like cheating to erase an entire enemy type from the world. But then I remembered all the times a Clawmaiden sniped me mid-heal, or ruined a perfect run through the Choral Chambers, or followed me three rooms deep into a dead end. That guilt evaporated fast. Now, exploring the Citadel feels like a different place entirely – the tension replaced by this peaceful, almost melancholic quiet. The delivery quests became a breeze, and I could finally appreciate the gorgeous architecture without an ankle-biter buzzing in my ear.
If there’s one takeaway from my hundreds of hours with
Hollow Knight: Silksong
, it’s this: never stop poking around. The developers hid so many seismic changes behind ordinary-looking walls. This little Clawmaiden purge turned a grueling mid-game slog into a victory lap, and I only wish I’d found it before spending all that time grinding for Rosaries I didn’t need. So, from one weary explorer to another, go straight for that trolley. You’ll thank me later – and maybe you’ll forgive me for not telling you sooner.
Of course, not every secret-hunt turns out this satisfying. I’ve lost count of how many games I’ve sunk hours into that either padded themselves with pointless grind or simply didn’t respect my time. That disappointment stings a lot less when you didn’t drop full price on the title in the first place. That’s why, before starting anything new, I always run a quick game price comparison( less
There’s a moment in Pharloom, usually when you’re knee-deep in grime and lost in some moss-draped tunnel, where you find a wall covered in faded parchment and desperate scrawls. I call it the Wishwall, and it became my compass, my quiet confessional. ... moreThere’s a moment in Pharloom, usually when you’re knee-deep in grime and lost in some moss-draped tunnel, where you find a wall covered in faded parchment and desperate scrawls. I call it the Wishwall, and it became my compass, my quiet confessional. The thing about
Hollow Knight: Silksong
is that the main path is a glowing thread through a dark tapestry, but the real color is stitched into the wishes. These side quests aren’t just checkbox errands; they’re small stories that ask you to pause, listen, and sometimes, walk on eggshells—literally. Over the years, I’ve collected every wish like a magpie hoarding shards of a broken sky, and I’d like to share that journey with you, as if we were swapping tales by a dying lantern.
Not all wishes are created equal. Some will have you playing hunter, others a courier, and a few… well, a few will make you feel like a surgeon removing a beating heart from a crystal cage. I’ll walk you through the ones that left scars on my memory.
Garb of the Pilgrims – A Tapestry of Ghosts
The wish was simple: gather twelve Pilgrim Shawls. The reality was a silent, endless pilgrimage through bone-white tunnels where Pilgrim enemies drifted like forgotten hymns. These shawls only drop from specific Pilgrims, and they’re as stingy as old coins. The best loop I found was a strange dance between two benches—one near Shakra’s map stand in The Marrow, the other in Mosshome where a chamber full of Pilgrims resurrect with every rest. I became a pendulum, swinging between life and temporary death, collecting fabric scraps as if trying to weave a memory out of moth-eaten silk.
Bone Bottom itself cradled two Pilgrims near a resting spot. Each time I looped, I felt like a gardener harvesting the same crop of sorrow. When I finally stacked twelve and returned to the Wishwall, the reward was a Rosary Necklace. But the true trophy was the rhythm of the grind—a meditation that taught me Pharloom’s heartbeat.
Crawbug Clearing – The Rags of Greymoor
Creige in Halfway Home gave me this wish after Bellhart was freed from its clinging ghost. He needed twenty-five ragpelts, torn from Craws, Tallcraws, and Squatcraws. Greymoor is a crawling carpet of these things, and hunting them felt like trimming back an unending thicket of thorns. Every kill dropped a ragpelt, a tiny sigh of fabric, until my bag bulged with the work of my blade.
It was never hard, just a rhythm of steel and chitin. When I handed the mountain of rags to Creige, he gave me a Crafting Kit. The tool sharpened my needles in ways that made the next few bosses weep. Imagine your weapon suddenly growing teeth—that’s what it felt like.
The Lost Fleas – A Caravan of Missing Notes
Mooshka, the Fleamaster, has a voice like a scratched record and a heart as large as The Marrow itself. He asked me to rescue five Lost Fleas scattered across Pharloom, each one hidden behind platforming puzzles that required my fingers to become dancers on a wire. One flea hid right after the Bell Beast fight; another demanded I climb a spire of collapsing platforms that felt like stepping on the ribs of a fallen giant.
When I escorted all five back, the fleas packed their caravan and moved to Greymoor, but the real gift was the Flea Brew tool. Drinking it was like igniting a second heartbeat in my chest—speed and attack rate surged, and for a few glorious moments, I was a blur of silk and fury.
Pinmaster’s Oil – The Sharper Edge
After Plinney gave my needle its first upgrade in Bellhart, he whispered of a Pale Oil that could make my weapon sing a sharper tone. This quest sent me into the Choral Chambers, past the Whispering Vaults, where a puzzle of sliding blocks and levers guarded a sealed room. Solving it felt like coaxing a lock made of frozen music to open. Inside, a glowing orb held the Pale Oil, glowing like liquid moonlight.
Alternatively, you can gamble on the Great Taste of Pharloom wish, but I took the direct route. Returning to Plinney, he worked his magic, and my needle became a whisper of death. The upgrade wasn’t just stat boost; it was the difference between a blunt sigh and a clean exhalation.
Trail’s End – The Mapmaker’s Ghost
This wish required every map from Shakra, the cartographer whose ink lines mapped my entire journey. Only then could I begin the search for his missing master in Bilewater, a swamp that breathes and watches. The trail was marked by cryptic notes and symbols that felt like following a trail of breadcrumbs dropped by a ghost. Movement tools like double jump became my lifeline; one wrong step meant a plunge into acidic green.
I found him deep in the swamp, a figure woven into the moss itself, and my reward was the Throwing Ring. This tool turned me into a ranged artist—it spun from my hand like a discus of light, carving paths through groups of enemies. It was my first taste of keeping danger at arm’s length.
Queen’s Egg – A Fragile less
If there’s one thing every Hollow Knight: Silksong spelunker quickly learns, it’s that Pharloom never does things the boring way. Just when players think they’ve mapped every dusty crevice, the game throws a curveball like
The Phantom
– a secret b... moreIf there’s one thing every Hollow Knight: Silksong spelunker quickly learns, it’s that Pharloom never does things the boring way. Just when players think they’ve mapped every dusty crevice, the game throws a curveball like
The Phantom
– a secret boss who moonlights as a creepy organist and, more importantly, a one-way ticket to Act 2 without enduring the migraine that is Blasted Steps. Yep, this spectral swordswoman tucked deep inside the Exhaust Organ is basically a narrative cheat code, provided anyone can actually find the darn place.
Let’s not beat around the bush – getting to the Exhaust Organ is half the battle. The whole ordeal starts in The Mist, a ghostly limbo that would make even seasoned wanderers gnaw on their controllers. The trick? Butterflies. Yes, those fluttery little critters are the GPS everyone needs. At each murky screen, a couple of white butterflies loiter around like they own the place. Hornet simply has to play her Needolin (the Silksong equivalent of whipping out a boombox) to nudge them toward the correct exit, then follow. Rinse and repeat until a horizontal corridor filled with Bilewater’s signature poison-goo appears – the universal sign that things are about to get weird. From there, it’s a short hop left into the Exhaust Organ subarea, where the air itself seems to hum with a very angry organ recital.
Once inside, players will notice the music swelling louder as they ascend the ductwork – a not-so-subtle nod to a certain piano-playing villain from a certain Zelda title that still gives gamers the chills. But before rushing headlong to the top, a bit of preparation can mean the difference between a graceful victory and turning into a pincushion. For the Phantom, speed is the name of the game. The
Swift Step
dash (snagged way back in Deep Docks) is mandatory – without it, dodging her lightning lunges is about as easy as threading a needle blindfolded. Crestwise, the
Wanderer Crest
(from Bonegrave’s chapel to the left of Moss Grotto) keeps Hornet’s strikes short and snappy, refusing to let her commit to any animation that’d leave her vulnerable. When it comes to tools, the
Weighted Belt
(bought from Mort the merchant in Far Fields) adds much-needed steadiness, while the
Silkspeed Anklets
(hidden in Weavenest Cindril like a squirrel hoarding acorns) turn Hornet into a nervous blur. For those who prefer a little underhanded help, the
Flea Brew
(earned from the “The Lost Fleas” quest) offers some passive perks, and combining a toxic Red Tool like the
Cogfly
(crafted in High Halls) with the
Pollip Pouch
(from the “Rite of the Pollip” quest) lets poison do the heavy lifting while the player focuses entirely on staying alive. And let’s not forget the
Fractured Mask
– that extra health pip from the Mottled Skarr merchant in Hunter’s March is practically a security blanket for boss fights.
With gear sorted, it’s time to waltz into the organ chamber and face the music – literally. The Phantom behaves like a dark mirror of Hornet, right down to the needle-lobbing and acrobatic dashing. She doesn’t bother with phases; she’s a six-move-wonder who will pounce, block, vanish, and generally throw a tantrum until someone’s silk gauge runs dry. Here’s the cheat sheet: if she blocks an attack, expect three rapid ground dashes that can slice a careless hero into confetti. If she jumps and air-dashes horizontally, the safest bet is a grounded duck-and-weave rather than a panicked leap. Her needle throws – both from the ground and midair – can be sidestepped or dashed through with a bit of rhythm, but the real kicker is her vanishing act. When she pulls a Houdini, watch the air columns: they’ll twitch where she’s about to come down like a ton of bricks. Dash away, then sneak in a counterattack during her landing lag – just a second, so don’t get greedy.
The golden rule here is patience. The Phantom wants nothing more than to goad players into a button-mashing frenzy, but the player’s job is to stay chill, keep Hornet planted on the ground (less aerial time means fewer unpredictable needle throws), and only pounce when the boss overextends. If the screen gets too chaotic, unleashing that poison tool can add passive damage without demanding extra focus. Think of it as setting a passive-AI companion to chip away while the human brain handles the footwork.
When the Phantom finally keels over, the spoils are sweeter than a rosary jackpot. First prize: the
Cross Stitch
, a fancy parry move that lets Hornet deflect incoming attacks and instantly slice back – ideal for making every enemy rethink their life choices. Then, beyond the boss arena, a passage leads straight into the
Choral Chambers
, where a
Memory Locket
waits as a cherry on top. But here’s the kicker: if all this went down while still technically in Act 1, congratulations – the game has just been speedrun-broken into Act 2 without ever setting f less
In the quiet, cathedral-like chambers far above the fungal groves, Hornet discovered the first thread of true power. It was not so much a weapon as it was a revelation—a crystalline shard of essence known as the
Silkspear
. This was no mere trickshot. I... moreIn the quiet, cathedral-like chambers far above the fungal groves, Hornet discovered the first thread of true power. It was not so much a weapon as it was a revelation—a crystalline shard of essence known as the
Silkspear
. This was no mere trickshot. It felt like drawing breath underwater for the first time, a sudden, sharp extension of intent that could pierce through the blooming moss-creatures of Mosshome as though their thick hides were paper. The ability was not hidden at all; it waited patiently at the apex of that sun-drenched hamlet, almost like a silk moth perched on a holy altar. After binding with it, the immense Bell Beast nearby heaved its colossal bulk free, and the colossal chains of Pharloom’s vertical world clattered open, as if acknowledging the first significant step of a weaver who was only just beginning to understand the tapestry she could weave.
The journey for the next silk skill was more akin to chasing echoes in a flooded workshop.
Thread Storm
could only be claimed after a mad aerial ballet in the eastern reaches of
Greymoor
. There, the sky was pinned with suspended balloons swinging beneath heavy chains—a ridiculous, dangerous scaffold erected by some forgotten architect of whimsy. Hornet had to navigate them after surging through the arena combat inside the hulking structure atop Craw Lake. She bounced from balloon to balloon, each one wobbling like a drunkard’s lantern, her needle spike gouging into the taut fabric to launch herself higher. The Thread Storm itself, when she finally reached the top of this mechanical jungle, was like learning to play a harp whose strings were razor wire. It unleashed a vortex of cutting silk that spiraled outward, a miniature galaxy of pain. The skill felt less like a reward and more like the world whispering, “Now you are a hurricane.”
Sharpdart
was a much nastier affair, requiring a detour through the claustrophobic, bone-littered tunnels of the
Wormways
above Bone Bottom. The ability lay behind a simple key’s lock, past a miniboss that skittered on too many legs, and then through a door that needed the Needolin melody to coax open. This was the moment Hornet fully grasped that tools were also keys. Sharpdart became her first true projectile—a rapid-fire, needle-thin whisper of vengeance stitched from air and silk. It allowed her to shred floating jellyfish and distant archers with the same casual flick she might use to snuff a candle. Each dart was a tiny tombstone for something that never got close.
Deep within the
Choral Chambers
and the gloom of Sinner’s Road, the mist rolled in like cold soup. It was here that Hornet learned to trust the butterflies—fluttering guides that glowed faintly when she played her Needolin for them. They escorted her through six twisting rooms into the
Exhaust Organ
, a place that breathed as if the entire kingdom had bronchitis. There, the fiery specter
Phantom
waited, a soul wreathed in fury. Defeating it rewarded Hornet with
Cross Stitch
, a deflection-based art that was as elegant as a duelist’s riposte, turning enemy attacks into shimmering arcs of reflected pain. The skill was a paradox—both shield and blade—and to use it felt like catching lightning on a needle and throwing it back with a smile.
The pursuit of
Rune Rage
dragged Hornet into the putrid underworld of
Putrified Ducts
. The air was thick with decay and the screech of dying machinery. She needed the
Key of the Apostate
, which she pried from the muck above an area guarded by a Huntress. Once she delivered it to The Slab—a bleak, vertical mausoleum—she unlocked a southern door that led to the prison of the
First Sinner
. This boss was a monstrous thing, born of ancient sin and bad architecture. When it fell, the Rune Rage silk skill settled into her like a furnace lighting in her chest. This ability caused a burst of raw energy that could stagger even the largest foes, and using it felt like yanking a red-hot chain through a keyhole, the lock itself shattering in the process.
At last, the journey curved back to where it all began—the high places. Only in the climactic Act 3, after unlocking
Silk Soar
, could Hornet claim the ultimate silk skill,
Pale Nails
. The entrance was hidden in plain sight. Just east of the main elevator that lifted her to the
Cradle
, a long corridor’s ceiling had collapsed, leaving a wound in the stone. Using Silk Soar, she shot upward through the debris like a salmon through the rapids. She emerged back into the region of white flowers and holy silence. There, she pushed even higher, ascending to the arena of
Grand Mother Silk
herself. The gigantic creature’s severed arm lay there, a monument to some ancient battle. When Hornet bound with that remnant, Pale Nails bloomed around her—a crown of spectral silken blades that screamed with every swing. It was not just a skill; it was the memory of the apex predator whose name less
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