Pharloom is a brutal place. Honestly, if you went into this thinking it was just "Hollow Knight with a red coat of paint," you've probably already seen the "Defeated" screen more times than you'd like to admit. The kingdom of Silk and Song doesn't play by Hallownest's rules. It’s faster. It’s meaner. And frankly, the way you survived as the Knight will get you killed as Hornet.
The biggest hurdle for most players isn't the bosses—though Lace is a nightmare—it’s the muscle memory. You can’t just turtle up and wait for a window. You have to create the window. This Hollow Knight Silksong guide is here to break down why you’re struggling and how to actually master the Needle and Thread.
👉 See also: Dressed to Impress Codes: How to Actually Get Those Viral TikTok Outfits
The Silk System: Stop Playing Defensively
In the original game, Soul was a precious resource you hoarded. You’d hit a bug, back off, and maybe heal if you had a second. Hornet doesn't have that luxury. Her healing, called Binding, is nearly instant, but it consumes her entire Silk bar to heal three masks at once.
Basically, the game is telling you to stay in the pocket. If you’re not attacking, you’re not generating Silk. If you’re not generating Silk, you can’t heal. It’s a relentless cycle. Most players fail because they try to "reset" the fight by running away. In Pharloom, running away is a death sentence because you’ll eventually run out of resources with no way to get them back.
The Bind-and-Blast Loop
- Engage: Use your superior reach. Hornet’s needle has a longer hitbox than the old Nail.
- Generate: Hit enemies to fill the spool.
- Bind: Use the quick-heal mid-air or during a boss’s wind-up.
- Repeat: Don’t wait for the boss to finish their animation. Use your tools to interrupt them.
Mastering the Crests and Tools System
Forget Charms. They’re gone. In their place, we have Crests and Tools. This is where the depth of your build actually lives. A Crest isn't just a stat boost; it literally changes your HUD and your physical layout of equipment slots.
If you’re still using the starting Hunter Crest, you’re missing out. It’s a "jack of all trades" build, which is fine for the Moss Grotto, but once you hit the Deep Docks or the Greymoor mists, you need a specialty.
Which Crest Should You Actually Use?
The Reaper Crest is a fan favorite for a reason. Found in the Chapel of the Reaper in Greymoor, it turns your basic strikes into heavy, arcing slashes. It also reaps extra Silk from every kill. If you’re struggling with health management, this is your safety net.
On the flip side, the Architect Crest is for the gearheads. It’s extremely offensive and allows you to equip three red (offensive) tools. The best part? You can spend Silk to instantly craft more tools mid-combat. It turns Hornet into a walking arsenal. You aren't just a fencer; you're a combat engineer throwing Sting Shards and Threefold Pins like they’re candy.
The Tool Color Code
- Red Tools: Your primary weapons. Think projectiles and traps.
- Blue Tools: Wards and defensive gadgets. Essential for bosses like the Last Judge.
- Yellow Tools: Support and exploration perks.
- White Slots: These are for your Silk Skills, powerful moves that consume your gauge.
The Bosses of Pharloom: A Different Breed of Pain
The difficulty spike in Silksong is real. Team Cherry made enemies smarter. They react to your movement. If you pogo too much, some bosses will literally swat you out of the air. Take Lace in the Deep Docks, for instance. She’s the first real skill check.
Most guides tell you to dodge her thrust. That’s basic. The real trick is managing her parry. If you hit her while she’s in a defensive stance, she triggers a counter-flurry that’s almost impossible to dash through. You have to bait the parry, wait a microsecond, and then strike her back. It’s a dance, not a brawl.
Then there’s the Moss Mother. She’s the early-game "tutorial" boss, but if you don't use your Drifter's Cloak to catch the wind currents she creates, you’ll get pinned against the thorns every single time.
Upgrading the Needle
You cannot finish this game with the base Needle. You just can’t. The damage scaling is too steep. To get your first upgrade, the Sharpened Needle, you have to help the town of Bellhart in Act 2. Specifically, look for Pinmaster Plinney.
He’s the guy who will take your Pale Oil (the new Pale Ore) and turn your needle into a weapon of mass destruction.
- Needle: 5 damage.
- Sharpened Needle: 9 damage.
- Hivesteel Needle: 17 damage.
By the time you reach the Cradle to face Grand Mother Silk, you should be aiming for the Pale Steel Needle, which hits for 21. If you're doing less than 15 damage per hit in the late game, every boss fight becomes an endurance test you are destined to lose.
Navigating Pharloom Without Getting Lost
Pharloom is vertical. Unlike Hallownest, which was mostly a series of horizontal layers, Pharloom is a climb. You start at the bottom and go up. This changes how you read the map.
Keep an eye out for Bellways. These are your fast-travel points, but they aren't always active. Sometimes you have to defeat a local guardian—like the Bell Beast—to "wake up" the transport system. If you find yourself backtracking through the Sands of Karak on foot, you’ve missed a shortcut.
Essential Tips for the New Pilgrim
Stop hoarding your Shell Shards. Unlike Geo, which you mostly used for big one-time purchases, Shell Shards are spent constantly to repair your tools at benches. If you’re entering a boss arena with broken tools because you wanted to "save money," you’re doing it wrong. Spend the shards. Refill your pins.
Also, explore the Wormways. It’s a miserable, acid-filled labyrinth, but it holds some of the best Memory Lockets in the game. These lockets are the only way to expand the tool slots on your Crests. A Crest with only two slots is useless in the endgame. You need those four or five slots to mix defensive buffs with high-damage projectiles.
The world of Silksong is dense. Don't rush to the Citadel. Talk to the NPCs like Shakra or Garmond. They often provide "Wishes" (side quests) that reward you with Craftmetal, which is the only way to craft higher-tier tools. Without those tools, you’re just a bug with a toothpick.
💡 You might also like: The Real Way to Get Shaders for 1.21.5 Without Breaking Your Game
Actionable Next Steps:
- Locate the Reaper Crest in Greymoor immediately to stabilize your Silk generation.
- Farm Shell Shards in the Moss Grotto if you're low; you'll need them for tool repairs before the Lace fight.
- Prioritize Memory Lockets over everything else to ensure your build has enough slots for Act 2.
- Save your Pale Oil for the Hivesteel upgrade once you reach the Choral Chambers.