You’ve finally made it to the Citadel. After years of waiting for this game to actually exist, you're climbing through the Choral Chambers, and then you see him. Loyal Mergwin. He’s just sitting there in a massive, empty dining hall, looking a bit lonely and very hungry. Honestly, it’s one of the most memorable side quests in Hollow Knight: Silksong, but man, it can be a total headache if you don't know where to look.
Basically, the quest is called Great Taste of Pharloom. Mergwin wants a five-course meal of the rarest delicacies in the kingdom. Why should you care? Because the reward is Pale Oil. If you want to upgrade your Needle for the late-game bosses—and trust me, you do—you’re going to need that oil.
This isn't just a "go here, kill that" kind of mission. It’s a kingdom-spanning scavenger hunt.
The Five Ingredients for Great Taste of Pharloom
Mergwin isn't looking for basic grub. He wants the good stuff. You’ve got to track down five specific items scattered across Pharloom. Some are tucked away in shops, while others are locked behind combat trials or annoying delivery mechanics.
1. Mossberry Stew
This is usually the first one people grab. You need to head over to the Moss Druid in the Mossy Grotto. If you haven't done it yet, you'll need to finish the "Berry Picking" quest first. Once that's out of the way, just talk to the Druid, exhaust the dialogue, and they’ll hand over the stew. Simple enough.
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2. Vintage Nectar
This one costs you some Rosaries. You have to visit Creige at the Halfway Home. He’ll sell it to you for 480 Rosaries, but there's a catch—it’s in the basement. And the basement has an "ant problem." You’ll have to drop down, smash a pile of shells, and survive a wave of angry ants before you can actually claim the nectar.
3. Courier's Rasher
This is the one that makes people want to throw their controllers. To get the Rasher, you have to talk to Courier Tipp or Courier Pill at the Bellhart station. They’ll give you a delivery quest.
Here is the kicker: you cannot take damage or sprint into walls. If you do, the "freshness" gauge drops, and you fail. Pro tip? Clear the path of enemies before you pick up the delivery, and whatever you do, don't sit at a bench on the way back. If you sit, the enemies respawn. It’s a long walk from Greymoor back to the Citadel, so stay focused.
4. Crustnut
Found deep in Sinner’s Road. You’ll need the Faydown Cloak to reach the upper platforms in the eastern open chamber. Once you’re there, you have to hit a giant gong. This triggers a fight against waves of flying bugs with broken scissors (yeah, Pharloom is weird). After the waves, a mini-boss named Disgraced Chef Lugoli shows up. Beat him, and the Crustnut is yours.
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5. Pickled Muckmaggot
You’ll find this near the Flea Caravan area. It involves some tricky platforming using the Clawline and some well-timed wall jumps. You’re looking for a golden orb embedded in a rock formation. Hit it to spawn some shimmering platforms that lead you to a hidden nook where the jar is kept.
Why Everyone Struggles With This Quest
Most players get stuck because they try to do this too early. You really need almost every movement skill—like the Ascendant's Grip and Silkspeed Anklets—to make the platforming sections for the Crustnut and Muckmaggot even remotely doable.
The community has been pretty vocal about the difficulty spike here. On Reddit, you’ll see some people calling it "highway robbery" because of the 480 Rosary price tag for the nectar, while others think the Courier’s Rasher delivery is the worst part of the game. Honestly, it’s a bit of both. But the narrative payoff of seeing Mergwin finally eat is kinda sweet, in a weird, buggy way.
How to Finish and Get Your Reward
Once you have all five items, head back to the dining hall in the Choral Chambers.
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- Speak to Loyal Mergwin.
- Hand over the ingredients one by one.
- Pick up the Pale Oil from the lectern to his right.
What Most People Get Wrong
A big misconception is that you can find these items through random drops. You can't. They are fixed locations. Also, don't bother looking for the "Great Taste of Pharloom" in your quest log if you haven't spoken to Mergwin yet—it won't appear until the first interaction.
Some players also think they need to complete this quest to get the "Queen of Pharloom" ending. While it’s not strictly required for the credits to roll, having the Needle upgrade from the Pale Oil makes the final boss gauntlet significantly less miserable.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you’re staring at an empty inventory and wondering where to start, follow this order to save time:
- Check your movement tools. If you don't have the Clawline or Faydown Cloak yet, go explore the Gilded City first. You’re just going to get frustrated trying to reach the ingredients without them.
- Farm Rosaries in the Citadel. The enemies here drop a decent amount of currency. You’ll need that 480 for Creige’s nectar.
- Clear the path for the Rasher. Before you accept the delivery from Tipp at Bellhart, walk the route to the Citadel and kill every single enemy. As long as you don't rest, the path will be clear for your "no-hit" run back.
- Upgrade immediately. As soon as you get that Pale Oil, take it to the Forge. Don't sit on it. The damage boost is a game-changer for the upcoming Choral Chambers boss fights.
The Great Taste of Pharloom quest is basically Team Cherry's way of forcing you to appreciate the sheer scale of the world they built. It’s annoying, sure, but once that Needle is glowing with its second upgrade, you'll be glad you did it.