A Player’s Guide to Surviving Groal the Great in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Conquer Groal the Great in Bilewater with the hidden bench shortcut and the two best builds—rapid-fire traps or pogo—to end this boss fight.

Every player who descends into the Bilewater region of Pharloom eventually learns a simple truth: Groal the Great is less a test of skill and more a test of stubbornness. The journey to his arena is long. The maggot water stings. The minions waste time. And then the giant frog-like boss lands, deals two masks of damage with a single hit, and forces even the calmest wanderer to reconsider every life choice that led them there. In 2026, after countless updates and community experiments, the fight still feels like a cruel joke told by the depths of Bilewater. But there is a way through it.

Finding the Fight and the Hidden Bench

Groal the Great is located in the Bilewater region, one of the most painful places to explore in all of Pharloom. A player who approaches from the Putrified Ducts gets two immediate advantages: a much shorter run back after every death and a chance to find the Wreath of Purity, which temporarily protects against the downsides of maggot water. That item alone changes the rhythm of the Groal fight.

Many players, however, stumble into Bilewater from the southern entrance before they know better. For those stubborn wanderers, the most important task is to unlock the hidden bench. The route is not obvious, but it saves an enormous amount of time.

• Continue up Bilewater until a right-hand corridor opens.

• Move through that corridor into the next room.

• On the far right side of the room, drop into the corner until a hidden path leads into a vat of maggots.

• Swim right.

• Fall into the narrow tunnel that drops down to the bench.

Even with the bench, a player still has to climb up one room, cross right, and cross left in a small gauntlet to reach Groal. It is not pleasant, but it beats replaying the entire region.

Two Builds for One Unpleasant Frog

At the bench, a player can assemble a proper plan. The community has settled on two reliable strategies for Groal, though both demand patience and a decent supply of traps.

Name
Crest Required
Strategy
Upside
Downside

Rapid-Fire Trap Strategy
Architect
Fight the mobs normally, then rapid-fire traps at Groal from the maggot waters.
Almost immune to damage against Groal.
Struggles with mob enemies and is extremely cost-heavy for failures.

Pogo Strategy
Wanderer or Witch
Pogo off mobs and Groal, stay above the water as long as possible, then use remaining traps to finish.
Better cost-effectiveness and allows ancestral arts. Mobs are easier.
Can run out of traps, prolongs the fight, and demands more skill.

No matter which plan a player chooses, the best traps and the Pollip Pouch are highly recommended. Ascendant’s Grip, purchased from the Songclave merchant, is a must-have for wall movement and baiting attacks.

Clearing the Minions Without Wasting Traps

Before Groal shows his froggy face, five waves of minions arrive. Two separate traps swing through the arena between certain waves. The first rule is simple: do not spend traps on trash enemies. Those tools are needed for the real boss.

The safest position during the waves is on the furthest raised platforms on the left and right. A player should stick to the walls with Ascendant’s Grip, using that height to bait poison darts into predictable spots while leaving openings for counterattacks.

The first trap appears between the second and third waves. It swings in from one corner and arcs across to the other. Standing in the corner of either side platform is enough to avoid it. The second trap appears between the fourth and fifth waves. It starts the same way, but it swings back for a second pass. The player should stay in the corner until both swings are finished.

How a Pool of Maggots Becomes a Shield

Once the minions are gone, Groal arrives. The strangest and most useful fact about this fight is that the maggot water, which normally prevents healing, can make a player almost immune to Groal’s damage. The bottom left and bottom right corners of the arena are safe enough that a player does not need to heal, because they simply will not get hit.

From the corner, a player can hurl traps whenever Groal is present, especially as he reappears from a Dive. If the traps run out, which happens often with the Wanderer, the player can jump up occasionally for a single strike. The best moment is right after Groal’s Swallow attack. Staying out of the maggots for as long as possible is still smart, because it takes pressure off the trap supply.

When Groal begins using Vengeful Toad, the player should already be in the water. Juggling traps and sneaky nail hits will eventually force a stagger. The stagger cannot be punished, so the best move is to ignore it and prepare for the final stretch. By that point, most players are out of traps, and the fight becomes a matter of persistence until Groal finally falls silent.

The Reward Beyond the Bench

After the battle, a bench appears in the arena. That alone feels like a gift, but the real prize sits in the house to the left of that bench: the Seeker’s Soul. A player may not be able to use it right away, but this unique item is a key ingredient for unlocking the Silk and Soul Wish and a path to Act Three. It expands the story and the adventure far beyond Bilewater, making every death on the way to Groal feel slightly more worthwhile.

Once Act Three opens up, the hunt for more discoveries, charms, and upgrades becomes the driving force. Many players find themselves searching for similar action-adventure experiences, or even looking to grab the game for a friend who is curious about Bilewater’s horrors. That kind of enthusiasm often leads to checking store pages and sales, and it pays to know you are getting the best value before you spend. Whether you are after other challenging titles or a fresh controller for those long nights against Groal, you can [compare prices here]( to keep your wallet safe from its own ambush.

With the Seeker’s Soul in hand and the next leg of the journey waiting, the preparation before the fight matters just as much as the fight itself. That preparation applies outside the game too, especially when new gear or upcoming releases are part of the plan. Checking a few trusted price comparisons takes only a minute, and it can save enough for the next indie gem that scratches the same itch as this one does.

What Counts for 100% Completion in Silksong and What Doesn’t

Hollow Knight: Silksong completion guide details checklist items, stat upgrades, and tools needed for the 100% achievement.

Tracking down a full completion run in Hollow Knight: Silksong can feel mysterious at first. The game does not openly explain what pushes its internal percentage higher, and many players only discover the system after obtaining a particular item. Once the Farsight item is found and placed inside Hornet’s Bellhome, the current completion status becomes visible, but the exact requirements for the Completion achievement remain hidden. This guide walks through the categories that matter for a 100% run and clarifies which activities do not contribute.

In the original Hollow Knight, reaching 112% completion required collecting every Mask Shard, Vessel Fragment, Charm, Nail upgrade, equipment piece, and spell. Players also had to defeat progression-related bosses and clear miscellaneous challenges such as the Colosseum of Fools. Silksong follows a similar philosophy, though its own checklist has a few important differences.

As of the current version in 2026, the completion route remains focused on collectible categories rather than raw boss count. To earn 100% in Silksong, players must still find every stat increase item, every Needle upgrade, every ability including all Ancestral Arts and Silk Skills, every Crest, and every Tool in the game. Upgraded versions of base Tools are not counted separately, so acquiring the base Tool is enough.

The main difference from the original Hollow Knight is significant. Silksong does not require players to defeat every boss, nor does it require completing every Wish. The only bosses and Wish quests that matter for completion are those connected to one of the items on the checklist.

For example, the Broodfeast quest must be finished because it rewards the Longnail. The quest itself adds no percentage, but the Longnail does, so the quest becomes mandatory for a true 100% run. A similar rule applies to many side activities. Individual Fleas do not count toward completion, but finding 25 Fleas is one of the requirements to enter Act 3.

Progression goals follow the same logic. Players will not earn percentage for acquiring each piece of the Threefold Melody, nor does each collected Map provide any direct progress. However, because these objectives are required to reach Act 3, they are technically unavoidable on the road to 100% completion. In short, some tasks are mandatory because they unlock required items, even if the task itself does not move the percentage.

The table below summarizes what counts and what does not.

Category
Counts toward 100%?
Notes

Farsight item
No direct percentage
Unlocks the completion display in Bellhome

Stat increase items
Yes
Every one must be collected

Needle upgrades
Yes
All Needle upgrades are required

Abilities
Yes
Includes Ancestral Arts and Silk Skills

Crests
Yes
Every Crest is required

Tools
Yes
Base Tools count; upgraded versions do not add separately

Bosses
Only if tied to an item
Defeating every boss is not required

Wish quests
Only if tied to an item
Completing every Wish is not required

Individual Fleas
No
25 Fleas are needed for Act 3 progression

Threefold Melody pieces
No direct percentage
Required to reach Act 3

Maps
No direct percentage
Required for progression

Players looking to 100% Silksong should therefore focus on collecting every permanent upgrade and Tool rather than trying to clear every boss or complete every Wish. Keeping track of the Farsight display can help confirm whether a missing percentage is tied to a stat item, an ability, a Crest, or a Tool. The system rewards thorough exploration, but it does not punish players who leave optional bosses or side Wishes unfinished unless those activities guard a completion item.

A full completion journey still requires careful attention. The list of required collectibles is broad, but the distinction between direct percentage and mandatory progression is useful. By locating the Farsight item early and placing it in Hornet’s Bellhome, players can monitor their status and plan routes through Act 3 more effectively. The path to 100% is not simply a boss rush. It is a scavenger hunt through every upgrade category, with a few progression roadblocks that must be cleared along the way.

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My Journey Through Every Hollow Knight: Silksong Ending

Unlock all five Hollow Knight Silksong endings—Weaver Queen, Twisted Child, Snared Silk, Sister of the Void, Passing of the Age—with exact conditions.

I still remember the first time I reached the end of Hollow Knight: Silksong in 2026. I thought I had understood Hallownest’s fate, but then a hidden Act 3 opened up and everything changed. Depending on my actions, quests, and the bosses I defeated before the credits rolled, I could unlock one of five different endings. Some of them were straightforward, while others demanded that I leave no stone unturned. A few even forced me to start a new playthrough because it was nearly impossible to see them all in one run. Below is what I learned after chasing every ending in the game.

How Many Endings Are There in Hollow Knight: Silksong?

There are five endings in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and each one has its own achievement or trophy. They range from normal and cursed outcomes to a true ending and an extra conclusion. The table below shows every ending I found.

Ending Name
Ending Type

Weaver Queen
Normal

Twisted Child
Cursed

Snared Silk
Bad

Sister of the Void
True

Passing of the Age
Extra

Failing to meet the unlock conditions for one ending often locked me into another. That was especially true once I discovered that some endings require reaching the hidden Act 3 of Silksong.

How to Get the Weaver Queen Ending

I earned the Weaver Queen ending, which is considered the normal ending, by defeating Grand Mother Silk and binding her at the end of Act 2. After I used the Threefold Melody to unlock the elevator in the Cogwork Core, I reached the final boss of a typical playthrough. Once she fell, I chose the prompt to Bind Grand Mother Silk. Hornet then bound her power to herself, and both she and the Citadel became wrapped up in silk. As Hornet remained in the silk bindings, she began to transform before the screen cut to black. It felt like a complete but strange conclusion.

How to Get the Twisted Child Ending

The Twisted Child ending is the cursed outcome. It also requires defeating Grand Mother Silk at the end of Act 2, but I had to be cursed beforehand through one of the Wish side quests. I nearly missed it because curing the curse or entering Act 3 would have locked me out.

To become cursed, I followed these steps:

• Started the side quest called Rite of the Pollip.

• Tracked down all Pollip Hearts and completed the Pollip Wish.

• Found the Twisted Bud, an item located in Bilewater in a cradle made of vines.

• Gave the Twisted Bud to the NPC Greyroot, a Witch located in Shellwood.

• Agreed to help Greyroot after giving them the Twisted Bud.

• Began the Rite of Rebirth Wish.

• Allowed Greyroot to capture and ensnare Hornet.

• Escaped the Chapel of the Witch.

After I completed those steps, Hornet’s Silk and Needle weapon changed form, which told me a curse was lingering inside her. I then played through the rest of the game normally. I could have removed the curse by following the instructions of the character Pavo, but I kept it until Grand Mother Silk was defeated. That choice unlocked the Twisted Child ending and its unsettling cutscene.

How to Get the Snared Silk Ending

The Snared Silk ending may be the bad outcome, but it opened the door to Act 3. This was a continuation beyond Grand Mother Silk with more challenging bosses, extra levels, and far more for me to do. To unlock it, I had to complete the Silk and Soul Wish. That required four core items: The Hermit’s Soul, The Maiden’s Soul, the Seeker’s Soul, and the Snare Setter. With those items, I talked to the Caretaker NPC in Songclave to craft the Needolin, an artifact that could help defeat Grand Mother Silk.

When I defeated Grand Mother Silk with the Needolin in my inventory, a Needolin option appeared alongside Bind. I picked the Needolin option against Grand Mother Silk to get the Snared Silk ending. That choice opened up The Abyss, the hidden third story Act.

How to Get the Sister of the Void Ending

The Sister of the Void ending is the true ending, and it only appears in Act 3. That meant I had to unlock the Snared Silk ending first. Act 3 was filled with dangerous enemies and far tougher areas, but the extra effort brought me closer to the true conclusion.

For the Sister of the Void ending, I followed these steps:

• Reached Act 3 and worked through various objectives.

• Defeated the boss Nyleth in the Grand Gate to get the Pollen Heart item.

• Headed to the Sands of Karak area in Act 3.

• Defeated the Crust King Khann boss and got the Encrusted Heart item.

• Went to the Hunter’s March area.

• Defeated the boss Karmelita to get the Hunter’s Heart item.

• Started the Ritual at the Moss Grotto area.

• Reached the end of the Red Memory to gain the Overbloom item.

• Went to The Abyss area and defeated The Lost Lace boss.

There are plenty of hidden details in Silksong during the third Act that are easy to miss, but completing these goals helped me unlock the hardest ending in the game. The final boss of Act 3 demanded every skill and bit of effort I had.

How to Get the Passing of the Age Extra Ending

The final extra ending, Passing of the Age, also appears in Act 3 alongside Sister of the Void. To start reaching this outcome, I talked to the Fleamaster NPC in the Putrified Ducts once I was fully in The Abyss part of the story. Speaking to Fleamaster began the Ecstasy of the End Wish, which caused a platform to rise out of the water in the Putrified Ducts.

I pushed that platform until it reached the right end of the room. Then I used Hornet’s grappling claw to launch upward onto some higher platforms. Climbing to the upper left brought me to a room full of mushrooms. There, I inspected a spot in the Moss Grotto to talk to someone named Mister Mushroom, who later appeared in the Bone Bottom section of the map.

Mister Mushroom showed up again in Far Fields, and then a few more times in the Grey Moore, The Slab, and Mount Fay areas. After seeing the character multiple times, I talked to them a final time at the top of the Choral Chambers to complete the Wish quest that began with Fleamaster. After that final conversation, I defeated the final boss of Act 3 to receive the fifth and additional conclusion. Unlike the others, unlocking this ending displayed a To Be Continued screen before the credits, which made me think there may be even more story still to tell.

Chasing all five endings in Hollow Knight: Silksong took time, patience, and at least one extra playthrough. Some outcomes were beautiful, some were grim, and the extra ending left me wondering what could come next. If you plan to 100% this game, keep careful track of which Wish quests you complete and be ready to enter The Abyss for the true and extra conclusions.

After unlocking every ending and truly mastering Silksong’s toughest challenges, many players find themselves thinking about what to play next. Whether you are hunting for another atmospheric Metroidvania, grabbing a pre-order bonus, or just want to test a new title without overspending, it always pays to compare prices before hitting that purchase button. For those moments, taking a quick stop at DealNest can help you [find the best deal]( across various games and accessories, so your next adventure starts without stretching your budget.

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The Ford Probe Is the Forgotten Mazda-Based Sports Coupe Bargain Everyone Overlooked

Ford Probe sports car, a 1990s cult classic, offers bargain value and unique styling compared to the legendary Ford Mustang.

Ask just about any gearhead to name a Ford sports car, and the Mustang will probably roll off their tongue before they finish blinking. Fair enough—the Mustang has been a legend for decades. But between the late 1980s and late 1990s, Ford also had another two-door running around with a secret Japanese heartbeat. That car was the Ford Probe. It never set sales charts on fire, but by 2026 it has quietly peeled off its “unloved” sticker and started wearing a “bargain cult classic” badge instead.

A Shape That Screamed ‘90s

The first-generation Probe arrived for 1989, and it looked exactly like the era it was designed for. The second-generation car, produced from 1993 to 1997, went even further with a rounder, almost spaceship-like nose, a big triangular glasshouse, smooth sides, and a swooping hatchback rear end. Ford wasn’t just chasing style either. Designers worked hard to make the body as slippery as possible, which gave the Probe a futuristic look that still stands out at a 2026 cars-and-coffee meet.

The Unusual Recipe: Front Drive and No V8

For an American sports coupe, the Probe had a slightly surprising setup. It was front-wheel drive, and there was never a V8 under the hood. Instead, buyers got a mix of four-cylinder and V6 power.

First-generation engines (1989–1992)

Engine
Power
Torque

2.2L inline-4
110 hp
130 lb-ft

2.2L turbo inline-4
145 hp
190 lb-ft

3.0L Vulcan V6, 1990
140 hp
160 lb-ft

3.0L Vulcan V6, 1991–92
145 hp
165 lb-ft

Second-generation engines (1993–1997)

Engine
Power
Torque

2.0L inline-4
118 hp
127 lb-ft

2.5L V6, 1993–95
164 hp
156 lb-ft

2.5L V6, 1996–97
164 hp
160 lb-ft

Both generations could be had with a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic, and the manual was usually the enthusiast choice.

Quick Enough to Surprise People

None of those options were slow for their day. Car & Driver clocked the 2.2-liter turbo first-gen Probe at 7 seconds to 60 mph in 1989. The second-generation V6 with a 5-speed manual hit the same number. By today’s standards, that is not exactly a barn burner, but it was right at the top of the class back then. The top-dog 1991 Isuzu Impulse RS managed the same 0–60 time, which tells you the Probe could punch above its weight.

Cheaper Than the Mustang Without Feeling Cheap

The Probe also made a strong value argument. In 1989, a base Probe started around $13,600, while fully loaded examples ran about $16,500. A Fox Body Mustang GT of the same period cost around $17,512. So you could grab a loaded turbo or V6 Probe with modern looks and still spend less than a V8 Mustang. Unless someone had a serious need for V8 muscle, the Probe delivered a lot of bang for the buck.

The Almost-Mustang That Never Was

Here is a wild piece of history: the Probe was originally supposed to replace the Mustang. Ford planned it as the fourth-generation pony car, which makes sense from a cost standpoint because the Mazda-based platform was cheaper to develop than an all-new Mustang. When Ford announced that plan publicly, enthusiasts absolutely lost it. The idea of a smaller, front-wheel-drive Mustang with no V8 was too much for the faithful.

Ford actually listened. In a rare about-face, the company went back to the drawing board, created the SN95 Mustang, and repositioned the Probe as a smaller, more affordable sports coupe instead. That gave the Probe room to battle imported rivals like the Toyota Celica, Nissan 200SX, Acura Integra, and Isuzu Impulse while the Mustang kept swinging at the Chevrolet Camaro.

Global Citizen with Mazda Bones

The Probe wasn’t just an American market special. Because it was compact and built on Japanese underpinnings, Ford sold it in the UK, mainland Europe, and Australia too. In Europe it even filled part of the gap left by the much-loved Capri, though British buyers were never quite as smitten with it.

Under the skin, the first-generation Probe used Mazda’s GD platform, and the second-generation car used the GE platform. That meant the Ford Probe and Mazda MX-6 shared a huge number of mechanical parts, including most of the engines. The only major non-Mazda engine was the 3.0-liter Vulcan V6 in first-gen cars, which came from Ford’s own stable. The bodies and interiors were mostly Ford’s work, but the heartbeat underneath was all Mazda.

In North America, both the Probe and MX-6 were even built in the same Flat Rock, Michigan facility. That created a situation similar to the Mitsubishi 3000GT and Dodge Stealth, where buyers could pick the American or Japanese flavor of essentially the same sports coupe sundae.

Value and Reliability in 2026

Time has been kind to the Probe’s reputation. The old snobbery about front-wheel-drive sports cars has faded, and more people now see the Probe as seriously underrated. Its Mazda-sourced mechanical bits have also earned it a solid reputation for reliability. One former owner reported that her family’s Probe reached 250,000 miles before an accident took it off the road, with only the distributor and belt ever needing replacement.

That reputation makes the current pricing even sweeter. Classic.com estimates an average used value of around $10,569, but it’s still common to find good, presentable examples for under $7,000—and sometimes under $5,000. Project cars can cost even less. Fuel economy is decent for a sports coupe, and because so many parts came from Ford and Mazda’s 1980s and 1990s parts bins, normal maintenance remains relatively cheap and easy in 2026. Hard-to-find interior trim and Ford-specific body panels are the main things shoppers should check before buying, because aftermarket support remains niche.

The Ford Probe may have spent years flying under the radar, but that’s exactly why it still makes sense today. It’s practical enough to be a fun daily, rare enough to turn heads, and cheap enough that it won’t break the bank. For anyone who wants a 1990s sports coupe with Japanese bones and an American accent, this forgotten Ford is worth a long look.

The same instinct that leads someone to recognize the Ford Probe as a hidden gem—spotting genuine value where others see nothing special—tends to carry over into other parts of life. Once you’ve caught the deal-hunting bug, it’s hard to walk past a good bargain without at least stopping to consider it. Whether it’s sourcing parts for a restoration project, finding accessories for a weekend drive, or simply being smart about everyday purchases, that mindset pays off again and again.

That’s why resources like [DealNest]( are worth keeping in your bookmarks. It collects discounts and offers in one convenient place, making it easier to save money on the things you already enjoy—leaving more room in the budget for the next project, the next road trip, or perhaps another forgotten 1990s coupe waiting for a second chance. After all, the best deals are often the ones that require the least effort to find.

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.

Of course, experiencing memorable gaming moments like this is easier when you don’t have to break the bank to do it. Players hunting for their next challenge — or looking to revisit older titles in their backlog — can always check out [where to buy cheap games]( to keep the adventure going without draining their wallet. After all, saving a few bucks on one game just means more room in the budget for the next boss that will inevitably wreck you.

Silksong Final Audience Quest: Locating and Defeating the Second Sentinel

Silksong’s Final Audience quest and Second Sentinel boss demand all Cogwork Heart Pieces and Citadel revival to earn the Reserve Bind.

As Hornet ventures through the second act of Silksong, a seemingly minor curiosity in the form of a Cogwork Heart Piece can pull attention away from the primary path. Each recovered fragment feeds into a larger side quest that ultimately revives a Citadel protector and opens the door to the Final Audience. Completing this chain awards the Reserve Bind, a tool many players consider one of the most valuable assets in the entire game.

How to Start Final Audience

The Final Audience quest is not immediately available from the Songclave job board. A substantial checklist must be satisfied before the posting appears.

• Collect all three Cogwork Heart Pieces scattered across Pharloom and bring them to Cogwork Core, where the Cogwork Heart revives the Second Sentinel.

• Obtain the Clawline and Faydown Cloak, as these abilities grant access to the pieces and the later boss area.

• Explore and clear the High Halls, because the duel takes place in its lower levels.

• Witness two distinct encounters where the player fights alongside the Second Sentinel. The first occurs in the long corridor connecting the upper Cogwork Core entrance—the same place where the Cogwork Dancers and Songclave were fought. The second takes place in the long hall at the bottom of the Choral Chamber.

• Collect the threefold melodies needed to travel to The Cradle.

Only after all these steps are completed will the Final Audience quest appear on the Songclave job board.

Where Is the Second Sentinel?

After the prerequisites are handled, the Second Sentinel can be found in a secret room within the High Halls. The route uses the shortcut that rises directly to the bench near the forum, then follows the tracker trail exiting the top right of that screen. The sentinel waits in the hidden room to the right and initiates the fight after a brief conversation.

How to Beat Second Sentinel

The Second Sentinel is an aggressive duelist with movements that echo Lace, though the encounter is generally more demanding than the Cradle battle against Lace.

The opening attack often begins with a cross-shaped telegraph. An X flashes on screen before an explosion of light expands across a larger X pattern. The safest response is to retreat and occupy the spaces between the arms of the cross.

The base moveset includes jump-and-diagonal lunges, thrusting attacks that close distance, and a parry counterattack that unleashes a rapid flurry of stabs. A more distinctive spinning leap sends a wave of light projectiles across the arena.

Attack
Description
Suggested Response

Cross Explosion
X telegraph, then large X light burst
Back off into spaces between arms

Jump or Diagonal Lunge
Closing leaping slash
Move away or under, then punish

Thrust Chain
Multiple rapid stabs
Continue dodging; do not counter early

Parry Counter
Flurry after blocking player strike
Avoid careless attacks near block

Spinning Leap Projectiles
Spins and casts light wave
Jump or hover to avoid projectiles

What makes the boss dangerous is adaptability. Thrusts do not end when avoided; they chain into multiple follow-up stabs. Leaping attacks shift to track the player’s movement, preventing easy dodges by reading a locked animation. The sentinel rarely backs off, making healing windows scarce.

Because there is no obvious weakness, the best approach is to use the arena’s verticality. Hovering near a wall to heal can create safer moments. In the final phase, spending stored shards on ranged tools can shorten the fight. Constant movement and small, patient hits are more reliable than trying to force an opening.

Rewards for Completing Final Audience

After the Second Sentinel falls, they leave behind the Reserve Bind. This blue-coded tool grants one additional reserve of silk that can be used for healing at any time, even when the normal silk supply is too low to heal normally.

In tense fights where gathering silk is impossible, the Reserve Bind offers a comeback option. Players can activate the backup reserve and return to the offensive instead of waiting for a safe healing window. Combined with the satisfaction of finishing the Final Audience chain, it is a reward that justifies the lengthy setup.

Completing the Final Audience chain is a memorable milestone, and the thrill of conquering the Second Sentinel often leaves players hungry for more demanding action games. If you are looking to expand your library with similar titles, checking store prices is always a smart first step before committing to a purchase.

For those ready to move on to the next challenge, DealNest offers a convenient way to track prices across multiple storefronts. Its [game price comparison]( helps you spot discounts and compare editions, so you can spend less time shopping and more time enjoying your next brutal encounter.

Hollow Knight: Silksong – Grand Mother Silk Boss Strategy and Extended Ending Guide

Beat Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Grand Mother Silk boss with these crest and tool picks, then counter Phase 1 cross-silk and Phase 2 claw lunges.

At the end of Act 2 in Hollow Knight: Silksong, players finally come face to face with the Grand Mother Silk, the towering weaver whose threads hold the Citadel together. After defeating Lace in The Cradle and unlocking a short side path with a bench and elevator, the real test begins. How should a player prepare for one of Pharloom’s most punishing duels? The answer lies in careful crest selection, a well-stocked tool pouch, and a clear understanding of the boss’s two distinct phases.

Crest Suggestions

Two crests stand out for this fight. The Architect’s Crest lets Hornet make full use of traps and Shakra’s Rings, though it disables special silk abilities. That trade-off can be worth it for players who enjoy controlling space. The Reaper’s Crest, by contrast, slows movement while increasing the weight of every attack. It rewards patience and planning: a well-timed heavy hit can stagger the boss more quickly than a flurry of light strikes. Which crest suits the fight better? That depends on whether the player prefers area control or burst damage.

Tool Suggestions

Tool
Effect

Shakra’s Rings
Ricochet around the arena, hitting the boss multiple times.

Flea Brew
Speeds up movement and attack frequency.

Plasmoid Phial
Adds temporary blue mask health.

Pollip Pouch
Adds poison to attacks to whittle down the boss.

Fractured Mask
Saves Hornet from one otherwise fatal critical attack.

Phase 1: Cross-Silk and Weaving Pins

Phase one introduces the majority of the Grand Mother Silk’s attacks. The most dangerous is the cross-silk attack that sweeps across the screen. Players should double jump and glide over the threads, but only after the threads flash. Jumping too early can leave Hornet tangled in the silk, and if that happens, the boss will grab her and deliver a nearly deadly finisher. The timing question is simple: do not jump until the flash.

Large weaving pins also appear. They rotate in the air before either embedding into the ground or flying horizontally across the arena. The direction is telegraphed by the way the pins turn, and they launch once the boss lowers her hand. Players should find the gaps quickly and use a swift step or midair grapple to avoid horizontal pins. Ground-embedded pins deal no further damage and can be stepped through safely. Stagger the boss twice to move into Phase 2.

Phase 2: Falling Rocks and Claw Lunges

When the Grand Mother Silk falls off screen, it can feel like victory, but that relief is premature. Rocks soon fall from the sky, and the boss reappears angrier than before. Dust on either end of the arena signals incoming boulders, so players must watch both edges while dodging. The boss also gains a lunge claw attack: a small sound and a flick of her hand precede a fast dive at Hornet’s last position. Jump and glide over the boss, while keeping an eye on falling boulders.

Falling pins glow again, but this time they can be used as platforms. Once a pin is embedded in the ground, it deals no further damage, so pogoing off it can help avoid the boss’s slash lunge. Stagger the Grand Mother Silk two final times to open the Bind prompt. Binding the boss ends the fight and triggers a cutscene: the Citadel falls but is held by white silk threads, indicating that Hornet has become the new Grand Mother Silk and continues the silken curse across Pharloom. The fight also unlocks Steel Soul mode, Silksong’s hardcore setting with no rebirths and permanent death.

Extended Ending Requirements

For players chasing the second ending, preparation starts long before the boss fight. The requirements are extensive: complete all available wish board side quests, awaken the Second Sentinel, move the Flea Caravan to the lake area in the Putrified Ducts by finding at least 22 fleas, finish Shakra’s wish, and finish the Wish for the Shamans. Only then can the alternative route be attempted.

Before defeating the Grand Mother Silk once more, the player must speak to the Shaman hiding on the left to affirm the second ending. The boss fight follows the same steps, but this time the player uses the Needolin instead of Bind. As the battle closes, threads ensnare the Grand Mother Silk. When she grabs Hornet to drag her down, Lace appears and rescues her before falling alongside the boss. The Citadel begins to crumble, but black threads take over instead of white, hinting at a darker outcome. This ending unlocks Act 3, tasking players with saving all of Pharloom from their own misguided help. Both endings grant achievements: Weaver Queen and Snared Silk.

Could a simple tool choice or a poorly timed jump change the fate of Pharloom? In the Grand Mother Silk’s arena, every second matters. With these strategies, players can face the weaver queen with confidence and decide which thread of fate to pull.

Mastering the Grand Mother Silk is the kind of milestone that lingers long after the screen fades to black. Whether players are chasing the extended ending or gearing up for the permanent-death challenge of Steel Soul mode, each victory sets the stage for another run through Pharloom’s twisted corridors. The sense of accomplishment is real, and the desire to replay — or share — the experience only grows.

For those ready to dive back in, perhaps on a different platform or with a fresh save file, it pays to plan ahead. Comparing storefront offers before buying can save a few coins for the next adventure, so take a moment to [check game prices]( and make the most of every run.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Lost Lace Guide: Builds, Phases, and Void Dodging

Hollow Knight: Silksong Lost Lace guide offers optimal loadouts and strategies for Hornet’s intense void-soaked showdown.

By 2026, plenty of dedicated Hollow Knight: Silksong players have already stared into the abyss long enough to know that Lost Lace is not just a reskin - it is an absolute gauntlet. The final showdown pits Hornet against a void-soaked Lace after diving into the abyss, and the fight demands every mask shard, every needle upgrade, and a healthy dose of patience. This guide breaks down a reliable loadout, all major attack patterns, and the least sanity-draining ways to survive the void waves without launching a controller through a window.

Recommended Loadout

The beauty of Silksong’s tool system is that a loadout does not have to be gospel. Still, some picks for Lost Lace are borderline mandatory. Magnetite Dice acts like a tiny insurance policy by occasionally blocking a hit, while Cling Grip lets Hornet wall-hang when the floor turns into void soup. The preferred setup pairs Multibinder, Injector Band, and the Warding Bell for rapid double heals and protection against interrupted healing. Players who prefer raw damage can swap in Claw Mirrors instead.

For red tools, the Cogfly is a set-and-forget damage machine, ideal for keeping pressure on Lace while Hornet focuses on staying alive. Sting shards were equipped but did nothing useful - like bringing a toothpick to a war. The silk skill choice comes down to taste: Cross-Stitch can parry Lace, but Pale Nails tend to be the safer bet for players who prefer saving silk for heals.

Before stepping in, players should grab every Mask Shard and all four Needle upgrades. It might sound like a grind, but the extra survivability and damage make the fight far less miserable.

Phase One: Old Moves, New Void

Lace’s opening moves are recognisable from the second encounter, just with more void pizzazz. The dash-lunge sequence deserves special attention. Lace performs two lunges with void tendrils trailing behind, and the third attack depends on positioning. If Hornet keeps distance, Lace will almost always lunge again; if above her, she will hop into the air and dive. Keeping distance is the smart play because after three dashes Lace takes a long breather - perfect for a punishing combo.

When Lace teleports and draws an arm back without pulling out her blade, she is about to sprout void tendrils from the ground. The move is surprisingly easy to punish: jump behind her and unleash a flurry. If she leaps into the air, getting directly underneath for an upward slash is a solid response, but staying alert for her dive kick follow-up is essential.

Parry-happy players should know that when Lace parries, jumping and dashing toward her shuts down both the grounded and aerial counterattack. On the ground, hitting her mid-attack works well; in the air, waiting for her to land is safer. For everything else, it is standard slash attacks. Players should not get greedy - they should just keep distance and wait for the scream that signals Phase Two.

Attack
Tell
Counter

Triple lunge
Two lunges with tendrils, third depends on range
Keep range, punish after the third lunge

Void tendril burst
Teleports and draws an arm back
Jump behind and attack

Aerial dive kick
Jumps straight up
Get under her, slash up, then react

Parry punish
She parries a hit
Jump and dash toward her or wait for landing

Phase Two: The Void Takes the Wheel

Phase Two does not reinvent the wheel, but it mixes in more void nonsense. When Lace raises her arms, tendrils sprout from the floor, and she stays dangerously active while they do. Players should watch for the visual cue, then move rather than mindlessly attacking.

Occasionally Lace does her best Hollow Knight impression: rising up and unleashing a burst of void orbs from her chest. These projectiles are easiest to dodge while staying grounded. Once the pattern feels comfortable, this attack becomes one of the best damage windows in the phase.

The golden rule for Phase Two is minding the floor. Tendrils can pop up during half of her attacks, so positioning matters almost as much as timing. With clean counters and a little patience, Lace goes down and triggers the intermission.

Intermission: Surfing the Void (or Cheesing It)

Between Phases Two and Three, Grand Mother Silk lets out a scream, gets unbound, and falls. Massive void waves then rush in from both sides of the arena. During this intermission - and later in Phase Three - the intended play is to quickly use the Faydown Cloak and then grapple or dash over the wave.

But this is a certified cheese-friendly moment. One reliable method is to Super Jump, hook onto the ceiling, and stall with the grapple and floating cloak until the wave passes. Cling Grip on a wall is even simpler. That said, players should still practice dodging the waves normally, since the hitbox is much smaller than the visuals suggest. Skimming the top layer is entirely possible, and entering the final phase with confidence helps a lot.

Final Phase: Faster, Messier, Voidier

After two void waves, Lace erupts from the ground, screeches, then drops back into the nothingness. Skilled players can tag her during the fall, but it is tricky. In the final phase, cooldowns shrink dramatically, so Hornet’s own attack windows shrink too.

The advice here is simple: throw out two or three Cogflies, let them do passive damage, and only go in for hits when it is undeniably safe. The screen gets visually crowded, so when overwhelmed, players should jump and stall in the air until the next sound cue. Turning off Screen Shake is also a pro move if the chaos is too much.

Two new projectile hazards stand out. First, black and white circles floating in the air spawn homing projectiles that feel deathly accurate - stay grounded and get away from them. Second, large circles with a pure white aura are three-mask traps. Lace always flies out of the final circle to trigger it, so punishing her the second she exits is the play, but avoiding the follow-up shockwave is just as important.

The rest of the attacks are unchanged, but the speed increase means only one or two hits per punish instead of two or three. Timing everything right still works like a charm; it just requires quicker hands and less greed.

When Lace finally drops, the last step is almost merciful. Hornet picks up Lace’s now void-free body, borrows Grand Mother Silk’s strength, and Super Jumps out of the abyss with Lace in her arms. It is nearly impossible to mess up this cinematic moment - fitting, because after this fight, players deserve a victory lap without any extra button prompts.

Once the final cutscene fades and Lace is carried to safety, the longing for that next adrenaline spike usually kicks in fast. Hunters who enjoyed this fight often find themselves browsing for similarly brutal and atmospheric adventures, and the itch is real.

That’s where smart shopping comes in handy. A dependable [steam deal finder]( tracks the latest discounts across Steam, so finding your next punishing challenge doesn’t have to drain your wallet. In the end, the sweetest victory is beating the game, not getting beaten by the price tag.

Hell Is Us Director Calls Silksong Shadow Drop ‘A Little Callous’

Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release date announcement overshadowed Hell Is Us, sparking debate among indie game developers.

When Team Cherry finally lifted the curtain on Hollow Knight: Silksong’s release date, the indie world didn’t just sit up—it scrambled. After seven years of waiting, players had exactly two weeks to prepare. But while fans celebrated, a wave of developers quietly opened their calendars and did some panicked arithmetic. One of those developers, Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, director of Hell Is Us, has now described the last-minute announcement as “a little callous.”

Speaking on the Friends Per Second podcast, Jacques-Belletête did not mince words about the way the Silksong release date landed. He called the shadow drop a bold move from a studio that must have known its gravitational pull. “When you know you’re that big, I think a shadow drop is a bit like, wow,” he said. “As the ‘GTA 6 of indie’… to shadow drop something like this is a little callous.”

The issue wasn’t the quality of Silksong—it was the timing. Hell Is Us and Hollow Knight: Silksong both launched on September 4, 2025. A game of Silksong’s size getting a two-week warning left other studios scrambling. Some smaller teams moved their release dates to avoid the collision, a luxury not every project could afford.

Jacques-Belletête acknowledged that Team Cherry had every right to pick its date, but the fallout was uneven. “We’re still much bigger than some of the smaller ones who would have gotten a lot more affected and who decided to change their dates,” he explained. “Changing the date of Hell Is Us would have been a pretty big endeavour.” Marketing plans, retail coordination, and months of build-up would have been thrown into disarray. For a studio the size of Rogue Factor, shifting a launch at the eleventh hour was not just a matter of flipping a calendar page—it was a logistical sinkhole.

The numbers told a brutal story. While Silksong vacuumed up attention, Hell Is Us still managed to peak at nearly 5,000 concurrent players during its launch weekend. That might sound modest, but compare it to Atari’s Adventure of Samsara, a metroidvania that also launched on September 4, 2025. Its peak concurrent player count sat at 15. Fifteen. That is not a typo. The game had the misfortune of sharing a birthday with one of the most anticipated indie sequels in history, and it paid the price.

Other indie titles saw the writing on the wall and got out of Dodge. Baby Steps, Demonschool, and several smaller projects shifted their dates rather than face the Silksong steamroller. In hindsight, that looked like the smart play. No amount of goodwill could compete with a shadow-dropped juggernaut.

Game
Release Decision
Outcome

Hell Is Us
Held its ground
Peaked near 5,000 concurrent players

Adventure of Samsara
Held its ground
Peaked at 15 concurrent players

Baby Steps / Demonschool
Moved
Avoided a direct launch collision

Looking back from 2026, the whole episode remains a case study in how one big announcement can send shockwaves through the indie ecosystem. Jacques-Belletête does not seem bitter—he is happy the team stuck to its guns. But he also does not sugarcoat the reality: when a game as massive as Silksong appears out of nowhere, the little guys have to make impossible choices. Some dodge. Some hold the line. And some, like Adventure of Samsara, simply get caught in the blast radius.

The director’s “callous” comment may ruffle feathers, but it names a real tension in the industry. There is no rule that says a giant must give smaller studios breathing room. Yet for developers who spent years polishing their games, a two-week notice can feel like showing up to a knife fight only to find the other guy brought a tank. In the end, Hell Is Us survived the collision, but the scars—and the what-ifs—remain.

For players, the silver lining of these overcrowded launch windows is that smart spending has never been more important. With so many releases landing on the same day—and with some of them vanishing into obscurity within hours—savvy shoppers have learned to wait, compare, and strike when the price is right. Whether it’s a hidden gem that got swept up in a bigger launch or a AAA title that slipped under the radar, there’s no shame in holding out for a better deal before making the call.

That’s where a little patience pays off. Instead of paying full price for games that might drop in value just weeks later, seasoned players turn to price-tracking tools and storefront aggregators to [find the best deal]( across the platforms they trust. In an industry where timing can mean the difference between a hit and a footnote, waiting for the right moment to buy is sometimes the smartest move a player can make—especially once the steamroller has already passed.

That Time a Mouse Cursor Became Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Unlikely Canon Star

Hollow Knight: Silksong’s hidden mouse cursor cameo turns a tense cutscene into a charming, humanizing glitch fans are celebrating.

I have waited so long for Hollow Knight: Silksong that my hairline has physically receded in anticipation. As a regular player, not a lore scholar or a speedrunner, I just wanted a beautiful, punishing metroidvania with no rough edges. And honestly? Team Cherry delivered. Silksong is polished to a ridiculous degree. Every nail strike feels intentional, every room feels handcrafted, every boss feels like a personal attack from someone who loves me enough to destroy me.

So you can imagine my delight when I learned that, hidden in one of the game’s few cutscenes, a tiny mouse cursor decided to make a guest appearance.

The scene itself is already a wild ride. Hornet straps herself into a chair inside a small tube, and the whole thing starts cracking under pressure. It’s the kind of claustrophobic, ‘oh no, what have I done’ moment that makes Silksong so good. But according to Redditor SooperWooper7044, if you keep your eyes peeled near the top of the screen, you’ll spot the real star: a mouse cursor. It pops in, hovers for a beat, and then dips out like it just remembered it left the oven on.

You know what? I kind of love it.

That little cursor is the most relatable thing in the entire game. It’s the personification of every player who has ever peeked into a room, realized things were getting intense, and quietly backed away. Come on, Team Cherry. You’ve made a universe full of gods, moths, and existential dread—and this cursor is now canon. There’s no way around it.

The video evidence is out there, too. If you want to see it in motion and don’t mind mild cutscene spoilers, a YouTuber named Sirloin has a cutscene compilation. The cursor cameo shows up around the 3 minute and 42 second mark. I won’t drop a link here because, let’s be real, you know how to search. But trust me, the little guy is there, doing absolutely nothing and somehow stealing the entire scene.

What gets me is how humanizing this mistake is. Team Cherry has spent so many years polishing Silksong that I started to think of them as robots in tiny developer hats, hunched over keyboards with no snacks and no mistakes. Then a single mouse cursor wanders into frame, says ‘oops, wrong timeline,’ and leaves. It’s a tiny crack in the armor. No biggie. It doesn’t break the game. It doesn’t ruin the cutscene unless you’re the kind of person who counts pixels instead of having fun. But it does make me smile.

🖱️ Canonical Cursor Lore: A Very Serious Analysis

• Name: Cursor, the Unblinking

• Occupation: Fleeing from the top of the frame

• Favorite pastime: Hovering ominously above Hornet

• Current status: legendary, possibly unstoppable

I mean, seriously. The pressure in that tube is supposed to be unbearable. Hornet is strapped down, the glass is groaning, and somewhere in the top corner, a little digital arrow is vibing. Maybe it’s not a bug at all. Maybe it’s a new higher being. The Pale Cursor. The Void Pointer. The Watcher of Menus. I can already see the fan theories forming.

If Team Cherry patches it out, I’ll be a little sad. Sure, the game will be that much closer to perfect. But I’ll always remember the moment I saw a mouse cursor in a Hollow Knight cutscene and felt, for just a second, like I was in on the secret. Like the developers were still human. Like even the most carefully crafted worlds can have a tiny, hilarious crack run through them.

…And honestly? That’s more comforting than any perfectly polished cutscene ever could be.

Moments like this cursor cameo are exactly why I love digging through every corner of a game. It’s the small, unexpected finds—the glitches, the Easter eggs, the developer in-jokes—that make playing through a world feel personal. It’s also why I never stop checking for new reasons to dive back into games I thought I’d already finished, or to grab a fresh title that scratches that same metroidvania itch while we all wait for more Silksong news.

If you’re anything like me, you might find yourself browsing your wishlist a little more often than is healthy. A good [steam deal finder]( can help you spot the next atmospheric, exploration-heavy gem at a price that makes hitting “buy” feel as satisfying as landing that last hit on a boss. Because let’s be honest—finding a great game on sale is its own kind of accidental victory, almost as good as spotting a rogue mouse cursor in a cutscene.

Silksong’s Savage Beastfly Rematch: Surviving Lava for a Mask Shard

Hollow Knight Silksong’s Savage Beastfly Wish returns as a brutal Far Fields rematch; unlock prerequisites and use the Magma Bell to defeat it.

Hollow Knight: Silksong already had the nerve to introduce one of the most hated bosses in Metroidvania history. Did anyone ask for the Savage Beastfly to return? Absolutely not. Did Team Cherry listen? Also absolutely not. Instead, they placed a rematch atop a pit of lava with temporary platforms, then had the audacity to dangle a Mask Shard in front of every poor soul willing to suffer through it twice. As of 2026, the Savage Beastfly Wish remains one of those fights that makes a player question their life choices while simultaneously refusing to give up.

How To Begin The Savage Beastfly Wish

Before anyone can get roasted like a particularly stubborn marshmallow, they need to make sure the Wish actually appears. The exact prerequisites can be a bit mysterious, but the following conditions were reported when the quest showed up:

• Acquired Clawline and the Faydown Cloak.

• Defeated the original Savage Beastfly in Hunter’s March.

• Began the tasks to collect three melodies within the Citadel by defeating the Clockwork Dancers.

If the Wish still refuses to appear on the Bellhart Wishboard, players should double-check those baseline steps. Still no luck? A few extra unlocks have been known to help nudge it into existence:

• Fully expanding Bellhart and completing all earlier Bellhart wishes.

• Finishing the Skull Tyrant Wish.

• Opening the Songclave.

• Receiving a nail upgrade.

Once the Wish is accepted, the hunter travels to the Far Fields Bellway Station. From the central vertical room, the trail begins near the top left corner toward Greymoor. Following the translucent path around the west side of the map is mercifully simple because the locations sit close together along a natural route. Eventually, that glowing breadcrumb trail leads straight back to the arena where the Fourth Chorus boss was fought after receiving the Drifter’s Cloak. Ah yes, nostalgia.

How To Defeat The Savage Beastfly At The Far Fields

Here is the cruel joke: the Savage Beastfly itself has not changed. Not one move. Not one combo. It is the exact same winged menace from the first fight, but now someone has replaced the floor with breakable platforms and added a fiery spear-throwing minion to make sure no safe corner exists for long.

Before stepping into the arena, a player should absolutely equip the Magma Bell. This inexpensive tool can be purchased from Forge Daughter in the Deep Docks, which is conveniently not too far away. With the Magma Bell equipped, fire and magma damage is reduced by a full mask. That is not just useful; it is practically a love letter to anyone tired of melting.

The second biggest threat is the new fire-spear minion. This delightful little spear chucker can temporarily make sections of the platform unusable, which is exactly what a fight on crumbling ground needed. The best answer is a Sting Shard and Pollip Pouch combination. A well-placed Sting Shard can sometimes delete the minion with a single trap, especially with enough tool kit upgrades.

To actually claim the Mask Shard, the player must defeat the Savage Beastfly and donate its drop to the Bellhart donation box. The fight is not complicated, but it is exhausting. A few tips make it manageable:

Danger
Countermeasure

New fire-spear minion appears
Kill it immediately, ideally with a Sting Shard

Savage Beastfly travels erratically
Do not pogo too much and throw off its path

Downward slam attacks
Try to keep the Beastfly on one side of the arena

Running out of platform space
Double jump high and float with Drifter’s Cloak until new space appears

Cannot dodge an attack
With Magma Bell equipped, choose lava instead of the fly

Does that sound like a pleasant afternoon? Not exactly. But the silver lining is that this is supposedly the final time anyone has to fight the Savage Beastfly. Probably. The Mask Shard is the prize, and the knowledge that this winged nightmare will finally buzz off for good is, frankly, the emotional support every player needs.

After a fight this demanding, it is almost inevitable that some players will want to take a break, upgrade their setup, or perhaps buy a copy of the game for a friend so they can suffer through the Savage Beastfly together. Video game accessories, snacks, and even the game itself can put a dent in the wallet, which is why it pays to do a little research before handing over the card. Whether hunting for a discounted Steam key or a more comfortable controller to survive those long platforming sessions, a quick stop to [compare prices here]( can save enough coin to justify the next great purchase.

With the Mask Shard finally pocketed and the Beastfly defeated, the journey in Pharloom continues, but at least the next battle will be fought with fresh gear and a lighter bank account. There is a satisfying rhythm to preparing for a big fight: learn the arena, stock up on tools, and secure the best deal for whatever is needed next. Keeping one eye on the market and one eye on the boss’s attack patterns is a strategy that works outside and inside the game.

All Main Story Quests and Wishes in Hollow Knight Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong includes 21 main quests and 54 Wishes; one run caps at 20 main quests. Regular ending needs 9, true ending and 100% demand more.

Hollow Knight: Silksong structures its adventure through a layered system of main story quests and optional Wishes, guiding players across the vast kingdom of Pharloom. The campaign is divided into three acts, and across those acts the game contains a total of 21 main story quests. However, a player will only be able to complete at most 20 of these quests during a single playthrough. This restriction is linked to a branching point that is highlighted by the asterisk placed next to the Soul Snare quest. Players who aim for the regular ending can conclude the journey after finishing only nine main story quests.

The complete set of main story quests in Hollow Knight: Silksong is recorded below. These quests form the backbone of Hornet’s journey through the game’s regions and narrative beats.

Main Story Quest

1
The Great Citadel

2
The Threadspun Town

3
Grand Gate

4
Silent Halls

5
Pharloom’s Crown

6
Conductor’s Melody

7
Vaultkeeper’s Melody

8
Architect’s Melody

9
Pale Monarch

10
Soul Snare *

11
After The Fall

12
Awaiting the End

13
Beast in the Bells

14
The Dark Below

15
Return to Pharloom

16
Spell Seeker

17
The Old Hearts

18
Heart of Might

19
Heart of the Woods

20
Heart of the Wild

21
Last Dive

The main story quests carry Hornet through a wide range of environments and objectives. Several quests follow a clear thematic chain, such as the trio of melodies connected to the Conductor, the Vaultkeeper, and the Architect. Later entries focus on the Old Hearts and a sequence of four Heart quests, which point toward Pharloom’s deeper mysteries and the hidden forces shaping the kingdom. The final main quest, Last Dive, serves as the closing narrative step for runs that unlock its full path.

Beyond the main story, Hollow Knight: Silksong includes 54 side quests known as Wishes. These Wishes are optional for reaching the regular ending, but they become essential for players who want to see everything the game has to offer. To unlock the third act and experience the true ending, a fairly large number of Wishes must be completed. Likewise, players who hope to achieve 100% completion will need to clear every available main quest and every Wish.

The completion thresholds in Hollow Knight: Silksong can be summarized as follows:

• 🎮 Regular ending: complete 9 main story quests

• 🌙 True ending: complete all three acts and a substantial portion of the 54 Wishes

• ✅ 100% completion: complete all available main story quests and all 54 Wishes

The asterisk attached to Soul Snare is a notable detail for completionists. Because of this special case, a single run can only include 20 of the 21 main story quests. This means that seeing every quest in the game may require careful routing or a second playthrough with different choices. The Wishes add another layer of depth by rewarding exploration, NPC interactions, and optional challenges scattered throughout Pharloom. For players who want the full Hollow Knight: Silksong experience, tracking both the main quests and the Wishes is just as important as mastering Hornet’s combat and movement abilities.

With such a dense list of objectives, it is no surprise that many players plan their entire playthrough well in advance. Between the main quests, the Wishes, and the special routing required for the Soul Snare quest, Hornet’s journey through Pharloom can easily stretch to dozens of hours. Whether you are diving in for the first time or preparing for a completionist run, being sure you have the right version of the game is just as important as knowing every questline.

For anyone still deciding where to pick up Hollow Knight: Silksong, it is worth checking a few retailers before committing. Prices can vary across platforms and regional stores, and a quick search may save you a little extra that you can put toward future DLC or other indie gems. If you want to make the most of your budget, you can [compare prices here]( before your journey to Pharloom begins.

Silksong Patch 2: Team Cherry Fixes Bugs, Keeps the Pain Deliciously Intact

Hollow Knight: Silksong Patch 2 arrives with essential bug fixes but skips balance changes, prolonging the brutal difficulty debate.

I’ll admit it: I have a love-hate relationship with Hollow Knight: Silksong where the “hate” part is mostly me yelling at a boss named Sister Splinter while my cat judges me from the couch. The game is brilliant, but the discourse around it has become a rotating monologue about difficulty. Yes, it’s harder than the first game. Yes, some moments feel like the developers studied frustration in a lab. But we signed up for a Metroidvania with Soulslike combat, so expecting a gentle meadow stroll is like buying a pet scorpion and complaining it doesn’t fetch.

Last week, Team Cherry dropped a patch that actually touched difficulty, and I felt a flicker of hope. They updated the Moorwing and Sister Splinter fights, slightly reduced Bellway and Bell Bench prices, increased rosary rewards from relics and psalm cylinders, boosted courier delivery rosaries, and made Sandcarvers hit less like a falling cathedral. Modders had already been elbowing their way into the difficulty conversation, so I wondered if the official team was about to follow up with a second course of pain relief. Then Patch 2 details arrived, and I saw the menu: no balance changes, just a plate of bug fixes. My hope went back into its cocoon.

That image above might as well be a framed portrait of my emotional state. Team Cherry is treating balance changes like a wasp nest in the attic: they see it, they nod, and they quietly close the door. They are not ignoring the game; they are just very comfortable with the hornet-themed pain they have built.

Now, before I sound ungrateful, let me be clear: bug fixes matter. Silksong version 1.0.28626 is live on the public beta branch, and the Steam announcement says the first patch dealt mainly with critical issues. This new one, in their words, ‘focuses on a few still remaining, while also cleaning up some bugs around specific tools.’ That is useful. It is the video game equivalent of finally fixing the squeaky hinge on a torture rack: the rack remains a rack, but at least the hinge is quieter.

Here are the Patch 2 highlights, presented as a table because my brain needs structure before another Sister Splinter attempt:

Change
What It Means for Me

Added Dithering effect option in Advanced video settings
Reduces colour banding but can slightly soften foreground assets. Defaults to ‘Off’, so I can continue pretending my monitor is fine.

Updated Herald’s Wish achievement description
Now clarifies players must both complete the wish and finish the game. Good, because cryptic achievements are like riddles wrapped in a migraine.

Cocoon positions updated in some locations
Prevents cocoons from spawning in inaccessible areas. Finally, the game stops placing treasure behind walls like a passive-aggressive interior decorator.

Further reduced chance of Silk Snippers getting stuck out of bounds in Chapel of the Reaper battle
Fewer enemies moonwalking through walls, which is nice when I am already fighting the reaper.

Fixed Liquid Lacquer courier delivery not being accessible in Steel Soul mode
Steel Soul runners can now access a delivery without the game laughing at them.

I do not want to overstate my skill. I am not an elite speedrunner. I am an ordinary player whose main strategy is ‘walk in, get hit, learn pattern, still get hit.’ The previous difficulty tweaks were genuinely welcome. Reducing Sandcarver damage felt like someone removed a single hornet from the swarm. But Patch 2 confirms that Team Cherry may be happy with where balance currently stands, and honestly, I kind of respect that. Silksong’s difficulty is the puddle of lava in a platformer: everyone complains, but we keep jumping into it on purpose.

That second image is the visual version of the phrase ‘we fixed the door, not the dragon behind it.’ I am not mad. I am just tired in a way that feels specifically designed for Silksong. The patch is still on the public beta branch, so if you want to test the dithering option and improved cocoon placement before it goes wide, you can hop in. Just do not expect your muscle memory to get a vacation.

In 2026, we have had enough patches to know Team Cherry is methodical, maybe even stubborn. They will clean bugs, polish tools, and leave the difficulty mostly alone. Part of me wants a balance pass that makes the Moorwing fight feel less like a rhythmic gymnastics routine performed inside a blender. Another part of me knows that if the game suddenly got easier, I would complain about that too. Players are like cats: we demand the door be opened, then we sit in the doorway and hiss at the outside.

So I will keep playing. I will appreciate the fixed courier delivery in Steel Soul mode, smile at the dithering option, and continue to be absolutely demolished by whatever remains. Patch 2 may not be the balance rescue I imagined, but it is a sign Team Cherry is still tending the garden. They are just not removing the thorn bushes.

Between those continued play sessions and the wait for Patch 2 to go live, I have found myself spending more time than I would like hunting down decent prices on the games that pile up in my backlog. It is a familiar loop for anyone who games regularly: a patch drops, a new trailer appears, or a friend mentions a hidden gem, and suddenly the wishlist grows. With so many releases vying for attention, keeping the spending under control is its own kind of boss battle.

Having a single place to check for price drops and promotions makes that fight a little easier, which is where [DealNest]( entered my routine. It rounds up the kind of gaming deals that let me justify one more purchase without wincing at the checkout screen. Whether the next Silksong patch brings a secret new boss or just more polish, my wallet will be ready for whatever Team Cherry throws at me next - even if my reflexes are not.

Hollow Knight Silksong Surpasses Metroid Sales Records in Record Time

Hollow Knight: Silksong sales hit 4.2M in under a month, eclipsing Metroid Dread, the best-selling Metroid game.

In the sprawling, often unpredictable landscape of indie gaming, few stories feel as remarkable as the continued rise of Team Cherry. The original Hollow Knight, a hauntingly beautiful hand-drawn adventure through the forgotten kingdom of Hallownest, was already an unprecedented success, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Given that massive footprint, it is hardly surprising that its long-awaited sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, is shattering records of its own. Yet, the scale of that achievement is still genuinely staggering. Could anyone have predicted that a studio consisting of just three developers would one day eclipse the lifetime sales of an entire legendary franchise entry in under a month?

According to estimates from GDCo, the performance of Silksong since its 2025 launch has been nothing short of meteoric. In less than a month, the title reportedly moved 3.2 million copies on Steam alone, with an additional 500,000 copies sold on both the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation platforms respectively. While these figures do not account for Xbox sales, largely due to the complexity introduced by the Game Pass subscription service, the combined estimated total of 4.2 million units is enough to place Silksong firmly above the best-selling game in the Metroid series. This is a particularly poetic turn of events, especially considering how often the Hollow Knight franchise has been compared to Nintendo’s iconic space-faring bounty hunter series.

How Hollow Knight Sales Compare To Metroid

The comparison between these two titans of the Metroidvania genre highlights just how dramatically the landscape has shifted. After years of anticipation and silence from Team Cherry, the release of Silksong felt less like a standard game launch and more like a cultural event, one that was powerful enough to crash entire storefronts. The numbers paint a vivid picture of this dominance.

Game
Copies Sold

Hollow Knight
15 million

Hollow Knight: Silksong
Estimated 4.2 million

Metroid Dread
3.07 million

Metroid Prime
2.8 million

Metroid
2.73 million

The trajectory here is astonishing. With only two games under its belt, the Hollow Knight series has amassed roughly 19.2 million copies sold. To put that into perspective, that figure is dangerously close to the lifetime sales of the entire Metroid franchise, which sits at approximately 22.6 million units across numerous entries spanning decades. When considering that Silksong launched with a remarkably accessible $20 price tag, one cannot help but ask: did the low barrier to entry create a perfect storm for one of the most profitable indie launches of the decade?

The financial implications of these sales figures are as breathtaking as the game’s intricate level design. Based on the aforementioned sales data, GDCo speculates that Silksong has generated over $50 million in revenue from Steam alone for Team Cherry. For a studio of just three developers to achieve such a return is a testament not only to the quality of the product but to the power of dedicated fan communities. In an era where blockbuster budgets often reach hundreds of millions, Silksong stands as a beacon of what can be achieved with artistic vision, tight mechanics, and patience.

Suffice to say, Silksong has established itself as one of the biggest hits of the year. The gap between it and its contemporaries is vast. Other indie Metroidvanias, such as the cyberpunk-styled Bladechimera, do not come close to matching this success, reportedly reaching just one percent of Silksong’s purported sales. This disparity raises an interesting question about the current state of the genre: is there a ceiling for how much success an indie game can achieve, or has Team Cherry simply redefined the boundary entirely?

However, the story of this rivalry is far from over. While Silksong currently rules the roost, a similar narrative could be brewing at Nintendo. The company has a project that has likewise been in development for nearly a decade, leaving fans on tenterhooks with very little in the way of updates. That title is none other than Metroid Prime 4, which finally has a release date set for December 4, 2026. The anticipation surrounding the game is immense. While the previous remaster of the original Metroid Prime, which was shadow-dropped during a Direct presentation, performed modestly by comparison—selling just over 1.3 million copies and failing to match the success of Metroid Dread—the situation for a brand new, mainline sequel is entirely different.

With a massive marketing budget, years of pent-up anticipation, and the allure of a new handheld platform like the Switch successor driving hardware sales, Metroid Prime 4 could prove to be a much bigger hit than its predecessors. The landscape in 2026 is ripe for a resurgence of the classic franchise, but catching up to the lightning-in-a-bottle success of Silksong will be a monumental task. Time will tell if Nintendo can narrow the gap, but for now, the Hollow Knight franchise stands tall, proving that in the modern gaming era, the size of the team matters far less than the size of the world they dare to create.

Regardless of future outcomes, the current reality is undeniable: Silksong has rewritten the rulebook for indie success, and it has done so by outselling the very legends that inspired it. Will the next chapter belong to Samus Aran, or will Hornet continue to reign supreme? The answer, like the winding corridors of Phaaze or the depths of Hallownest, remains shrouded in mystery.

For fans eagerly awaiting these massive releases, the wait can feel like an eternity. Whether you’re planning to secure a copy of Metroid Prime 4 on day one or hoping to revisit Hallownest on a new platform, the smartest players are already thinking ahead about how to get the best possible price. With new game launches frequently varying across retailers—sometimes by tens of dollars—it pays to stay vigilant rather than paying full sticker price on release day. Many savvy gamers have turned to [this price tracking tool]( to monitor fluctuations across major stores, ensuring they never miss a meaningful discount on the titles they care about most.

The same patience that has defined the long development cycles of these franchises can also define how you approach your purchases. Just as Team Cherry and Nintendo have refined their craft over years, a little diligence in tracking deals can reward you with significant savings when the time finally comes to dive in. After all, the journey toward these legendary experiences is part of the fun—and being prepared financially only makes the eventual payoff that much sweeter.

My 2026 Search for Every Simple Key and Simple Door in Silksong

Find all Hollow Knight: Silksong Simple Keys and Simple Doors locations with this guide, covering vendor costs, world pickups, and boss/quest unlocks.

When I started a fresh run of Hollow Knight: Silksong in 2026, I made a promise to myself: no locked Simple Door would remain closed. Simple Keys are rare items that open Simple Doors, allowing Hornet to access new areas, hidden treasure caches, quest objectives, and shortcuts. In my first playthrough, I underestimated them because the game never flashes a trophy for opening all doors. But after countless long treks back to bosses, I changed my mind.

The main challenge is that Simple Keys are not grouped in one convenient spot. Two are sold by NPC vendors who demand huge Rosary payments, while the other two are objects you pick up somewhere on the map. One of those pickups is tied to a quest, and another only appears after you beat one of Silksong’s deadly bosses and unlock a bench. This distribution makes them easy to miss, especially when the map is still mostly unexplored. Why do I call them rare? Because on a blind run, you might complete several hours without ever seeing one.

How I Found the Four Simple Keys

The most important rule I learned is that no Simple Key is tied to a specific Simple Door. Any Key can open any Door, so you don’t need to stress about matching them.

Here is how the four Keys are distributed:

Key Source
Number
My Experience

NPC vendors
2
Both asked for a large number of Rosaries; I had to delay buying one until I’d farmed enough in the mid-game.

World pickups
2
One was hidden in a route I only found after using Hornet’s movement abilities; the other came from a quest chain and a boss bench.

In practice, the vendor Keys forced me to choose between spending Rosaries on permanent upgrades or opening a shortcut. The scattered Keys were less about money and more about observation. I started marking every suspicious corner on my map, and that habit made backtracking far less painful.

The quest-related Key took the longest. It was not a simple matter of walking to a point on the map. I had to complete a chain of objectives first, which meant more combat, more exploration, and more patience. The boss-related Key felt rewarding immediately because it unlocked next to a bench. After that fight, I could finally rest, recover, and grab the loot in the same moment.

Simple Doors: Where Keys Actually Get Used

Having a pocket full of Simple Keys means nothing if I couldn’t remember where the Simple Doors were. There are four disconnected locations across the map, and unless you mark them as soon as you find them, you’ll waste time wandering back. I learned that the hard way when I passed an early Door, forgot its exact position, and then had to retrace my steps for nearly twenty minutes.

Not every Door can be reached from the start. Some require special abilities like Hornet’s Double Jump or Dash, and until you progress far enough, they remain inaccessible even if you already have a spare Simple Key. This is where the game rewards thorough exploration. I would often spot a Door from a ledge and make a mental note: “Come back once Dash is ready.”

The following table summarizes how I handled the Doors:

Door Challenge
My Approach

Door blocked by movement ability
I waited until I had Double Jump or Dash before returning.

Door in an obscure corner
I placed a map marker immediately so I didn’t lose it.

Door near a dangerous route
I opened it only after clearing nearby enemies to avoid repeated deaths.

Opening these Doors can lead to shortcuts, new areas, or even important quests tied to hidden parts of Silksong’s story. Given how brutal some boss run-backs can be, extra paths are incredibly helpful. Instead of repeating a long deadly corridor, I could take a shorter route and arrive with more health and more focus.

Is It Worth Finding Every Key and Door?

Absolutely. There may be no achievements or trophies tied to opening every Simple Door, but the quality-of-life improvement is huge. Once I found every Simple Key and opened the Doors I had marked, navigation became much less stressful. I could focus on other goals instead of dreading every trip across the map.

So, should you chase down all four Simple Keys? If you value shortcuts, hidden treasures, and a less frustrating route through Pharloom, the answer is yes. Just keep your map markers organized, farm Rosaries when you can, and be ready to return to locked Doors once Hornet learns a few essential movement skills.

That same mindset of hunting down every hidden key and maximizing every reward is exactly what I bring to building my game library. If you are the kind of player who enjoys squeezing every bit of value out of an experience, you likely already know that patience pays off both in Pharloom and at the checkout screen. Why pay full price when a little research can unlock savings just like a Simple Key unlocks a shortcut? For those who want to stretch their gaming budget further, it is worth checking out [where to buy cheap games]( before committing to your next purchase.

DealNest rounds up solid deals across platforms, helping you compare prices the same way you might compare routes between two Door locations. A few minutes of browsing can save you enough to fund your next Steam purchase or that indie gem you have been eyeing. After all, the smartest explorers in Hallownest and Pharloom never walk into a shop without knowing exactly what they should be paying.

How to Get the Clawline Grappling Hook in Hollow Knight: Silksong

The Clawline in Hollow Knight: Silksong hides in the Citadel’s Underworks—grab the White Key after Act 2 to unlock it.

Every so often, a single movement tool turns a Metroidvania from a pleasant wander into a physics-defying joyride. Hornet’s Clawline in Hollow Knight: Silksong is exactly that item. On paper it sounds modest: a grappling hook that lets her zip to dedicated hooks, latch onto distant walls, and stretch her dash far beyond its usual limits. In practice, it transforms tight corridors into personal zip lines and hidden alcoves into trivial pit stops. So where does this gloriously handy string launcher live? And why does fetching it involve a bell, a merchant, a white key, and what feels like a lava-themed endurance test? The answer lies beneath the Citadel, inside the Underworks.

Why the Clawline Is Worth the Detour

The Clawline is one of those abilities that players may overlook because it does not delete bosses; instead, it deletes the space between Hornet and wherever she wants to go. While dedicated Weaver skills often grab the spotlight in combat, the Clawline earns its place because it is required for accessing several areas and secrets across Pharloom. It also doubles as a combat tool: Hornet can zip around enemies, dodge incoming attacks, and reset her positioning mid-fight. Is it the flashiest tool in the kit? Not always. Is it one of the most versatile? Absolutely.

Prerequisites: Do Not Show Up Empty-Handed

Before anyone goes spelunking for the Clawline, a few boxes need to be ticked. The biggest gate is story progress: the player must have beaten the Last Judge and unlocked Act 2 of Silksong. Without Act 2, the Citadel route leading to the Clawline remains closed, and no amount of wall jumping will change that.

After that, the path becomes a checklist:

Requirement
Why It Matters

Beat the Last Judge
Unlocks Act 2, which opens the Citadel route

Reach the Citadel
Where the key, the Songclave camp, and the Underworks are found

Establish the Songclave camp
Must be set up at the north-east end of the Citadel

Ring the bell and complete the first Wandering Merchant quest from the Wishboard
Makes the White Key available for purchase

Buy the White Key from Jubilana
Required to unlock the elevator blocking the Underworks

Getting the White Key

Once the Songclave camp is established at the north-east end of the Citadel, players should ring the bell and complete the first Wandering Merchant quest from the Wishboard. Only then will Jubilana sell the White Key. This little item is not optional—it is the very thing that unlocks the Ornate Lock blocking the elevator deep in the Choral Chambers.

After buying the key, the next step is to backtrack. Head down to the bottom end of the Choral Chambers in the Citadel and look for the Ornate Lock. Using the White Key on that lock frees the elevator, which leads into the depths. From there, the journey continues as far right as possible until an upper vent appears. That vent drops Hornet into the newly unlocked Underworks.

Surviving the Underworks Without Becoming Crispy

If the Citadel felt civilized, the Underworks quickly reminds everyone that Pharloom has a molten personality. The area is packed with lava traps and environmental hazards, and at least two obstacles can chew through Mask health in a hurry. Reckless players will learn the hard way that this is not a place for casual strolling.

A few survival tips:

• Build silk on nearby enemies before descending. Having silk on hand gives Hornet more options and reduces the temptation to panic.

• Use pogo attacks and dashes to cross the Cauldron’s lava pools. A well-timed pogo can keep Hornet airborne long enough to avoid the worst of the heat.

• Loop around the edge of the shrine area. The Clawline shrine sits in a circular layout, and the safest approach often involves going around it rather than charging straight through.

Once Hornet reaches the shrine and claims the Clawline, it acts as a true grappling hook. She can immediately grab onto nearby hooks to escape the area and continue deeper into Pharloom. That moment of first zipping out of the Underworks is, frankly, worth every lava singe.

What the Clawline Actually Does

The Clawline is not just a fancy key for the Underworks exit. Its real value shows up after leaving the shrine:

• Grappling traversal: Hornet can latch onto dedicated hooks scattered throughout Pharloom.

• Extended dashes: The Clawline drastically increases her dash distance.

• Wall latching: She can grab onto far-away walls, opening routes that once looked impossible.

• Combo movement: It pairs beautifully with pogo attacks and Hornet’s floating ability. Together, these tools let players reach much farther distances and uncover hidden secrets that would otherwise remain out of reach.

Could a pure combat skill out-damage the Clawline in a straight fight? Sure. But those skills will not open secret routes, skip environmental hazards, or turn Hornet’s movement into a silk-powered slingshot. The Clawline earns its place in the toolkit because it expands what traversal can even mean.

Final Word

Players who rush straight to the damage-dealing toys may miss the Clawline entirely, but that would be a shame. Few abilities in Hollow Knight: Silksong feel as satisfying to use while exploring, escaping, or simply showing off. Beat the Last Judge, establish the Songclave camp, complete that first Wandering Merchant quest, buy the White Key, and brave the Underworks. For 2026 explorers of Pharloom, the reward is still a movement option that makes the rest of the kingdom feel suddenly much smaller.

Silksong’s 2026 window means players have time to prepare — not just in-game, but financially too. Hornet’s journey through Pharloom will undoubtedly be worth the wait, but no one should pay more than necessary for the privilege of exploring it. For players wondering [where to buy cheap games]( DealNest tracks prices across digital storefronts so you can grab a copy the moment a discount appears, without endlessly refreshing multiple shops.

Being a savvy explorer is about more than mastering the Clawline or timing a perfect pogo; it’s also about making smart choices before the adventure even begins. A quick price check takes seconds, and the savings can go toward other upcoming releases — or simply serve as a reminder that patience pays off, both in Pharloom and on your wallet.

Hollow Knight: Silksong — Forebrothers Signis and Gron Boss Guide

Master the Forebrothers Signis and Gron boss fight in Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Deep Docks with Simple Key spots, Bench route, and phase tactics.

Hidden away in the scorching depths of the Deep Docks, Hollow Knight: Silksong keeps one of its trickiest surprises for players who love poking around every corner. It is not just a hidden area filled with exploding enemies, platforming puzzles, and shiny treasures — it is also home to a double boss fight that tests reflexes, patience, and preparation. The Forebrothers, Signis and Gron, are not easy to find, and they are even harder to take down without a solid plan.

For anyone who has already wandered through the Deep Docks and wondered what that locked gate was for, this guide covers everything: where to get a Simple Key, the fastest route from the Bench, the best Tools and Crests to bring, and a phase-by-phase strategy for the fight itself.

How To Find Forebrothers Signis and Gron

Finding the Forebrothers starts long before the actual battle. The duo is tucked away on the bottom left side of the Deep Docks, behind a gate that requires a Simple Key to open. Players who have been exploring thoroughly may already have one, but if not, there are a few ways to get it.

The simplest approach is to buy one. A Simple Key is available from merchants in Bone Bottom for 500 Rosaries and Songclave for 650 Rosaries. That second price definitely stings a little — inflation is real even in Pharloom. For players who would rather not spend, there is a free but more demanding option: defeat a mini-boss on Sinner’s Road or find the Bench in the Sands of Karak.

Once the Simple Key is in hand, the next step is heading into the underground area of the Deep Docks. It is accessed from the left side of the chamber where the fight against Tessela first takes place. From there, players should follow the path on the right, below the Forge Daughter, until they reach a locked gate where the key can finally be used.

After unlocking the gate, exploration is strongly recommended before rushing to the boss. The area is full of valuable items, including Craftmetal inside a chest, a Spool Fragment, and a Lost Flea. It is also a good chance to learn the layout and unlock shortcuts. Near the bottom left, a lone enemy will spot the player, fly into the air, and throw a spear before disappearing. That is Gron, one of the two bosses — which means the arena is very close. Continuing left will lead to a chamber with boards in the background where the real fight begins.

Best Bench Route and Preparation

The walk back to the Forebrothers can be frustrating because the boss arena is quite far from the nearest Bench. The best route starts at the main Bench near the Forge Daughter. From there, players should walk right, go down by striking the vault lever, and continue right to the gate opened earlier with the Simple Key. A lava lake needs to be jumped over along the way.

In the next room, things get a little less obvious. Between two horizontal platforms, there is an enemy that can explode lava and another that digs. Directly in the middle of those platforms is a hole in the ground. Falling into it works, but the hole is full of thorns, so players need to start gliding immediately and descend carefully. From the floor below, heading left leads to Signis talking with two minions — and the fight starts.

Preparation makes a huge difference here. A few passive abilities go a long way: Swift Step, unlocked right in the Deep Docks, and Drifter’s Cloak, unlocked in Far Fields, are both helpful. The Faydown Cloak from Mount Fay is not required, but it makes the fight dramatically more manageable.

For Tools, the Fractured Mask from Mottled Skarr in Hunter’s March works like an extra life and helps players stay calm when health gets low. Since Gron is an aerial enemy, a long-range weapon like the Curveclaw paired with the Pollip Pouch from the Rite of the Pollip quest is a fantastic combination — poison lets players keep dealing damage while focusing on dodging. The Cogfly from High Halls is another excellent pick for managing multiple enemies at once. As for Crests, Wanderer’s Crest is a strong choice thanks to its quick strikes and short range.

How To Beat Forebrothers Signis and Gron

Phase 1: Signis Alone

The battle starts with only one boss on the field: Signis. He fights on the ground and has just two main attacks. The first is a boomerang-style throw that travels in a horizontal line. A simple jump avoids it, and with good positioning — not too far from him while jumping — a player can land one or even two counters.

His second attack is a double spear strike on the ground. Dashing away avoids the damage, but jumping over his head works too and creates a nice opening for a few hits. During this phase, Signis will also summon minions to clutter the arena. They need to go down quickly, ideally as soon as they appear. Most of them fall in three strikes, so the Cogfly or a long-range poison weapon helps keep the field clean.

Phase 2: Gron Joins the Fight

After a few rounds with Signis, Gron enters the arena and things get genuinely tense. Gron fights from the air and also has only two attack patterns. He will fly away and throw a spear, which can be avoided with a dash or jump. Then he will dive and slam his spear into the ground, causing a quick explosion. The instinct is to run far away, but players should not retreat too far — that moment after the explosion is one of the best windows to counterattack.

When both bosses are active at once, the smart approach is to keep pressure on Signis. He has already taken damage, so finishing him off should not take long. Keep dodging Gron with a Cogfly or poison weapon doing passive work, and stay focused on survival. One extra hazard appears at this stage: lava starts pouring from the ceiling. Staying near the sides is the safest way to avoid being caught off guard.

Once Signis is down, the rest of the fight is all about Gron. He is slower and predictable. Keeping a safe distance and repeating the same dodge-and-punish loop will finish the battle.

Rewards For Defeating the Forebrothers

Like many bosses in Hollow Knight: Silksong, the Forebrothers do not drop an immediate item. The real prize is much bigger: access to the Diving Bell, which is a key scenario in the secret Act 3 of the main story. Players will also gain access to a large Bench, a Memory Locket, and a Silkeater. On the way out, there is even some extra dialogue with the Forge Daughter about how she and her diving friends ended up down here — a nice little lore treat after such a grueling encounter.

Mastering a fight like this one takes patience and a bit of experimentation, but the sense of accomplishment after finally defeating both Forebrothers is worth every attempt. For players who enjoy pushing through tough challenges like this, having the right setup—whether it’s a responsive controller, a comfortable headset, or even just a reliable screen—can make those crucial moments feel a little more manageable. Fortunately, you don’t need to overspend to upgrade your gaming experience, especially if you take a moment to [find the best deal]( before making a purchase.

DealNest is a useful starting point for that kind of search, letting players compare prices and spot discounts without endless browsing. So after you’ve conquered the Diving Bell and collected your rewards, it might be worth checking out what’s available for your next gaming session.

I Found Every Pale Oil Location in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Find every Hollow Knight: Silksong Pale Oil location to upgrade your needle via Pinmaster Plinney, from Pinmaster’s Oil to Ecstasy of the End.

I’ll be honest: when I first started Hollow Knight: Silksong, I expected weapon upgrades to be a straightforward grind. I kept swapping tools, collecting new crests, and hunting down Mask Shards all over Pharloom, but my needle damage barely moved. That changed after I freed Bellhart and met Pinmaster Plinney. He gives you one free needle upgrade as a reward, but after that, he wants something a little more precious: Pale Oil. No Pale Oil, no more damage bonuses. Let me tell you, I nearly missed the first one.

Now, after a lot of backtracking and one very stubborn platform puzzle, I’ve found three reliable sources of Pale Oil. Here’s where they’re hiding.

The First Taste: ‘Pinmaster’s Oil’

Plinney hands out the ‘Pinmaster’s Oil’ quest as soon as you speak to him again after that first upgrade. He explains that every subsequent upgrade needs a fresh vial of Pale Oil, and sends you off to find one. The marked location is not far, but it’s easy to get turned around. You need to attack the platform directly above you to move it upward, then go left and flip a lever. From there, head immediately left into the next screen and grab the first stack of Pale Oil.

Bring that oil back to Pinmaster Plinney and he’ll give you another needle upgrade. What I like about this quest is that you can actually grab the item before accepting it, so if you’re already exploring that corner of the map, do yourself a favor and snag it early.

The Grocery Run: ‘Great Taste of Pharloom’

This one turned into a whole shopping list, and I’m not exaggerating. To start, travel to Choral Chambers and attack the glass case there to wake Loyal Mergwin from his slumber. Once he’s up, he asks you to gather delicious dishes from across the entire kingdom. Yeah, that’s a whole grocery list. You need:

• Mossberry Stew — found in Mosshome; speak to the Moss Druid.

• Vintage Nectar — Halfway Home; it’s in the basement, but you’ll need to pay Creieg 480 Rosaries to unlock it.

• Courier’s Rasher — Bellhart; complete ‘My Missing Brother’ and ‘My Missing Courier’ for Tipp, then return.

• Crustnut — Sands of Karak; check the second chamber down from the top, on the left side of the big vertical room.

• Pickled Muckmaggot — Sinners Road; defeat Disgraced Chef Lugoli east of the room with all the cages.

Once you haul all five dishes back to Mergwin, he hands over another vial of Pale Oil. Bring that to Plinney, and your needle gets meaner.

The Late-Game Party: ‘Ecstasy of the End’

If you’re still hungry for more damage, this one is locked to Act Three. First, you need to find every lost flea in the game — no small task. After that, visit the Bellhart quest board and accept the relevant request. Then make your way to Fleatopia and set a high score in all three flea mini-games. If you’ve already met and beaten Seth, he might show up there too.

At the end of the festival, you get to smash open a massive, flea-shaped piñata stuffed with Rosaries and another stack of Pale Oil. It’s a weird reward, but honestly, after that grind, I was happy to take it.

Where to Actually Spend Pale Oil

Each time you get a new container of Pale Oil, bring it back to Pinmaster Plinney to upgrade your needle. During Act One and Act Two, he hangs out in the main area of Bellhart, right near the Bellway fast travel point. He’s in the building above Relic Seeker Scrounge.

Of course, Plinney won’t offer his services unless you save Bellhart first. To do that, head to Shellwood to grab the Cling Grip ability, then return to Bellhart and defeat Widow. Once the town is restored, Plinney appears in the main square.

In Act Three, everything shifts. Plinney travels to Shellwood to visit a loved one’s grave, and if you want more upgrades, you’ll have to find him there and save him from a group of enemies. He’s tucked into a small offshoot area just beneath the Bellway station and bench on the map. I spent way too long looking for him, so don’t repeat my mistake.

Upgrading your needle with Pale Oil increases your base weapon damage. The exact percentage isn’t displayed anywhere, but the difference is noticeable in faster kills, especially against tougher late-game bosses. I’d say you need at least a couple of upgrades to avoid a real slog.

One more thing: each subsequent upgrade costs more Rosaries. The first one is free, but after that, prices ramp up. I won’t list exact figures because they can shift with your progress, but expect to farm.

So, that’s the long and short of Pale Oil. It gates your weapon progression more than you might expect, but once you know where to look, you can keep your needle sharp through most of Pharloom. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some fleas to find.

And if you’re planning to dive into Pharloom yourself, it’s worth taking a moment to make sure you’re not overpaying before you start hunting down every last upgrade. A quick [game price comparison]( across trusted retailers can save you a nice chunk of change — which, given how much time you’ll spend farming Rosaries in Silksong, feels like a pretty solid trade.

For that, DealNest is a handy spot to check. It rounds up current prices across digital and physical stores so you can grab Hollow Knight: Silksong at the best rate before you begin your climb toward Act Three. Think of it as one less grind to worry about.

How to Beat Father of the Flame in Silksong

Master the Father of the Flame Silksong boss fight with pogo combat tactics, optimal Crest of the Reaper build, and hidden bench prep in Wisp Thicket.

I have to admit, after falling in love with gimmick boss fights way back in Demon’s Souls, I get a little thrill whenever a game lets me fight something that isn’t just a giant health bar with legs. So when I reached the Father of the Flame in Silksong, I felt right at home. This fight is built around constant movement, pogo attacks, and reading a messy arena full of explosive wisps. If you love pogo combat like I do, this boss is an absolute treat. If you don’t, well, let’s just say Pharloom is about to test you.

Where Is The Father of the Flame?

You’ll find this boss in an optional area called Wisp Thicket. It’s one of those places that looks beautiful but is secretly trying to kill you from every angle. The enemies here love throwing exploding fireballs, so if you are bad at dodging projectiles, this area will teach you some painful lessons.

To even reach Wisp Thicket, you need the Faydown Cloak. Without it, the path up through the towers in Greymoor is closed off. Once you have it, you can climb up into this upper region and start your journey toward the boss.

Here’s a small but important tip: when you arrive in Wisp Thicket, don’t just rush left. First, enter the room on the right and use your needle to strike the hanging bags overhead. This releases a bench for you to rest at, which makes the runback much less annoying. Trust me, you’ll appreciate that bench because the Father of the Flame fight doesn’t give you reliable healing windows, so every single mask matters.

There is some platforming along the way, but you can use your Clawline to skip most enemies if you are smart about it. When you see an area marked with Bellhart colors, you are practically at the boss door. Take a breath, because things are about to get fiery.

How to Prepare For Father of the Flame

This is not a normal boss where you can just equip your heaviest damage tools and mash attack. The Father of the Flame demands a specific setup, especially if you want to avoid a long, frustrating fight.

Here’s the build I recommend:

Tool Slot
Recommended Pick
Why It Helps

Crest
Crest of the Reaper
Most consistent pogo crest, makes chaining pogo attacks much easier

Red Tool
Cogfly or Conchcutter
No aiming or tricky timing needed

Blue Tool
Multibinder and Reserve Bind
No silk gain during fight, so spare healing is vital

Yellow Tool
Magnetite Dice
Small chance to avoid damage, but yellow tools are not crucial here

Cogfly is my go-to red tool for this fight because it doesn’t require precise aim. Conchcutter also works if you managed to claim it in the Sands of Karak. For blue tools, the Multibinder and Reserve Bind are lifesavers because you won’t be gaining additional silk during the encounter. Being able to heal more from a single heal can rescue a run that’s about to fall apart.

How To Beat The Father Of The Flame

Phase One

Here’s the twist: the Father of the Flame isn’t just one target. The boss has five lanterns placed around the arena, and each lantern acts as a weak point. You need to platform and pogo your way around the room to hit them all. Meanwhile, explosive wisps track your position and try to blow you out of the air.

If you’ve upgraded your nail twice by this point, each lantern will take eight hits to clear. That may not sound like much, but when you’re dodging wisps and trying to stay airborne, eight hits can feel like eighty.

A few tips for phase one:

• Deal with the higher lanterns first. They’re the hardest to hit safely. Once they’re gone, the lower lanterns are much easier because you can drop to the floor, recover your positioning, and hop back up if needed.

• Your double jump is your best friend here. Every successful pogo gives you a double jump charge back. When a wisp locks onto you, time your pogo to gain height, then use your double jump to narrowly avoid the explosion and keep attacking.

• Don’t obsess over one lantern. Stay adaptable. If wisps are cornering you, drop low and switch to a lower lantern instead.

Does that sound chaotic? Yes, it is. But once you understand the rhythm, phase one becomes a weirdly satisfying dance.

Phase Two

When all five lanterns are destroyed, you finally get a clear shot at the Father of the Flame’s core. But don’t get comfortable.

Phase two opens with the boss casting a stream of fireballs. Drop to the floor and move carefully between the gaps. You don’t want to be airborne here because you’ll get clipped.

Once the fireball stream stops, you have a window to hop up and attack the core. Wisps still spawn regularly, so keep an eye on their positions and use your double jump to evade them while staying on the offensive.

The boss will start the fireball attack again after a few wisps leave the field, so watch for that tell and get to the ground early. In the air, you’re a sitting duck.

Finally, when the battle ends, stand clear of the boss’s last explosion. It can happen after you think you’ve won, and if it kills you, you’ll have to do the whole fight over again. Give yourself some distance, and you’ll walk away with the win.

Reward For Defeating The Father of the Flame

Once this fiery customer goes down, you’ll pick up the Wispfire Lantern. This passive tool uses your silk to automatically summon a wisp that acts like a homing missile, attacking nearby enemies for you.

It’s a fun tool, but it has a real trade-off. Because it constantly spends your silk on offensive projectiles, healing becomes much less consistent. If you rely on silk buildup for regular heals, you might want to skip this one. But if you play aggressively and like tools that keep the pressure on enemies, the Wispfire Lantern burns brighter than most.

So that’s the Father of the Flame. It’s a gimmick fight done right, at least for players who enjoy pogo combat. Stay mobile, stay calm, and don’t let those wisps dictate your rhythm. Good luck out there in Pharloom!

Now that you’ve conquered the Father of the Flame, you might be hungry for more challenges that demand tight movement, quick reflexes, and that satisfying “one more try” mentality. Games built around precise combat and exploration don’t come around often, and when one clicks with you, it’s hard to put down.

If you’re looking to expand your library without stretching your budget, it’s worth keeping an eye on [game deals today]( to see what else might be waiting for you. You never know when a similarly punishing but rewarding adventure will go on sale, ready to test your skills just as thoroughly as this fiery encounter did.

Rescuing Sherma in Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Balms for the Wounded

Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Balms for the Wounded quest guides Hornet through Pharloom to rescue Sherma in perilous Whiteward.

Hollow Knight: Silksong’s journey through Pharloom is packed with grim dangers, but few hit harder than the thought of sweet Sherma wandering into the shadows. The little bean is pure as snow, and when he goes missing, it is time to ride at dawn. The quest Balms for the Wounded turns his noble errand for bandages into a full-blown rescue operation. Hornet will need to cross Bone Bottom, ring the Songclave bell, snag a White Key, and dive deep into the steam-choked corridors of Whiteward to pull him out of trouble. Here is the full route, laid out step by step.

Prerequisites: Setting the Stage

Before Sherma will even think about showing up at Songclave, two big doors need to be kicked open. Missing either one is a classic run-killer, so it is worth double-checking the map before tearing hair out.

Requirement
Location
Why It Matters

Open the shortcut gate at The Marrow connection
Bone Bottom
Lets Sherma’s travel route open up

Defeat Last Judge and open the Grand Gate door
Blasted Steps
Required for the journey to progress

Along the way, Hornet can bump into Sherma in a handful of spots. These meetings are not strictly required, but they add some sweet context and keep an eye on the precious bean. The known locations are in front of the Bell Beast while it is trapped, Pilgrim’s Rest, Bellhart, the Blasted Steps bench, and the Citadel Spa.

Unlocking the Quest at Songclave

Once Hornet reaches Songclave and rings the bell to bring forth travelers, Sherma will eventually wander in—provided those earlier prerequisites are done and dusted. The first chat is pretty quiet, but the trick is to keep coming back and talking to him over time. Eventually Sherma starts voicing doubts about the travel, and not long after, he leaves Songclave altogether. His Wish will pop up on the Wishboard, and accepting it is the official start of the rescue.

Before charging off into Whiteward, there is one small but critical item: the White Key. On the right side of Songclave, it sits against the metal fence on the ground. Picking it up is non-negotiable, since without it the entrance to Whiteward might as well be a brick wall.

Finding Sherma in Whiteward

Whiteward is not the kind of place for a casual stroll. The path is long, dark, and full of things that want Hornet dead. The first entry starts at the Grand Bellway station. From there, Hornet should enter the chamber to the left, take the second exit from the bottom left, and push through the long chamber all the way into the far room. On the bottom right, the entrance to Whiteward is marked with an upside-down spear sign. The White Key unlocks the elevator that leads down into the area.

After taking the elevator all the way down, Hornet should travel hard left, passing the key slot. On the far side, a set of platforms leads up into a narrow upper tunnelway. Keep climbing into the next room and up until the path turns into a corridor full of steam vents. Dashing through those vents takes care, but the real headache is the vertical path ahead. Hornet can jump up and to the right, but two circling fans are waiting to turn a clean jump into a pancake.

Eventually the route dead-ends at a lever. Striking it opens a path down, so Hornet should fall into the new room and start heading right, breaking any false walls along the way. Past the elevator shaft, a grate on the far side must be destroyed to continue left, then it is time to drop down. At the bottom sits the Whiteward Map, available for 70 Rosary. The map is a handy pickup for anyone who does not enjoy wandering blind, but the goal is still further right.

To the right of the Whiteward Map dispenser begins Sherma’s trail. Hornet should follow it right, past the mortician enemies, until reaching the end of the room. From there, a platform leads up into the room above. Following Sherma’s scent left over the spikes reveals a building with bells on either side of the entrance. That is the hideaway.

Saving Sherma: The Ambush

Inside the building, Sherma is tucked away at the back. He is hiding behind a false wall, so Hornet must destroy it to reveal his hidden room. A quick chat with the little bean kicks off the real fight—morticians and surgeons pour in, and Hornet is not out of the woods until every single one is cleared out.

This ambush can get ugly fast, but a few tricks make it far more manageable:

• Throw down traps like Tacks and Sting Shards; the Pollip Pouch tool makes these even more effective.

• Use Cross Stitch against morticians to punish their aggressive rush and hit multiple enemies at once.

• Turn the sound up. Movement in the dark or offscreen is easier to track by sound than by squinting at shadows.

• Do not let the surgeons surround Hornet. Jumping over or around them keeps the fight from turning into a corner trap.

• Always target morticians before surgeons. Clearing the fast ones first opens up more ground to maneuver.

Once the last wave drops, Hornet should talk to Sherma again. He hands over a Spool Fragment and the quest completes. Best of all, Sherma will return to Songclave on his own after Hornet leaves the building and rests—no escort mission required. He will be safe and sound, with some new dialogue about the used bandages. For now, that is all any player can do to keep the sweetest bean in Pharloom out of harm’s way.

Seeing Sherma safe and sound back in Songclave is one of those quiet payoffs that makes exploring every corner of Whiteward worthwhile. It is a small, self-contained story that rewards careful play, and it is exactly the kind of content that keeps players coming back for more. Those moments of closure are what make the journey through Pharloom feel so memorable.

For anyone still working through the area or planning another run, keeping the game itself in mind is just as important. Prices for popular titles like this one can swing wildly between stores and seasons, so it pays to [check game prices]( at DealNest before making a purchase. A little comparison shopping can go a long way, leaving more room in the budget for the next big adventure.