Hollow Knight: Silksong — How to Unlock Silk and S
Unlock Silksong’s hidden Act 3, Abyss, with the Silk and Soul Wish—complete key Wishes, gather fleas, and choose wisely against Grand Mother Silk.
In Hollow Knight: Silksong, the credits first appear at the end of Act 2, but that is not the true stopping point for diligent players. A secret Wayfarer Wish called Silk and Soul opens the path to the hidden third act, Abyss, provided it is completed before the confrontation with Grand Mother Silk. The route is not a simple boss trigger. It is a broad side-content gate that asks players to finish Wishes, build connections across Pharloom, gather fleas, collect several souls, and then make a very specific choice during the final battle of Act 2.
Act 3 adds extra story material and a larger roster of bosses for players to test their skills against. Full 100% completion is not required, but a significant portion of the game’s side content must be cleared. That makes Silk and Soul a natural capstone for exploration-minded players who have already invested in the towns, wish boards, and optional encounters of Silksong.
What Silk and Soul Requires
The Wish does not appear immediately. Players must first complete every possible Wish, including those posted on the wishboards in Songclave, Bonebottom, Bellhart, and The Citadel. This is the longest part of the process, and it touches nearly every corner of the game’s side content.
Wish type
Wishes to clear
Ascend
Pharloom’s Crown
Delivery
Liquid Lacquer; Queen’s Egg
Donate
An Icon of Hope; A Lifesaving Bridge; Bellhart’s Glory; Bone Bottom Repairs; Building Up Songclave; Restoration of Bellhart; Strengthening Songclave
Gather
Alchemist’s Assistant; Berry Picking; Great Taste of Pharloom; Rite of the Pollip; Silver Bells
Grand Hunt
Savage Beastfly; The Hidden Hunter; The Terrible Tyrant; The Wailing Mother
Hunt
Broodfest; Cloaks of the Choir; Crawbug Clearing; Fine Pins; Flexible Spines; Garb of the Pilgrims; Roach Guts; Volatile Flintbeetles
Learn
Architect’s Melody; Bugs of Pharloom; Conductor’s Melody; Vaultkeeper’s Melody
Open
Grand Gate
Save
The Threadspun Town
Search
Silent Halls
Seek
The Great Citadel
Sprint
Fastest in Pharloom
Wayfarer
Balm for the Wounded; Infestation Operation; My Missing Brother; My Missing Courier; Pinmaster’s Oil; Rite of Rebirth; The Lost Fleas; The Lost Merchant; The Wandering Merchant; Trail’s End
Once those Wishes are done, players must speak with Pavo in Bellhart. Pavo awards them their own Bellhome, which sits at the top of the area. This is a reward and a marker of progress, but it is not the end of the preparation.
Fleas, Caravans, and the Caretaker
The next requirement is the flea caravan. Players need to collect at least 25 fleas, then get Fleamaster Mooshka to move the caravan three times. The final destination is the Putrefied Ducts area. This step rewards patient exploration because the fleas are scattered across Pharloom and are easy to overlook during a first pass.
After the caravan reaches the Putrefied Ducts, players should head to Songclave and speak with the Caretaker. The Caretaker shares a plan to bring an end to Grand Mother Silk’s reign of terror once and for all. At this point, the Wish is close to completion, but several soul-collection tasks remain.
The Four Souls and the Snare Setter
Silk and Soul requires four specific acquisitions. Each one sits in a distinct area, so players should expect a final tour of Pharloom before returning to the Caretaker.
-
Speak to the Maiden in the Bonebottom area to get the Maiden’s Soul. -
Speak to the Bell Hermit in the pipe beneath the Bellhart Bellway to get the Hermit’s Soul. -
Pick up the Seeker’s Soul from the cave to the left of the bench at the top of Bilewater. -
Get the Snare Setter from the table in the area above the bench in Weavenest Atla.
With those items secured, players must return to the Caretaker in Songclave. The Wish then completes, and the trap for Grand Mother Silk is ready.
Triggering the Trap at The Cradel
Players should then head to the top of The Cradel. Just before the area where they fight Grand Mother Silk, they will run into the Caretaker. The Caretaker explains that the trap has been set and that all players need to do is play Needolin to trigger it.
The boss fight itself proceeds as normal, but the critical choice comes afterward. Instead of bind