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How Silk Skills work
Silk Skills are combat abilities equipped through Hornet’s Crest. You can equip one at a time and change it while resting at a bench: open the Crest and Tool screen and select the skill you want. Using a skill normally costs four Silk, the same resource Hornet needs for healing, so an attack can mean giving up Silk you might otherwise save to recover.
The documented mechanics also say Silk Skills’ damage scales with Needle upgrade level and can be increased by Volt Filament and the Shaman Crest. With Egg of Flealia equipped, the cost is three Silk instead of four while Hornet is at full health. These details come from the community-maintained Hollow Knight Wiki’s Silk Skills reference.
Silk Skills are distinct from Ancestral Arts. Skills are equippable combat moves; Ancestral Arts are a separate category associated primarily with traversal and progression.
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- Discover the fallen insect kingdom of Pharloom! Explore mossy grottos, gilded cities and misted moors as you ascend to the shining citadel at the top of the world.
- Engage in lethal acrobatic action! Wield a huge suite of deadly moves as you dance between foes in swift, beautiful combat.
- Craft powerful tools! Master an ever-expanding arsenal of weapons, traps, and mechanisms to vanquish your enemies and explore new heights.
- Solve shocking quests! Hunt down rare beasts and solve ancient mysteries to grant the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom’s hope.
- Face over 200 ferocious foes! Beasts and hunters, monsters and knights. Defeat them all with bravery and skill!
All six Silk Skills
| Skill | Effect | Location and requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Silkspear | Throws Hornet’s needle forward, striking foes in a line. | Mosshome. Nintendo Life reports it is mandatory for progression. |
| Thread Storm | Whips silk around Hornet to hit nearby enemies. | At the top of Greymoor’s northeast area. Cling Grip makes the climb easier. |
| Cross Stitch | Wraps silk around the needle to deflect an incoming strike and counterattack if timed correctly. | Earned after defeating the Phantom in the Exhaust Organ. The route goes through Sinner’s Road and The Mist. |
| Sharpdart | A fast, piercing dash through enemies; Nintendo Life says it can phase through attacks. | Weavenest Kahn on the west side of Wormways. |
| Rune Rage | A charged area attack that weaves blazing silk runes onto enemies. | Earned after the First Sinner in the Slab. The Key of the Apostate route is required. |
| Pale Nails | Launches three seeking nails that target nearby foes. | In the Cradle during Act 3. Requires Silk Soar to reach. |
Locations, effects and route requirements in this table are reported by Nintendo Life’s Silk Skill and Ancestral Art guide. Its heading calls the final ability “Pale Nail,” while the Hollow Knight Wiki’s skills table uses “Pale Nails”; this article uses the plural name.
Which Silk Skill should you equip?
There is no single strongest option established across encounters. Choose by the problem you want the skill to solve and how much Silk you can spare:
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- Journey to all-new lands, discover new powers, battle vast hordes of bugs and beasts and uncover secrets tied to your nature and your past.
- For a line of enemies or a distant target: Silkspear sends the needle forward.
- When enemies crowd Hornet: Thread Storm attacks around her, while Rune Rage offers a charged area attack.
- Against a strike you can time: Cross Stitch adds a defensive deflect and counter.
- For a fast approach or piercing dash: Sharpdart moves through enemies and, according to Nintendo Life, can pass through attacks.
- To pressure nearby targets: Pale Nails’ seeking projectiles can pursue foes.
Because these moves consume Silk, consider whether the encounter justifies spending a resource that also supports healing. Their availability also varies by progression: Pale Nails comes late, in Act 3, while Silkspear is described as mandatory to advance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sources and scope
Team Cherry’s official Silksong page describes Hornet using silken abilities, but does not provide a skill-by-skill reference. The locations and route details above come from Nintendo Life’s guide; detailed cost and scaling mechanics are reported by the community-maintained Hollow Knight Wiki. The guide and wiki are not official developer documentation.
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