There are four listed locks opened by Simple Keys in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and each key breaks after one use. The four doors are in the Wormways, Deep Docks, Sinner’s Road, and High Halls. If you have only one key, freeing the Green Prince in Sinner’s Road is the strongest priority: it enables a later Citadel encounter and matters to Act 3. The Deep Docks area can also be reached without spending a key if you have Clawline and enter from Far Fields.
All Simple Key sources and locked doors
Use this table to match each key with its source, the lock it opens, and what to expect. Simple Keys are single-use, so decide which door to open before spending one.
| Key source | How to get it | Door and result |
|---|---|---|
| Pebb, Bone Bottom | Buy it for 500 Rosaries. If you missed it, Grindle sells one in Blasted Steps during Act 3 for 600 Rosaries. | The lower Wormways entrance from Bone Bottom opens access to the west side. |
| Roachkeeper, northeast Sinner’s Road | Defeat the Roachkeeper at the top of the tall room. | Opens the Green Prince’s cell in Sinner’s Road. Freeing him leads to a later Citadel encounter and has Act 3 relevance. |
| Jubilana, Songclave | Available after completing The Wandering Merchant Wish. The price is disputed: the Hollow Knight Wiki lists 650 Rosaries, while Nintendo Life lists 750. | The Deep Docks door south of Forge Daughter opens a lower section with a Tool, Spool Fragment, and boss, according to Nintendo Life. Clawline and a Far Fields entrance provide a route to explore the area without using a key. |
| Corpse beside the eastern Sands of Karak bench | Find the corpse at the area’s eastern tip. Nintendo Life says reaching it requires Clawline and Double Jump. | The High Halls door west of Ventrica Station opens the Rosary Bank, which contains Rosaries and a Tool, according to Nintendo Life. |
The Hollow Knight Wiki quotes Jubilana describing the item: “Simply forged, and simply styled. Designed to open all sorts of different locks, if they be basic enough.”
Which Simple Key door should you open first?
Prioritize the Green Prince’s cell for progression
Freeing the Green Prince is the clearest story-related use of a key. It leads to a later encounter in the Citadel and is relevant to Act 3. If you have one key and want the choice with the strongest stated progression connection, use it on his Sinner’s Road cell.
#1 Best Overall
![Hollow Knight: Silksong Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mOgOC8xEL._SL160_.jpg)
- 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!
Consider the Deep Docks alternate route before spending a key
The lock south of Forge Daughter opens a lower section, but the area is not exclusive to the key: the item reference says Clawline from Far Fields lets you reach and fully explore it without opening the door. That makes this a lower priority if you already have Clawline and can enter from Far Fields. Nintendo Life recommends waiting until you have Cling Grip, Clawline, and Double Jump for the locked route, though the item reference says the door itself can be opened earlier.
Choose Wormways or High Halls for access and rewards
The Wormways key opens access to the west side, while the High Halls key opens the Rosary Bank and its reported Rosaries and Tool. The available references do not establish a universal best choice between these two: weigh the access or reward you need against the Green Prince’s later story relevance.
Rank #2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong is the epic sequel to Hollow Knight, the award winning action-adventure.
- 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.
How to reach each Simple Key door
Wormways: Bone Bottom entrance
Nintendo Life says Swift Step is needed to reach this door from Bone Bottom. Take the elevator to the grassy area outside Mosshome, cross the broken elevators to the west, then continue west through the acid-spitting area to the locked entrance. A pursuing enemy along the route can deal substantial damage, so avoid treating the trip as a safe shortcut.
Sinner’s Road: Green Prince’s cell
The Green Prince’s cage is in the second room of Sinner’s Road. Nintendo Life describes using Drifter’s Cloak to cross the spikes on the way to it. The key comes from defeating the Roachkeeper at the top of the tall room in northeast Sinner’s Road.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Rank #3
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Explore a vast interconnected world of forgotten highways, overgrown wilds and ruined cities.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!.Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favourites and make your journey unique!.An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation..
Deep Docks: door south of Forge Daughter
From Forge Daughter’s store and bench, go through the trap doors on the right, then continue down and right across the lava to find the lock. Before using a key, consider whether you can instead reach the area from Far Fields with Clawline; the item reference says that route permits full exploration.
High Halls: Rosary Bank west of Ventrica Station
From the Ventrica station and bench, leave the room, head east, and climb the platforms to the locked door. The bank beyond contains Rosaries and a Tool, according to Nintendo Life.
Rank #4
![Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nXCF+sf5L._SL160_.jpg)
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!
- Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favorites and make your journey unique!
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
Where to find the keys
Pebb in Bone Bottom
Pebb sells a Simple Key for 500 Rosaries. If you missed the purchase, Grindle offers one for 600 Rosaries in Blasted Steps during Act 3. These prices are listed by the Hollow Knight Wiki, and Nintendo Life agrees on Pebb’s price and the Act 3 substitute.
Roachkeeper in Sinner’s Road
Defeat the Roachkeeper at the top of the tall room in northeast Sinner’s Road to obtain a key. This is the key to reserve for the Green Prince’s cell if you want to prioritize the later Citadel encounter.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Jubilana in Songclave
Jubilana’s key becomes available after The Wandering Merchant Wish. The price is unresolved: the Hollow Knight Wiki lists 650 Rosaries, while Nintendo Life reports 750. Check the current in-game price rather than relying on either figure as definitive.
Corpse in Sands of Karak
Look beside the bench at the eastern tip of Sands of Karak. Nintendo Life says reaching the location requires both Clawline and Double Jump; the key opens the Rosary Bank door in High Halls.
Are there more Simple Keys than locks?
The listed guide references identify four Simple Key uses and four corresponding locks. The references do not establish whether additional keys or locks exist in every game version, so treat four as the complete set covered here rather than a claim about all possible future updates.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute
