How To Unlock Silk And Soul And Act 3 In Hollow Knight: Silksong

Are you ready to tackle Silk and Soul in Hollow Knight: Silksong? This is late-game quest, one that will truly test your patience and skill due to all the requirements. That said, the outcome is very much worth it, as it actually unlocks Act 3 of the campaign. Our guide has all the details for you, but be forewarned that there will be major spoilers ahead.

How to unlock Act 3 in Hollow Knight: Silksong - Silk and Soul guide

To unlock Act 3, you must complete the Silk and Soul quest, which has the following requirements:

• Defeat the final boss at least once.
• Finish all wishwall--i.e. bounty board--side quests in every settlement.
• Make sure the Flea Caravan has moved to the Fleatopia destination.
• Get your own Bellhome.
• Obtain the four items that will ensnare the final boss.

Note 1: Certain areas of Pharloom will be drastically altered, so make sure you've explored as much as you can. Try to obtain upgrades like Mask Shards and Spool Fragments, too.

Note 2: We also encourage you to get the "Twisted Child" cursed ending before concluding the Silk and Soul quest chain.

Make no mistake: Trying to unlock Act 3 in Hollow Knight: Silksong is no easy feat. That's because one of the requirements is to complete every single side quest from a settlement's wishwall or board. The settlements include Bone Bottom, Bellhart, and Songclave.

• There are various types of quests that you need to tackle, including ones where you need to find NPCs, gather a bunch of items, and hunt specific bosses/elites. Likewise, the tasks where you have to donate Rosaries or Shards to each settlement also count.
• The Wandering Merchant and Lost Merchant missions also count. You may as well do these tasks since Jubilana sells some nifty rewards.

Note: Side quests given by NPCs--i.e. Alchemist's Assistant, Broodfeast, and others--don't seem to be required for this tally. However, we had completed Great Taste of Pharloom beforehand, and that included a delivery/courier-type quest.

If you want to unlock the Hollow Knight: Silksong Silk and Soul quest, then the Flea Caravan must move to the Fleatopia location in Putrefied Ducts. It changes to another location depending on how many Lost Fleas you've rescued:

• Upon rescuing five fleas, the group moves from The Marrow to Greymoor.
• Once you've rescued 15 fleas, the group moves from Greymoor to Blasted Steps/Grand Gate before the Citadel.
• Finally, the caravan heads to the Putrefied Ducts if you've discovered the location already and you've also rescued at least 25 fleas.

There are 30 of these critters in total, so you really need to explore every nook and cranny in Pharloom. If you need more help, you can take a look at our Lost Fleas guide.

Upon completing all wish/board objectives in every settlement, return to Bellhart and talk to an NPC named Pavo. You'll be given a Bellhome Key. Your new abode will be at the top-left section of Bellhart's main chamber.

Next, take a look at Bellhart's bounty board. You'll see that the Hollow Knight: Silksong Silk and Soul quest is now available.

Pick up the quest and fast travel back to Songclave. Talk to the Caretaker, who'll tell you that he has a plan to trap Grandmother Silk. The plan involves finding four specific items:

• Maiden's Soul
• Hermit's Soul
• Seeker's Soul
• Snare Setter

The Maiden's Soul comes from none other than the Chapel Maid, the first NPC that you met shortly after starting the campaign. Just keep going to the left of Bone Bottom and chat with her to receive the item.

The Snare Setter comes from a small sub-zone called Weavenest Atla. It's just below and to the right of where the Chapel Maid is, so just head over there and stand in front of the strange doorway. Play your Needolin to open the door and head inside.

Ride the elevator and, once you're down below, double jump to reach the middle corridor. Head to the left--i.e. the same hallway with a Spool Fragment. Just before the large enemy by the pool, double jump straight upward to pass through a fake ceiling. You'll find the Snare Setter on an altar.

The next item that you need if you want to unlock Act 3 in Hollow Knight: Silksong is the Hermit's Soul. Well, there's pretty much one fella who's been acting like a cranky hermit the entire time. It's the Bell Hermit below the fast travel point in Bellhart.

The last item that you need to acquire is the Seeker's Soul, and it's definitely the most challenging part of this whole process:

• You need to gain access to the region of Bilewater--i.e. Go to Greymoor, then traverse Sinner's Road, and reach Bilewater.
• The region is filled with nasty hazards, including maggot-filled pools that drain your energy.
• The goal is to go to an area near the top of the main shaft. Then, you have to fight a boss named Groal the Great. This is one of the toughest encounters in the game, since Groal spits multiple globules that also have the same effect as the maggot debuff.
• After taking him out, enter the hut to the left and claim the Seeker's Soul.

Now that you've done all the requirements, it's time to finish the fight... well, kinda. Return to the Caretaker in Songclave and hand over all the items. Next, go back to the Terminus and the final boss' arena. Then, just before the boss' platform, you'll have a chat with the Caretaker one more time.

Challenge Grandmother Silk as per usual. Once you've landed the final blow, you'll notice that there are two prompts: Bind and Needolin. Hold the button prompt to play the Needolin and watch the cutscene that unfolds.

Congratulations! You've unlocked Act 3 in Hollow Knight: Silksong. There are several changes to the map's layout, so it might be hard to get used to things at first. However, you can bet that there are more secrets and discoveries ahead. If you're curious about these tidbits, then you can read our (spoiler-heavy) endings guide.