How to unlock Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong

Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong is a hidden, post-Act 2 sequence (often called the Abyss) that expands the story and adds new bosses and content. It doesn’t unlock by default when you beat Act 2; you must trigger a secret Wayfarer Wish called Silk and Soul and complete a deliberate sequence before the Grand Mother Silk fight.

This guide will help you unlock Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong.

---

How to access Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong

Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong (Abyss) is an optional, late addition to the main campaign. It contains extra story beats and tougher encounters, and it’s unlocked by intentionally following the Silk and Soul path rather than simply finishing the game.

You do not need 100% completion to access Act 3, but you do need to finish a significant portion of side content and a large set of Wishes (Image via Team Cherry || YouTube@/LoganZ)

How to unlock Silk and Soul in Hollow Knight Silksong

Silk and Soul only becomes available once you’ve completed almost every Wish in the game. That means clearing the Wishboards found in Songclave, Bonebottom, Bellhart, and The Citadel. Once all of those are done, the next steps are:

• Speak to Pavo in Bellhar: He’ll reward you with your own Bellhome, located at the top of the area.
• Collect 25 lost Fleas: Talk to Fleamaster Mooshka. You must move the flea caravan three times until it ends up in the Putrefied Ducts.
• Visit the Caretaker in Songclave: He’ll reveal his plan to bring down Grand Mother Silk and guide you toward the final preparation steps.

From here, Silk and Soul officially begins.

Hollow Knight Silksong Act 3 wish list

One of the wishes in Hollow Knight Silksong (Image via Team Cherry)

Here’s the list of Wishes tied to unlocking Silk and Soul:

• 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 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

While Silk and Soul can be triggered without finishing every single one of these, completing them ensures the Wish will appear.

---

How to complete Silk and Soul and begin Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong

Finishing the Silk and Soul quest is the key to unlocking Act 3: Abyss in Hollow Knight Silksong.

Duel with Grandmother Silk Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong (Image via Team Cherry || YouTube@/LoganZ)

You’ll need four special items that act as components for the trap against Grand Mother Silk:

1) Collect the four trap components

To prepare the trap, you must gather these four items and hand them over to the Caretaker in Songclave:

• Maiden’s Soul – Speak to the Maiden in Bone Bottom after sitting at the bench and triggering the second Skull Tyrant fight.
• Hermit’s Soul – Break the fake wall on the right side of the Bellhart Bellway room to reach the Bell Hermit.
• Seeker’s Soul – Found at the abandoned bellhome, left of the bench at the top of Bilewater.
• Snare Setter – Collected from the table above the bench in Weavenest Atla. Access requires opening the Needolin door beneath Bone Bottom.

With all four collected, return them to the Caretaker in Songclave, who will confirm that the trap is ready.

2) Face Grand Mother Silk

Head to the top of The Cradle, where you’d normally encounter the Grand Mother Silk fight. Just before the battle begins, the Caretaker will appear to let you know the trap is set. Now you can move forward as usual:

1. Fight Grand Mother Silk – Play through the battle as you normally would.
2. Choose the Needolin – After the fight, instead of binding her, select the option to play the Needolin like it was used during the Beastling Call.

3) Unlock Act 3 – Abyss

Choosing the Needolin ends the fight differently, giving you one of the five endings in Silksong. Instead of the usual ending, this choice triggers a unique cutscene that opens the path into Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong.

---

Fastest method to unlock Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong

For PC players, there’s also a fan-made shortcut. A mod called Start Act 3 Abyss and Snared Silk Achievement by UraharaBr lets you trigger Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong more directly.

Gameplay still from Hollow Knight Silksong (Image via Team Cherry || YouTube@/LoganZ)

After installing, simply talk to the NPC before the final boss, defeat Grand Mother Silk, and use the needle. When you reload the save, Act 3 becomes accessible. To install:

1. Save your progress and close the game.
2. Navigate to: AppData\LocalLow\Team Cherry\Hollow Knight Silksong\
3. Open your user ID folder.
4. Paste the modded files into this folder.
5. Relaunch the game.

If your game is in Portuguese, switch languages from the second option on the menu before loading back in.

---

That concludes our guide on unlocking Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong. For more news and updates on the game, follow Sportskeeda.

• Will there be a physical edition release of Silksong?
• How to get The Crest of Wanderer in Hollow Knight Silksong
• How to get Thread Storm Silk skill in Hollow Knight Silksong