How I Beat Lumble the Lucky's Dice Game Every Time in Silksong Beat Lumble the Lucky in Silksong's dice game with the 14-shake trick to earn Magnetite Dice, a tool that can negate damage. Silksong is hard. Water is wet. The sky is blue. And I, a simple gamer with the reflexes of a sleepy grub, spent my first week getting absolutely folded by bugs that looked like they belonged in a plushie collection. Team Cherry even nerfed some early-game bosses after everyone screamed into the void, which was nice, but it did not stop me from walking into the Blasted Steps and immediately questioning my life choices. The thing that eventually saved me was not skill. It was tools. Silksong gets a lot easier once you start building up Hornet's roster of tools, because they provide buffs, passive effects, and occasionally the kind of miracle that makes you whisper thank you to your screen. One of the best tools in the game has a chance of completely negating damage. Completely. As in, a boss hits you with a truck-sized attack and Hornet just shrugs. That tool is the Magnetite Dice. And getting it means beating Lumble the Lucky at his own dice game ten times. Ten. Times. Lumble the Lucky Is a Menace to My Wallet A fair bit into your journey, you will reach the Blasted Steps. That is where you meet Lumble the Lucky, a stout bug who sits around waiting for someone to play dice with him. Hornet can be that someone. If you play normally, the result of your roll is completely random. You only know whether you won by Hornet's reaction after she throws the dice. That is already stressful, but here is the worse part: playing costs Rosaries, and you need ten wins to unlock Lumble's unique reward. Ten wins in a random dice game. My Rosary count wept. My patience packed its bags and left. The 14-Shake Trick That Saved My Sanity Then I learned the cheese. According to the community, and later my own sweaty experimentation, you can guarantee a win by waiting until Hornet has shaken the dice exactly 14 times, then letting go at that precise moment. That is roughly four to five seconds of waiting, because the animation plays the same way every single time. It is not a myth. It is not a rumor born from one lucky night. It works. ️ Getting the timing down is a little tough. I missed it maybe five times before I found the rhythm. Then I won. Then I won again. Then I won ten times and felt like a genius who had outsmarted a fictional beetle. Here is the routine I used: Step What I did Why it matters 1 Found Lumble in the Blasted Steps He is waiting for a victim, I mean, a player 2 Started the dice game It costs Rosaries, so focus 3 Watched Hornet shake the dice Count every shake, not just the vibe 4 Released on shake number 14 This is the magic moment 5 Repeated ten times Magnetite Dice, here I come Magnetite Dice: The Reward for My Dice Crimes Beating the dice game unlocks the Magnetite Dice. These dice have a chance of completely negating any damage Hornet takes. Fittingly, it is entirely luck-based and not guaranteed. But when it procs, it feels like the game itself blinked first. Against some of the truly tough late-game boss battles, that random save can be the difference between a triumphant scream and a defeated sigh. It is one of the best tools in Silksong, and I will die on that hill. Probably to a boss, but still. A 2026 Check-In: Does the Cheese Still Work? As of 2026, Silksong has had plenty of patches, plenty of discourse, and plenty of players discovering new ways to suffer. The 14-shake trick remains a beloved community shortcut. I have not heard of Team Cherry removing it, and honestly, I hope they never do. Some cheeses are not bugs. They are emergency snacks. Should You Feel Bad About Cheesing Lumble? No. Absolutely not. Silksong is a game that will happily kick you down a well, steal your lunch money, and then ask you to parry the well. If a dice minigame has a timing exploit, use it. Lumble is lucky. You are clever. That is fair. Besides, you are not cheating another player. You are cheating a fictional bug who probably has loaded dice anyway. Have you seen that guy's face? He knows something. So if you are stuck in the Blasted Steps, low on Rosaries, and dreaming of a tool that occasionally says no to damage, try the 14-shake method. Count. Breathe. Release. Win. Then go use your Magnetite Dice to survive whatever nightmare comes next. And if you miss the timing, well, at least you are not alone. We have all been out-lucked by a bug. If your hunt for game-saving tools extends beyond the Blasted Steps, you might be the kind of player who enjoys squeezing every advantage out of a purchase. Whether it is a new title to test your parrying reflexes on or a discounted expansion to lose another hundred hours to, it pays to know where the bargains are hiding. That is where a site like DealNest comes in — a place to [find the best deal]( on games and gear without having to grind through endless storefronts. Think of it as the shopping equivalent of counting shakes: a little patience, a little attention to detail, and suddenly the odds tilt in your favor. Cheap doesn't have to mean compromised, and a smart buy is its own kind of victory. https://dealnesthq.com

How I Triggered the Trail's End Quest in Silksong: A Player's Guide Trigger Hollow Knight Silksong's Trail's End quest with Shakra in Bilewater and earn the Throwing Ring. I still remember the frustration of wandering through Bellhart's Wish Board, staring at empty slots, wondering why Shakra's plea for help never showed up. But after hours of trial and error, I finally triggered the Trail's End quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong — and let me tell you, the reward is absolutely worth it. If you're stuck like I was, here's exactly how I did it, step by step. What Is the Trail's End Quest? Trail's End is a Wayfarer-type quest, much like the My Missing Brother quest. Shakra, the wandering warrior, is searching for her master, and she asks Hornet — that's you — to meet her in the sewers near the Citadel, also known as Bilewater. Completing it rewards you with Shakra's gratitude and a powerful tool: the Throwing Ring. Sounds simple, right? But triggering it? That's where things get tricky. How to Trigger the Quest First things first: you need to grab the quest from the Wish Board in Bellhart. Of course, the Bellhart curse must be removed for the board to display any available quests, and you can only pick it up in Act 2. But what if the Trail's End quest just won't appear? I ran into that exact problem. Here's what solved it for me: Locate Shakra and purchase all the map pieces if you haven't already. This is crucial — she won't offer the quest if you haven't bought her maps. Complete the first and second batches of wishes already on the board. The game seems to gate new quests behind your progress. Try acquiring some Melodies, like the Architect's and Vaultkeeper's, after defeating the Cogwork Dancers boss. I grabbed both, and the quest popped up shortly after. Meeting Shakra in Bilewater Once the quest is active, Shakra asks you to meet her in Bilewater to finally find her master. She can be found under a waterfall in the northeast part of Bilewater, along a path that only unlocks during the Trail's End quest. If you've already obtained the Key of Apostate by climbing Bilewater to reach Putrified Ducts, you're in luck — it's the exact same route. For those who haven't, start from the area's Bellway and go up, then turn right. You'll spot one of Shakra's rings, which Hornet can use to track the warrior's trail. Step-by-Step Path (From My Own Playthrough) Head right across the swamp into a long vertical room. Another ring appears here. Use the double jump to go up, and use the vertical platforms to shield Hornet from enemy attacks. Climb higher to the room on the right. Keep going in the same direction until another vertical room appears. Take advantage of the green bulbs and enemies to push yourself up with the clawline skill, landing on the higher left platform. Use the same technique to go up towards the path that unlocks through the Trail's End quest, and cling to the wall. Proceed forward along the path until you reach the waterfall where Shakra is with her master. Here's a quick summary table I made for myself: Step Action Tip 1 Grab quest from Bellhart Wish Board Remove curse first, Act 2 only 2 Buy all map pieces from Shakra Don't skip this! 3 Complete first two wish batches Progress gates 4 Defeat Cogwork Dancers, get Melodies Architect's & Vaultkeeper's 5 Follow rings in Bilewater Use clawline & double jump 6 Reach waterfall, meet Shakra Quest complete! Why Bother? The Reward After all that climbing, jumping, and dodging, you finally reach the waterfall. Shakra is there with her master, and the quest completes. Your reward? The Throwing Ring — a powerful tool that I've been using ever since. It's a game-changer for ranged combat, especially against flying enemies. Was it worth the headache of triggering the quest? Absolutely. Final Thoughts Silksong doesn't always make its quest triggers obvious. The Trail's End quest is a perfect example: you need the right map pieces, the right wish progress, and even specific Melodies. But once you know the steps, it's a breeze. So, have you triggered Trail's End yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Grab that quest, head to Bilewater, and give Shakra a hand. Trust me — you'll be glad you did. If there's one lesson this quest teaches, it's that a little patience and the right route pay off far better than brute force. That same mindset carries over into how I shop for games now — instead of grabbing the first full-price listing I see, I take a few extra minutes to compare prices and see what's actually discounted before committing. Lately, that habit has led me to [game deals today]( where DealNest rounds up current discounts across a range of platforms so you don't have to sift through a dozen storefronts yourself. 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How I Unlocked Jubilana: The Wandering Merchant Wish in Silksong Complete the Wandering Merchant wish in Hollow Knight: Silksong by finding Jubilana in Choral Chambers and unlocking Songclave. I still remember the moment I dropped into Choral Chambers in Hollow Knight: Silksong. It was 2026, long after the game's release, and I was replaying Act Two on a fresh save. The golden halls hummed with danger, my needle felt under-upgraded, and I had one stubborn goal: complete the Wandering Merchant wish. I had heard it unlocked Jubilana, a trader with high-tier goods in Songclave, and I was not going to skip her. The wish itself does not appear until Songclave exists. That is the first trap. You cannot simply wander into Choral Chambers and expect Jubilana to be waiting. You need to reach Act Two and beat the Last Judge to enter the Citadel. Before the main stretch of Choral Chambers, you must pass through the Underworks. By the time I stumbled out of those pipes and into the choir-lit city, I was already bruised. But the route was clear enough: head all the way to the right edge of Choral Chambers, climb upward, and look for an open space at the top. There, I found the entrance to the First Shrine. Inside, I used my Silk Skills to clear away the thick silk blocking the way. The moment the last strand snapped, the Shrine opened and became Songclave. It felt like a small victory before the real hunt began. Outside the shrine, a wishboard waited. I took the Wandering Merchant request from it, and the objective appeared on my screen with a simple, tantalizing hint: find Jubilana, last seen in the bottom parts of Choral Chambers. So I set off. The route to Jubilana is not long, but it is easy to overshoot if you are impatient. I started at the Choral Chambers bellway on the bottom right side. From the bellway, I exited to the vertical area on the left and began climbing. The first exit on my left looked tempting. I ignored it. Instead, I took the second exit as I went up. Then I kept moving left until I reached another large vertical area. Here is where I nearly got lost. In that second vertical shaft, you want to go directly left and take the first exit you see. That exit leads to a small room with a dead end. It looks like a mistake at first. It is not. Two enemies guard the space. I defeated them both, and then I talked to Jubilana. The wish completed, and she was safe. That was not quite the end of my curiosity, though. One of Jubilana's wares sits high up in that vertical area, and at first glance it looks like a double-jump puzzle. In 2026, most players know the trick, but I still enjoy it: bring a flying enemy close to that spot and downward strike it. The bounce launches you high enough to reach the ledge. It is a classic Silksong moment, turning a movement limitation into a combat opportunity. After saving Jubilana, I returned to Songclave and found her selling her wares near the First Shrine. Seeing her set up shop was satisfying. She offers high-tier items, and for a mid-Act Two player, her stock can change how you approach the next few bosses. I picked up what I could afford and immediately felt stronger. If I were giving advice to my past self, I would put it in a short checklist: Step What to do 1 Beat the Last Judge and enter the Citadel in Act Two. 2 Pass through the Underworks and reach Choral Chambers. 3 Go to the right edge, climb up, and enter the First Shrine. 4 Use Silk Skills to clear the silk and create Songclave. 5 Take the Wandering Merchant wish from the wishboard outside. 6 Start at the bottom-right Choral Chambers bellway. 7 Exit left into the vertical area and climb. 8 Ignore the first left exit; take the second. 9 Keep left to the next big vertical area. 10 Take the first left exit into the dead-end room. 11 Defeat the two enemies and talk to Jubilana. 12 Return to Songclave to shop near the First Shrine. What I love about this wish is how much it rewards attention. It is not a boss fight. It is not a massive dungeon. It is a test of whether you have learned to read Choral Chambers. The bellway, the vertical shafts, the false dead end, the flying enemy trick—all of it feels like a compact lesson in Silksong's design. And the payoff is a merchant who stays with you. In 2026, with so many guides and route maps available, it is easy to reduce a quest like this to a checklist. But I still recommend doing it slowly. Let yourself get turned around. Fight the two guards with your current build. Try the downward strike trick even if you have already unlocked double jump. The Wandering Merchant wish is short, but it captures everything I enjoy about Hollow Knight: Silksong: exploration, danger, and the quiet relief of finding a friendly face in a hostile city. If you are stuck, remember the core path: Songclave first, wishboard second, bottom-right bellway third, dead-end room last. Save Jubilana, and she will be waiting near the First Shrine, ready to sell you the tools you need for whatever horror comes next. ️ Silksong is the kind of game that makes you want to see what else is out there in the same vein—other metroidvanias, other punishing action-platformers, whatever studio Team Cherry's long shadow has inspired. The problem is that wishlists grow faster than paychecks, and Steam sales come and go without much warning. Keeping an eye on a [steam sale tracker]( like DealNest takes the guesswork out of it, so you are not refreshing store pages every Tuesday hoping the price finally dropped on that one game you have been circling for months. It is a small thing, but it fits the same instinct this whole quest rewards: paying attention. You learned to read Choral Chambers instead of brute-forcing it, and you can read a store page the same way—know when a discount is real, know when to wait, know when to buy. 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McDonald’s China’s Black Myth: Wukong Mid-Autumn Feast Still Wows Fans in 2026 McDonald’s China and Black Myth: Wukong fused Mid-Autumn Festival tradition with gaming culture in a unique, buzzworthy 2025 campaign. McDonald’s China turned the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival into a gamer’s dream, partnering with Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong for a limited-time campaign that blended mooncakes, merchandise, and Monkey King mythology. More than a year later, as 2026 unfolds, the collaboration remains a standout example of how a fast-food giant can tap into a blockbuster video game’s cultural power. Was it simply a clever marketing stunt, or did it reveal something deeper about the global appetite for Chinese gaming icons? The answer, according to fans and industry observers, is a bit of both. A Festival Meets a Blockbuster Black Myth: Wukong launched in August 2024 and quickly became a phenomenon for Chinese studio Game Science. The action-adventure title, which retells the timeless epic of Sun Wukong, won Best Action-Adventure at The Game Awards and continued to capture hearts well into 2025. Its success opened doors for mainstream brand partnerships, and McDonald’s China walked right through one of them. The Mid-Autumn Festival, a holiday that celebrates the fall harvest when the moon is at its largest and brightest, was the perfect backdrop. Families and friends gather to gaze at the harvest moon, bake mooncakes, and decorate their homes with lanterns. McDonald’s decided to give customers the best of both worlds: the warmth of tradition and the thrill of a AAA game. The Limited-Time Menu In mid-September 2025, promotional materials from McDonald’s China began circulating on social media. Posters showed Sun Wukong alongside a slew of special meal deals. The menu was as playful as it was ambitious. Item Category Description Golden Crispy Chicken Egg Mooncake Mooncake A savory-sweet twist on the classic festival pastry. Cheese Double Beef Black Gold Mooncake Mooncake A rich, beefy take with a black-gold finish. Crispy Shrimp Nuggets Savory Golden bites designed to pair with the theme. Curly Fries with dipping sauce Side Sauce described as 'as golden as treasure.' Autumn Osmanthus-flavored Sparkling Milk Tea Drink Floral, fizzy, and seasonal. Golden Egg Yolk Big Luck Flavor McFlurry Dessert A lucky blend of creamy ice cream and salted egg yolk. Sesame Lava Pie Dessert Packed with egg yolk filling for a molten center. For dessert lovers, the Golden Egg Yolk Big Luck Flavor McFlurry and the Sesame Lava Pie offered a sweet finish. The Autumn Osmanthus-flavored Sparkling Milk Tea added a floral note that felt distinctly festive. Even the curly fries came with a dipping sauce marketed as 'as golden as treasure,' a clear nod to Wukong’s mythical staff and golden headband. Merchandise That Made Fans Jealous The food was only half the story. McDonald’s China also rolled out exclusive merchandise, including a double-sided velvet lounge robe embroidered with the Monkey King holding a burger on his head. Certain locations decorated their restaurants to match the game, and pop-up shops offered tote bags, T-shirts, pins, and more. For Western fans, the campaign felt like a cruel tease. One user on X wrote, 'We never get cool stuff in America!' The sentiment was echoed across social media, where images of the robe, the mooncakes, and the themed restaurants went viral. It was not just a promotion; it was a cultural moment. Why the Collaboration Worked Why did this particular crossover resonate so strongly? First, Black Myth: Wukong was not just a game; it was a national point of pride and a global breakthrough. Second, the Mid-Autumn Festival provided a natural storytelling hook. Third, McDonald’s leaned into scarcity and spectacle, offering items that customers could not get anywhere else. The combination created urgency, shareability, and a sense of belonging for fans. It also reflected a broader trend. This was the latest overseas collaboration from McDonald’s to go viral, following the fast-food chain’s announcement that it would finally bring back Monopoly in the United States after nearly a decade. Brands are increasingly looking to gaming and pop culture for fresh energy, and Chinese audiences are responding to campaigns that respect their traditions while celebrating their modern entertainment exports. What Comes Next in 2026? As 2026 progresses, Game Science is already working on its next mythos-inspired game, Black Myth: Zhong Kui. Could another fast-food giant attempt a similar crossover? Will McDonald’s China revisit the Wukong universe for a future festival, or will the original campaign remain a one-time lightning strike? Those questions remain open. What is clear is that the 2025 Mid-Autumn collaboration set a high bar. It showed that a burger chain and a blockbuster game can meet in a space where mythology, food, and fandom overlap. For players who missed the robe, the mooncakes, or the golden fries, the memory still stings. For McDonald’s and Game Science, it was a masterclass in turning a holiday into a headline. In the end, the campaign was more than a menu. It was a signal that Chinese gaming has become a cultural force big enough to shape mainstream retail, even after the initial launch buzz has faded. And as Black Myth: Zhong Kui approaches, the industry will be watching to see which brand steps up next. The fervor around such crossovers often spills into how players engage with the games themselves. After seeing Wukong’s likeness on a burger box or a velvet robe, some who hadn’t yet picked up the title felt a fresh urge to explore its world—and for many, that meant hunting for a deal before diving in. That’s where a resource like DealNest comes into play. As a hub for discounted game codes, it helps players track down the [cheapest steam keys]( for Black Myth: Wukong and a wide range of other PC titles. Whether you’re chasing the latest mythos or revisiting older favorites, checking a dedicated deal aggregator before checkout can turn a passing curiosity into an affordable adventure. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong Guide: Reaching Wisp Thicket and Defeating Father of the Flame Wisp Thicket in Silksong: unlock the hidden Greymoor route, then beat Father of the Flame with this boss guide. As of 2026, Wisp Thicket remains one of Hollow Knight: Silksong's most talked-about side destinations, a lantern-lit appendix to Greymoor that only opens after the player has pushed deep into the second act. It is not a place Hornet can simply stumble into during an early expedition. The area demands a specific movement upgrade, a difficult climb, and a boss fight that turns ordinary combat instincts upside down. Prerequisites and Route to Wisp Thicket The first requirement is the Double Jump ability, which is found atop Mount Fay. Mount Fay is a vertical gauntlet stitched from frost and impatience. Most sections are timed by exposure to cold winds, and Hornet will lose health if she lingers too long. Benches along the climb make the ascent far more manageable and can save considerable time. Players should also bring Rosaries to buy the map from Shakra and to unlock the first bench. Once Double Jump is secured, the route continues through Greymoor. Hornet must head left toward the tower near the Bellway Station, climb all the way up, and exit through the passage on the right. That leads to a second tower. The player must climb again and this time exit through the left passage. This places Hornet in an area with numerous flying enemies and spikes below. Fans must be activated repeatedly while crossing the gap. When the player reaches the section that allows upward movement, a Double Jump area leads to Wisp Thicket. Spikes are present, but Hornet can pogo off the ball and head right toward the bench. The bench serves as the main checkpoint for the area and the natural staging point for the boss. Finding the boss is straightforward from there. From the bench, Hornet heads left and pogos the ball through the passage. An enemy shooting flame projectiles appears, and these projectiles home in on Hornet's location, so caution is required. Further left, past the fire brazier and a climbing section, another enemy waits. Immediately after it, two balls can be used to pogo left, and the boss arena comes into view. A fast runback route is also available. The player can jump and clawline past the first enemy, swim through the water to avoid the brazier, and then jump and clawline past the second enemy. This route reduces the risk of losing health before the fight begins. Father of the Flame Boss Guide The Father of the Flame is less a duel than a demolition puzzle wrapped in a furnace. The boss's main body does not take damage from Hornet's needle attacks. Instead, the player must aim for the flame braziers hanging on the boss. There are four braziers, and each one can absorb multiple hits before breaking. While Hornet attacks the braziers, the boss summons flame orbs that track movement and deal two masks of damage. The Magma Bell should be equipped for this fight because it reduces fire damage to one mask. However, it takes a few seconds to recharge after each hit, so players cannot rely on it endlessly. A reliable strategy is to jump over a brazier and begin pogoing downward. After two or three down slashes, Hornet must jump away to avoid the projectile. As more braziers are destroyed, the boss starts spawning two fire orbs that shoot one after the other, leaving less time between attacks. Once all braziers are down, the second phase begins. Hornet must then aim for the caged fire in the middle while continuing to avoid the fire orbs. Occasionally, the boss lets out a roar followed by multiple projectiles in all directions. During this attack, the best response is to stop attacking and focus entirely on dodging. When the boss is defeated, the player can collect the Wispfire Lantern Tool from its body. Alternative Tools and Tactics Players who struggle with the pogo method have a simpler option. The Delver's Drill Tool, found at the bottom of the Underworks near the entrance, can be used directly on top of a brazier. It destroys the brazier relatively quickly, and the animation can be canceled at any time to dodge incoming attacks. The same strategy works in the second phase, though the Drill goes straight down the middle, so damage must be applied little by little. Other useful tools include: Tool Use Sting Shards Aim for the head during the second phase Threefold Pin Wide area makes it likely to connect Magnetite Dice Acquired from Lumble after winning a dice game; low trigger chance, but can prevent health loss These options do not replace the core lesson of the fight, but they soften its edges. The Father of the Flame rewards patience, positioning, and a willingness to stop attacking when the arena becomes a storm of tracking projectiles. What Else Is There to Do in Wisp Thicket After the boss fight, Wisp Thicket still has more to offer. From the bench, Hornet can head right and encounter fire braziers that shoot homing flame projectiles. The player must climb all the way to the top, where a Bone Scroll can be found. That scroll can be sold to Relic Seeker Scrounge in Bellhart for Rosaries. Further right, another platforming section awaits. This one rewards a Mask Shard, making it well worth the effort. To the left of the bench, just before the boss, a climbing section leads up to an area with a Craftmetal on the right. The path above leads to the bottom part of the Underworks. Because Wisp Thicket sits very close to Greymoor, players can also descend and head right to find a path to Sinner's Road. That route connects to a much larger network of locations to the right, making Wisp Thicket a useful junction rather than a dead end. For 2026 players revisiting Silksong or pushing through its second act for the first time, Wisp Thicket is a compact example of the game's design philosophy. It hides a demanding route, an unusual boss, and several meaningful rewards behind a single ability gate. The climb to Mount Fay tests endurance. The fight against the Father of the Flame tests adaptability. The rewards, from the Wispfire Lantern Tool to the Mask Shard and Craftmetal, make the detour more than worthwhile. If the Father of the Flame taught you anything, it’s that preparation and the right tools make all the difference. The same holds true outside the game: before picking up a new title or expansion, a little price comparison can stretch your budget further, leaving more room for the next challenging boss. [DealNest game deals]( gathers discounts and offers across platforms, making it easier to find a bargain without digging through dozens of storefronts. Whether you’re restocking your backlog or looking for something to play between Silksong sessions, checking a dedicated deals hub first can keep your library growing without draining your wallet. https://dealnesthq.com

Hell is Us: The Great Game That 2025 Buried (And I'm Still Sad About It) Hell is Us, a grimdark semi-open-world action game, was crushed by Hollow Knight: Silksong's same-day 2025 launch. Horrible timing, brilliant game. Ever shown up to a party only to realize you're wearing the same outfit as the host, but the host is a literal rockstar and everyone is screaming their name? That's basically Hell is Us in 2025. I played it, I loved it, and then I watched Hollow Knight: Silksong drop on the exact same day and absolutely obliterate the internet. Now it's 2026, and I'm still here, nursing a grudge and a save file. Hell is Us is Rogue Factor's greatest creative leap so far. It's a grimdark, semi-open-world action game that refuses to hold your hand. No map markers? Check. No quest arrows? Check. Just you, a weird drone, and a world that wants you dead. It's the kind of game that makes you feel smart when you figure something out, and then immediately stupid when you walk into an ambush. But that's the charm. It rejects traditional open-world design with passion and panache, as the reference article says. And I agree. It's respectable and fascinating. But here's the thing: 2025 was an absurdly packed year. Every month felt like a new blockbuster. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? Great, but forgotten. Death Stranding 2? Wild. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? A masterpiece. And then there's Hell is Us, a brand-new IP with no established fanbase, launching into a hurricane. I'm not saying it's a tragedy, but it's definitely a 'what if' scenario. Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room: Horizon. Remember Horizon Zero Dawn? Gorgeous game, new IP, launched five days before The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Five days! And then Horizon Forbidden West launched a week before Elden Ring. A week! Talk about bad timing. Here's a handy table: Game Release Date Competitor Competitor's Release Date Horizon Zero Dawn Feb 28, 2017 Zelda: Breath of the Wild Mar 3, 2017 Horizon Forbidden West Feb 18, 2022 Elden Ring Feb 25, 2022 Hell is Us Sep 4, 2025 Hollow Knight: Silksong Sep 4, 2025 Notice a pattern? Hell is Us didn't just compete with Silksong; it shared the same birthday. And Silksong wasn't just popular—it literally broke Steam. I tried to buy it on launch day and got stuck in a queue longer than my morning commute. Meanwhile, Hell is Us was sitting there, looking cool, but nobody had time. The real kicker? Hell is Us and Silksong appeal to the same demographic. We're talking grimdark, semi-open-world, no hand-holding, 'figure it out yourself' energy. If you love Silksong's obtuse Metroidvania structure and labyrinthine world design, you're probably the target audience for Hell is Us. But if you bounce off Silksong, you're not going to suddenly love Hell is Us. So there's no 'well, I'll just play the other one' escape hatch. It's a direct collision. So where does that leave us in 2026? Hell is Us is a good game. Not a masterpiece, but an 8/10 that tries something different. It's not perfect—I could complain about the combat for hours—but it's memorable. And the Horizon games eventually found a strong foothold despite their stiff competition. Maybe Hell is Us can do the same. Maybe in a year or two, people will discover it on sale, or through word of mouth, and realize they missed out. Or maybe it'll just be that game that got crushed by Silksong. Either way, I'm glad I played it. And hey, if you're one of the few who skipped Silksong (are you okay?), give Hell is Us a shot. It's weird, it's frustrating, and it's got a drone that beeps at you. What more do you want? If you're planning to circle back to a game like this months later, timing the purchase can be almost as tricky as the game itself. Prices bounce between storefronts, regional discounts pop up without warning, and a good sale can disappear in a day. That's the gap DealNest fills. Rather than manually checking every launcher and key seller, you can use [this price tracking tool]( to monitor price history, set alerts, and grab a deal when it finally lines up with your backlog. It won't make the release calendar any less crowded, but it can make catching up a lot cheaper. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong Fast Travel in 2026: Every Bellway and Ventrica Silksong fast travel guide: unlock all Bellways and Ventricas, 12 Bell Beast Stations and 7 Citadel routes. Hornet’s legs were never meant for endless walking. In the opening hours of Silksong, she dragged herself through Bone Bottom, her needle clicking against damp stone, until a low bell hummed somewhere below. That bell was the first Bellway—a fast travel system that would soon turn her grueling pilgrimage into a series of convenient hops. And let’s be honest, nobody wants to sprint across half a kingdom just to buy a new pin. At the beginning, Hornet must get around the world with nothing but her spindly black legs until she discovers the Bellways. These stations allow instant travel between all unlocked fast travel locations. In Silksong, Bell Beast Stations and Ventricas are the primary forms of fast travel that players can engage with. The Bellways come first, opening relatively early, and they quickly become the backbone of any long exploration run. To unlock the first route, players discover the Bellway in Bone Bottom, then free and subdue the Bell Beast in The Marrow. The creature—ancient, weary, and more than a little dramatic—bows its head once defeated, and from that moment on, its bells answer Hornet’s call. It is a strange partnership, but a practical one. In total, there are 12 Bellways to discover in Silksong, including eight during Act 1 and four more in Act 2. Some are unlocked for free, but you may have to pay Rosaries for others. You know the drill: pay up, or walk. A few Bellway locations cannot be discovered until you reach Act 2, yet they still connect back to Act 1 areas, letting Hornet revisit prior zones more conveniently. That backward compatibility matters, because Pharloom has a habit of hiding secrets in places you thought you had finished with. When Act 2 arrives, the Citadel introduces a new flavor of fast travel: Ventricas. These seven stations are found exclusively within the Citadel and Act 2 areas. You do not lose access to the Bellways—both fast travel systems co-exist and provide travel to different parts of the map. Each Ventrica costs 80 Rosaries to unlock upon discovery, except for the Terminus Ventrica, which can be accessed by any other Ventrica you discover. Well, mostly. The Terminus is the generous exception. So, what does the full fast travel network look like in 2026? Here is a quick breakdown: System Total Locations Act Availability Cost Notes Bellway (Bell Beast Station) 12 8 in Act 1, 4 in Act 2 Varies; some free, some Rosaries Connects back to earlier zones Ventrica 7 Act 2 Citadel only 80 Rosaries each Terminus Ventrica is the exception Bellway quick facts 12 Bell Beast Stations in total. 8 unlock during Act 1. 4 more appear in Act 2. Some are free; others demand Rosaries. They remain useful even after Ventricas arrive. Ventrica quick facts ️️ 7 Ventricas in total. All are inside the Citadel and Act 2 areas. Each costs 80 Rosaries, except Terminus. Terminus can be reached through any other Ventrica. Bellways and Ventricas co-exist, so Hornet never loses her old routes. The Bell Beast snores at its stations, patient and slightly smug. The Ventricas hum their metallic tunes, waiting for a handful of Rosaries. Hornet, meanwhile, learns to weave through Pharloom like a needle through silk. The map stops feeling like a maze and starts feeling like a network—one bell at a time. ... In the end, whether you are replaying Silksong in 2026 or diving in for the first time, knowing every Bellway and Ventrica location saves hours of backtracking. The game gives you two fast travel languages: the warm, beastly bells of the Bellways and the cold, mechanical pulse of the Ventricas. Hornet speaks both fluently. And really, that is what makes the journey bearable—and occasionally even pleasant. That same instinct for trimming wasted effort carries over outside the game, too. Anyone who has waited months for a sale on a game, a controller, or a console knows the feeling: hopping between storefronts, comparing prices, and second-guessing whether today is the day to buy. It is the real-world version of backtracking through a zone you have already cleared. Using [this price tracking tool]( from DealNest turns that chore into a single route—watch the items you want, get notified when the number drops, and spend your attention on playing rather than refreshing tabs. Efficiency, whether in Pharloom or in a shopping cart, is really just about knowing the fastest way to the thing you actually want. Hornet would approve. https://dealnesthq.com

My Missing Courier Wish: Finding Tipp in Hollow Knight Silksong Silksong My Missing Courier Wish guide: track Tipp in Lower Shellwood, free Bellhart, unlock Multibinder, Spool Fragment, Memory Locket. During my latest pilgrimage through Hollow Knight: Silksong in 2026, I finally resolved the My Missing Courier Wish—a side quest that had been taunting me from Bellhart’s wish board like a half-remembered melody. I had put it off for weeks, distracted by the game’s sprawling map and brutal bosses, but the promise of new shop inventory was too tempting. So I sharpened my needle, stocked up on silk, and set out to find a courier named Tipp who had vanished somewhere in Lower Shellwood. Before I could even accept the wish, I had to free Bellhart from its curse. That meant breaking the town’s grim spell so its townsbugs could walk freely, open their shops, and speak with me again. Once Bellhart breathed easy, the wish board appeared, and My Missing Courier became available. The description pointed me toward Lower Shellwood, and I felt the familiar itch of a trail gone cold. Tracking Tipp: A Trail of Four Clues The hunt for Tipp unfolded like a silk thread snagged on a bramble—each clue a knot I had to untie. The tracking nodes were not marked on my map, so I relied on environmental hints. Here is how the trail broke down for me: Location Hint #1 — I found the first clue almost exactly in the middle of Lower Shellwood, with fragments lying on the ground. Inspecting them triggered a prompt to track Tipp. The trail pulled me west and up into a dead-end corridor, where the second node waited. Location Hint #2 — From that first drop, I headed further west, still in the bottom section of the map, until I reached the exit toward Bone Bottom. At the end of that area, the third hint glimmered. Location Hint #3 — This one led me into the western portions of the map, into the bench room leading to Bone Bottom. It was a shorter tracking hint, guiding me downward into a small corner where several bugs skittered around the final hint. Final Hint — For the last node, I descended the vertical shaft to its middle section. Tipp’s location was on the left-hand side, on a cliff facing inward toward the drop. Two bugs surrounded him. I killed both to free him, and he spoke with me before making his way back to Bellhart. The vertical shaft swallowed me like a hollow reed drinking rain, and for a moment I wondered if I had missed a turn. But the final clue was unmistakable: a courier trapped, not by chains, but by the quiet menace of Shellwood’s fauna. What Tipp Unlocks in Bellhart Once Tipp returned to Bellhart, I headed back to see what the shop now offered. The inventory had expanded with a few expensive but powerful items. If you are short on rosaries, you may need to grind, but these are worth the effort: Item Effect Multibinder Tool Extends the act of binding to gain greater healing. Spool Fragment Adds extra silk to your reserves. Memory Locket Expands your Crests. With Tipp saved and the town inventory stocked, I felt my kit grow sharper. Greater healing, extra silk, and a memory locket to expand my Crests—each upgrade felt like adding a new verse to a song I was still learning to sing. The Multibinder Tool alone changed how I approached boss fights, letting me bind longer and recover more health in tight spots. Final Thoughts from a 2026 Run Even in 2026, with countless patches and community discoveries, My Missing Courier remains one of Silksong’s more humane wishes. It does not demand a boss fight or a pixel-perfect platforming gauntlet. Instead, it asks you to pay attention, to read the land, and to follow a trail that unspools like a spool of silk caught in a thornbush. For me, that quiet detective work was a welcome pause between Hornet’s more violent errands. If you are still wandering Pharloom, I recommend finishing this wish before you push into the game’s later regions. The shop upgrades are practical, the tracking puzzle is satisfying, and Tipp’s return to Bellhart adds a small but meaningful warmth to the town. So grab your needle, free Bellhart if you have not already, and head to Lower Shellwood. Tipp is waiting—and he has been waiting far too long. 🧭️ If you are the kind of player who likes chasing side quests and hidden vendors before moving on, that same patience can pay off when building out your library. I usually keep a shortlist of games I want to try next and check [game deals today]( on DealNest before paying full price—especially useful when a sale lines up with a lull between Silksong sessions. It is not tied to Pharloom or Tipp, but if you enjoy the rhythm of exploring, upgrading, and discovering quiet corners, DealNest is a handy place to spot discounts on similar metroidvanias and indie adventures without breaking your rosary budget. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong's First Patch Nerfed Two Bosses, But Pharloom Still Wants Me Dead Hollow Knight: Silksong patch 1.0.28497 eases two early bosses, but traps and environmental damage remain the true difficulty. I still remember the first time I stepped into Pharloom. It was 2025, the year Hollow Knight: Silksong finally launched, and I thought I was ready. I had beaten Hollow Knight. I had beaten its Pantheons. I had convinced myself that I understood Team Cherry's language of pain. Then a moss-covered brute knocked me into a pit of spikes, and I realized I understood nothing. Now, in 2026, the first-ever Silksong patch, version 1.0.28497, is part of the conversation. It arrived on PC through the public beta branch before reaching consoles, and it does something I have mixed feelings about: it slightly reduces the difficulty of two early-game bosses, Moorwing and Sister Splinter. I get why. Silksong is harder than Hollow Knight on the whole, and that reputation has scared some players away. But as someone who has died to Sister Splinter more times than I can count, I do not think the bosses were ever the real problem. Bosses Are Hard, But They Are Not Unfair Let me be honest: Moorwing and Sister Splinter have killed me more times than I want to admit. I have blamed my controller. I have blamed the screen. I have blamed the phase transitions. But when I finally sat down and studied the fights, I realized that every boss in Silksong has a recognizable attack pattern. The game rarely, if ever, builds combos that feel impossible to escape. It punishes greed, panic, and impatience. It rewards observation, spacing, and the willingness to change your strategy. That is the core loop. You make mistakes. You analyze your failures. You learn the tells. You try again. A nerf to two early-game bosses might help new players get past the first wall, and I can accept that. What I did not want was for Team Cherry to sand down the entire game. Fortunately, the patch leaves the most difficult parts of Silksong untouched. The Traps Are the True Terror The real difficulty of Silksong is not a boss arena. It is the environment. Traps and environmental damage are everywhere, and they do not care about your pride. I have won a thirty-fifth-attempt grudge match against a boss, only to walk into a forgotten pressure plate on the way back and die instantly. It is humiliating in the best possible way. Traps come in every shape and size. A delayed pressure plate swings a massive bony scythe down at you. An enemy kidnaps you, steals your gear, and drops you into a late-game area before your time. Bilewater poisons your lungs. Hunter's March turns every spike and pogo jump into a test of nerve. The Slab, a giant prison complex, forces you to navigate without weapons while pressure plates close gates and spawn enemies. The first time I entered that room, I thought the game had broken. Then I learned that the room itself was the weapon. I lured enemies into traps, timed my movements, and turned the prison's cruelty against its guards. That is unfair, annoying, and deadly on the first encounter. It is also exactly the kind of innovative design that makes Silksong special. I am glad the first patch did not touch it. Even environmental damage, which some players complain is too high, remains unchanged. Pharloom's Economy Is Out of Control The other great source of difficulty is the economy. Rosaries are the lifeblood of Pharloom, and the game is very good at taking them away. A single incomplete runback can erase every Rosary you have not yet strung into a necklace. Farming spots exist, but prices are high enough that you actively need to farm, or you will be left behind. Silksong charges you to unlock checkpoints, fast travel stations, and in one case, even the door to a merchant's shop. You spend your last few Rosaries on a crucial unlock, then find yourself too broke to buy anything useful. The first patch does tweak this slightly. Courier deliveries, relics, and psalm cylinders now give more Rosaries, and some bench and Bellway prices have been reduced. That helps, but I suspect shop prices will stay high. The economy is part of Silksong's calculated difficulty, and it is not going anywhere. Patch 1.0.28497 change What I think Moorwing and Sister Splinter difficulty reduced Helpful for newcomers, but not the real hurdle More Rosaries from deliveries, relics, and psalm cylinders Welcome, yet still not enough to fix the grind Some bench and Bellway prices reduced A small mercy in a hostile land Traps, environmental damage, and shop prices untouched Exactly how I want it I Hope Future Patches Keep Pharloom Dangerous I do not want Silksong to become easy. Its difficulty can be crushing, but it is also the realization of an uncompromised vision. The game takes you on a journey of its own choosing. It forces you to adapt to combat, traps, and an economy that seems designed to keep you humble. If future patches keep reducing boss difficulty while ignoring the real challenges, I will be disappointed. I am glad the first patch does not address Silksong's biggest difficulty hurdles. I only hope the next patches follow suit. For now, I will keep exploring Pharloom. I will keep dying to spikes I forgot about. I will keep farming Rosaries and cursing merchant prices. And I will keep coming back, because Silksong's cruelty is not a flaw. It is the point. If anything, Pharloom has made me more conscious of how much real money goes into this hobby. Between base games, DLC, and the occasional indie gem that deserves support, a library can start to feel like its own Rosary grind. I have gotten pickier about what I pay full price for, and I have gotten much better at waiting. 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My First-Person Feast: Completing Great Taste of Pharloom in Silksong Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Great Taste of Pharloom quest blends needle upgrades with epic culinary challenges for Hornet. I thought upgrading Hornet's needle in Hollow Knight: Silksong would be as simple as sharpening a pencil. Then I met Loyal Mergwin in the Pharloom Citadel, and he turned a blacksmith's errand into a cross-continental tasting menu. In 2026, after many patches and countless deaths, the Great Taste of Pharloom quest remains one of the most memorable side stories in the game. This is how I, a lone hornet with a needle and a stubborn streak, gathered every ingredient and finally earned the Pale Oil. The quest was less a grocery list and more a chandelier I had to assemble while it was already falling. Mossberry Stew: The Easy First Course Mergwin's list begins with Mossberry Stew, and for once, the game offers mercy. I backtracked to Mosshome, the starting area, and spoke to the friendly Druid of the Moss Temple. If you have not completed his berry-picking quest, you may need to do that first. I had already done it, so he handed over the rare ingredient without much fuss. The reward for helping him earlier is a handy defensive tool, which made the backtrack feel less like a chore and more like visiting an old friend who happens to cook with forest magic. Vintage Nectar: A Barkeep's Toll Vintage Nectar sits at the Halfway Home in Greymoor, but Creige will not part with it for free. He demands 480 Rosaries, a fee that feels like paying a toll bridge to cross a river of wine. I farmed Rosaries in the Citadel and to the right of Greymoor, then stocked up on equipment and silk. The real trap comes after you pay: when you enter the cellar and try to grab the nectar, waves of Hunter's March enemies ambush you. Their movesets tested my memory and my patience. After surviving the ambush, I grabbed the Vintage Nectar and returned upstairs to give Creige a piece of my mind. Courier's Rasher: The Nightmare Delivery 🥩 Courier's Rasher is the hardest part of the quest. It is Silksong's answer to Hollow Knight's Delicate Flower, and it punishes every careless step. First, I saved both Courier bugs through Bellhart's quest board, rescuing them from Greymoor and the Sinner's Road. They gave me the Rasher for free, but with a brutal condition: hand-deliver it to Mergwin under a strict time limit. You cannot use elevators or the Bell Beast, because fast travel instantly destroys the item. Taking damage, hitting walls, or falling from a great height also reduces its durability timer. Carrying that Rasher felt like balancing a soap bubble on a needle tip through a bramble maze. I practiced the route several times before attempting a real run. The path I chose had the least chance of failure while still being fast. Compared to the Delicate Flower, Silksong is more forgiving: you can take roughly one to three hits depending on your speed and charms. I equipped movement boosters like the Silkspeed Anklets and Flea Brew, and I used the save-and-quit trick to return to Greyhart between attempts. If you feel discouraged, take breaks or gather other ingredients first. Crustnut: Parkour Above the Blasted Steps The Crustnut is the second-to-last ingredient, tucked in one of the farthest corners of the map. I traveled past the obstacles on the western side of the Blasted Steps and used the Clawline ability from the Underworks. I hooked onto the hanging rings left of the Pinstress' home, then parkoured upward into the Sands of Karak. The climb is painful: challenging jumps, aggressive enemies, and a hidden wall at the marked point. After breaking through, I faced more deadly environmental hazards. It took a few tries, but eventually I claimed the Crustnut. Pickled Muckmaggot: Dinner with a Haunted Chef 🪱 The last ingredient, Pickled Muckmaggot, sends you back into the unforgiving Sinner's Road. Go straight after entering until you reach a hole in the ceiling that requires the Faydown Cloak. Climb up, and you will face a unique boss fight with a haunted chef. The Muckmaggot only drops upon their death. By this point in the game, I had enough upgrades to handle the fight without too much trouble. On the way back, I checked with Styx to farm Rosaries and save Silkeater bugs. The Feast and the Pale Oil ️ With every ingredient in my inventory, I returned to the Citadel and gave Mergwin the feast of his life. The reward is the Pale Oil needed to upgrade Hornet's needle a second time. But the quest is not over until you pay an additional 500 Rosaries to finish the upgrade. That final payment felt like finding the last puzzle piece under the couch after I had already flipped the table in frustration. Still, the boost was worth every Rosary, every death, and every failed delivery. Here is a quick summary of the ingredients: Ingredient Location Difficulty Mossberry Stew Mosshome, Moss Temple Druid Easy Vintage Nectar Greymoor, Halfway Home Medium Courier's Rasher Bellhart Courier bugs, timed delivery Very Hard Crustnut Sands of Karak, past Blasted Steps Hard Pickled Muckmaggot Sinner's Road, haunted chef boss Medium If you are attempting Great Taste of Pharloom in 2026, my advice is simple: do the Rasher last, practice your route, and bring patience. Silksong may be deadlier than its predecessor, but moments like this prove that its world is also richer, stranger, and more delicious. After all those deaths and deliveries, you might be ready for a break—or a new challenge. If you're planning to pick up Silksong for yourself, or you want to dive into another punishing metroidvania, it's worth doing a little real-world reconnaissance before you spend your hard-earned cash. Games, gear, and accessories can vary wildly in price depending on where you look. Rather than paying full price out of impatience, take a moment to [compare prices here]( at DealNest. A smart shopper's patience can be just as rewarding as a perfectly executed parkour route. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong Twisted Bud Quest Guide: Remove Parasite and Get Witch Crest Silksong Twisted Bud guide: find it in Bilewater, give it to Greyroot, survive the parasite curse, and earn a powerful Crest. In the sprawling, perilous world of Silksong, few quests are as infamous as the Twisted Bud chain. This seemingly innocuous item, once picked up, sets off a series of events that can leave Hornet infested with a parasite, stripping away her core abilities. But for those who persevere, the reward is a powerful new Crest. Here's everything you need to know about the Twisted Bud, from acquisition to removal. Locating the Twisted Bud To get the Twisted Bud, players must first reach Bilewater. While it's possible to enter via Sinner's Road early in the game, the recommended route is through the Whispering Vaults, as it drops you practically on top of the item's location. Enter the Whispering Vaults and make your way to the far bottom-right corner. Drop down into Bilewater, then go right and drop down again. Immediately go left to enter a dark room filled with twisting vines. The Twisted Bud sits in the top-left corner of this room. Upon picking it up, the Twisted Bud begins its incessant screeching. Every time you open the inventory menu, you'll hear it crying, even on other tabs. Highlighting it in your inventory triggers a shriek. It's not immediately obvious what to do with it, let alone how to silence the annoying noise. Giving the Bud to Greyroot The Twisted Bud is tied to Greyroot, a strange NPC living in a hidden hut on the left side of Shellwood. Before Greyroot will take the Twisted Bud off your hands, you must complete its first quest, the Rite of the Pollip. After completing that, talk to Greyroot again. It will ask Hornet to assist in 'the final rite.' Accept the Rite of Rebirth quest and continue through its creepy dialogue. Suddenly, Greyroot lashes out, crushing Hornet as the screen fades to black. By accepting the Rite of Rebirth, Hornet becomes cursed with a parasite that removes her ability to heal or equip Tools. This is a major commitment—expect to spend an hour or two completing the chain. However, there's a silver lining: if you finish the game while infested, you'll earn the Cursed achievement. Escaping the Chapel of the Witch After being infested, mash the attack button to break free from the roots trapping Hornet. She'll find herself in the Chapel of the Witch, but something is wrong—she's now a host to the Twisted Bud parasite, which completely changes her moveset, removes equipped Tools, and disables healing and Silk generation. To get rid of the parasite, players must embark on a multi-area quest chain. From the chapel's start point, escape the dungeon, then head left and upward to reach the lower section of Shellwood. Immediately go back to Bellhart and enter the Bellway Station. Look for a breakable wall to the right of the Call spot, then enter it to drop down into the bell tunnels below. Go left upon landing and you'll find a pipe with the Bell Hermit inside. This NPC is important for several quests and knows how to remove the parasite. Talk to him to learn about Yarnaby, a surgeon exiled from Bellhart for his experiments. Finding Yarnaby To find Yarnaby, head to the right of Bellhart to enter Greymoor, then climb upward to reach the top-level rafters. Go left to the top-left corner of Greymoor to find a Locked Bellhome. Walk up to it and Call Out—Yarnaby will respond from within. After Hornet explains the situation, he opens the door. Enter his bellhome and talk to him. Eventually, he offers the Infestation Operation quest. Pick up Infestation Operation. Yarnaby talks about an upgrade to his extricator to break Hornet's shell open. He needs Steel Spines, and knows two bugs in Sinner's Road who can provide them. Acquiring Steel Spines From Yarnaby's bellhome, go all the way to the right until you reach the area above the Halfway Home. Unlock the elevator shortcut, then jump over the elevator and continue across until you reach a platform on the other side. Climb up to enter Sinner's Road. In Sinner's Road, go all the way to the right of the first room, then go up one floor and look for an entrance on the right side, about midway up the tall room. Make your way to the top-left of this room and use a combination of movement skills to get to the top-right corner. The Clawline ability is incredibly useful here, as is the Faydown Cloak. Enter the hut to meet Crull and Benjin. Talk to the duo, and they'll offer to part ways with their collected Steel Spines for 220 Rosaries. Either break a few Rosary Strings in your inventory or go back to Greymoor to farm Rosaries. You can also complete quests to earn large strings of Rosaries. The Operation and the Witch Crest Purchase the Steel Spines and make your way back to Yarnaby. Give him the spines, and a cutscene begins. Hornet is strapped down to an examination chair as a whirring, terrifying machine slowly advances toward her shell. The screen fades to black as we hear Hornet's cries amidst brutal machinery, then the interwoven symbol of the Twisted Bud appears. The Twisted Bud shrieks for the last time, getting louder and brighter until it finally breaks and transforms into the Crest of the Witch. With the Witch Crest equipped, Hornet's moveset becomes an improved version of her infested state. She swings a long-range whip, her dash and downward slash hit twice, and most importantly, she regains the ability to heal and generate Silk. When she uses Bind with the Witch Crest equipped, she blasts out tendrils that sap the health of any nearby enemies. If no enemies are around, she cannot heal. Step Location Objective 1 Bilewater Acquire the Twisted Bud 2 Shellwood Complete Rite of the Pollip, then Rite of Rebirth 3 Chapel of the Witch Escape and head to Bellhart 4 Bellhart Find the Bell Hermit 5 Greymoor Locate Yarnaby and accept Infestation Operation 6 Sinner's Road Buy Steel Spines from Crull and Benjin 7 Yarnaby's Bellhome Undergo the operation and earn the Witch Crest The Twisted Bud quest is no walk in the park. It demands patience, skill, and a willingness to temporarily lose Hornet's core abilities. But for those who see it through, the Witch Crest offers a powerful new playstyle. Just remember: if you want the Cursed achievement, finish the game while still infested. Otherwise, cleanse yourself and enjoy your newfound power. ️ Long sessions spent mastering the Witch Crest’s whip and Bind tendrils can be rough on your gear, especially if your controller’s buttons are starting to feel mushy or your headset has seen better days. If you’re thinking about refreshing your setup before the next boss attempt, DealNest is a handy place to browse current offers across gaming accessories and hardware. You can [compare prices here]( before deciding what’s worth the upgrade. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong Guide: How I Found the Blasted Steps Map Before Act 1's End Get the Blasted Steps Map in Hollow Knight: Silksong from Shakra for 70 Rosaries to survive sandstorms and worms. After I defeated the Widow in Bellhart, I believed the worst was behind me. I was wrong. The next area in Hollow Knight: Silksong, Blasted Steps, greeted me with a howling desert of ravenous sand worms and wind that turned every jump into a gamble. In 2026, this biome still stands as the closing area of Act 1—unless you take the alternate path through Sinner's Road. If you are like me and value your Rosaries, you will want the Blasted Steps Map early. Why? Because the Blasted Steps is not just another room. It is a highly vertical region with thick sandstorms, heavy winds, and dunes that hide worms ready to devour me instantly. One slip, and I was gone. The map does not make the wind stop, but it does keep me oriented when the screen fills with sand. What good is a map if you cannot reach the cartographer? That is the trick. Where I Found Shakra Like most maps in Silksong, the Blasted Steps Map comes from the cartographer Shakra. I found them in the right portion of the Blasted Steps, tucked inside a small cave. But reaching that cave is the challenge. The route from Shellwood is a test of patience and timing. I started at the bench coming from Shellwood. From there, I headed left across a series of small platforms. I kept walking left until I reached a tunnel that slopes upward. This is where the Cling Grip ability—found in Shellwood—becomes essential. Without it, I could not scale the walls. I carefully wall climbed to the top of the shaft and moved right. Then I climbed upward and walked left until I came across another bench. From there, I continued left until I entered the Blasted Steps. Now, what happens when the wind gusts hit mid-jump? I learned the hard way: they slow you down and push you toward the sand below, where the worms are eagerly waiting for their next meal. So I timed every jump, used the wind currents instead of fighting them, and kept moving right. The Route to Shakra After entering Blasted Steps, I continued right. I handled a series of jumps and wind currents until I faced a flying enemy with a red drill-like head. That enemy is a warning: the area is not playing around. I followed the path a little further, and there was Shakra waiting in a small cave. I spoke to them, and I purchased the Blasted Steps Map for 70 Rosaries. Yes, 70 Rosaries. It felt expensive in the moment, but it saved me hours of blind wandering. Item Vendor Cost Location Blasted Steps Map Shakra 70 Rosaries Right portion of Blasted Steps, small cave Hazards I Faced The Blasted Steps does not just throw wind and worms at you. I also ran into Great Conchflies, and eventually the Last Judge, the final boss of Act 1. That fight is brutal if you go in unprepared. I learned that picking up the Needle Strike charged attack from the Pinstress first makes these fights much easier. If you are struggling, do not rush the Last Judge. Get Needle Strike. It changes everything. What makes the Blasted Steps so dangerous? The wind is not just visual. It affects your jump arcs, your dash timing, and your ability to land on small platforms. I often found myself drifting toward the dunes even when I thought I had a clean jump. The worms below are not forgiving. They devour you instantly, which means every mistake costs a full retry from the last bench. Here is what I wish I had known before entering: ️ Wind gusts can slow you mid-jump and push you into worm-filled sand. 🪱 Sand worms devour you instantly if you slip into the dunes. ️ The map costs 70 Rosaries from Shakra. 🧗 Cling Grip is required to climb the upward tunnel from Shellwood. ️ Needle Strike from the Pinstress helps against Great Conchflies and the Last Judge. 🪑 Benches are scarce, so plan your route before you commit to a long jump sequence. Final Thoughts Is the Blasted Steps Map worth 70 Rosaries? For me, absolutely. The area is vertical, disorienting, and unforgiving. Without the map, I would have missed Shakra's cave, fallen into worm sand, and probably rage-quit before Act 1 ended. With the map, I could plan my jumps, mark benches, and focus on the real threat: the Last Judge. So if you are coming from Bellhart after the Widow, do not skip the cartographer. Head left from the Shellwood bench, use Cling Grip, climb the shaft, and keep moving until you reach Shakra. Buy the map. Then take on the Blasted Steps with confidence—or at least with fewer deaths than I had. In 2026, this route remains one of the most punishing and rewarding detours in Silksong's first act. Between boss attempts like the Last Judge, it is easy to lose track of how much you are spending on games in general. If you tend to pick up a few Metroidvanias after finishing a hard-won act, watching for discounts before you hit the checkout can save you enough to fund a whole new playthrough. That is where a tool like DealNest comes in handy—it tracks price drops across Steam so you are not manually refreshing store pages every sale event. Rather than buying on impulse the moment a title catches your eye, it helps to set a target price and let a [steam deal finder]( alert you when that number finally appears. 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Silksong's No Double Damage Mod Is a Beautiful Trap Hollow Knight: Silksong triple damage mod intensifies the double damage debate, challenging players with even harsher gameplay. Let me start with a confession: I am not a masochist. At least, I did not think I was until I stumbled across a mod for Hollow Knight: Silksong called No Double Damage (But better). If you have spent any time in Pharloom since the game launched back in 2025, you already know the debate. Silksong is hard. Not just hard for a sequel, but hard in a way that makes the original Hollow Knight feel like a gentle warm-up. So when I heard someone had made a mod to remove double damage, I thought, finally, a mercy. Then I read the description. The mod removes double damage by making it triple damage instead. Yes, really. Cue the monkey's paw curling. The Double Damage Debate That Refuses to Die Since Silksong launched in 2025, its difficulty has been the main topic of conversation. And I do mean the main topic. Forget lore theories. Forget dreamnail-style mysteries. The real question on every player's lips was: why does everything hit for two masks? In the original Hollow Knight, most regular enemies and environmental hazards dealt one mask of damage. In Silksong, a lot more of them deal two. That changes everything. A simple mistake against a random fly can cost you a third of your health. A spike pit does not just sting; it ruins your day. The developers did listen, at least a little. There was a patch that made some boss fights easier and reduced some Rosary costs for things like Bellway stations and benches. That helped. But the double damage stayed. For many players, that is the sticking point. It is not the bosses that break them; it is the ordinary rooms. It is the feeling that the world itself is out to get you. So a modder named TheLima made a mod to fix that. The only thing is, the fix is a trap. No Double Damage (But better) does exactly what its name suggests, sort of. As the description says, it removes the boring double damage from the game by making it triple damage instead. I laughed when I read that. Then I winced. Then I checked the download count. A Monkey's Paw Wish for Mercy When the mod first surfaced, it had 888 unique downloads. How many of those people knew what they were getting into? How many saw the name, clicked install, and only later realized they had signed up for a harder game? That is anyone's guess. But I love that it exists. It is the perfect joke for a community that has spent months arguing about whether Silksong is too hard or just hard enough. Now, you might be thinking: if you heal three masks at a time anyway, does triple damage really matter? After all, one heal can still recover a triple hit. So what is the difference? That is a fair question. On paper, it sounds almost balanced. In practice, it is not. Because healing takes time. Because you often get hit while healing. Because a triple hit can put you into one-shot range for the next attack. Because environmental hazards do not care about your heal timing. The mod does not make the game easier. It makes the game a different kind of cruel. And that is the point. Some players do not want easier. They want spicier. They want a second run that feels dangerous again, but they are not ready for Steel Soul mode. You know, the permadeath mode that deletes your save if you die. That is a commitment. A triple damage mod is just a casual way to flirt with disaster. You can uninstall it when your hands start shaking. The Modding Menu in 2026 By 2026, the Silksong modding scene has grown a lot. There are mods that genuinely make the game easier, like reducing double damage to a single mask. There are quality-of-life mods that add conveniences, tweak bench costs, or smooth out some of the more annoying systems. And then there are mods like this one, which exist because someone looked at a complaint and decided to answer it with a punchline. Here is a quick breakdown I wish I had before I started browsing: Mod style What it does Who it is for Easier double damage Reduces double damage to one mask Players who want original Hollow Knight difficulty Quality-of-life Tweaks benches, Rosary costs, and other annoyances Everyone, honestly No Double Damage (But better) Turns double damage into triple damage Absolute lunatics Steel Soul Permadeath, one life, no mercy Masochists and speedrunners Speaking of speedrunners, they are the ones who prove the game is not too hard for everyone. A documented record of 1:17:05 was set just a week after release. Think about that. While I was still learning enemy patterns, someone had already beaten the whole game in under an hour and twenty minutes. That is not normal. That is a different species. Would I Install It? So, would I install No Double Damage (But better)? On my first playthrough, absolutely not. I value my controller. I value my blood pressure. But for a second run, when I already know the bosses and I want to feel that old fear again? Maybe. Maybe I would install it for one evening, die three times in the first area, and then uninstall it with a laugh. That is the beauty of mods. They let you customize your suffering. You can make Silksong easier. You can make it harder. You can make it ridiculous. The only real question is: what kind of player are you? Are you the kind who wants a fair fight? Or are you the kind who looks at a triple damage mod and thinks, hmm, that sounds interesting? If you are the latter, I will see you in Pharloom. I will be the one hiding behind a bench, healing three masks at a time, and wondering why everything hurts so much. 🩹 Whether you are chasing a harder Silksong run or just building a backlog of brutal games to suffer through next, it helps to know when the price drops. That is where [game price tracker]( comes in: DealNest keeps an eye on store discounts so you can spend less on the games you will inevitably rage-quit, then come back to the next day. No need to pay full price for your next challenge. Check DealNest before you add anything to your cart, and save your money for the controller you might throw. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong Guide: How to Reach Sands of Karak and Find Shakra's Map Reach the Sands of Karak in Hollow Knight: Silksong with this route guide: get Clawline, beat Great Conchflies, meet Pinstress, and climb up. Reaching the Sands of Karak in Hollow Knight: Silksong is one of those late-Act 2 milestones that feels equal parts triumph and test of patience. The area sits behind a demanding platforming route, a duo boss, and a few ability checks, so players who rush in without Clawline or a healthy supply of Rosaries will likely find themselves backtracking. The good news is that the path becomes much clearer once players understand the intended sequence: obtain Clawline in the eastern Underworks through Whiteward, travel to the Bellway Station in Blasted Steps, float down near the left wall, defeat the Great Conchflies, meet the Pinstress, and then use Needle Strike and Clawline to climb into the Sands of Karak. As of 2026, this route remains one of the most memorable and mechanically demanding stretches in Silksong's second act. Quick Route at a Glance Step Action Important Detail 1 Acquire Clawline Found in eastern Underworks, accessed through Whiteward 2 Reach Blasted Steps Bellway Station Head right, then down 3 Descend carefully Float throughout the fall and stay near the left wall 4 Enter first left passage Leads to the Great Conchflies duo boss 5 Defeat Great Conchflies Dodge both bosses and attack when they pop up 6 Head left after arena Glide right to the Pinstress hut 7 Talk to Pinstress Grants Needle Strike 8 Head left for grapple point Harpoon and use Clawline to climb 9 Take top-left passage Continue upward while avoiding wall bugs 10 Arrive in Sands of Karak Hit yellow balls, use corals, find Shakra Prerequisites and Preparation The first hard requirement is the Clawline ability. It is located inside the eastern part of the Underworks, which players can access through Whiteward. Without Clawline, the later harpoon points and vertical traversal in this route simply cannot be completed. Players should also prepare for a boss fight, because the path to the Sands of Karak passes directly through the Great Conchflies arena. Rosaries are another consideration. Shakra sells the Sands of Karak map for 90 Rosaries, and players who arrive with an empty purse may feel stuck. Fortunately, the area is not a dead end. There are quite a few shortcuts that lead to different locations, as well as a Bellway Station. Players can use the Bellway Station to travel to an area where farming is easier, collect a substantial purse, and then return to buy the map. That makes the journey less punishing than it first appears, especially for explorers who like to bank resources before committing to a long platforming run. The Route to the Sands of Karak Once Clawline is in hand, players should make their way to the Bellway Station in Blasted Steps. From there, the route begins by heading right and then down. The fall is long, and control matters more than speed. Players should float throughout the fall and stay near the left wall. The first passage they come across on the left will lead them to an area where they will face the Great Conchflies. This is a duo boss fight, so awareness is everything. Players need to watch where both bosses are coming from and dodge them while finding windows to attack whenever they pop up. Greedy hits are dangerous here; the fight rewards patience, positioning, and clean dodges more than raw aggression. After the Great Conchflies are defeated, players should head left of the boss arena. The next section is a small but satisfying traversal challenge. Players can basically glide all the way to the right and reach the hut where the Pinstress resides. Talking to the Pinstress grants the Needle Strike ability. From there, players should head left to find a grapple point they can harpoon at. By repeatedly using Clawline to make their way up, they will eventually need to go through the passage on the top left. The climb continues upward, and this is where the wall bugs become a serious threat. They deal two mask damage, so trading hits is a bad idea. Players should keep their movement deliberate and avoid panicking when the platforming tightens. As they progress further, they will finally reach the Sands of Karak. Inside the Sands of Karak The Sands of Karak introduce a new layer of platforming built around yellow balls and coral. Players should hit the yellow ball in the area, which causes platforms to appear in front of them, as well as corals that they can down slash to make their way forward. After the second yellow ball, the platforms begin forming to the right and to the top left corner as well. The top left corner leads to a Memory Locket that players can pick up to increase the slots on their Crest. That reward alone makes the detour worthwhile, especially for players who want more flexibility in their build. After grabbing the Memory Locket, players should head right. They will need to jump, float, and then harpoon to the wall, where they will find the yellow ball on top. Hitting the ball and going down causes platforms to form on the left. Players should then harpoon across the spikes and head up, then through the right passage. Here they will spot a new enemy. Towards the left, above them, is a room where Shakra is sitting at the end. Talking to Shakra allows players to buy the map for 90 Rosaries. Tips for a Smoother Run 🧗 Use Clawline patiently. The route is built around it, and rushing often leads to unnecessary falls. ️ Respect two-mask damage. The wall bugs in the climb are not worth trading hits with. 🪙 Farm Rosaries before the final stretch if the purse is light. The Bellway Station makes this practical. ️ Buy the map from Shakra for 90 Rosaries. It makes later exploration in the Sands of Karak far less confusing. Grab the Memory Locket. Extra Crest slots are a long-term benefit. ️ Learn Needle Strike. The Pinstress grants it before the hardest climbing begins. Final Thoughts The Sands of Karak is not just another map room in Silksong. It is a test of the movement vocabulary that Act 2 keeps expanding: Clawline, floating, harpooning, down slashing, and boss dodging all come together in one route. Players who prepare properly, defeat the Great Conchflies, speak with the Pinstress, and keep an eye out for Shakra will walk away with a new map, a Memory Locket, and a stronger understanding of Silksong's vertical design. For completionists and explorers alike, it is a journey worth taking. Once you've conquered the Sands of Karak and are ready to dive deeper into Pharloom, you might find yourself looking for the best deals on the game, its DLC, or even a controller that can handle the precise platforming. DealNest gathers offers from across the web so you can [compare prices here]( and ensure your next gaming purchase doesn't break the bank. Whether you're hunting for a physical copy, a digital key, or accessories to enhance your setup, having a reliable comparison tool saves time and money. DealNest makes it easy to spot discounts and bundle deals, so you can focus on the challenge ahead rather than the checkout screen. https://dealnesthq.com

How To Buy A Home In Hollow Knight: Silksong (And Why It Costs So Many Rosaries) Hollow Knight Silksong house guide: Hornet buys Bellhart's home for 650 Rosaries, then installs Materium and Farsight. Pharloom is not a home. It is a hostile, bug-infested obstacle course with benches that look like they were assembled by a blind carpenter. In Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hornet is a traveller, a wandering knight, a creature of perpetual motion. Rest is a bench. Safety is a rumour. And yet, after defeating the Widow, an empty house in Bellhart sits there like a tiny, roofless promise. As of 2026, this fixer-upper remains one of the game's strangest and most endearing side projects: a chance for a homeless warrior to become a homeowner, assuming the rosaries are available and the local landlord is in a good mood. The Key To The House Real estate in Pharloom is not cheap. Just like in real life, houses do not come with a complimentary jar of honey. The main requirement is completing every single quest on Bellhart's Wishboard, including the two restoration quests on offer. Those quests are: Quest Cost Restoration of Bellhart 250 Rosaries Bellhart's Glory 400 Rosaries That is 650 rosaries before the player even thinks about curtains. The smarter approach is to wait until the knight has at least reached the Citadel. The Citadel opens up excellent rosary farming spots, and it also contains a special item found only in the Memorium area. Once every Bellhart quest is complete and all the rosaries have been donated, the player should speak to Pavo. He will recognise the effort and reward the knight with the key. If Pavo refuses to hand it over, leaving the area and coming back usually fixes his sudden case of forgetfulness. Achievement Gallery The house is not just a place to store extra shells and regrets. It also becomes a small gallery for two interesting installations, both of which offer more insight into the game itself. Materium The Materium is relatively easy to find, tucked away near the top of Memorium in the Citadel. Exploring that area requires the Faydown Cloak, so players should not expect to grab it on a casual stroll. When installed in the house, the Materium displays the following objects that the knight has found and used throughout the adventure: Quest Objects Relics Psalm Cylinders Mementos Realistically, the Materium does not do anything mechanical. It is a museum of memories, a way to look back on every strange trinket and forgotten favour that shaped the journey. In a game about constant violence, that is almost disgustingly wholesome. Farsight The Farsight is an object that can be picked up in the Abyss at the beginning of Act 3. The image above shows the exact location. Once installed, it reveals many things related to total completion of the game. For example, looking at the save file just above the time played will show a completion percentage. It also displays missing slots in the tool display, so the player knows how many more tools still need to be found. Again, the Farsight is not particularly useful in combat, but it is a nice quality-of-life feature for completionists who enjoy staring at numbers and feeling judged by them. Home Refurbishments ️ After obtaining the key, the shop in Bellhart will stock a bunch of items that can be used to improve the humble dwelling. Are these things really worth buying? Probably not. Many players learn that the hard way, usually after spending a small fortune on decorative nonsense while their actual combat tools remain tragically underpowered. But if the knight is swimming in rosaries and has nothing else to buy, there is no harm in splashing some cash. The house does not make Pharloom less dangerous. It does not make the bosses fairer. It does not stop the benches from being placed at the exact opposite end of a difficult platforming section. What it does provide is a rare moment of belonging. In 2026, long after the initial chaos of release, that tiny Bellhart home still stands as a reminder that even a wandering knight deserves somewhere to hang her needle. And if the decorations are overpriced? Well, that is just Pharloom's version of a homeowner's association. Spending rosaries around Bellhart is one kind of shopping, but the real-world version — tracking down games without paying full price — is a different beast entirely. Whether it is Silksong itself or another metroidvania waiting to fill the gap between boss attempts, launch prices rarely stay that way for long, and knowing where the discounts actually surface saves both money and the small indignity of buying something the week before it goes on sale. That is where a resource like [DealNest game deals]( earns its keep: a quick scan of current offers before committing, so chasing the next adventure costs a little less than a fully upgraded needle. Pharloom's shopkeepers may never mark anything down, but the storefronts outside it occasionally do. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong: How Long to Beat It Without Crying (Too Much) Hollow Knight: Silksong game length varies—main story takes 20-25 hours, while completionists may spend up to 50 hours exploring. I've been playing Hollow Knight: Silksong since it dropped, and let me tell you, this game is a time vortex. One minute you're casually exploring a mossy cave, the next you've lost an entire weekend to a boss that looks like an angry pillow. But how long does it actually take to beat? Well, that depends on whether you're a "just here for the story" type or a "I must find every single secret or I will perish" type. Let me break it down for you, based on my own painful, beautiful experience. First, let's get one thing straight: Silksong is a Metroidvania, which means the game's length is as flexible as a gymnast made of rubber. You can sprint through the main story in about 20 to 25 hours, assuming you don't get stuck on a boss for three hours like I did with that one in the late game. (Seriously, that boss had more phases than a moody teenager.) But if you want to explore a bit more freely, expect 27 to 30 hours. And if you're a completionist? Buckle up, buttercup, because you're looking at 45 to 50 hours. The Main Story: A Sprint Through the Pain If you're like me and you want to see the credits without selling your soul to every optional side quest, you can beat the main path in about 20 to 25 hours. That's just Acts 1 and 2, by the way. The catch? Focusing on the main path makes the game harder because you're skipping power-ups and tools that would make your life easier. It's like trying to assemble IKEA furniture with a spork—you might get there, but you'll be sweating and questioning your choices. And here's the thing: your mileage may vary wildly. If you're a platforming god, maybe you'll breeze through. If you're like me and you spend 45 minutes trying to nail a single jump, add a few hours. Boss fights are the real time sinks. Some you'll one-shot, others will make you question your entire gaming career. The Completionist Run: Where Time Goes to Die Now, if you're a completionist, Silksong is a buffet of content. We're talking 45 to 50 hours, and that's if you're efficient. If you're like me and you get distracted by every shiny object, add another 10 hours. The checklist for a full completion is intense: Unlock the map of every biome (all 28 of them, because why not?) Acquire all Silk Skills, Tools, and Ancestral Arts Find every hidden area and claim all important items like Spool Fragments and Mask Shards Finish all wishes, which unlocks a secret third act with The Abyss biome Find and complete every achievement, including the hidden ones That last one is a doozy. It's like trying to collect every grain of sand on a beach—noble, but slightly insane. The Biomes You Can't Avoid (Unless You're a Wizard) If you're sticking to the main story, you'll still visit a bunch of biomes. Here's the exact order, in case you want to plan your suffering: Moss Grotto The Marrow Deep Docks Far Fields Greymoor Bellhart and Shellwood Blasted Steps Grand Gate (only for a moment) Underworks Choral Chambers Cogwork Core, Whispering Vaults, High Halls The Cradle That's 12 areas, but the game has 28 biomes total. So you're skipping a lot. It's like reading a choose-your-own-adventure book but always picking the same page—you'll still get a story, but you're missing the wild twists. So, How Long Should You Take? Honestly, it depends on what you want. If you just want to experience the story, 20-25 hours is fine. If you want to explore without going full completionist, 27-30 hours. If you're a glutton for punishment and want every achievement, 45-50 hours. And if you're like me, you'll probably fall somewhere in between, spending way too long trying to find that one hidden room because you're convinced there's a secret there. (There wasn't.) In the end, Silksong respects your time if you respect its challenges. Just don't expect to speedrun it on your first try. That's like trying to teach a goldfish to juggle—technically impressive, but ultimately futile. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a third act to unlock and a therapist to schedule. Happy gaming! If you're plotting your own Silksong marathon—or just lining up a few metroidvanias to fill the wait before your next obsession—keeping tabs on game deals can make that backlog a lot less painful. I've started browsing [DealNest]( for discounts on titles I'd otherwise overpay for, and it's been an easy way to stock up on rainy-day adventures without draining my budget. Whether you're after a sale on the base game or hunting for cheap indie gems to tide you over between boss fights, a quick look can save you a few coins. It won't unlock any secret endings for you, but at least your wallet gets a breather. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong Gave Me the Itch: 8 3D Games I’m Playing in 2026 Hollow Knight: Silksong fans seeking Metroidvania and Soulslike adventures will love these unique, action-packed game recommendations. Hello, my name is a person who has spent an unreasonable amount of time staring at a bug with a needle. It is 2026, and Hollow Knight: Silksong is no longer the shiny new obsession — it is the comfortable old obsession I refuse to put down. Team Cherry's sequel tore through review charts, message boards, and sales charts when it arrived, and for a glorious stretch of September, it felt like every player on Earth was collectively lost in Pharloom. But zeitgeists end. So what is a bug-loving, parry-hungry, map-obsessed player supposed to do when the credits roll and the community slowly logs off? I could replay Silksong. I have. Twice. But I also want polygons. Is that so wrong? I love 2D Metroidvanias, but sometimes I want to see a weird creature's antennae in glorious 3D. So I went looking for games that scratch the same itch: Soulslike punishment, Metroidvania exploration, action-adventure wonder, and, ideally, a protagonist that is not a standard human with a sword. Here are the ones I recommend in 2026, whether you are mourning Silksong or just need a new labyrinth to get lost in. Metroid Prime: The Original Bug Hunt Metroid Prime is one of the best Metroid games of all time, and the Switch remaster made it easier than ever to revisit. The Metroid series is a classic Metroidvania franchise — the genre name did not come from nowhere — and Hollow Knight owes it a huge debt. Like most Metroid entries, Samus is given a vague objective, and she accomplishes it without much complaint. Players travel through sprawling dungeons, unlock powers, fight insect monsters, and generally feel tiny on an unsettling alien planet. If you love Hornet's acrobatics, Samus's morph ball and scan visor will feel like a family reunion. Another Crab's Treasure: Shells, Souls, and Sea Sickness Another Crab's Treasure is a Soulslike with a cute edge. It takes place underwater and stars a crustacean. A hermit crab named Kril loses its shell and tries to get it back, but unfortunately, most of the seabed has gone wild with some sort of violent disease. You fight enemies, earn points toward a skill tree, unlock new ways to get around, and — most importantly — find new shells. From pop cans to old tennis balls, Kril can equip them all to gain new benefits while exploring a crumbling undersea kingdom. It is adorable, brutal, and exactly the kind of weird animal protagonist Silksong fans appreciate. Tunic: A Cute Puzzle Box With Teeth Tunic is a perfect little top-down adventure for fans who miss older Zelda games and want to get lost in a strange new world. Not just the in-game world, either — the meta-narrative will suck you in. You will have to decipher hidden meanings within the lore to progress past certain parts and unlock new content. It is a big-brain type of experience. Even though it seems like a cute Zelda homage on the surface, there is a lot more to it, and giving specifics would spoil things. Let us just say Hollow Knight: Silksong fans will like the map layout. Bloodborne: The Gothic Nightmare Sibling The Hollow Knight franchise undoubtedly pays homage to the Soulslike genre and FromSoftware, who helped create the genre's identity. Among their many games, Silksong players will probably like Bloodborne the most. Bloodborne's gothic city is interconnected through gates and waterways, and depending on the choices made, the world can change, revealing new terrors and hidden pathways. Plus, there is a pivotal moment that is not unlike what happens to Hornet in Silksong regarding The Slab. Saying anything more about either would be a spoiler, but let us just say Bloodborne is a challenging action RPG wrapped in a haunting horror shell. Cocoon: A Bug, a Ball, and a Big Brain Cocoon is a top-down puzzle game without much context to its story. Players control a bug-like creature that is attuned to a strange ball. You use that ball to solve physics-based and multidimensional puzzles as you move through a labyrinthine dungeon. While there is not much in the way of combat — although there are boss battles — Silksong fans will appreciate the atmosphere and the bug protagonist. It is different, but it invokes the same vibes of exploring a foreign land without much help. Hell is Us: No Map, No Mercy, No Markers Hell is Us was released alongside Hollow Knight: Silksong, and it unfortunately is not getting as much attention, even though the two share a lot in common. Unlike most games out there, Hell is Us does not use quest markers or contain a visually accurate map. Players instead have to navigate this post-apocalyptic world by reading notes and paying attention to context clues, like what playing old-school adventure games was like. It is like the original The Legend of Zelda on the NES with some light Soulslike and Metroidvania elements, and it is perfect for players who wish to get lost in a strange world. Crypt Custodian: Janitor Cat in the Afterlife Crypt Custodian takes place in the afterlife, wherein an ordinary house cat becomes a more anthropomorphic creature. After causing some damage to some godly structures, players are then punished and forced to become a janitor. However, that is not where this Zelda-like adventure ends. In this game, brooms are as strong as swords, and players will learn to wield them well. While not fully 3D, the animations help the art pop out more, and overall, it is a game that Hollow Knight: Silksong fans will enjoy. The Plucky Squire: Out of the Book, Into the Desk The Plucky Squire is the best of both worlds, with stellar hand-drawn animations and stunning 3D visuals. The narrative is about a character from a book who soon gains the power to leave his story. As the titular hero, players will have to climb around a child's desk and interact with the real world to progress back into the storybook world. It is another example of an action-adventure game, but one with an interesting puzzle structure. It also often tips the genre on its head with oddball gameplay surprises, from a boxing game to a turn-based RPG. Quick Comparison Table Game Why Silksong Fans Will Like It Creature Factor Metroid Prime Alien dungeons, insect monsters, power unlocks Samus and bugs Another Crab's Treasure Soulslike combat, shell swapping, underwater decay Hermit crab Tunic Zelda-like exploration, meta puzzles, map secrets Small hero Bloodborne Gothic interconnected world, brutal action, hidden paths Beastly horrors Cocoon Bug protagonist, physics puzzles, eerie atmosphere Bug-like creature Hell is Us No quest markers, note reading, lost-world exploration Post-apocalyptic weirdness Crypt Custodian Broom combat, afterlife cleaning, Zelda-like adventure Cat turned janitor The Plucky Squire Hand-drawn 2D and 3D, genre-bending surprises Storybook hero Final Thoughts: The Itch Never Really Dies So, what do you do when the Silksong zeitgeist fades? You find another strange world, another impossible boss, another map that makes you mutter, 'wait, where am I?' The games above are not all identical to Silksong — some are 3D, some are top-down, some are puzzle boxes — but they share the same DNA: exploration, challenge, atmosphere, and a love of the weird. In 2026, the backlog is endless, and the community is still here. So pick a shell, sharpen a needle, or grab a broom. The next obsession is only a few deaths away. Of course, part of the fun of chasing down these hidden gems is the hunt itself — tracking down a copy, waiting for the right moment, and making sure you're not overpaying for a game you might have skipped two years ago. Between sprawling backlogs and constant sales across Steam, console storefronts, and key resellers, it's easy to lose track of what a title is actually worth right now. That's where a little bit of comparison shopping saves both time and money. 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Hollow Knight: Silksong Wailing Mother Quest Guide: Track and Defeat the Broodmother Wailing Mother quest guide for Hollow Knight Silksong: track the Broodmother, get her eye, and finish this Grand Hunt. Wishwall quests in Hollow Knight: Silksong have given players a reason to revisit Pharloom's safe areas long after the main path has moved on. Among these requests, the Wailing Mother quest stands out as a Grand Hunt that blends investigation, platforming, and a tense boss encounter. Assigned to the Songclave safe area in Choral Chambers, this wish sends Hornet into the Slab to silence a monstrous presence known only as the Wailing Creature. By the end of the hunt, that creature reveals itself as the Broodmother, and her eye becomes the proof needed to complete the quest. For players exploring Silksong in 2026, this guide covers every step, from unlocking the wish to turning in the final item. ️ Quest Overview Detail Information Quest Name Wailing Mother Quest Type Grand Hunt Quest Board Songclave Wishwall in Choral Chambers Objective Track and slay the Wailing Creature, later known as Broodmother Key Item Broodmother's Eye Turn-In Location Songclave's Wishwall Main Reward Quest completion and Wishwall progress The Wailing Mother is not a simple bounty. It asks Hornet to follow a trail of slime through one of Silksong's most oppressive regions, then survive a boss fight against a creature that overwhelms the arena with summoned flies. The quest adds depth to Pharloom's lore while giving players a challenging Grand Hunt that feels distinct from standard exploration. Prerequisites and Wishwall Unlock Before the Wailing Mother wish appears on the Songclave Wishwall, Hornet must complete several earlier requests. The first batch of wishes on that board, including Balm for the Wounded, must be finished. Players also need to advance far enough in the Act 2 main story. Without that progress, the Grand Hunt remains locked, and the Wishwall will not offer the Wailing Mother quest. This structure encourages players to engage with the Wishwall system gradually. Each completed wish builds trust with Songclave and opens new opportunities. The Wailing Mother is one of the more substantial rewards for that ongoing commitment. 🧭 Reaching the Slab Once the quest is active, Hornet must travel to the Slab. There are two reliable routes, and both use the Ventrica network and Bellway system. Route One: First Shrine's Ventrica Enter the First Shrine's Ventrica and teleport into the Choral Chambers. From there, climb a few floors until reaching the gate that leads outside the Choral Chambers and into the Slab. Route Two: Grand Bellway's Ventrica Use the First Shrine's Ventrica to teleport to the Grand Bellway's Ventrica. From that point, use the Bellway to teleport directly to the Slab, then climb from the bottom to the top. Both paths work, but the second route can save time if the Bellway is already unlocked. The Slab is vertical and dangerous, so players should prepare for platforming, enemy encounters, and a fair amount of climbing. Tracking the Wailing Creature After getting the Wailing Mother quest, Hornet needs to track and slay the Wailing Creature in the Slab. The creature is later identified as the Broodmother, and she is located northwest of the Slab, almost on the highest floor. To find her, players should look for slime trails scattered all over the Slab area. These trails are the key to navigation, especially because the prison's layout can be disorienting. The slime marks a path rather than a single room. Hornet will need to move upward through the Slab, checking side passages and upper platforms. Rushing can lead to missed turns or unnecessary damage. Taking time to scan for slime makes the hunt smoother and preserves resources for the boss. ️ Inside the Broodmother's Chamber When Hornet reaches the Wailing Mother quest chamber, a crack in the wall behind her becomes the true entrance. Interacting with it lets her enter the hole and progress through a linear path. Along the way, a couple of fly enemies such as Guardfly and Wardfly attempt to block progress. These foes are not the main threat, but they can drain health before the boss if players are careless. After the fly enemies are dealt with, the Broodmother makes her appearance. The transition is sudden, and the arena leaves little room for mistakes. Players should enter the fight with full health and a clear plan. ️ Boss Fight: Broodmother The Broodmother fight is a test of crowd control and patience. She summons a lot of flies during combat, and if those summons are ignored, the arena becomes overwhelming quickly. Hornet should take out the flies as they appear, then look for openings to strike the Broodmother. Helpful tactics include: 🪰 Prioritize adds. Clear the summoned flies before focusing on the boss. ️ Avoid her attacks. Do not trade hits. Silk is better spent on healing or safe damage. Wait for the right moment. Strike after her attacks end, not during them. 🧵 Use Hornet's mobility. Dash and air movement can create space when the arena gets crowded. ️ Retreat to heal. If the fly swarm grows too large, create distance and recover before re-engaging. Defeating the Broodmother is not about raw speed. It is about controlling the room. Once the adds are managed, the boss becomes far more predictable, and Hornet can chip away at her health safely. Reward and Turn-In After slaying the Broodmother, Hornet receives the Broodmother's Eye. This item is the proof required by the Wishwall. To finish the quest, return to Songclave's Wishwall and deliver the eye. Turning in the Broodmother's Eye completes the Wailing Mother quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Completing this Grand Hunt contributes to Wishwall progression and reinforces the connection between Hornet and Pharloom's survivors. It also rewards players who explore the Slab thoroughly and pay attention to environmental clues. For anyone working through Silksong's side content in 2026, the Wailing Mother quest is a memorable challenge that is worth seeing through to the end. Between Grand Hunts, many Silksong players shift focus to the wider gaming landscape — wishlisting upcoming titles, comparing editions, or hunting for a controller sturdy enough to survive a boss marathon. Prices fluctuate constantly across storefronts and regions, and keeping track of them by hand quickly turns into a chore that nobody asked for. 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Silksong Guide: How to Reach Weavenest Atla and Find Its Map Silksong's Weavenest Atla guide reveals how to unlock the hidden area using Needolin Skill and wall jump in Moss Grotto. How to Reach Weavenest Atla in Silksong Weavenest Atla is a hidden area in Hollow Knight: Silksong that many players see within the first hour of play, yet cannot enter until the end of Act 1. Its entrance is a large weaver-shaped door in Moss Grotto, visible from the early game but sealed by a missing ability. This guide explains the prerequisites, the exact route, and the location of the area map, along with the major rewards waiting inside. As of 2026, the process remains tied to story progression, the Needolin Skill, and a few precise movements through Bellhart, Shellwood, and Bone Bottom. Prerequisites for Weavenest Atla ️ Before the door opens, players must advance the main story until they reach Bellhart. At that point, a new objective appears: The Threadspun Town. This objective sends the player into Shellwood to acquire the wall jump ability. After gaining wall jump, they must continue right and defeat the Widow. The reward for defeating the Widow is the Needolin Skill, which is the key to opening Weavenest Atla. Without Needolin, the weaver-shaped door remains inert, no matter how many times the player interacts with it. Requirement Location Purpose Story progress to Bellhart Bellhart Unlocks The Threadspun Town objective Wall jump ability Shellwood Allows vertical traversal and route access Defeat the Widow Shellwood, right side Grants the Needolin Skill Needolin Skill Reward from Widow Opens the weaver-shaped door Bellway fast travel Any Bellway Station Speeds up return to Bone Bottom Step-by-Step Route to Weavenest Atla 🧭 Progress the main story until Bellhart is reached and The Threadspun Town objective appears. Travel into Shellwood and obtain the wall jump ability. Head right through Shellwood and defeat the Widow to earn the Needolin Skill. Go to the nearest Bellway Station and fast travel to Bone Bottom. From Bone Bottom, head left and down into Moss Grotto. Inside Moss Grotto, move right until a large weaver-shaped door comes into view. Stand next to the door and press Triangle or Y on a controller, or D on a keyboard. Pass through the door to arrive in Weavenest Atla. The door itself is impossible to miss for observant players. It has a distinctive weaver motif and sits in a part of Moss Grotto that many people explore early. The trick is not finding the door but returning with the correct skill. Once Needolin is active, the interaction prompt appears and the path opens. Finding the Weavenest Atla Map The map for Weavenest Atla is close to the entrance, but it is easy to overlook. After entering the area, the player should keep going straight and then head right. They will find two glowing cylinders. Striking these cylinders activates a mechanism in the room behind them. That mechanism jets the player down to the bottom of the area. However, before taking that downward route, the player should interact with the rune tablet nearby. This rune tablet reveals the map for Weavenest Atla. Mapping the area early is useful because Weavenest Atla contains several optional collectibles and a boss encounter. The layout is smaller than many other regions in Silksong, but its compact design hides multiple points of interest. A Spool Fragment, a Mask Shard, a boss in one corner, and an NPC who upgrades the Hunter's Crest are all located within this secluded nest. What to Collect in Weavenest Atla ️ Weavenest Atla may be small, but it is dense with rewards. The most important find is the NPC who upgrades the Hunter's Crest. This upgrade can change the player's combat approach and make certain fights more manageable. The area also holds a Spool Fragment, which contributes to Silk-related upgrades, and a Mask Shard, which increases survivability. A boss waits in one corner for players who want an extra challenge. Because the area is optional in terms of exploration, it is possible to miss these rewards entirely if the player rushes through. Item or Encounter Type Why It Matters Hunter's Crest upgrade NPC service Alters combat style and crest performance Spool Fragment Collectible Progress toward Silk capacity upgrades Mask Shard Collectible Progress toward additional health Boss encounter Optional fight Challenge and possible rewards Rune tablet Map unlock Reveals the Weavenest Atla map Tips for a Smooth Visit Players should make sure they have rested at a bench and are prepared for combat before entering. Although the route to Weavenest Atla is not long, the boss in the corner can punish an unprepared traveler. It is also wise to activate the map before dropping down via the cylinder mechanism, because the lower section can be disorienting on a first visit. If the interaction prompt at the weaver-shaped door does not appear, the player has not yet obtained Needolin. In that case, they should return to the Threadspun Town objective and confirm that the Widow has been defeated. Conclusion 🧵 Weavenest Atla is a memorable example of Silksong's layered exploration. The entrance is visible early, but the area stays locked until the player follows the main story to Bellhart, explores Shellwood, defeats the Widow, and earns the Needolin Skill. From Bone Bottom, the journey through Moss Grotto is short, and the weaver-shaped door opens with a simple button press. Inside, the map is found by hitting two glowing cylinders and using the nearby rune tablet. With the map in hand, players can safely pursue the Spool Fragment, Mask Shard, optional boss, and the NPC who upgrades the Hunter's Crest. For anyone aiming to complete Silksong's secrets in 2026, Weavenest Atla is an essential detour that rewards patience and preparation. After wrapping up everything Weavenest Atla hides, you might find yourself wanting to track down other deals in the metroidvania genre or even gift a copy of Silksong to a friend. That's where a site like DealNest comes in—it gathers offers in one place so you can quickly [check game prices]( across different platforms. It's a handy tool for any hunter who prefers spending time exploring rather than comparison shopping. https://dealnesthq.com

Silksong Curveclaw Guide: Hunter's March Secret Vendor and Act 2 Backup Route Get Hollow Knight: Silksong's Curveclaw from Mottled Skarr in Hunter's March, with Act 2 route changes explained. As of 2026, I have replayed Hollow Knight: Silksong enough times to treat Pharloom like a second home, and the Curveclaw is still one of the most satisfying tools I can slot into a crest. It is not a flashy ultimate ability; it is a small, arched sharpbone that I throw like a boomerang, and it bounces off flying enemies with the kind of crisp, petty satisfaction that makes me grin every time. If you are tired of Skarr gnats and other aerial pests hovering just beyond my needle range, this is the tool you want. Here is exactly how I got it, both before and after the Act 2 changes. 🪃 The Pre-Act 2 Route: Drifter's Cloak First Before I could even think about buying the Curveclaw, I needed mobility. The key prerequisite is the Drifter's Cloak, which I earned by completing the Flexile Spines quest in Far Fields. Without that cloak, the air currents in Hunter's March are more tease than traversal. Once I had the cloak, I headed to the area marked on my map. Hunter's March sits between Bone Marrow and Far Fields, so most players will pass through it naturally unless they detour through Deep Docks. Using the air currents, I floated my way to the top and found the entrance to the cave of the secret vendor, Mottled Skarr. Inside, I spotted a few ropes with Shards sticking out of them. The trick here is simple but easy to miss: hug the left wall and jump a few times. That opens a secret passageway leading to the Hunter's March secret vendor. After a brief platforming section, I finally reached Mottled Skarr. The secret passage is less a doorway than a rumor in the rock—a whisper I had to press my ear against. ️ At the vendor, I could purchase a host of items, but the one I wanted was the Curveclaw for 140 Rosary Beads. The description only becomes readable after purchase. Once I equipped it while resting on a bench, I could throw an arched sharpbone at both flying and grounded enemies. It is a wonderful complement to normal attacks, especially when a flying enemy thinks it has found a safe altitude. Step What I Did Why It Matters 1 Completed Flexile Spines in Far Fields Earned Drifter's Cloak 2 Entered Hunter's March Area between Bone Marrow and Far Fields 3 Rode air currents to the top Reached the vendor cave entrance 4 Hugged the left wall and jumped Opened the secret passageway 5 Bought Curveclaw for 140 Rosary Beads Added the boomerang tool to my arsenal Act 2: When Mottled Skarr Is Dead If you have reached Act Two of Silksong and progressed past the Underworks into the Coral Chambers, you will find that Mottled Skarr is dead, killed by an unknown attacker. That sounds like a dead end, but it is not. I still got the Curveclaw, and I did not have to travel far. By this point, I had the wall jump ability, Cling Grip, so I could access the cavern above. I simply exited the cave into the open and used the wall climb ability on the surface right above the cave entrance. From there, I reached the floating platform. Then I moved to the cave on the left, where Skarr forces ambushed me inside. After defeating all the enemies, the locked area opened up. I picked up the Curveclaw to the left of the cave, strapped to a rope. The dead vendor is like a clock with its hands torn off—the shop still exists, but the hour of easy purchase has passed. Why the Curveclaw Still Matters in 2026 Post-launch patches have not changed the core appeal of the Curveclaw. In 2026, it remains a reliable answer to flying enemies that would otherwise force me into awkward jumps or risky needle swings. The boomerang arcs like a fishing line cast into a storm, hooking winged enemies and dragging them back into my rhythm. It also works on grounded foes, which makes it more flexible than a strictly anti-air tool. I like to weave it between normal attacks when a fight gets crowded. It is not going to replace your primary damage, but it fills a specific, annoying gap in Pharloom's combat puzzle. Quick Checklist ️ Find Hunter's March between Bone Marrow and Far Fields. 🧥 Get Drifter's Cloak from the Flexile Spines quest in Far Fields. ️ Use air currents to reach the top and enter the vendor cave. 🧗 Hug the left wall inside and jump to reveal the secret passage. Buy Curveclaw from Mottled Skarr for 140 Rosary Beads before Act 2. 🪦 If Mottled Skarr is dead, use Cling Grip above the cave entrance. ️ Clear the Skarr ambush in the left cave and grab the Curveclaw from the rope. Final Thought I have seen a lot of players panic when they discover Mottled Skarr's corpse in Act 2. I did too, briefly. But Silksong rarely punishes you without leaving a thread to pull. The Curveclaw is still obtainable, and in some ways the backup route feels more like a classic Hunter's March secret: a wall, a jump, an ambush, and a reward strapped to a rope. If you are building a tool loadout for the later acts, I would not skip it. 🪃 Once your tool loadout is sorted, the practical side of gaming tends to creep back in—especially if you're eyeing another platform, a sale, or a gift for someone who also fell down the Silksong rabbit hole. DealNest offers a [game price comparison]( that gathers current storefront prices in one place, so you can spend less time tab-hopping and more time actually playing. It's a small habit that pays off over time, much like knowing a hidden route before you need it. Whether you're budgeting for a backlog or waiting for a discount on a title you've been circling, a quick check on DealNest can tell you if the price is right before you commit. https://dealnesthq.com