Comprehensive Guide to All Crest Locations in Hollow Knight: Silksong

In the highly anticipated game Hollow Knight: Silksong, crests are pivotal items that significantly influence your combat approach and overall gameplay experience. These artifacts function as your primary equipment slots, dictating the tools you can wield and offering various colored slots to customize your loadout against the formidable adversaries of Pharloom. While each crest provides a unique tactical advantage, locating them can be a considerable challenge. This guide offers a comprehensive overview of all crests, including detailed instructions on where to find them and how their distinctive features can transform your journey.

There are a total of seven main crests available in Hollow Knight: Silksong, alongside the Vesticrest, which expands your tool-slot capacity. The initial crest, the Hunter Crest, is provided at the start of your adventure but can be significantly enhanced through upgrades. To improve this crest, you must first acquire the Needolin. Once obtained, proceed to the southeastern corner of Moss Grotto where you'll encounter a door adorned with a weaver's symbol. Playing the Needolin will grant access, leading you to an area with three silk spools. Activating these spools empowers Weavenest Alta, allowing you to descend via an elevator. There, you will find Eva, who can upgrade your Hunter Crest. This initial upgrade imbues your attacks with focus, increasing damage based on accumulated focus, though focus is lost upon taking damage. A visual indicator on the top-left of your screen displays your current focus level. A subsequent upgrade, available after discovering all seven main crests, further expands the focus bar, boosting potential damage. The Hunter Crest initially offers one red, one blue, one yellow, and one white slot, eventually expanding to include additional red, blue, and yellow slots.

The Wanderer Crest is situated in Bonegrave, an area adjacent to Moss Grotto. Accessing Bonegrave requires navigating from the left side of Mosshome. Players have two primary routes: one necessitating both Swift Step and a simple key, which involves a detour through Wormways to Bonegrave, and another utilizing Cling Grip and the Drifter's Cloak, allowing for direct entry by gliding and climbing. This crest emulates the combat style of the Knight from the original Hollow Knight, offering a chance for critical damage with sufficient silk. It begins with one red, two yellow, and one white slot, later gaining two blue and one yellow slot upon full unlock.

For those who favor an aggressive, close-quarters combat style, the Beast Crest is an excellent choice. This crest is acquired after conquering the Chapel of the Beast, located in the southeastern part of Hunter's March. To reach this chapel, you must first obtain the Drifter's Cloak from the Seamstress in Farfields. With the cloak, you can ride air currents upwards in Hunter's March to reach the chapel entrance. Inside, defeating the Savage Beastfly will grant you the crest. The Beast Crest replaces the standard bind with lifesteal, allowing you to enter a 'fury' state after binding, which boosts attack range, speed, and damage. Instead of a fixed heal, attacks restore one mask, up to three masks per bind. It starts with two red and one white slot, with two yellow slots becoming available later.

The Reaper Crest is obtained from the Chapel of the Reaper, found west of Greymoor's western tower. To get there, ascend the left tower, then head left into the next section. Descend carefully past the Dreg Catcher to a platform, then exit left to the chapel. Inside, you'll face a series of critters. This crest alters attacks to be slower with an arc, but its main feature is the bind, which heals normally and generates silk balls upon hitting enemies for approximately 10 seconds. Collecting this floating silk rapidly refills your spool for more binds. The Reaper Crest starts with one slot of each color (red, blue, yellow, white) and, when fully unlocked, gains an additional red, blue, and yellow slot.

The Architect Crest, found in the Underworks, requires an Architect's Key, which can be bought from the Twelfth Architect. First, you need the Clawline ability from The Cauldron. After acquiring the harpoon, return to the bench above The Cauldron, grapple to the ring, jump to the platform, hit the switch, and enter the room to find the Twelfth Architect. Purchase the key for 110 rosaries (provided you have enough tools). Activate the switch to the right of the Architect, climb the wall, and hit the switch above. Follow the path to the Chapel of the Architect entrance and claim your crest. This crest transforms all attacks into drill attacks, which can be charged for extended range and increased damage. Its bind allows you to craft new tools by holding Up and the bind key simultaneously. It starts with three red slots, eventually gaining two blue and two yellow slots upon full unlock.

The Witch Crest is unlocked after completing an extensive questline involving the Twisted Bud. This mysterious crying baby is found in Bilewater after finishing the 'Rite of the Pollip' quest in Shellwood. Be warned: giving the Twisted Bud to Greyroot will curse you, altering your moveset, removing all tools, and preventing healing until its questline is complete. A notable achievement can be earned by reaching the credits while cursed. To proceed, visit Yarnaby, a surgeon in the top-left of Greymoor. After speaking with Yarnaby, undertake the 'Infestation Operation' quest, which involves purchasing Steel Spines from Crull and Benjin in Sinner's Road. Returning to Yarnaby completes the quest and unlocks the Witch's Crest. Equipped with the Witch Crest, your downward and dash attacks strike twice, facilitating quick combat maneuvers. Its unique bind no longer provides immediate healing but instead deals area damage, with healing occurring only when damage is inflicted upon an enemy. The Witch Crest begins with one red, one blue, one yellow, and one white slot, gaining two blue and one red slot when fully unlocked.

The Shaman Crest is located in the Ruined Chapel in Act 3 and requires the Silk Soar ability, which is unlocked through natural story progression. Once you have Silk Soar, return to the Ruined Chapel where the Snail Shamans reside. To the right of the bench, you'll spot a small hole in the ceiling with a glint of sunlight. Execute a super jump through this opening and follow the passageway to claim the Shaman's Crest. This crest enhances your attacks with a wave projectile, increasing their range, and also boosts the damage of your Silk Skills. Its bind ability requires Hornet to be on the ground to heal; if activated in the air, it propels Hornet downwards until she lands. The Shaman Crest initially features three white slots, eventually gaining two blue slots upon full unlock.

Beyond the main crests, the Vesticrest offers additional tool slots, regardless of which primary crest you have equipped. You can unlock the Vesticrest by conversing with Eva in Weavenest Alta, the same character who upgrades the Hunter Crest. There are two Vesticrest slots available: a yellow slot, typically unlocked after acquiring four crests with at least 12 open slots, and a blue slot, available once five crests are unlocked with at least 20 open slots. These additional slots provide greater flexibility in customizing your character's abilities and preparing for the diverse challenges within Silksong.