Complete Ancestral Arts Guide: All 11 Skills & Abilities in Hollow Knight Silksong

Master all 11 Ancestral Arts in Hollow Knight Silksong with our complete guide. Learn locations, unlock methods, and abilities for Swift Step, Clawline, Needolin and more.

The Power Within: Understanding Ancestral Arts

In Hollow Knight Silksong, Ancestral Arts represent the most significant permanent upgrades you can acquire throughout your journey as Hornet. Unlike the six equipable Silk Skills found in your Tools menu, these eleven powerful abilities become part of Hornet’s core moveset, fundamentally transforming how you navigate, fight, and explore the world of Pharloom.

Think of Ancestral Arts as evolutionary leaps in Hornet’s capabilities. Each one doesn’t just add a new button to press – it opens up entirely new gameplay possibilities, reveals previously inaccessible areas, and often changes your approach to both combat and exploration in meaningful ways.

Why Ancestral Arts Matter More Than Any Other Upgrade

Here’s what makes these abilities special: they’re permanent, always active, and completely change your relationship with the game world. While crests and tools can be swapped out based on your current needs, Ancestral Arts become integral parts of Hornet’s identity as a warrior and explorer.

Key benefits of mastering all Ancestral Arts:

• Permanent movement enhancements – Run faster, jump higher, traverse impossible terrain
• Combat evolution – New attack patterns and defensive options
• Exploration revolution – Access to secret areas and hidden content
• Progression requirements – Many areas literally cannot be reached without specific arts
• Quality of life improvements – Fast travel, infinite wall-gripping, and more

Pro tip: Unlike some games where optional upgrades feel… well, optional, most Ancestral Arts in Silksong are essential for progression. Plan to collect them all, not just the ones that sound interesting.

Act 1 Ancestral Arts: Building Your Foundation

The first act provides five crucial Ancestral Arts that establish the foundation for everything that follows. These aren’t just nice-to-have upgrades – they’re essential tools that the rest of the game assumes you possess.

1. Swift Step – Your First Taste of Speed

Location: Northern Deep Docks
Method: Bind the statue
Ability: Dash using back right trigger + offensive dash options

The Swift Step represents your introduction to Silksong’s advanced movement philosophy. This isn’t just a basic dash – it’s a multi-purpose tool that serves both traversal and combat needs.

Strategic applications:

• Gap crossing – Reach platforms that normal jumps can’t handle
• Combat mobility – Dodge attacks and reposition quickly
• Offensive dashing – Turn movement into weaponized attacks
• Sequence breaking – Advanced players can use this to access areas early

Why it matters: Swift Step fundamentally changes how you approach both platforming and combat. Once you have it, going back feels impossibly limiting.

2. Cling Grip – Master of Vertical Spaces

Location: Northern Shellwood
Method: Bind the statue
Ability: Wall jumping and temporary wall-gripping

The Cling Grip transforms Silksong from a primarily horizontal game into a fully three-dimensional exploration experience. This ability is so fundamental that many areas become completely inaccessible without it.

Advanced techniques:

• Wall jump chains – Scale impossibly tall surfaces
• Corner navigation – Use wall-gripping to rest during difficult climbs
• Combat positioning – Wall-cling to avoid ground-based attacks
• Tool synergy – Combine with Ascendant’s Grip for infinite wall-holding

Design note: The Cling Grip perfectly demonstrates Silksong’s philosophy of making movement abilities feel powerful and transformative rather than just mechanical additions.

3. Needolin – The Song That Opens Doors

Location: Automatic after defeating the Widow in Bellhart
Method: Story progression reward
Ability: Open special doors and interact with singing NPCs

The Needolin represents one of Silksong’s most unique mechanics – a musical ability that connects you to the world’s deeper mysteries and the ancient weaver culture.

Unique applications:

• Door unlocking – Access Weavenest Atla and other hidden areas
• NPC communication – Make characters sing, revealing hidden dialogue
• Lore discovery – Uncover stories about Pharloom’s ancient inhabitants
• Puzzle solving – Some mechanisms respond only to Needolin’s song

Cultural significance: The Needolin connects Hornet to the weaver heritage, making it more than just a gameplay tool – it’s a narrative bridge to understanding Pharloom’s history.

4. Needle Strike – Charged Power Unleashed

Location: Blasted Steps (train with the Pinstress)
Method: Agree to training sessions
Ability: Devastating charged attacks

The Needle Strike introduces tactical depth to Silksong’s combat system. This isn’t just a bigger attack – it’s a strategic tool that requires timing, positioning, and resource management.

Combat applications:

• Heavy damage dealing – Essential for tougher enemies and bosses
• Armor breaking – Some enemies require charged attacks to damage
• Crowd control – Charged attacks often have area effects
• Boss strategy – Many boss fights become significantly easier with proper charge timing

Training philosophy: The Pinstress’s training represents Silksong’s approach to ability acquisition – earning power through dedication and practice rather than just finding it lying around.

5. Drifter’s Cloak – Master of Wind and Air

Location: Far Fields (complete Flexile Spines Wish for the Seamstress)
Method: Quest completion
Ability: Gliding and wind-riding

The Drifter’s Cloak transforms how you interact with Silksong’s atmospheric elements. This ability turns wind from an obstacle into an opportunity, opening up aerial navigation possibilities that feel genuinely magical.

Environmental mastery:

• Extended air time – Cross massive gaps with graceful gliding
• Wind utilization – Ride air currents to reach high platforms
• Combat mobility – Aerial positioning becomes a tactical option
• Exploration access – Many secret areas require gliding to reach

Quest context: The Flexile Spines quest that grants this ability demonstrates Silksong’s interconnected world design, where helping NPCs leads to personal empowerment.

Act 2 Ancestral Arts: Advanced Capabilities

Act 2 introduces abilities that assume you’ve mastered the basics and are ready for more complex challenges.

6. Clawline – The Grappling Revolution

Location: Cauldron area of the Underworks
Method: Bind the statue
Ability: Grappling hook mechanics for walls and enemies

The Clawline represents perhaps the most transformative ability in Silksong. This grappling hook doesn’t just add new movement options – it completely recontextualizes every area you’ve already explored.

Revolutionary applications:

• Vertical mastery – Scale any surface with grapple points
• Combat grappling – Pull enemies closer or escape dangerous situations
• Shortcut creation – Many areas become much more navigable
• Sequence breaking – Advanced techniques allow accessing areas out of order

Exploration impact: Once you have the Clawline, returning to earlier areas reveals hidden paths and secrets that were impossible to reach before.

7. Faydown Cloak – The Gift of Flight

Location: Most northerly point in Mount Fay
Method: Play Needolin near the statue
Ability: Double jump

The Faydown Cloak provides what many consider the most satisfying movement upgrade in the game. The double jump isn’t just functional – it feels incredible and opens up aerial combat possibilities.

Aerial mastery:

• Platform navigation – Reach previously impossible jumps
• Combat advantages – Aerial positioning becomes incredibly powerful
• Exploration freedom – Many secret areas become accessible
• Movement flow – Traversal becomes more fluid and enjoyable

Musical connection: Requiring Needolin to unlock this ability reinforces the game’s theme of music and song being connected to ancient power.

Act 3 Ancestral Arts: Endgame Power

The final act’s abilities represent the pinnacle of Hornet’s potential, offering game-changing capabilities for the most challenging content.

8. Beastling Call – Fast Travel Mastery

Location: Defeat Bell Eater boss (available after Bell Beast summoning attempt)
Method: Boss victory
Ability: Instant travel to Bell Beast

The Beastling Call transforms Silksong’s fast travel system from convenient to essential. This ability makes late-game exploration and backtracking significantly more manageable.

Travel revolution:

• Instant transportation – Bypass lengthy travel sequences
• Strategic positioning – Use Bell Beast as a central hub
• Endgame efficiency – Essential for completionist runs
• Quality of life – Reduces tedious backtracking significantly

9. Silk Soar – The Ultimate Vertical Tool

Location: Weavenest Absolom in the Abyss
Method: Bind the statue
Ability: Super jump to incredible heights

The Silk Soar represents the ultimate expression of vertical movement in Silksong. This super jump ability opens up areas that seemed completely unreachable.

Vertical mastery:

• Extreme height access – Reach the highest platforms and secret areas
• Combat escape – Instantly exit dangerous ground-level situations
• Exploration completion – Essential for accessing some endgame content
• Sequence breaking – Advanced players can use this for incredible shortcuts

10. Elegy of the Deep – Time Manipulation

Location: Complete Spell Seeker main story quest
Method: Story progression
Ability: Travel into the past using Needolin

The Elegy of the Deep introduces time manipulation mechanics that add a completely new dimension to exploration and puzzle-solving.

Temporal abilities:

• Past exploration – Access historical versions of areas
• Lore revelation – Witness events from Pharloom’s history
• Puzzle solving – Some challenges require temporal manipulation
• Narrative depth – Experience the story from multiple time perspectives

11. Sylphsong – The Ultimate Mastery

Location: Weavenest Atla (bind Eva)
Method: Requires all seven crests fully upgraded first
Ability: Silk refills when resting at benches

The Sylphsong represents the ultimate achievement in Silksong – an ability that requires mastering all seven crest systems before it becomes available.

Mastery benefits:

• Resource management – Silk refilling makes abilities more accessible
• Build flexibility – Enables more aggressive use of Silk skills
• Endgame optimization – Essential for tackling the hardest challenges
• Achievement recognition – Represents true mastery of Silksong’s systems

Strategic Collection Order and Priority

Essential Early Priorities:

1. Swift Step – Movement foundation
2. Cling Grip – Vertical exploration
3. Needolin – Story progression and area access
4. Needle Strike – Combat effectiveness
5. Drifter’s Cloak – Aerial navigation

Mid-Game Priorities:

6. Clawline – Game-changing exploration tool
7. Faydown Cloak – Movement perfection

Endgame Collection:

8. Beastling Call – Quality of life improvement
9. Silk Soar – Ultimate vertical access
10. Elegy of the Deep – Story completion
11. Sylphsong – Final mastery achievement

Platform Availability and Community

Ready to master all eleven Ancestral Arts? Hollow Knight Silksong is available across all major platforms:

• Steam – Download on Steam
• Nintendo Switch – Get it on Nintendo eShop
• PlayStation – Available on PlayStation Store
• Xbox – Download from Xbox Store

Advanced Mastery Tips

Combining Abilities for Maximum Effect:

• Clawline + Faydown Cloak – Incredible aerial mobility
• Swift Step + Needle Strike – Mobile charged attacks
• Cling Grip + Silk Soar – Ultimate vertical exploration
• Needolin + Elegy of the Deep – Complete temporal navigation

Completionist Strategies:

• Plan collection routes – Some abilities make others easier to obtain
• Revisit earlier areas – New abilities reveal hidden content
• Master movement combinations – Practice advanced techniques
• Document secret discoveries – Many abilities unlock hidden areas

Final Thoughts: The Evolution of a Warrior

The eleven Ancestral Arts represent more than just gameplay upgrades – they chronicle Hornet’s evolution from a skilled fighter into a legendary warrior capable of traversing impossible terrain, manipulating time, and connecting with the ancient powers of Pharloom.

Each ability builds upon the previous ones, creating a progression system that feels organic and meaningful. By the time you’ve collected all eleven arts, you’ll have transformed not just Hornet’s capabilities, but your own understanding of what’s possible within Silksong’s beautifully crafted world.

The journey to master all Ancestral Arts requires patience, skill, and dedication – but the rewards justify every challenge. From your first Swift Step dash to the ultimate mastery of Sylphsong, each ability represents a milestone in both character progression and personal achievement.

Ready to begin your path to mastery? Start with our essential beginner’s guide and work your way through each act, collecting the tools that will transform Hornet into the ultimate guardian of Pharloom. The Ancestral Arts await those bold enough to seek them out and skilled enough to claim them.