Hunting Down Pale Oil: Your Complete Guide to Hornet’s Ultimate Needle Upgrade

If you’ve been wielding Hornet’s trusty Needle throughout your journey in Pharloom and wondering how to unlock its full potential, you’ve come to the right place. The Pinmaster’s Oil quest represents one of the most rewarding upgrade paths in Silksong, but tracking down that precious Pale Oil? That’s where things get interesting.

I’ll be honest – when I first heard about this quest, I thought it would be a simple fetch mission. Boy, was I wrong! This quest takes you through some of Silksong’s most challenging areas and clever puzzles, but the payoff is absolutely worth it.

Why the Pinmaster’s Oil Quest Matters

Before we dive into the treasure hunt, let’s talk about why you should care. Hornet’s Needle isn’t just a weapon – it’s essentially an extension of herself throughout the entire adventure. While you can upgrade it once fairly early in the game, the second upgrade through the Pinmaster’s Oil quest transforms it into something truly formidable.

This isn’t just about bigger numbers, either. The enhanced Needle changes how you approach combat, making previously challenging encounters much more manageable. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about knowing you’ve pushed one of the game’s core mechanics to its absolute limit.

Getting Started: Meeting the Pinmaster

The quest begins in Bellhart, but here’s the catch – you can’t even start it until you’ve broken the curse by defeating Widow. This means you’ll need to progress through a significant portion of the game before this upgrade becomes available.

Once you’ve liberated Bellhart and seen the town come back to life, head to the upper part of the city. You’ll find the Pinmaster in one of the houses – he’s hard to miss once you know where to look. After your first Needle upgrade, he’ll mention the possibility of further enhancement, but only if you can bring him some Pale Oil.

And that’s where your real adventure begins.

The Three Sources of Pale Oil

Here’s what makes this quest interesting: there are actually three different ways to obtain Pale Oil. This gives you options based on your playstyle and how far you’ve progressed in the game.

Your three options are:

1. The Great Taste of Pharloom quest – A culinary adventure across Pharloom
2. The secret Choral Chambers room – Hidden behind a complex puzzle sequence
3. The Ecstasy of the End quest – An Act 3 challenge for advanced players

Each path has its own challenges and rewards, so let’s break them down.

Option 1: The Great Taste of Pharloom Quest

This might be the most straightforward path, depending on your exploration habits. The Great Taste of Pharloom quest involves collecting various culinary items from across Pharloom – think of it as a foodie tour of the kingdom.

What I love about this approach is that it naturally encourages you to explore areas you might otherwise skip. You’ll discover hidden corners of the world, meet interesting NPCs, and gain a deeper appreciation for Pharloom’s culture. Plus, the quest system in Silksong is designed to reward thorough exploration.

Option 2: The Choral Chambers Secret (The Puzzle Path)

This is probably the most complex route, but also the most rewarding if you enjoy puzzle-solving. It involves a multi-stage process that takes you through the Whispering Vaults and culminates in one of Silksong’s cleverest environmental puzzles.

Getting to Whispering Vaults

The journey starts in Cogwork Core – the same location where you’d tackle the Architect’s Melody. Follow the same initial path, but keep an eye out for a route branching to the right that leads to a hidden room.

Step-by-step directions:

1. Navigate through Cogwork Core using the standard route
2. Look for the hidden room entrance on the right side
3. Head right until you find a lever
4. Hit the lever to rotate the wheel bridge
5. Cross the bridge to reach Whispering Vaults

Pro tip: Make sure to grab the Whispering Vaults map before attempting the puzzle. Trust me, this area can be confusing without a visual reference.

Solving the Whispering Vaults Box Puzzle

This is where things get really interesting. The box puzzle in the western room of Whispering Vaults is a masterclass in environmental problem-solving. It’s not just about moving boxes around – you need to think three-dimensionally about how each movement affects your ability to progress.

The puzzle breakdown:

• Step 1: Go to the room’s end and hit the box to slide it left
• Step 2: Climb up and move the elevated box to the right
• Step 3: Return to ground level and hit a crate to move it right
• Step 4: Use the moved crate to jump up while wall-clinging
• Step 5: Hit the middle crate to create an upward path

Advanced moves:

• Step 6: The repositioned boxes create a new vertical route
• Step 7: Run left on the upper level and hit another box left
• Step 8: Follow that box and hit downward on the adjacent one
• Step 9: Descend through the newly opened path and hit the next set left
• Step 10: Go under those boxes and hit them upward
• Step 11: Access the revealed secret room, hit the lever, and claim your Pale Oil

Puzzle-solving tips: The key to this puzzle is understanding that every box movement serves multiple purposes. Each crate you move doesn’t just clear a path – it also becomes a platform or creates new possibilities for subsequent moves. Take your time to visualize how each action affects the overall room layout.

Option 3: The Ecstasy of the End Quest (Act 3)

This is the most challenging path, reserved for players who’ve progressed deep into Silksong’s story. The Ecstasy of the End quest in Act 3 represents some of the game’s most demanding content, but the Pale Oil reward makes it worthwhile for dedicated players.

This route is perfect if you’re already in Act 3 and want to combine your Needle upgrade with other late-game content. The challenges you’ll face here really test everything you’ve learned about combat, platforming, and resource management.

A Special Note About the Pinmaster in Act 3

Here’s something that caught me off guard during my first playthrough: if you reach Act 3 without completing the Pinmaster’s Oil quest, you’ll find his shop closed. There’s a sign that reads “I have departed to pay my respects at the graves within the great wood.”

Don’t panic! You can still complete the quest, but you’ll need to track down the Pinmaster in Shellwood. Head south of the Shellwood Bellway to find an area marked with a special symbol. The Pinmaster will be there paying his respects at some graves.

Retrieving the Pinmaster:

1. Locate the marked area south of Shellwood Bellway
2. Find the Pinmaster at the graves
3. Defeat the enemies in the area
4. The Pinmaster will return to Bellhart
5. You can then complete the Oil quest as normal

This adds an extra layer of storytelling to the quest – the Pinmaster isn’t just a vendor, he’s a character with his own motivations and connections to Pharloom’s history.

Choosing Your Path

So which route should you take? It really depends on your playstyle and current progress:

Choose the Great Taste quest if:

• You enjoy exploration and discovery
• You want to experience more of Pharloom’s culture
• You prefer quests with clear, linear progression
• You’re not particularly fond of complex puzzles

Choose the Choral Chambers route if:

• You love puzzle-solving and environmental challenges
• You’re already familiar with the Cogwork Core area
• You want to combine this quest with other Choral Chambers content
• You enjoy the satisfaction of cracking complex mechanical puzzles

Choose the Ecstasy of the End if:

• You’re already in Act 3 and want to optimize your progress
• You enjoy high-level challenge content
• You want to experience some of Silksong’s most demanding encounters
• You’re comfortable with advanced combat and platforming

Maximizing Your Needle Upgrade

Once you’ve obtained your Pale Oil through whichever method you choose, returning to the Pinmaster feels incredibly rewarding. The enhanced Needle isn’t just about raw damage – it changes your entire approach to combat encounters.

What to expect from the upgrade:

• Significantly increased damage output
• Enhanced attack animations and effects
• Improved combat flow and timing
• Better performance against late-game enemies

The upgrade also opens up new combat strategies and makes certain boss fights much more manageable. It’s the kind of power increase that makes you want to go back and replay earlier areas just to see the difference.

Planning Your Oil Hunt

Before embarking on your Pale Oil quest, consider these preparation tips:

Essential Prerequisites:

• Defeat Widow to unlock Bellhart
• Complete the first Needle upgrade with the Pinmaster
• Have solid movement skills for challenging areas

Recommended Preparation:

• Stock up on healing items and upgrade your Silk capacity
• Familiarize yourself with the areas you’ll be exploring
• Consider your current quest log – can you combine this with other objectives?

For Puzzle Route Specifically:

• Grab the Whispering Vaults map before attempting the box puzzle
• Practice your grappling hook techniques in easier areas first
• Be patient – rushing through the puzzle leads to mistakes

The Pinmaster’s Oil quest represents everything great about Silksong’s approach to upgrades and progression. It’s not just handed to you – you have to earn it through exploration, puzzle-solving, or challenging combat. But that makes the final upgrade feel so much more meaningful.

Ready to hunt down that Pale Oil and give Hornet the weapon upgrade she deserves? Choose your path, gear up, and prepare for one of Silksong’s most rewarding side quests.

Ready to explore every corner of Pharloom? Experience Hollow Knight: Silksong on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox. For more upgrade guides and quest walkthroughs, visit the official Silksong website.