How to Unlock Rune Rage in Hollow Knight Silksong: Complete First Sinner Guide

Learn how to unlock the powerful Rune Rage Silk Skill in Hollow Knight Silksong. Complete guide to finding the First Sinner, boss strategy, and skill analysis.

Among all the Silk Skills you’ll discover in Hollow Knight: Silksong, Rune Rage stands out as one of the most visually spectacular and strategically unique abilities. This screen-filling attack creates chaotic explosions across the battlefield, making it perfect for crowd control and multi-enemy encounters. But unlocking it requires facing one of the game’s most challenging optional bosses hidden deep within The Slab.

I’ve battled the First Sinner multiple times across different builds, and I’m here to guide you through every step of obtaining this devastating Silk Skill – from finding the elusive Key of Apostate to mastering the boss fight that guards this powerful ability.

Understanding Rune Rage: What Makes This Skill Special

Before we dive into the unlock process, let’s examine what makes Rune Rage worth pursuing in your Silksong arsenal.

Core Mechanics:

• Activation: F key (PC), R1 (PlayStation), RB (Xbox)
• Effect: Multiple explosive runes appear randomly across the screen
• Timing: Brief delay before detonation
• Cost: Standard Silk consumption per cast
• Range: Full-screen coverage potential

Strategic Advantages:

• Crowd control excellence – Devastating against groups of scattered enemies
• Area denial – Forces enemies to reposition or take significant damage
• Visual intimidation – The explosive display can disrupt enemy attack patterns
• Combo potential – Pairs beautifully with other Silk Skills when using Shaman Crest

Tactical Limitations:

• Random placement – You can’t control exactly where runes appear
• Delayed damage – Not ideal for precise, immediate strikes
• Silk cost – Requires careful resource management during extended fights

Step 1: Securing the Key of Apostate

Your journey to Rune Rage begins with obtaining the Key of Apostate, a crucial item that unlocks access to the First Sinner’s prison. This key is hidden within The Slab’s complex network of chambers and requires careful exploration to locate.

Key Acquisition Tips:

• The key is typically found in a concealed chamber within The Slab’s upper sections
• Look for environmental clues like distinctive wall patterns or unusual architecture
• Some players miss it initially due to its subtle placement
• Consider this part of your overall Slab exploration strategy

Step 2: Navigating to the First Sinner’s Prison

Once you’ve secured the Key of Apostate, the real adventure begins. The path to the First Sinner tests both your platforming skills and spatial awareness.

Detailed Navigation Route:

Starting Point: The Slab’s Bellway

1. Head upward from the Bellway to reach the chamber above
2. Locate the locked door that requires your Key of Apostate
3. Unlock and enter the restricted area

Inside the Prison Complex:

1. Descend carefully until you spot an opening leading right
2. Navigate right through the horizontal passage
3. Climb upward when the path allows
4. Continue right until you find a descent point
5. Drop down to discover the bell cage with restraining chains

Environmental Storytelling: As you approach the prison, take a moment to appreciate the atmospheric details. The chains, the isolation, and the ominous bell cage all contribute to the narrative tension. The developers clearly intended this area to feel foreboding and significant.

Step 3: The Fateful Decision – Releasing the First Sinner

Upon reaching the bell cage, you’ll encounter one of Silksong’s most intriguing moral choices. The inscription reads:

“Penitent, First of the First. Guilty of the sin of apostasy. Penance by constriction. Absolution denied.”

This cryptic message reveals you’re looking at someone imprisoned for the crime of apostasy – abandoning or betraying their faith or beliefs. The “constriction” refers to their tight imprisonment, while “absolution denied” indicates they’ve been refused forgiveness.

The Choice:

• Release the prisoner and face the consequences (boss fight + Rune Rage)
• Leave them imprisoned and maintain the status quo (no reward)

Most players choose to release the First Sinner, driven by curiosity and the promise of new abilities. From a gameplay perspective, this is definitely the recommended choice, as the boss fight provides valuable experience and the Rune Rage skill significantly expands your combat options.

Step 4: Mastering the First Sinner Boss Fight

The moment you break those chains, you’ll face one of Silksong’s most dynamic boss encounters. The First Sinner is fast, aggressive, and uses the very Rune Rage ability you’re trying to obtain.

Boss Analysis and Strategy:

First Sinner Characteristics:

• Speed: Extremely mobile with quick positioning changes
• Attack patterns: Mix of direct strikes and Rune Rage explosions
• Arena: Multiple rooms allow for tactical positioning
• Difficulty: High-tier optional boss requiring patience and skill

Winning Strategy Framework:

Phase 1 – Learning the Patterns:

• Observe the boss’s Rune Rage deployment to understand timing
• Stay mobile to avoid both direct attacks and explosion zones
• Use the multi-room arena to create distance when overwhelmed

Phase 2 – Aggressive Engagement:

• Strike during recovery frames after the boss uses Rune Rage
• Utilize your own Silk Skills for consistent damage output
• Maintain positioning near room transitions for emergency escapes

Phase 3 – Closing the Fight:

• Increase aggression as you learn the attack windows
• Save Silk for crucial dodging moments
• Stay patient – rushing leads to unnecessary damage

Pro Tips from My Experience:

• The boss telegraphs Rune Rage with a distinctive animation – learn to recognize it
• Room transitions can interrupt some attack sequences
• Your needle upgrades make a significant difference in this fight
• Consider using healing strategies between aggressive phases

Step 5: Claiming Your Reward

After defeating the First Sinner, you’ll receive the “Accept” prompt. Don’t hesitate – accepting grants you the Rune Rage Silk Skill, essentially allowing you to wield the same devastating ability that just challenged you in battle.

Post-Victory Benefits:

• Immediate access to Rune Rage in your Silk Skill arsenal
• Combat experience from a high-level boss encounter
• Narrative satisfaction from completing a significant optional challenge
• Strategic options for future encounters

Maximizing Rune Rage’s Potential

Now that you’ve earned this powerful ability, let’s explore how to integrate it effectively into your combat strategy.

Optimal Usage Scenarios:

Multi-Enemy Encounters: Rune Rage truly shines when facing groups of smaller enemies scattered across the battlefield. The random placement actually becomes an advantage, as it’s likely to hit multiple targets regardless of their positioning.

Boss Fight Applications:

• Large bosses that cover significant screen space
• Multi-phase encounters where area control is crucial
• Bosses with minion spawns that need crowd control

Exploration Benefits:

• Breaking through enemy clusters during navigation
• Clearing platforming challenges with enemy interference
• Creating safe passages through hostile territory

Advanced Combination Strategies:

With Shaman Crest: When you unlock the Shaman Crest, you can equip multiple Silk Skills simultaneously. Rune Rage pairs exceptionally well with:

• Silkspear for targeted follow-up damage
• Thread Storm for additional area coverage
• Precision skills to compensate for Rune Rage’s randomness

Resource Management:

• Plan Silk usage carefully during extended encounters
• Combine with Shell Shard farming to maintain sustainability
• Use strategically rather than spamming against single targets

Integration with Your Overall Build

Rune Rage works best when integrated thoughtfully into your overall character development strategy.

Synergistic Elements:

• Movement abilities like Swift Step help position for optimal Rune Rage deployment
• Defensive tools provide safety while the runes charge up
• Silk efficiency upgrades reduce the resource cost concerns

Build Considerations:

• Aggressive players: Use Rune Rage to clear space for continued pressure
• Defensive players: Create area denial zones while maintaining distance
• Balanced players: Supplement standard combat with strategic crowd control

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Through multiple playthroughs, I’ve observed several common errors that reduce Rune Rage’s effectiveness:

Tactical Errors:

• Overusing against single targets – save it for groups or large enemies
• Poor timing – casting too close to enemies negates the delay advantage
• Silk waste – spamming without considering resource management

Strategic Mistakes:

• Ignoring synergies with other abilities and tools
• Wrong encounter types – not every situation benefits from area damage
• Positioning errors – standing in potential explosion zones

Looking Beyond the First Sinner

Completing this quest opens up new strategic possibilities for the rest of your Silksong journey. The skills you’ve developed and the powerful ability you’ve gained will serve you well in upcoming challenges.

Future Applications:

• Advanced boss encounters in later acts
• Complex platforming sections with enemy interference
• Endgame content requiring diverse tactical approaches

Ready to continue your adventure? Explore Hollow Knight: Silksong on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox.

For more strategic insights, check out our comprehensive Silk Skills guide and discover advanced combat techniques to maximize your effectiveness in Pharloom’s dangerous world.

The Rune Rage skill represents a significant milestone in your Silksong journey – use it wisely, and watch as the battlefield transforms into your personal light show of destruction!