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Bilewater is a classic Poison Swamp in Hollow Knight: Silksong — it’s a challenging area with a debilitating status effect that makes it harder than usual to explore. In this case, the water is full of maggots that slowly drain your silk. That’s bad, but what really makes this status effect suck is that it blocks you from using one heal. Healing clears the status effect but doesn’t heal you, effectively stealing away a useful health infusion every time you step in the water.
And that’s just one of the things that makes Bilewater a terrible place. The real problem is the agonizingly long trek from the bench up to the optional boss Groal the Great. This is easily the longest run from a bench to the boss in the game, and Bilewater teases you with a bench that’s halfway to Groal’s arena, but this is a trap. It isn’t actually a safe bench. But, there is a secret bench you can find that makes the run to Groal a thousand times easier. Let’s find this location together.
If you haven’t found the Bilewater area yet, check out our full guide here.
Secret Bench Location | Bilewater
There are two benches in Bilewater — one is found in the lower area near The Mist / Exhaust Organ and you’ll naturally locate it while exploring. The second bench is secret and it’s found in the tough platforming challenge leading to Groal the Great’s boss arena. The grueling platforming path makes Groal a much more difficult boss, so this extra bench is a lifesaver. Don’t try to fight Groal before unlocking this extra bench.
On the path to Bilehaven / Groal the Great’s arena, you’ll reach a water-filled path one level below on the map. There’s a Flea location here. Go to the right side of the room and drop into the water.
You’ll need to enter the water to find the secret bench. Beneath the ceiling Hornet normally needs to reach to progress, look for a breakable wall to the right while in the maggot-filled water. There’s a breakable wall that leads down below, into a room with a hidden bench.
This bench is a lifesaver and cuts your path to the Groal boss by a significant margin. Reaching the end and rematching Groal is much, much easier with this unlocked.
How To Prevent Maggot Status Effect
Muckmaggots are the status effect that prevents healing. The water filled with maggots makes the Groal fight much more difficult — if you fall into the water, you essentially have to waste a healing charge just to get another chance at healing. To prevent maggot status, you’ll want to get the Wreath of Purification.
The Wreath is located in a secret area of the Putrified Ducts — learn how to access the area here — near the Pale Lake where Fleatopia moves in. Reach the long chamber before the Pale Lake, there’s a secret ceiling entrance that leads up.
From this secret room, go right — you can’t miss it. This item prevents Muckmaggot status when stepping into infected water. It will break if you stay in the water for too long, but it will be repaired whenever you revisit a bench. It’s extremely useful for exploring areas with maggots, and especially useful for fighting Groal.
