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There’s a secret bad ending in Hollow Knight: Silksong that you can only get in Act 2. The Twisted Child ending is one of the biggest secrets in the game and leads to a pretty tragic conclusion for Hornet, but it’s one worth seeking out before pushing on into Act 3. You’ll need to become infected between two side-quests, and it involves exploring one of the toughest parts of the game. If you’re feeling lucky, you can complete the toughest ending in the game.
For more endings, learn how to reach Act 3 and get the true ending here. Or get the secret bonus ending by finding all the Mr. Mushroom locations.
Twisted Child | Secret Bad Ending
The Twisted Child ending can only be unlocked in Act 2. If you progress to Act 3, this ending will be unlocked. Here are the basic steps for earning this ending.
- Go to Bilewater and collect the key item called the Twisted Bud.
- Go to the NPC Greyroot in Shellwood to obtain a curse.
- The curse blocks Hornet from healing, use tools or change your crest.
- While cursed, defeat Grand Mother Silk at the top of the Citadel.
And that’s it! Defeating Grand Mother Silk without tools or the ability to heal is going to be a huge challenge and is one of the toughest tasks in the game. There’s more you need to know about this ending, so let’s cover every step.
Where To Find The Twisted Bud
The Twisted Bud is a strange crying creature found in Bilewater. Use the secret entrance to the left of Styx’s Room in Sinner’s Road for the earliest way to access the Bilewater area. For more information, check out our BIlewater secret level guide here.
Once you’re inside Bilewater, go up and left — you’ll want to move toward The Mist area / Exhaust Organ and check the rooms above. You’ll need the grapple and wall-jump abilities to reach this upper area. Go to the room marked on the map above.
You’ll hear a faint crying sound. Cut through the branches and debris to reach a cradle with the Twisted Bud inside. Taking it doesn’t do anything yet — so you can collect this at any time without getting negative status effects.
How To Become Cursed
To gain the curse status, Hornet needs to talk to the NPC called Greyroot in Shellwood. They’re found in the center of the area, to the left of Bellhart. Check the location marked above to find them.
- NOTE: You’ll need to complete their quest ‘Rite of the Pollip‘ before you can progress with the Twisted Bud.
Give her the Twisted Bud and you’ll become cursed after completing the ‘Rite of Rebirth‘ quest. While cursed, Hornet will be unable to heal, use tools or switch crests. This makes the rest of the game extremely difficult for obvious reasons — normally, you’ll want to cure this curse ASAP.
- To earn the ‘Twisted Child‘ ending, you’ll need to keep the curse and defeat Grand Mother Silk at the top of the Citadel in Act 2. We HIGHLY recommend you wait until you’ve unlocked the final boss of Act 2 before turning in the Twisted Bud and becoming cursed.
To cure the curse, you’ll need to track down a surgeon in Greymoor called Yarnaby. Find Yarnaby to begin the ‘Infestation Operation‘ quest. He’s located in the upper-left corner of the Greymoor map, and he’ll give you the location of NPCs in Sinner’s Road that will sell the surgery tools you’ll need. Once you get the tools, Yarnaby will perform the surgery and remove the curse. You’ll also gain the Witch Crest as a reward.
