What is Needolin?
Needolin is one of the essential Ancestral Arts in Hollow Knight: Silksong that transforms Hornet's needle into a musical instrument. By stringing Silk along the needle, it functions like a harp, allowing Hornet to play ancient melodies that unlock mysterious Weaver Doors scattered throughout Pharloom.
This ability is crucial for progression as it grants access to hidden areas, special chambers called Weavenests, and provides unique combat applications. The Needolin consumes Silk when used, creating a resource management dynamic that adds depth to both exploration and combat scenarios.
Key Functions: Unlocks Weaver Doors, temporarily immobilizes enemies, reveals hidden weaver messages, enables fast travel (advanced melodies), and provides memory access capabilities.
Quick Reference Guide
Essential Info
- Location: Bellhart
- Obtained from: Defeating Widow
- Prerequisite: Cling Grip ability
- Default Controls: D (PC), Y (Xbox), Triangle (PS)
- Resource Cost: 1 Silk bar per ~6 seconds
Weaver Doors Found
- • Moss Grotto (Weavenest Atla)
- • Far Fields (Weavenest Cindril)
- • Wormways (Weavenest Karn)
- • Bilewater (Weavenest Murglin)
- • The Abyss (Hidden chamber)
How to Obtain Needolin
Step 1: Ensure Prerequisites
Before attempting to reach Widow, you must have the Cling Grip ability (wall jump). This is absolutely essential as the path to Widow requires extensive wall climbing and jumping sections that are impossible without this movement ability.
Step 2: Navigate to Bellhart
From the bench in Shellwood, follow this precise route to reach Bellhart:
- 1. Use the elevator by the bench to ascend, or wall jump to the top of the bench room
- 2. Head right until you encounter a dead end
- 3. Ascend the available platforms using your movement abilities
- 4. Execute a wall jump to continue right
- 5. Continue moving right to enter the Bellhart region
Step 3: Locate the Widow Boss Room
Once inside Bellhart, descend through the area until you reach a distinctive room marked with a bell icon. This visual indicator signals Widow's lair. The room is typically found in the lower sections of Bellhart, requiring careful navigation through the region's challenging platforming sections.
Step 4: Defeat Widow
Widow is a formidable boss that requires patience and skill to defeat. The fight involves multiple phases with varying attack patterns. Focus on learning her movements, timing your attacks carefully, and maintaining distance when necessary. Victory grants you the Needolin ability automatically.
Important: Obtaining Needolin is mandatory for progression to Act 2 of Silksong. Ensure you complete this objective before attempting to advance the main storyline.
How to Use Needolin
Basic Controls
After defeating Widow, Needolin becomes available with platform-specific controls:
PC
D
Xbox
Y
PlayStation
â–³
Activation Method
To use Needolin, hold down the designated button and wait for Hornet to complete the musical sequence. The needle will begin glowing and produce melodic tones as Silk is woven along its length, creating the harp-like effect necessary to activate Weaver mechanisms.
Resource Management
Needolin consumes 1 Silk bar every ~6 seconds of continuous use. However, there's an important optimization trick: if you release and reactivate Needolin within 6 seconds, you won't consume additional Silk. This allows for efficient resource management during extended use periods.
Pro Tip: Replenish Silk by striking enemies in combat. Plan your exploration routes to include enemy encounters when your Silk reserves are low.
All Weaver Door Locations
Weaver Doors are distinctive circular gates marked with spider-web or weaving patterns. They appear as dead ends on your map with unusual circular shapes, making them identifiable even before you can interact with them. Each door leads to a Weavenest - special chambers containing valuable resources, NPCs, or story elements.
Far Fields - Weavenest Cindril
Location: Far right section of Far Fields, past the Skull Cave area
Navigate to where you acquired the Drifter's Cloak and continue moving right until you reach the end of the accessible path. The Weaver Door will be clearly visible as a circular gate with intricate web-like patterns.
Contains: Weavenest Cindril with unique NPCs and potential ability enhancements
Moss Grotto - Weavenest Atla
Location: Eastern part of Moss Grotto, directly below Bone Bottom
From Bone Bottom, descend directly downward to locate this door in the lower sections of Moss Grotto. The eastern positioning makes it accessible from multiple entry points within the region.
Contains: Weavenest Atla featuring a mysterious figure capable of enhancing Hornet's abilities
The Abyss - Hidden Chamber
Location: Bottom right section of The Abyss
Navigate to the southeastern corner of The Abyss region. This door is typically found in the deeper, more challenging sections of the area, requiring careful platforming to reach safely.
Contains: Valuable resources and potential late-game progression items
Wormways - Weavenest Karn
Location: Western area of Wormways, left of Bone Bottom
Access Wormways through the left side of The Marrow. Note that this path is initially locked and requires a Simple Key to enter the Wormways region itself.
Contains: Weavenest Karn with unique weaving-related content and rewards
Bilewater - Weavenest Murglin
Location: Far right section of Bilewater
If entering Bilewater through Sinner's Path, continue moving right through the region until you reach the eastern boundary. The door will be located at the far right edge of the accessible area.
Contains: Weavenest Murglin with specialized weaving tools and resources
Combat and Advanced Applications
Enemy Immobilization
Needolin serves as an excellent crowd control tool in combat scenarios. When used on enemies, it creates silk bindings that temporarily immobilize them, providing several strategic advantages:
- • Swift Enemy Control: Particularly effective against fast-moving enemies that are difficult to track
- • Setup Opportunities: Creates openings for charged attacks or special ability combinations
- • Emergency Breathing Room: Provides temporary safety in overwhelming combat situations
- • Strategic Positioning: Allows repositioning while enemies are bound
Hidden Message Revelation
Throughout Pharloom, you'll encounter glowing message posts that appear blank or unintelligible. Using Needolin near these posts reveals hidden weaver messages containing:
- • Lore and backstory information about the Weavers
- • Hints for puzzle solutions and hidden areas
- • Cultural insights into Pharloom's history
- • Guidance for navigation and exploration
Advanced Melodies (Late Game)
As you progress through Silksong, Needolin evolves to include additional melodies with expanded functionality:
Fast Travel Melody
Unlocks the ability to instantly travel to any discovered bench or significant location on the map, dramatically improving traversal efficiency.
Memory Access Melody
Enables entry into memory sequences and flashback scenarios, revealing crucial story elements and character backgrounds.
NPC Interactions
Certain NPCs throughout Pharloom respond uniquely to Needolin's melodies, triggering special dialogue options, quest progressions, or revealing hidden shop inventories. Experiment with using Needolin near merchants, story characters, and mysterious figures to uncover these interactions.
Pro Strategy: Always carry sufficient Silk when exploring new areas. Many Needolin applications become available unexpectedly, and running out of resources can lock you out of important discoveries.
Troubleshooting and Common Issues
Needolin Not Working on Doors
Common Causes:
- • Insufficient Silk: Check your Silk meter - you need at least 1 bar
- • Wrong Door Type: Only circular Weaver Doors with web patterns respond to Needolin
- • Incomplete Melody: Hold the button until the full musical sequence completes
- • Positioning: Stand directly in front of the door, within interaction range
Combat Binding Issues
Solutions:
- • Boss Immunity: Most bosses are immune to Needolin binding effects
- • Range Limitations: Stay close to enemies - Needolin has limited range
- • Moving Targets: Stationary or slow enemies bind more reliably
- • Cooldown Period: Some enemies become temporarily resistant after being bound
Silk Management Problems
Recovery Strategies:
- • Combat Restoration: Any successful hit on enemies restores Silk
- • Efficient Usage: Release and re-press within 6 seconds to avoid extra consumption
- • Planning Ahead: Clear enemy encounters before attempting Weaver Door sequences
- • Backup Routes: Know alternative paths if you run out of Silk mid-exploration
Controller Input Issues
Check These Settings:
- • Control Mapping: Verify Needolin is bound to the correct button
- • Hold Duration: Must hold button continuously, not tap
- • Input Conflicts: Ensure no other actions are mapped to the same button
- • Accessibility Options: Check if hold-to-press alternatives are enabled
Master the Musical Path
Needolin represents one of Silksong's most versatile and essential abilities, serving as both a key to hidden areas and a strategic combat tool. By mastering its various applications - from unlocking mysterious Weaver Doors to controlling enemies in battle - you'll gain access to Pharloom's deepest secrets and most valuable rewards.
Remember that Needolin's power extends far beyond simple door unlocking. The advanced melodies unlocked later in your journey transform this musical ability into a comprehensive exploration and traversal system, making it one of the most rewarding Ancestral Arts to master fully.
The needle's song opens doors both literal and metaphorical - master Needolin to unlock Pharloom's greatest mysteries
Guide accurate as of September 2025 based on community research and testing