How to Get the Needolin in Hollow Knight: Silksong: Widow, Bellhart and What It Unlocks

The Needolin is Hornet's instrument in Hollow Knight: Silksong – a needle you play like a fiddle. It's not a weapon, but you can't finish the game without it: it opens Weaver doors, calls the Bell Beast, guides you through the mist and is the key to reaching Act 2. You get it by beating Widow, the boss who rules the cursed town of Bellhart.

The steps below apply to the current version of the game.

Quick answer

Requirements

• Cling Grip. You can't reach Widow without wall jumping, and Cling Grip is earned in Shellwood.
• Access to Bellhart. Coming from Greymoor, you reach Bellhart by heading west and beating Moorwing, which opens the way.
• A few masks and tools. Widow isn't the hardest boss in the game, but she's a big jump from the early fights. Bring tools and full Silk.

Step-by-step: from Greymoor to Widow

1. Head west through Greymoor and beat Moorwing. The tunnel beyond leads to Bellhart. On this first visit the town is covered in webs and haunted, and all you can use there is a bench and a Bellway station.
2. Go west from Bellhart into Shellwood. It's a lush, vertical area where you bounce off white flowers with your down-attack (pogo) to climb.
3. Beat Sister Splinter and get Cling Grip. Sister Splinter is Shellwood's boss. Past her, a platforming section leads to the Weaver shrine that grants Cling Grip, Silksong's wall jump.
4. Climb up and to the right. From the area around the Shellwood bench, wall-jump upward and head right. Break the barrier into a set of tunnels filled with bells – this is the upper entrance to Bellhart.
5. Work through the bell tunnels. Go down past spikes and enemies, then left, drop down and go right. The gate at the end is Widow's arena.
6. Open the shortcut before the fight. Along the way you can break a vine-covered secret wall that opens a shortcut to a Shellwood bench. Do it – it cuts the runback after every attempt.

Beating Widow

Widow is a fast, aggressive duelist and a clear step up from the earlier bosses. A few general tips:

• Learn her openings. Most of the damage you deal comes right after she finishes a combo. Be patient and punish recovery frames instead of trading hits.
• Heal only when she's busy. Binding (healing) takes time and Widow punishes it. Wait for a long recovery or put distance between you first.
• Keep moving. Don't let her pin you in a corner of the arena; dash past her rather than backing into a wall.
• Use your tools. Throwing tools and Silk skills add safe damage when you can't get close.

Getting the Needolin

When Widow falls, Hornet binds her power several times and you're pulled into a short, dreamlike section that teaches you the instrument – including opening your first Weavenest door with it. Afterward, the arena has a bench.

To break Bellhart's curse, use Silk to free the great bell and ring it with the lever. Head down and the town comes back to life, with residents such as Pinmaster Plinney, who upgrades your needle.

What the Needolin does

Hold the Needolin button to play. It costs Silk, so keep some in reserve.

• Opens Weaver doors. Circular Needolin doors are marked on the map. Two early ones are Weavenest Atla (near Moss Grotto and Bone Bottom, where Eva upgrades your crests) and Weavenest Cindril in Far Fields.
• Calls the Bell Beast at Bellway stations so you can fast travel.
• Guides you through the mist. In the Mist maze, play near the white flying insects and they head toward the right exit.
• Makes NPCs sing or dance and reveals extra dialogue and lore.
• Stuns calm enemies for a few seconds and reveals what they're thinking.
• Summons memories and apparitions at certain spots.

Why you need it for Act 2

Once you've rung the five Bellshrines, the Needolin opens the great gate that leads onward – reached through the Blasted Steps or Sinner's Road. Without it, you can't get into the Citadel.

It keeps coming back after that: songs for later gates, summoning the Fayforn on Mount Fay for the Faydown Cloak, and more. In Act 3 it also gains two extra songs – Beastling Call, a teleport to the Bell Beast's station, and Elegy of the Deep, which lets you enter memories.

Tips and common mistakes

• Skipping Cling Grip. If you can't find the way to Widow, you almost certainly haven't got the wall jump yet. Finish Shellwood first.
• Not opening the shortcut. The run from the Bellhart bench is long. The Shellwood shortcut makes failed attempts much less painful.
• Ignoring Bellhart after the fight. Ring the bell and go back down – the freed town has shops, quests and a needle upgrade.
• Forgetting it costs Silk. If nothing happens when you play, check your Silk meter.
• Walking past Needolin doors. Once you have it, revisit early areas. Several circular doors you couldn't open before now lead to rewards.