I went back into Hollow Knight: Silksong this week with one goal: find the charge-up attack known as Needle Strike. As of 2026, Pharloom is still full of hidden routes, and this ability remains one of the more satisfying mid-game tools to track down. It is not a beginning-of-the-game pickup. I had to earn it. The route runs through the Blasted Steps, and it asks for two things before I could even attempt the final climb: the Cling Grip and a cleared path past the Great Conchflies. Here is how I did it, step by step, with the same route notes I used while navigating the area.

Quick facts

Detail What I found

Ability Needle Strike, a charge-up attack

Region Blasted Steps

Required movement tool Cling Grip

Required boss progress Defeat the Great Conchflies and unlock the left side of the arena

Reward source Training from the Pinstress

Best starting point Bench toward the bottom of the Blasted Steps

Where Needle Strike is hidden

My first mistake was treating the Blasted Steps like a straight combat zone. It is not. The route to Needle Strike is a vertical climb with several detours, and the game expects me to use float and dash carefully rather than simply run forward. The ability sits beyond the area unlocked after the Great Conchflies fight, so if that boss is still standing, I would not waste time trying to force the climb. Clear that encounter first, then unlock the passage to the left of the boss arena.

The Cling Grip is the other hard requirement. Without it, the wall climbs and cage sections on the way up are not going to

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