The Twisted Bud Guide: Where to Find It, How to Break the Curse, and How to Unlock Silksong’s Secret Ending
The Twisted Bud in Hollow Knight: Silksong is a small, vocal item that starts a hidden questline, opens a locked bellhome in Greymoor, and can trigger both a unique crest reward and the game’s secret bad ending. Below you’ll find where to get it, how to use it, how to remove its curse, the short quest that follows, and how to see the secret ending if you want to.
- Where to find the Twisted Bud
- How to use the Twisted Bud
- How to remove the Twisted Bud curse
- ‘Infestation Operation’ quest walkthrough
- How to get Silksong’s secret ending
Where to find the Twisted Bud in Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Twisted Bud sits in a tucked-away corner of Bilewater, reachable most reliably through a secret exit in the Whispering Vaults. To use that route you need the Clawline.
From the First Shrine in Songclave, drop into the Whispering Vaults and solve the box puzzle so a box sits in the upper-right. Then wall-cling and exit via the secret opening to reach some ductwork. Wall-jump, then use Clawline on the ring to open a spike-filled passage. The Drifter’s Cloak helps you hover past spikes safely. Eventually the passage drops into Bilewater; head right, then left, break the weak walls and root-blocks with slashes, and you’ll find the Twisted Bud at the end of the route.
How to use the Twisted Bud in Hollow Knight: Silksong
Once you have the Twisted Bud, you must first complete the Rite of the Pollip quest from Greyroot in Shellwood before doing anything with it. After finishing that quest, speak to Greyroot again to perform the Rite of Rebirth. Accepting the rite triggers a short scene and then Hornet wakes up bound in vines.
At that point Hornet is under a curse tied to the Twisted Bud. While the curse is active, healing and silk skills are disabled, so avoid using the rite if you still need those abilities for important fights. Also note that the curse cannot be removed in Act 3, so plan to finish the relevant questline in Act 2 if you want to lift it later.
How to remove the Twisted Bud curse in Hollow Knight: Silksong
To break free right after the rite, use the bind button to escape the vines, then leave the Chapel of the Witch. The exit puts you in the lower part of Shellwood near upper Bone Marrow.
If you prefer following the in-game NPC route, go to Bellhart and speak to Pavo near the bench. He points you toward the hermit under Bellhart Bellway, who then directs you to Greymoor to find Yarnaby the disgraced surgeon. Alternatively, you can go straight to Greymoor and talk to Yarnaby to begin the next step.
‘Infestation Operation’ quest walkthrough in Hollow Knight: Silksong
Yarnaby gives the quest titled Infestation Operation. She needs steel spines to complete her plan, and those spines are sold by Crull and Benjin in Sinner’s Road.
Visit the room with the cages in Sinner’s Road (opposite the busted bench room), speak with Crull and Benjin, and buy the steel spines for 260 rosary beads. Return to Yarnaby; after she completes the operation she gives you the Witch’s Crest as a reward. The Witch’s Crest is functional, but it removes all yellow slots for tool items such as the compass.
How to get Silksong’s secret ending with the Twisted Bud curse
If you want the secret ending, keep Hornet cursed and defeat Act 2’s final boss while the curse is active. Doing so will trigger the alternate ending sequence for Act 2. After the scene, when you reload the save you’ll return to the final bench with the curse still in place.
To see the normal ending and proceed into Act 3, you must have Yarnaby lift the curse. That means completing the Infestation Operation steps (buying the steel spines and returning to Yarnaby) while still in Act 2, then returning to face the boss if you want the standard progression.
Finally, remember: the curse cannot be removed in Act 3, so handle the Twisted Bud storyline in Act 2 if you want the option to lift it later.
