Upgrading your Needle in Hollow Knight: Silksong is critical to taking down rough bosses and dealing more damage. To get your Needle to the maximum upgrade you will need to gather a rare item called Pale Oil, which is found in limited supply around Pharloom. In this guide, we will describe how Needle upgrades work, where to find all of the Pale Oils, and finally the steps needed to gather them (which includes solving the puzzles of Whispering Vaults and completing quests for Loyal Mergwin and Fleamaster Mooshka).
Unlocking Needle Upgrades
Pinmaster Plinney, an NPC in Bellhart, is your source for needle upgrades in the game. You’ll be able to get one upgrade free of charge, but only after you have rescued Bellhart, which is located in the far left corner of Greymoor. You’ll need to go first into Shellwood, defeat Sister Splinter, and get the Cling Grip, which will allow you to wall jump. Wield it so you can make it to the Bellhart tunnels, and defeat the Widow boss to remove the cursed thread.
Afterwards, climb the platforms on the town’s left side and navigate past Relic Seeker Scrounge’s bellhome to find Pinmaster Plinney. When you meet him for the first time, he strengthens your Needle automatically. Any upgrades after that, however, will require Pale Oil. In total, there are three Pale Oils to find throughout the game world.
All Pale Oil Locations in Silksong
Each Pale Oil is hidden behind different kinds of challenges, some puzzle-based, others tied to quests. Here’s where to find all three:
Great Taste of Pharloom
The first Pale Oil comes from Loyal Mergwin’s quest, “A Great Taste of Pharloom”, in the Choral Chambers. To get it, you’ll need to collect five special dishes from different regions.
Mossberry Stew is in Northeast Mosshome, complete the Moss Druid’s quest first. Vintage Nectar is in Greymoor at the Halfway House; Criege sells it for 480 Rosaries, but you must retrieve it yourself from his ant-filled cellar.
The Courier’s Rasher appears after finishing the Wishes “My Missing Courier” and “My Missing Brother.” Tipp and Pill will then challenge you to deliver it to Mergwin within five minutes without fast travel. Crustnut waits at the end of a tricky platforming path beneath the main route to the Choral Tower in the Sands of Karak, and the Pickled Muckmaggot drops from Disgraced Chef Lugoli in Sinner’s Road.
Return all five dishes to Mergwin to receive the second Pale Oil and upgrade your Needle.
Whispering Vaults
The second Pale Oil is the easiest to collect and lies in the Whispering Vaults, on the far left side of the region. To reach it, you’ll need to complete a short platforming section with moving crates. The area can be cleared using only the standard wall jump ability.
Once you reach the end, you can grab the Pale Oil and unlock a shortcut linking the Vaults to the Choral Chambers. Note that you’ll need to approach this section from the right-hand side first, as the left route is blocked early on.
Fleamaster
The last Pale Oil in Hollow Knight: Silksong comes from Fleamaster Mooshka’s questline, which you’ll only unlock much later in the game. It’s a long process that revolves around helping the Fleas.
Start by finding all 30 Fleas scattered across Pharloom, then visit the Flea Caravan in the East Putrified Ducts. After that, continue through the main story until you reach Act 3.
Once you’ve progressed that far, speak to Mooshka, then check the Bellhart notice board for a new Wish called “Ecstasy of the End.” Accept it, and return to the Flea Caravan to join their celebration. During the party, complete every mini-game available to receive the final Pale Oil as your reward.
If you’re struggling to track down all the Fleas, look for Vog in the Putrified Ducts. After you meet her, she’ll move to the Caravan and start selling Flea maps that mark their locations by region. They’re costly but extremely useful for finishing this questline.
Final Thoughts
Collecting all three Pale Oils allows you to fully enhance your Needle’s damage. It’s a long process that takes you through multiple areas, bosses, and quests—but every upgrade makes a noticeable difference in combat. Once your Needle is maxed out, even the toughest late-game enemies and bosses in Silksong will go down much faster.
