Upgrading your weapon in Hollow Knight: Silksong makes a huge difference, letting Hornet deal more damage and take down tough enemies faster. The second Needle upgrade requires a special item called Pale Oil, which is hidden deep inside the Citadel. In this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly where to find the Pale Oil and how to bring it back to Plinney so you can sharpen your Needle and boost Hornet’s power.
How To Get the 2nd Weapon Upgrade in Hollow Knight Silksong
For your second Needle upgrade, you’ll need to grab a Pale Oil from the Citadel and bring it back to Plinney. Once you’ve got it, head over to Bellhart, where you’ll find Plinney. Talk to him and choose the option to “sharpen Needle.” Doing this will upgrade your Needle, giving Hornet a nice damage boost.
Pale Oil Location in Hollow Knight Silksong
To start working on your second needle upgrade, you’ll first need to defeat the Last Judge outside the Citadel entrance and unlock the area. Once that’s done, head into the Choral Chambers and clear a path forward. Make your way to the east side of the chambers and be sure to activate the Bellway at the bottom-right of the tall room. From here, look for the big wheel that changes pathways.
Before you can reach it, though, head upward toward Songclave on the upper east side, then take the high road running all the way west. On this path, you’ll run into the Clockwork Dancers. They’re not too tough if your reaction timing is good, so take them out and the path below will open up.
Drop down into the newly opened route; it’s a dangerous descent with spinning saws and enemies. Keep heading downward, then climb back up the right side by bouncing off gears, wall-clinging, and carefully timing your jumps. After weaving past a few gears, you’ll reach a large room full of enemies. Clear them out, then head across to find the big wheel again. This time, it’ll open up a new horizontal path for you.
From the wheel room, go right and take the upward path. You’ll notice a shifting block blocking your way you can only move it by hitting it from the other side. Continue heading right until you see a pit that leads straight down. Drop into it, keep descending, and once you reach the bottom, go left. The room here hides the Pale Oil, but you’ll need to do a bit of block-pushing to reach it.
Move the big sliding blocks around to open a path, and when you hit a dead end, you should have created a staircase of sorts. Climb up, keep heading left, and you’ll finally find the Pale Oil sitting on top of the blocks, along with a handy way out.
