Upgrading Hornet’s Needle in Hollow Knight: Silksong is critical to smooth out your journey through Pharloom. The Needle is Hornet’s primary weapon, and defines combat. Without upgrading it, even the most basic encounters can feel long and tedious. This guide provides the information on how to unlock the Sharpened Needle upgrade, where to find it and why it makes such a huge impact.
Where to Get the Upgrade
If enemies are taking forever to go down or if bosses feel like they’re dragging on, it’s a sign you should sharpen that Needle. The difference is huge: wiping out weaker foes in just a couple of strikes instead of five makes progression much smoother.
The upgrade becomes available once you’ve taken down the Widow boss. After that fight, make your way to Bellhart. Look for a building on the right side with three white pins displayed above its doorway—that’s where Pinmaster Plinney is waiting.
Talk to Plinney inside, continue through his dialogue, and when he offers the option to “Sharpen Needle?”, confirm with “Yes.” That’s all it takes to earn the Sharpened Needle.
Why It Matters
This first improvement is simple but powerful: it increases your weapon’s base damage. The bonus isn’t limited to standard strikes, either, it also boosts moves like the Silkspear. While it won’t suddenly make advanced maneuvers such as the diagonal dive easier to pull off, the damage boost gives you a real edge as the game gets harder.
With the Sharpened Needle in hand, combat flows much faster, especially when moving into mid-game areas. If you’re looking to push your playthrough even further, you can also check guides on Silksong’s overall length or track down good Rosary farming spots to keep merchants stocked.
