How To Get The Twisted Bud And Cursed Ending In Hollow Knight: Silksong

TL;DR

  • Complete Greyroot’s Pollip Hearts quest and essential mobility upgrades before starting
  • Navigate through Whispering Vaults’ hidden path to access Bilewater’s secret Twisted Bud chamber
  • Undergo the Rite of Rebirth by delivering the item to Greyroot in Shellwood
  • Complete the Infestation Operation quest chain to unlock the Cursed Ending
  • Prepare thoroughly for challenging platforming and combat sequences throughout the questline


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Have you encountered the mysterious Twisted Bud in Hollow Knight: Silksong and wondered about its purpose? This eerie artifact appears as a twisted cluster of pale vines that emits constant, unsettling cries, reminiscent of mythological mandrakes known for their supernatural properties. While its function remains unexplained upon discovery, this cursed object serves as the key to one of the game’s most challenging sequences and an alternate conclusion. This comprehensive walkthrough covers essential strategies and warnings, but prepare for significant spoilers regarding late-game content.

Acquiring the Twisted Bud doesn’t trigger any quest notifications or objective markers, leaving players to decipher its purpose independently. Successfully navigating this obscure questline leads to one of Silksong’s most emotionally intense moments, requiring you to purify its malevolent influence. We’ll explore every aspect systematically, including the hidden Cursed Ending designated as “Twisted Child” and crucial considerations for achievement hunters.

Before proceeding with this advanced content, ensure you meet these critical prerequisites:

  • Successfully finish the Pollip Hearts quest assigned by Greyroot, an important character residing in Shellwood’s central hub area.
  • Acquire both the Clawline Grappling Hook and Faydown Cloak Double Jump abilities. These movement upgrades are non-negotiable for reaching required areas.
  • Complete the Pharloom’s Crown – Threefold Melody story arc, which progresses toward the game’s primary antagonist confrontation.
  • Ideally, defeat the final boss at minimum once to experience the standard conclusion. This provides valuable combat practice for the more demanding encounters ahead.
  • Note that overcoming the final boss and viewing the regular ending returns you to your last used bench, allowing continued exploration and side content completion.
  • The Twisted Bud originates from Silksong’s Bilewater territory, though accessing it demands navigating a concealed route within Whispering Vaults that many players overlook. This obscure pathway requires precise platforming and careful environmental observation to discover.

    Twisted Bud location: Part 1 - Whispering Vaults
    Twisted Bud location: Part 2 - Bilewater

    Begin your search in Whispering Vaults’ eastern sector, where faint audio cues from the hidden chamber can help guide your exploration. The entrance typically appears as a crack in the wall that blends seamlessly with the environment, requiring the Double Jump ability to reach. Seasoned explorers recommend listening for the Bud’s distinctive weeping sounds, which grow louder as you approach the correct location.

    Once inside the concealed passage, navigate through a series of challenging platforming sections featuring moving hazards and environmental puzzles. These obstacles test your mastery of Hornet’s movement toolkit, particularly the Grappling Hook’s swing mechanics and mid-air repositioning capabilities. The path culminates in a secluded chamber within Bilewater where the Twisted Bud rests on a stone pedestal, pulsating with eerie energy.

    Delivering the Twisted Bud to Greyroot initiates the Rite of Rebirth, a transformative ritual that alters both the NPC and your quest progression. This ceremony triggers significant gameplay consequences that affect multiple systems simultaneously.

    The Rite of Rebirth: Giving the Twisted Bud to Greyroot

    Upon presenting the cursed artifact, Greyroot undergoes a dramatic physical metamorphosis, gaining new dialogue options and quest offerings. However, this transformation comes with a cost – the ritual inflicts a temporary curse status on Hornet, reducing maximum health by 25% and applying visual distortion effects until cleansed.

    Cleansing the curse requires completing a specific side quest involving collecting purification items from infected areas. This purification process typically takes 45-60 minutes depending on player skill level and prior exploration completion. The cursed state introduces unique combat challenges but also reveals hidden lore elements throughout Pharloom.

    Strategic players should prepare by stocking up on healing items and ensuring their combat abilities are fully upgraded. The curse’s health reduction makes otherwise manageable encounters significantly more dangerous, particularly against area bosses and elite enemies.

    Accessing the “Twisted Child” Cursed Ending demands completing the multi-stage Infestation Operation questline after the Rite of Rebirth. This narrative branch represents one of Silksong’s most demanding optional content paths.

    How to get the Cursed Ending: Twisted Child
    Infestation Operation quest: Part 1 - Yarnaby
    Infestation Operation quest: Part 2 - Steel Spines

    The Infestation Operation begins with Yarnaby in the Moss Grotto, who tasks you with investigating strange biological growths spreading through multiple regions. This investigation phase involves careful environmental scanning and specimen collection across 3-4 hours of gameplay.

    Phase two introduces Steel Spines, a formidable warrior commanding infected forces in the Citadel Spire. Defeating this boss requires adapting to unconventional attack patterns and exploiting newly revealed weaknesses.

    Successfully navigating this questline alters the final boss encounter significantly, introducing new dialogue, mechanics, and ultimately the Cursed Ending cinematic. This conclusion provides deeper insight into Pharloom’s history and the nature of the infection plaguing the kingdom.

    Completionists should note that unlocking this ending doesn’t prevent accessing other conclusions, as Silksong maintains multiple save slots and encourages experimentation with different narrative paths.

    Mastering the Twisted Bud questline requires both mechanical skill and strategic planning. These professional techniques will streamline your progression and minimize frustration throughout this challenging content.

    Combat Preparation: Before initiating the Rite of Rebirth, ensure your weapon upgrades are complete and you’ve mastered advanced combat techniques like parrying and aerial dash strikes. The cursed status during purification makes precise combat essential for survival.

    Navigation Optimization: Experienced players can reduce traversal time by 30-40% using specific sequence breaks and optimized routing. One effective strategy involves clearing the Infestation Operation areas before obtaining the Twisted Bud, allowing seamless progression once the ritual begins.

    Common Pitfalls: Many players struggle with the Whispering Vaults hidden path due to overlooking subtle visual cues. The entrance typically appears near a distinctive rock formation that resembles a weeping face, which many miss during hurried exploration.

    Time Management: The full Twisted Bud questline typically requires 5-7 hours for average players, though speedrunners can complete it in under 3 hours with perfect execution. Allocate sufficient time for the purification phase, as rushing through these sections often leads to unnecessary deaths and resource depletion.

    Resource Allocation: Stockpile healing items and currency before beginning, as the cursed state increases resource consumption significantly. Consider completing our Weapons Unlock guide to ensure your combat capabilities are fully optimized for these challenges.

    Action Checklist

    • Complete Greyroot’s Pollip Hearts quest and acquire essential mobility upgrades
    • Navigate Whispering Vaults’ hidden path to Bilewater’s Twisted Bud chamber
    • Deliver the Twisted Bud to Greyroot to initiate Rite of Rebirth
    • Complete purification side quest to cleanse the curse effects
    • Finish Infestation Operation questline with Yarnaby and Steel Spines
    • Defeat the final boss under cursed conditions to unlock Twisted Child ending

    No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » How To Get The Twisted Bud And Cursed Ending In Hollow Knight: Silksong Master the Twisted Bud questline to unlock Hollow Knight: Silksong's secret Cursed Ending and Rite of Rebirth challenge