Where To Find All Mask Shards In Hollow Knight: Silksong

TL;DR

  • Mask Shards increase Hornet’s maximum health – collect four for one additional health pip
  • Essential movement abilities include Clawline grapple and Faydown Cloak double jump for hard-to-reach locations
  • Early game shards available from Bone Bottom vendor (300 Rosaries) and Wormways chasm area
  • Advanced platforming techniques like pogo maneuvers enable early access to certain shards
  • Strategic enemy farming and currency collection crucial for vendor-purchased Mask Shards


GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Are you determined to locate every Mask Shard scattered throughout Hollow Knight: Silksong? These collectible fragments serve as vital components for enhancing Hornet’s durability during her journey through Pharloom. Each shard contributes to your overall survivability by expanding your maximum health capacity, allowing you to withstand additional enemy attacks during intense combat encounters or hazardous exploration sequences.

Mask Shards remain dispersed across multiple regions within the vast kingdom of Pharloom. The collection system requires assembling four individual shards to unlock a single additional health pip on your interface. While this incremental improvement might appear modest initially, every health upgrade proves invaluable when confronting the game’s most demanding late-game challenges and boss battles. Our comprehensive guide follows a progression-based structure mirroring the natural acquisition order we experienced during extensive playtesting.

Important Distinction: Should your objective involve upgrading Hornet’s silk energy reserves, you’ll need to pursue items called Spool Fragments, which function as a separate upgrade system parallel to health enhancements.

Critical Mobility Tools: Numerous Mask Shard locations present significant accessibility challenges that demand specific movement capabilities. We strongly recommend acquiring abilities such as the Clawline grapple for horizontal traversal and the Faydown Cloak double jump for vertical navigation before attempting comprehensive collection.

Advanced platforming techniques become necessary for reaching certain shards positioned in environmentally hazardous zones or protected by complex obstacle courses. The Swift Step ability—functioning as both ground dash and aerial dash—dramatically improves your capacity to navigate treacherous gaps and evade environmental threats while pursuing these health upgrades.

Common Accessibility Mistake: Many players underestimate the mobility requirements for Mask Shard collection and waste substantial time attempting impossible routes. Always verify you possess the necessary movement skills before investing effort in difficult-to-access areas.

This represents the most accessible Hollow Knight: Silksong Mask Shard encounter during the initial campaign phase. A merchant located within Bone Bottom offers this health upgrade fragment for 300 Rosaries—the primary currency obtained through combat and environmental interaction. Efficient farming involves systematically defeating enemies and destroying breakable objects throughout the environment to accumulate sufficient funds.

Another early-game Mask Shard resides within the Wormways region. To access this area, utilize the upper-left exit pathway in Mosshome situated just beyond the shrine structure. Upon arrival, you’ll encounter a substantial chasm requiring careful navigation. Note the presence of an elevator mechanism below this location that facilitates travel between this challenging zone and the relative safety of Bone Bottom settlement.

  • For players seeking early campaign acquisition, master the pogo technique—bouncing atop flying adversaries within the chasm to create temporary platforms.
  • As an alternative approach, advance further in the narrative until obtaining the Swift Step ability, which provides both dash and air dash capabilities for simplified traversal.

The subsequent region features a formidable giant beetle miniboss that discharges corrosive acid from ceiling positions. Evade these hazardous projectiles by positioning yourself beneath the creature and utilizing platform structures as protective cover while engaging in combat.

Optimized Farming Routes: For the Bone Bottom vendor shard, identify high-density enemy areas near fast travel points to maximize Rosary accumulation per time invested. Breakable objects often contain hidden currency caches—systematically clear each room while progressing through regions.

Combat Efficiency: When confronting the acid-spitting beetle miniboss, recognize attack patterns that create safe windows for counter-attacks. The creature typically pauses briefly after spewing corrosive liquid, presenting prime opportunities for dealing significant damage while minimizing risk.

Sequence Breaking Potential: Skilled players can utilize advanced pogo techniques to access certain Mask Shards before obtaining recommended movement abilities. This requires precise timing and spatial awareness but enables earlier health upgrades.

Environmental Awareness: Many Mask Shard locations incorporate environmental puzzles or hidden pathways. Thoroughly explore each area, paying close attention to unusual wall textures, breakable surfaces, and background elements that might indicate secret areas.

In Hollow Knight: Silksong, Mask Shards represent crucial collectibles that directly impact your survivability. Each shard contributes to your maximum health capacity, with every four fragments combining to form a complete mask that extends your life bar by one segment. These vital upgrades are scattered throughout Pharloom, often hidden in challenging locations or locked behind specific progression requirements.

Understanding the strategic importance of these health extensions becomes essential as you face increasingly difficult enemies and bosses. The additional health margins provided by mask upgrades frequently determine success in prolonged combat encounters, making systematic collection a priority for serious players.

One Mask Shard becomes available for purchase from Jubilana, a wandering merchant located in Songclave’s Choral Chambers district. This particular fragment costs 750 Rosaries, the game’s currency, but accessing this transaction requires completing several prerequisite steps in a specific sequence.

  • First, progress through Songclave until you reach the First Shrine area and activate the ceremonial bell. This triggers an interaction with the Caretaker NPC who informs you about impending pilgrim arrivals.
  • Next, utilize fast travel to visit another region entirely or defeat the Cogwork Dancers enemy group. Upon returning to Songclave, you’ll notice a newly appeared bulletin board containing various quest opportunities.
  • Select the Wandering Merchant wish/side quest from the board to begin tracking Jubilana’s whereabouts.
  • Jubilana occupies a concealed chamber on the left side of the western Choral Chambers vertical tower structure. Clear the room of hostile entities to make the merchant character spawn.
  • After completing these steps, Jubilana relocates to Songclave proper, where her full inventory including the Mask Shard becomes accessible.
  • Pro Tip: Gather Rosaries efficiently by focusing on enemy types that drop currency consistently, and complete the bulletin board quests in batches to minimize backtracking.

    The Whispering Vaults region contains a cleverly concealed Mask Shard that many players overlook due to its unconventional hiding method. This fragment resides in the lower-right quadrant of the sub-zone, accessible through environmental interaction rather than straightforward navigation.

    When exploring this area, you’ll encounter a seemingly ordinary short corridor that appears empty at first inspection. The key revelation comes from attacking the ceiling above this passage, which triggers a hidden trapdoor mechanism to descend. This creates new platforming opportunities allowing wall-jumping maneuvers to reach previously inaccessible areas.

    After activating the trapdoor, execute precise wall-jumps to strike a large block obstacle. Once destroyed, return to the upper level to claim your well-earned Mask Shard reward.

    Expert Insight: Systematically strike ceilings in suspiciously empty rooms throughout Pharloom, as this discovery method applies to multiple hidden collectibles beyond just mask fragments.

    Mount Fay presents one of the most demanding Mask Shard acquisitions in Silksong, combining environmental hazards with advanced movement requirements. This fragment sits conspicuously in the lower-left sector of the mountain region, but reaching it tests both your equipment progression and platforming skills.

    The primary obstacle involves surviving Mount Fay’s intensely freezing climate, which continuously drains health unless you’ve obtained protective gear or consumables. More critically, accessing the shard’s platform demands the Faydown Cloak/Double Jump ability, widely considered the game’s most rigorous platforming challenge.

    Additionally, gaining entry to the Weavenest Atla territory proves necessary, accomplished by utilizing the Needolin technique acquired from defeating the Bellhart boss. This ability unlocks the cocoon barrier in Moss Grotto, creating the pathway to Mount Fay’s challenges.

    Strategy Note: Attempt this collection only after securing thermal protection items and mastering double-jump timing, as failed attempts cost significant health resources.

    Efficient Mask Shard collection requires strategic planning beyond simple location knowledge. Seasoned players recommend specific route optimizations that minimize unnecessary travel while maximizing progression efficiency.

    Common Mistakes to Avoid: Many players waste time attempting Mount Fay without proper preparation or miss the Whispering Vaults ceiling interaction entirely. Always survey rooms thoroughly before moving on, and ensure you have the necessary abilities before tackling region-specific challenges.

    For optimal time management, collect the merchant-purchased shard first since it requires currency farming rather than platforming skills. Then proceed to Whispering Vaults once you have basic movement techniques mastered, saving Mount Fay for when you’ve obtained both the Faydown Cloak and cold-weather gear.

    Time Estimates: Allow 15-20 minutes for the Jubilana quest chain, 10-15 minutes for Whispering Vaults exploration, and 25-35 minutes for Mount Fay’s dual challenges, depending on skill level.

    Mask Shards represent crucial collectible items that directly impact Hornet’s durability throughout her journey. When assembled completely, these fragments form additional health containers that provide significant survivability advantages. Each full mask grants an extra health pip, with the complete set offering five additional pips that can mean the difference between victory and defeat in challenging encounters. Understanding the health mechanics is essential, as each pip allows Hornet to withstand one additional hit from enemies before needing to heal.

    The collection process requires thorough exploration of Pharloom’s diverse regions, with shards often hidden in obscure locations or protected by environmental challenges. New players should prioritize these collectibles early, as the health boost becomes increasingly valuable when facing later-game bosses and hazardous zones. The incremental nature of health upgrades means even finding individual shards provides immediate benefits while working toward the complete set.

    While gathering Mask Shards for improved durability, players should simultaneously pursue Spool Fragments to expand silk energy reserves. These fragments function similarly to health shards but affect Hornet’s special ability resources instead. Maximum silk energy determines how frequently you can execute powerful thread-based attacks and mobility options, making them equally vital for combat effectiveness. The synergy between health and silk management creates a balanced approach to surviving Pharloom’s dangers.

    Equally critical are Pale Oil weapon upgrades, which enhance Hornet’s needle damage output against increasingly resilient foes. These offensive improvements complement defensive upgrades by reducing encounter duration and conserving resources. Strategic players should coordinate their collection efforts, targeting areas where multiple upgrade types cluster to minimize backtracking. This integrated approach to character development ensures Hornet remains capable against the kingdom’s escalating threats.

    Advanced players can optimize their route by identifying regions with concentrated upgrade materials, planning efficient paths that maximize gains per exploration session. The time investment typically ranges from 2-4 hours for comprehensive collection, depending on player skill and prior knowledge of Silksong’s layout.

    Seasoned explorers should approach Mask Shard collection with systematic planning to avoid common pitfalls. Many players mistakenly prioritize offensive upgrades over defensive ones, only to struggle against bosses that demand sustained survivability. A balanced approach that alternates between health, silk, and damage improvements typically yields the best results. When navigating unfamiliar territories, maintain awareness of environmental clues that might indicate hidden passages or concealed chambers containing valuable fragments.

    Common collection mistakes include rushing through areas without thorough investigation and underestimating the value of early health upgrades. For optimal efficiency, consult region maps when available and mark potential shard locations for later return visits if immediate access proves challenging. The Class Guide offers valuable insights into character build strategies that complement resource collection approaches.

    Preparation for specific challenges varies by region, but generally involves ensuring adequate health and silk reserves before attempting dangerous platforming sections or boss encounters. The Complete Guide provides additional context for understanding game progression systems. Meanwhile, weapon enhancement strategies detailed in our Weapons Unlock guide can inform your Pale Oil upgrade decisions.

    Action Checklist

    • Acquire essential movement abilities: Clawline grapple and Faydown Cloak double jump
    • Purchase Bone Bottom vendor shard for 300 Rosaries after efficient farming
    • Navigate to Wormways via Mosshome’s upper-left exit and cross the large chasm
    • Defeat acid-spitting beetle miniboss using platform cover and pattern recognition
    • Master pogo technique on flying enemies for early access to certain shards
    • Complete Songclave’s First Shrine and speak with Caretaker NPC
    • Fast travel away or defeat Cogwork Dancers, then check Songclave bulletin board
    • Accept Wandering Merchant quest and clear enemies in Choral Chambers left tower room
    • Purchase Mask Shard from Jubilana for 750 Rosaries
    • Explore Whispering Vaults lower-right, strike ceiling in empty corridor, wall-jump to break block
    • Obtain Faydown Cloak ability and cold protection before attempting Mount Fay
    • Systematically explore each region for Mask Shards, prioritizing health upgrades
    • Collect Spool Fragments in areas adjacent to Mask Shard locations
    • Upgrade weapons with Pale Oil when facing difficulty spikes
    • Plan efficient routes that minimize backtracking between upgrade types
    • Balance defensive and offensive upgrades for optimal progression

    No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Where To Find All Mask Shards In Hollow Knight: Silksong