Hollow Knight: Silksong – Moss Grotto Walkthrough

Moss Grotto is located at the bottom of Pharloom and is a mossy, green area with vivid plant life and pools of water. Mossberries can be collected here as part of the Berry Picking Wish quest. Passing through the Moss Grotto can be challenging for most players, as they have no maps, compass, or quill. The Moss Mother is an unavoidable boss blocking the path to Bone Bottom. The boss isn’t hard to defeat, but requires a proper strategy. 

1. Enter The Moss Grotto

Entering Moss Grotto -Hollow Knight Silksong

You wake up in the lush green area after a stunning opening cutscene. Equip your Needle (Weapon) by pressing the designated button.

• Press the Circle button (PlayStation), B button (Xbox), A button (Switch), or A key (PC) to Bind. Doing so allows you to restore some of the health.
• Get your hands on the Shell Shards from the cave to the right. The Shell Shards will have a better usage later in the game, so keep them.

1.1 Clear the Vines

Keep moving forward and use the weapon to clear the vines that block the path. Passing through this cleared path allows you to get inside the Moss Grotto.

2. Find a Bone Bridge

Bone Bridge – Hollow Knight Silksong

Now, keep moving forward and to the left. You will encounter deadly creatures, so use your weapon to eliminate them without taking any damage. These bugs aren’t that difficult to tackle, as they only need two hits from the needle.

1. Pass through the gap, and there comes the Bone Bridge.
2. Move through the room below and get inside the water to swim till you encounter an underground entrance.
3. Take this entrance to reach the next room.

You need to jump to the ledge and move to the cliff above. Doing so will lead you to the area from which you came.

3. Find the Second Gap

Second Gap in Moss Grotto

Keep ascending to reach a cliff. You need to obtain your first Mossberry by jumping over to it. This item is lethal to enemies, so use it wisely in combat. The flying enemies will try to attack you, and they can deal some serious damage. We recommend you wait for them to perform their attack and use your needle to finish them off.

1. Drop down from the hole next to you and keep moving to the right to get inside the next area.
2. You will suddenly feel that you’re becoming more overwrought, so all you need to do is press on and keep moving forward. 
3. Covering this gap seems pretty easy by just jumping over.
4. But it’s best to hold down the D-Pad and take a gander below. This should be done on the second cliff, where a Frayed Rosary String is available to be picked.

Dropping down from this cliff allows you to get to the bottom of the Moss Grotto, but don’t do it unless you feel you’re missing something.

3.1 Dodge the Little Critters

You will feel the climate change once you move to the next area. Here, the little critters will appear that can also attack and deal damage to you. So, you first just need to avoid them by dodging. Only three needle strikes are enough to kill them after you dodge them.

4. Get Into the Ruined Chapel

Ruined Chappel in Moss Grotto

Use the floating platform to move upward. The Mossberry here can’t be obtained as they’re out of reach.

1. Move to the left to enter the next area and cross the gap.
2. You can also get back down to the bottom of the Grotto due to the pits.
3. Use the needle to destroy the vines and leaves that’re blocking the path.
4. Passing through this path will lead you to the Ruined Chapel.

4.1 Find the Bench

Bench in Ruined Chapel

Move to the end of the room to find your first bench. Resting at the bench allows you to save the game and regenerate your health. So, the bench in Hollow Knight: Silksong works as a checkpoint. Move to the top and keep destroying the vines with your needle. I recommend you upgrade your needle later in the game to deal more damage in combat.

5. Get Inside the Boss Arena

Boss Location Moss Grotto

Getting into the next room allows you to enter the arena of Moss Mother. She is the first boss in Moss Grotto and has a unique attack pattern.

5.1 Defeat the Moss Mother Boss

Moss Mother Boss

The Moss Mother fight is in Weavenest Atla. The boss will dash at you, and you must jump over to avoid the attack.

• Moss Mother hit the ceiling to drop three stones.
• Standing on the location of these falling stones can deal massive damage to you.
• She keeps swooping, and you want to get some hits in when you can.
• Your downward attack is a diagonal attack instead of a straight down.
• Attack her horizontally at the same time.

If she hits the ceiling and you see a bunch of pillars of light, that means rocks are going to drop. If you don’t see the pillars of light, she will drop baby mosses. I recommend you take them out to restore your masks.

The Moss Mother will be temporarily stunned after taking enough damage. This allows you to deal additional damage while she is in an unconscious state.

1. Once she gets dizzy, you can get additional attacks in.
2. Keep an eye on the stinger for the swoop, but also when she headbutts, and you see light shafts.
3. Position yourself between the light shafts and kill those moss worms.

6. Move into Bone Bottom

Chapel Maid NPC

After defeating the Moss Mother, make your way to the left and ascend to reach the top area, Bone Bottom. A cutscene will play once you arrive, during which you will pass out and then be awakened by the Chapel Maid. Speaking with this NPC will give you the Great Citadel objective. From here, move ahead to enter the Bone Bottom, and don’t forget to use the bench next to the Pilgrim NPC to save your game.