What to know

  • Pale Oil appears in key Citadel spots: a quest in the Choral Chambers, plus a puzzle in the Whispering Vaults.
  • And there's more – a third one in Flea Caravan, the trickiest probably.
  • Each oil empowers needle upgrades, blending exploration, lore, and challenging rewards to enrich your Citadel journey.

Among Silksong's many treasures, Pale Oil stands out as a vital resource for upgrading Hornet’s Needle, her trusty weapon. This guide dives into where to find Pale Oil, how to use it, and why it’s a game-changer for your journey through the Citadel. Ready to sharpen your skills and your Needle? Let’s get started!

Starting the Pinmaster’s Oil quest

Your quest for Pale Oil begins in Bellhart, a vibrant town you’ll unlock after defeating the boss Widow in Shellwood. Once Bellhart is free, head to the upper section of the town and look for a bellhouse marked by three pins on the door. Inside, you’ll meet Pinmaster Plinney, the Needlesmith who can upgrade Hornet’s Needle.

After your first free upgrade, called Sharpened Needle, Plinney offers the Pinmaster’s Oil quest. To unlock the second Needle upgrade, you’ll need to track down Pale Oil, a rare substance hidden deep in the Citadel. This quest is optional but highly rewarding, as it significantly boosts your damage output.

Pale Oil Location #1: Whispering Vaults

One Pale Oil stash lies in the Whispering Vaults, accessible through the Cogwork Core. Reaching it requires navigating a gauntlet of moving cogs and hostile enemies. From the Cogwork Core, head right to a vertical room, then south. Use abilities like Cling Grip and precise dashes to dodge spinning saws and bouncing foes.

In the Vaults, solve a moving-box puzzle to reveal a lever that opens a door to a small room containing the Pale Oil. Perfect your pogo technique to bounce off cogs safely—this area demands pinpoint platforming. If you need a video tutorial for this, click here.

Pale Oil location #2: Choral Chambers

Another Pale Oil is tucked away in the Choral Chambers’ Dining Room, gated by the Wish system. To access it, advance the storyline by defeating the first major boss, which unlocks an NPC who assigns an Oil-related quest. From the eastern Choral Chambers, below a large circular structure, activate the Bellway at the bottom-right of a tall room.

Then navigate past Clockwork Dancers on the upper east side to reach Songclave. From there, take the high road west, descend through a perilous path with spinning saws, and climb using gears and wall-clinging. The Pale Oil awaits, but only if you’ve completed enough Wish requirements.

Pale Oil location #3: Flea Caravan

Comment
by u/huei3 from discussion
in HollowKnight

The third Pale Oil, a hot topic in the Silksong community, is tied to the Flea Caravan in Act 3, as shared on Reddit. To access it, complete all board quests in Bellhart to unlock a new quest in Songclave, where an NPC tasks you with collecting items to imprison a boss. This questline leads to the Flea Caravan in Fleatopia, where you must win all minigames during the Flea Festival.

These games, available only in Act 3, require delivering all fleas to the caravan. If you’re missing fleas, seek a hidden NPC in the Putrified Ducts who sells their locations after moving to the caravan.

Completing the festival rewards the Pale Oil, a unique challenge that blends exploration and minigame mastery. Do check your completion percentage with an item hidden in Act 3 to track missing fleas.

Powering up the Needle with Pale Oil

Pale Oil is the key to unlocking Hornet’s second Needle upgrade. Return to Plinney in Bellhart with each Oil and select “sharpen Needle” to boost the Needle’s damage and enhance skills like Silkspear. This upgrade is vital for facing Pharloom’s brutal enemies, like Lace or Sister Splinter, who demand more firepower than those in the original Hollow Knight. The increased damage makes combat smoother and speeds up your progress through the game’s challenging areas.

Guide to planning your hunt

  • Start with the quest oil: Complete the recipe quest in the Citadel’s restaurant to net your first Pale Oil.
  • Then head to Whispering Vaults: Solve that moving-box puzzle and claim your second.
  • Push into Act 3 and seek the flea reward: If you collect all fleas and return to a Wishboard, community whispers say the third oil may appear (unconfirmed).

Even without confirmation, the idea of a hidden third Pale Oil adds depth: players looking for 100-percent completion now have a secret to chase. Maybe more clues surface once Act 3 is unlocked. Meanwhile, enjoy the puzzle-solving, the needle upgrades, and Hornet’s evolving arsenal.