Silksong Snare Setter: Location, Step-by-Step Guide, Rewards, and More

What to know

• The Snare Setter is a red tool that sets igniting silk traps for crowd control in combat.
• Located in Weavenest Atla, reached via the Needolin door in Moss Grotto.
• Requires completing the Silk and Soul wish, tied to earlier quests like Trail's End.
• Grants access to Act 3's Abyss, new bosses, and the "Snared Silk" achievement.

Exploring Pharloom in Hollow Knight: Silksong feels like unraveling a beautifully woven mystery, and the Snare Setter is one of its most rewarding secrets. This red tool lets you lay traps that ignite enemies, shifting how you tackle Hornet’s battles. Below, you’ll find step-by-step guides to locate it, unlock its power, and reap its endgame rewards, making your journey through this haunting world smoother and more strategic.

Snare Setter key details

Snare Setter location on map

Now, here is our detailed guide to unlocking the Snare Setter in Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Step 1: Reach Weavenest Atla

To claim the Snare Setter, you need to navigate to Weavenest Atla, a mid-to-late game area in Pharloom’s eastern caverns. Here’s how to get there:

1. Acquire the Needolin skill: Start in Moss Grotto, a lush, melody-driven area. Complete the Threefold Melody puzzle in the central chamber by striking three resonating bells in sequence (upper left, lower right, middle). This rewards the Needolin skill, which lets you pass through silk portals.
2. Locate the Needolin door: From the Moss Grotto save bench, head to the lower-right chamber. Look for floating platforms guarded by silk-spitting beetles. The Needolin door—a shimmering silk portal with faint musical notes—is on the far right wall.
3. Enter Weavenest Atla: Use Needolin to pass through the door. Take the light elevator down to the main hub, a sprawling cavern with vine-covered walls.
4. Navigate to the hidden alcove: From the hub, climb the right wall, leaping across vine-draped ledges. Watch for weaver drones that fire sticky webs—parry or dodge to avoid getting slowed. Move left past a patch of dense grass near an underground lake.
5. Break the hidden wall: Just before the lake, look up for a breakable ceiling section camouflaged by roots. Use an upward needle strike (hold up and attack) to reveal a narrow shaft.
6. Claim the Snare Setter: Climb the shaft using wall-jumps. If you have the Weaver’s Crest, it improves grip for easier climbing. At the top, find the Snare Setter on a silk pedestal among glowing fungi.

Tips: Equip the Flexile Spines upgrade from Bonebottom’s wishes for better double-jumps. Pogo off airborne enemies to reach tricky ledges. If platforming feels tough, practice the timing in Moss Grotto’s safer areas first.

Step 2: Unlock the Snare Setter

The Snare Setter is locked behind the Silk and Soul wish, part of Silksong’s wish system. Follow these steps to meet the requirements:

1. Complete prerequisite wishes: Exhaust all wishes in four key towns—Songclave (melody hunts), Bonebottom (gathering tasks), Bellhart (beast-tracking), and The Citadel (ascension rites). These are marked on wish walls in each hub. Pinning tasks to your map helps track progress.
2. Unlock Trail’s End: In Bellhart, find Pavo near the central spire after clearing its beast-tracking wishes. Accept the Trail’s End wish, which involves defeating a mini-boss (a swift silk-weaver) at Bellhart’s peak. Completing it grants a personal hub in Bellhome.
3. Meet the Caretaker: Head to Weavenest Atla’s upper chamber, resembling a church with stained-glass silk patterns. The Caretaker, a key NPC from the game’s intro, offers the Silk and Soul wish after you’ve unlocked Trail’s End.
4. Gather four items for Silk and Soul:
   • Seeker’s Soul: Defeat the Bilehaven summit boss, a multi-phase fight with poison clouds and claw swipes. Use quick dashes and parries to survive.
   • Twisted Bud: In Bilewater, complete the Rite of Rebirth sub-quest by solving a platforming puzzle in a submerged cave.
   • Flea Caravan Item: Trade with a flea merchant in Songclave for a rare silk spool after delivering 10 melody notes (found in side rooms).
   • Melody Fragment: Complete a melody puzzle in The Citadel by aligning three silk chimes in a timed sequence.
5. Return to the Caretaker: Deliver the items to the Caretaker in Weavenest Atla. She rewards you with the Snare Setter and hints at its role in “setting the trap” for Pharloom’s fate.

Tips: The wish system tracks progress automatically—check your pinned notes for map markers. Expect 10-15 hours to gather everything, depending on your exploration pace. Save shards for healing during the Bilehaven boss.

How to use the Snare Setter

Once unlocked, the Snare Setter becomes a game-changer in combat. Here’s how to wield it effectively:

1. Equip at a bench: Visit any save bench to slot the Snare Setter into your red tool category. It uses shell shards (up to five traps per rest).
2. Deploy in combat: Press the red tool button to place a silk rune on the ground. It ignites when enemies touch it, dealing piercing damage and stunning them briefly.
3. Strategize placements: Use traps at chokepoints, like narrow ledges in The Cradle, to catch swarms. Pair with yellow fire tools for amplified burn effects.
4. Manage shards: Traps consume shards fast. Equip the Shard Pendant trinket (found in Bonebottom) to increase shard drops from enemies. Farm shards in weaver-heavy areas like Weavenest Atla.
5. Enhance with crests: The Hunter’s Crest (earned from Bellhart’s beast-tracking) extends trap duration, ideal for bosses with minions like Grand Mother Silk.

Tips: Practice trap placement in low-stakes fights to master timing. Combine with Hornet’s needle for quick follow-ups on stunned enemies. Save shards for longer battles by resting at benches often.

How to unlock Act 3 and rewards with Snare Setter

The Snare Setter opens Silksong’s endgame, Act 3: the Abyss. Here’s how to access it and its rewards:

1. Reach the Grand Mother Silk boss: Return to The Cradle’s summit, just past Weavenest Atla. The Caretaker reappears before the boss arena, reminding you to “play Needolin.”
2. Defeat Grand Mother Silk: This multi-phase boss uses silk storms and minion waves. Place Snare Setter traps to control adds, and parry her telegraphed slams. Use fire-tool combos for extra damage.
3. Choose Needolin post-battle: After winning, you’re prompted to act. Select Needolin (not Bind) to trigger the third ending. Black vines envelop your save—mash the action button to break free.
4. Enter the Abyss: Loading back in unlocks Act 3, a void-infused region with new wishes on Bellhart’s board, like void-melody puzzles.
5. Reap the rewards:
   • New bosses: Face foes like Lost Lace, the true final boss, with complex void-based attacks.
   • Snared Silk achievement: Earned by trapping the final boss with the Snare Setter.
   • Upgrades: Collect mask shards (extra health) and spool fragments (larger silk meter) in the Abyss.
   • Story depth: Unlock lore tying to Hollow Knight and one of five endings, “Sister of the Void.”

Tips: The Abyss is tough—bring maxed-out crests and tools. Save often, as void enemies hit hard. Revisit earlier areas for missed shards to ease the grind.

Is the Snare Setter worth your effort?

The Snare Setter transforms Hornet’s combat, letting you dictate the battlefield with fiery traps. Its true value lies in unlocking the Abyss, where Pharloom’s deepest lore and toughest challenges await. If you’re a completionist craving every ending, follow these steps to weave the Snare Setter into your journey. If you’re content with Act 2’s closure, you can skip it—but you’ll miss a haunting chapter of Silksong’s story.