It is possible to permanently defeat the Clawmaidens in Hollow Knight: Silksong, preventing them from spawning anywhere in Pharloom. While the feat requires some careful platforming in a location that's incredibly easy to miss, completing it allows players to essentially delete one of Hollow Knight: Silksong's most annoying non-boss enemies.
Described as "puppet servants of the Citadel" in the game's lore, Clawmaidens are creepy enemies that players will encounter about halfway through Team Cherry's latest game. Without spoiling anything of substance, they populate areas that are only reachable after starting Act 2 in Hollow Knight: Silksong. While they are far from the only mob in the game that deals two masks of damage and endures multiple hits, what makes them particularly annoying is that they can steal Hornet's Silk, then use it to perform a devastating Silk Spear attack.
Hollow Knight Developer Team Cherry Explains Why Silksong is More Difficult
After dividing the game's community with its increased difficulty, Team Cherry explains why Silksong is so much more difficult than Hollow Knight.
Silksong's High Halls Hide a Way To Disable All Clawmaidens
As it turns out, it's possible to eliminate all Clawmaidens in the game not long after first meeting them, TheGamer reports. Doing so requires some meticulous exploration of Hollow Knight: Silksong's High Halls, a subarea of The Citadel. There, the lower level of the map—called The Forum—hides a room that looks completely empty at first glance, but actually allows the player to push a cart under one of the strands of water leaking from the ceiling, then double jump to an inconspicuous area right above.
While Hollow Knight: Silksong's double jump isn't required for reaching the metroidvania's second act, it has no alternatives in this High Halls location. Therefore, anyone who hasn't yet obtained it at this point of the game will want to take a detour into Mount Fay, located to the far left of High Halls. Once Hornet has the skill in her arsenal and uses it to jump above the aforementioned cart, she will be able to continue ascending through some unnerving scenery until finally reaching the Silk Nest.
How To Permanently Delete Clawmaidens in Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Obtain double jump
- Find the empty room with a cart in High Halls
- Push the cart beneath a stream of water leaking from the ceiling
- Double jump above and continue climbing
- Destroy the Silk Nest after reaching it
According to some Hollow Knight: Silksong lore tidbits scattered throughout the game, the Silk Nest is not only the magical source that powers the Clawmaidens but the root of their annoying behavior—the reason they are so adamant to search for Silk in the first place. Destroying it will thus put an end to all Clawmaidens, preventing them from spawning in any location across Pharloom.
With Clawmaidens out of circulation, traversal in the area stabilizes and the High Halls gauntlet becomes significantly less intense. Exploring surrounding areas, such as the Choral Chambers, also becomes notably less stressful. Given how hidden the Silk Nest is, it's plausible that Team Cherry did not expect many Hollow Knight: Silksong players to discover it on their first playthrough.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- September 4, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Team Cherry
- Publisher(s)
- Team Cherry
