All Grand Gate door bells in Hollow Knight Silksong (original) (raw)
Here's how to open the Grand Gate in Silksong
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry
Wondering how to find the bells to open the Grand Gate in Hollow Knight Silksong? You aren't alone, in-game or out. The things are scattered all across the lower reaches of Pharloom, and you can't pass through the Grand Gate without finding them. There are five in all, each locked behind either a boss or some sort of platforming challenge. None of them easy.
In this guide, we'll cover the locations of all five bells that open the Grand Gate in Hollow Knight: Silksong, as well as how to open the gate itself. There's more to it than you might expect.
How to find all Grand Gate bells in Hollow Knight Silksong
You'll know the bells you need to ring to open for the Grand Gate by their size. They're tied to resting benches, and whenever you activate one, a large bell will appear and sound several times. The five of these bell/bench combinations you need to find are in the following areas:
- The Marrow: Near the Bell Beast boss fight.
- Deep Docks: After the Lace boss fight.
- Shellwood: On the path to the Blasted steps.
- Bellhart: After defeating Widow.
- Greymoor: East of the Halfway Home.
Of these five bells, two are almost impossible to miss, two others are slightly better hidden, and the final might take you a moment to find. Almost all of them are fairly close to other accessible resting benches, and later ones will require you to have additional traversal abilities, particularly Cling Grip for areas beyond Greymoor.
Where to find the Marrow Grand Gate bell
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry
The Grand Gate bell in The Marrow is probably the easiest of the five to find, as it's just a short jaunt east of the Bell Beast fight. Head over to Part 3 of our Silksong walkthrough for a thorough guide on how to reach the Bell Beast.
Where to find the Deep Docks Grand Gate bell
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry
You can find the Deep Docks Grand Gate bell shortly after winning the boss fight against Lace. The bell itself is a short walk east of her arena. Part 5 of our Silksong walkthrough details how to navigate Deep Docks and reach Lace.
Where to find the Shellwood Grand Gate bell
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While it's not hard to find the Shellwood Grand Gate bell, it's also fairly easy to miss, especially if you beeline it straight west from Bellhart and platform up the tall chamber. The bell itself is in northwestern Shellwood, just east of the entrance to the Blasted Steps. If you find yourself in the Blasted Steps but haven't found the Shellwood Grand Gate bell or the Bellway, head straight back east until you do.
For a more complete progression path through Shellwood and to its Grand Gate bell, check out Part 9 of our Silksong walkthrough.
Where to find the Bellhart Grand Gate bell
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The Bellhart Grand Gate bell is the hardest to unlock, as you can only access it by defeating Widow and freeing haunted Bellhart from her silky entrapment. To get there, you'll need to go west of the town and then north up through Shellwood, then back east into the bell passages above the town. You can then face Widow herself, and the bell appears shortly after your victory.
Part 11 of our Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough will show you the way to Widow and the bell she guards.
Where to find the Greymoor Grand Gate bell
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To reach the Greymoor Grand Gate bell, you'll need the Drifter's Cloak from the Seamstress in the Far Fields. The bell itself is east of the air stream passage from the Far Fields, and further east of the Halfway Home. You'll need to fight your way through Craw Lake, then flip a switch to drop a group of bouncy balloons to reach it.
For a full rundown of the path through Greymoor, head over to Part 12 of our Silksong walkthrough.
How to open the Grand Gate
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry
To open the Grand Gate, you do, of course, need the five bells. You can then play (as in, the game forces you to) play the Needolin to pluck the larger strings and toll the bells. Unfortunately, the Last Judge will then appear to stop you from actually opening said gate, and you cannot pass through until the judge lies broken and defeated.
If you're having trouble with the Judge, knowing the runback from the nearest bench is vital. When you do win the fight - and don't die to their post-mortem explosion - you can walk back over to the gate, and it will open for you, giving you access to the Grand Gate zone. At the top of the Gate is the entrance to the Choral Chambers, and the official start of Act 2 of Hollow Knight Silksong.