I learned the hard way that Pharloom does not hand out second chances. My first few hours in Hollow Knight: Silksong were a blur of boss attempts, risky jumps, and far too many deaths because I treated healing like something I could do whenever I wanted. It is not. Healing here is a deliberate choice, and once I understood the rhythm, everything clicked. If you are just starting out, here is how I keep Hornet alive using the two main healing systems: Bind and resting benches.



Bind Is My Combat Heal, Not a Panic Button

The main way I heal during fights is by using Bind. Every time I hit an enemy, I fill up a thread gauge that sits under my health masks. Once that gauge is completely full, I can spend it all to restore three health masks. That sounds generous, and it is, but there is a catch: the whole bar gets used up every single time, even if I only need one mask. So I try not to waste it. I wait until I am missing a decent chunk of health, usually two or three masks, before I Bind. If I tap it after taking one hit, I lose the entire gauge and kick myself for it later.

The other important detail is that Hornet is vulnerable while the Bind animation plays. She stops for a moment, and in a game as fast as Silksong, a moment is plenty of time to get hit. I have learned to wait for safe windows: after a boss finishes a combo, behind a wall, or after clearing a small group of enemies. Bind is not a reflex. It is a decision. When I treat it that way, my survival rate goes way up.

There is also a tool called the Warding Bell that can protect Hornet while she is healing. I do not treat it as mandatory, but it is a wonderful safety net if I keep getting interrupted during the Bind animation. If you are struggling with a aggressive boss or a crowded room, it is worth looking into.

Benches Are My Reset Button



The second healing method is much simpler: rest on a bench. Pharloom is full of benches, and they work like checkpoints. When I rest, Hornet heals, and my progress is saved. If I die, I respawn at the last bench I used. That makes benches incredibly valuable, not just for healing but for route planning. I always feel a little relief when I spot one.

Some benches are free, but others require Rosaries to unlock. That is why I try to keep a few Rosaries on me at all times. Running out of currency right before a locked bench is a special kind of frustration. Whenever I see a bench, I rest. It is almost always worth it, even if I am not hurt. Saving my progress and topping off my health gives me confidence for the next stretch.

Here is a quick comparison I use when deciding what to do:

Method
Cost
What It Does
Best Time to Use

Bind
Full thread gauge
Restores three health masks
During combat, in a safe window

Bench
Free or Rosaries
Fully heals and saves progress
Whenever you find one

My Practical Healing Habits

After plenty of mistakes, I have built a few habits that keep me alive in 2026 and beyond. First, I treat the thread gauge as a healing resource, not just a damage meter. I notice it filling during fights, and I start looking for my moment. Second, I do not Bind unless I am missing at least two masks, unless I am in immediate danger. Third, I practice boss patterns so I know when the animation will be safe. Fourth, I budget my Rosaries so I am never stuck outside a paid bench. Finally, I use the Warding Bell when I know a fight will punish slow healing.

Healing in Hollow Knight: Silksong is not complicated once you see the pattern. Bind is my mid-fight recovery, benches are my full reset, and patience is the real tool that ties them together. If you are dying a lot, you are not alone. Slow down, watch your gauge, pick your moments, and let the benches do their job. Pharloom is brutal, but it is absolutely survivable.

Surviving Pharloom is ultimately about making smart use of the resources you have, and that mindset carries over to how I buy games between runs. I like to check cheapest steam keys at DealNest when I want to add another metroidvania or indie challenge to my backlog without overspending, so I can save my budget for the games I really want to play next.

Hollow Knight: Silksong has done far more than expand the series' combat and exploration; it has quietly deepened the character of its protagonist, Hornet. Since the sequel's release, players have combed through Hunter's Journal entries and uncovered surprising details about her romantic history, her lifespan, and her unexpectedly warm personality. In 2026, the community's lore excavation continues to yield fresh discoveries about Hallownest's princess-protector.



?️ A Romantic Past Hidden in the Journal

One of the most discussed revelations comes from the Great Conchfly entry in Hunter's Journal. The conchfly is described as an insect that pairs with only one mate for life and never leaves its partner. Reflecting on this behavior, Hornet recalls that she once desired a similar union. More importantly, she confirms that she has fallen in love at least twice in the past. Her mates are no longer part of her life because they could not match her lifespan, and as a result, she no longer seeks to pair with another.

The detail has sparked widespread fan discussion. Some players note that female spiders often outlive their mates in real life, which may be a deliberate nod to Hornet's lineage. Her mother, Herrah, was a spider, and her father, the Pale King, was no ordinary bug either. Together, these facts suggest that Hornet may have inherited an exceptionally long lifespan. While this remains speculation, the journal entry makes one thing clear: Hornet has lived long enough to experience multiple relationships and may be far older than earlier appearances suggested.

? Personality Beyond the Warrior

Hornet's journal entries also reveal a likable and curious side that contrasts with her stoic, agile warrior persona. In several entries about hostile bugs, she describes her feelings with surprising tenderness. She expresses a desire to touch their fur or admire their round, soft bodies. These small reflections paint her as someone who observes the world with affection, not just battle-ready vigilance.

Fans have embraced this humanizing detail. It adds warmth to a heroine who has often been defined by mystery and duty. The journal's voice is contemplative, occasionally playful, and deeply personal, giving players a new lens through which to view Hornet's long history.



? How to Unlock the Revelation

For players eager to read Hornet's reflections about her mates, the key is completing the requirements for the Great Conchfly entry. Once that entry is available, her thoughts on love and loss become accessible in the journal. The following table summarizes the most notable journal details and why they matter to the community.

Journal Entry
Key Detail
Why Fans Care

Great Conchfly
Pairs for life; Hornet recalls her own lovers
Confirms at least two past relationships and her disillusionment with love

Hostile bug entries
Desire to touch fur and admire round, soft bodies
Reveals an affectionate, curious personality

Lifespan reflection
Mates could not match her years
Ties into spider biology, Herrah's lineage, and the Pale King's nature

❤️ Fan Theories and the Weight of Time

The idea that Hornet has outlived her lovers adds a bittersweet layer to her story. It also raises questions about how old she truly is and how much of Hallownest's history she has witnessed firsthand. Team Cherry has always favored environmental storytelling and journal fragments over direct exposition, so these entries feel like deliberate breadcrumbs rather than accidental trivia. Players continue to debate whether the Great Conchfly parallel is a biological nod, a tragic character beat, or both.

Community reactions have been enthusiastic. Fan artists and lore theorists have celebrated the revelation, creating memes and speculative timelines that place Hornet's romantic past within the broader Hollow Knight saga. The detail does not diminish her independence; instead, it frames her solitary nature as a consequence of lived experience. She once wanted the kind of lifelong bond the conchfly enjoys, but time and mortality made that impossible.

? What Comes Next

As players dig deeper into Silksong's secrets, more details about Hornet's past may emerge. The journal already demonstrates that Team Cherry is willing to explore her inner life with subtlety. Whether future entries will name her past mates or clarify the extent of her lifespan remains uncertain, but the current discoveries are enough to make her one of the most compelling figures in the franchise.

For now, Hornet stands as both a deadly protector and a reflective survivor. Her journal entries transform her from a mysterious princess into a character with affection, loss, and curiosity. In a world full of hostile bugs and hidden histories, those small personal details may prove to be Silksong's most memorable revelations. ??️

For readers who enjoy pairing deep lore dives with smart purchases, the downtime between Silksong discoveries is a good chance to explore other atmospheric adventures and hidden gems. Keeping an eye on game deals today at DealNest can make it easier to build a backlog of mystery-rich titles without overspending.

Whether you are chasing every journal entry or simply looking for your next obsession after Hallownest, DealNest offers a practical way to stay updated on discounts and releases that fit the same curious, exploration-driven spirit.

I walked into Bellhart after freeing the town expecting a proper shop, the kind of place that hums with useful trinkets and sensible prices. What I found was a counter that looked almost embarrassed for me. Empty. Almost insultingly empty. Not gonna lie, I stood there for a second, waiting for the shelves to apologize. They did not. In Hollow Knight: Silksong, Bellhart's store matters because it sits right in the middle of my prep for the climb to the summit, and a half-stocked shop is a problem I can fix. As of 2026, this little courier detour remains one of the cleanest early upgrades I can recommend.



The Shop That Ate Its Own Inventory

When I first freed Bellhart, Frey's storefront only offered a tiny handful of goods. I kept waiting for more to appear, as if the shelves might quietly remember their job. Instead, the shelves gave me a shrug. Frey had apparently eaten most of his wares. Honestly, same. I have also made questionable choices near a snack shelf.

Here is what I could buy before the restock:

Item
Price
Effect

Memory Locket
330 Rosary
Increases the slots you can use

Rosary Necklace
140 Rosary
Ties up 120 Rosary for safekeeping

That is it. Two items. Useful ones, sure, but not exactly a grand market. I wanted the full stock before the climb to the summit, and the empty counter told me I had a delivery problem to solve.

Start the Wish Before You Wander

To restock Bellhart's store, I had to find the courier who never arrived. The important first step is accepting the related Wish on the nearby Wishboard, 'The Missing Courier'. If you skip that, you are just a tourist with a good sense of smell.

Once the Wish is active, speak briefly to the Bellhart shopkeep, Frey. Frey tells you the courier was last seen in Shellwood. That is my cue to head west of Bellhart into Shellwood and stick to the bottom path. The route is not complicated, but it is easy to drift upward when you should stay low.



Tracking Tipp Through Shellwood and Mosslands

In Shellwood, I eventually found the courier's scent to track. The scent curled through the brush like a shy ribbon, playing hide-and-seek with my patience. Follow it, and it leads to the west Shellwood bench. That bench is a good mental checkpoint. Rest there if you need to, then keep moving.

Past the bench, enter the top of the Mosslands area. You need to cross the large chasm to get to the Wormways side, but do not enter the Wormways. Instead, look for the space two ledges down. That is where I found Tipp.

Tipp is being accosted by two enemies when I arrive. I defeat both before speaking to him. Trying to chat while he is surrounded would be rude, and probably painful. Once both enemies are down, exhaust Tipp's dialogue. He then travels safely to Bellhart, and Frey's stock upgrades automatically. Fair enough, Tipp. A courier's job is rough.



What the Restock Unlocks

Finding Tipp expands the store with the following items:

Item
Price
Effect

Multibinder
800 Rosary
A charm that heals you for extra masks at the cost of lengthening the heal animation

Spool Fragment
270 Rosary
Increases the amount of Silk you can carry

Shard Bundle
50 Rosary
Gain an extra 80 Shards in a pinch

My shopping list changed immediately. I prioritized the Spool Fragment because extra Silk capacity helps me in longer fights. The Shard Bundle is cheap and practical, so I grabbed it when I needed a small buffer. The Multibinder is pricey at 800 Rosary, and its longer heal animation is a real tradeoff, but it can be worth it if I am planning a risky climb. The Memory Locket and Rosary Necklace remain on the shelf too, so I could still expand my slots or tuck away Rosary for safekeeping.

My Quick Checklist

? Accept 'The Missing Courier' on the Wishboard first.

?️ Speak to Frey in Bellhart to learn the courier was last seen in Shellwood.

? Go west into Shellwood and stay on the bottom path.

? Follow the courier's scent to the west Shellwood bench.

?️ Enter the top of the Mosslands and cross the large chasm toward the Wormways side.

? Do not enter the Wormways. Take the space two ledges down instead.

⚔️ Defeat the two enemies near Tipp before speaking.

? Exhaust Tipp's dialogue so he travels safely to Bellhart.

? Return to Frey and enjoy the expanded stock.

By the time I left Bellhart, the shop felt alive again. The shelves had purpose, the counter no longer looked embarrassed, and my preparation for the climb ahead felt real. In 2026, this remains a short detour with a big payoff. I just wish Frey had left a few snacks for the courier.

If you also like to keep an eye on your wider gaming budget while working through a guide like this, it helps to have a low-effort way to check prices. A steam sale tracker can show when wishlisted games hit meaningful discounts, so you’re not constantly refreshing store pages between play sessions.

DealNest is a clean place to do exactly that. It’s useful for quick price checks and sale browsing, and it fits naturally alongside the same practical, plan-ahead mindset that makes a route like this easier to finish.

I still remember the moment Far Fields stopped feeling like a maze and started feeling like a launchpad. I am not a speedrunner, and I definitely do not know every hidden route by heart, but when I replayed this stretch of Silksong in 2026, the path to Shellwood felt like a proper adventure: a quest reward, a risky air-current ride, a tense boss fight, a spooky detour through Haunted Bellhart, and finally a map vendor waiting in the lush green wilds. Shellwood sits toward the end of Act One, so reaching it is not just about walking west. You need the right ability, a little patience, and enough confidence to climb over a closed inn instead of knocking on the door.

The One Ability That Opens the Route

For me, the real gate to Shellwood was the Drifter's Cloak. Without the Float ability, the air currents in Far Fields are just a tease. I had to complete the Flexile Spines quest first, and once I had the cloak, the whole area changed. I headed back to the main cavern of Far Fields and used the air currents to ride up toward the surface. That upward rush is one of those Silksong moments where exploration suddenly feels vertical and a little dangerous.



My mental checklist looked like this:

✅ Complete the Flexile Spines quest.

✅ Earn the Drifter's Cloak and its Float ability.

✅ Return to the main Far Fields cavern.

✅ Ride the air currents up to Greymoor.

✅ Buy the Greymoor map from Shakra near the entrance.

Greymoor, Shakra, and the Closed Inn

When I entered Greymoor, I did the sensible thing first: I headed right from the entrance and bought the map from Shakra. I have learned the hard way that skipping a map vendor in Silksong makes every cavern feel twice as hostile. With the Greymoor map in hand, I turned around and kept heading left, past the Halfway Home inn. The inn entrance was closed, so I could not simply walk inside. Instead, I climbed over the building and dropped into the area beyond. It felt like the game was quietly telling me that this journey would not be a straight line.



After the inn, I pushed through tight caverns and fields of Crawbugs. Those sections are not complicated, but they punish careless movement. I kept my eyes on the west and eventually reached an open area where Moorwing waited. I will be honest: that boss fight was tricky. I had to learn its rhythm, stop panicking when the screen filled with movement, and treat each attempt as practice rather than a failure.



Through Haunted Bellhart and Into Shellwood

Defeating Moorwing was the key. Only after that fight could I progress further west and enter Haunted Bellhart. There is an important quest in that area, but I decided to skip it for the moment. My goal was Shellwood, and the route was finally opening up. I watched the cutscene, then ran past all the strung-up bugs in Bellhart and kept moving west. The atmosphere shifted from grey and haunted to something greener and stranger, and then I was standing in Shellwood.



Reaching Shellwood is one thing. Navigating it without a map is another. I kept heading west past the swamp and started climbing higher and higher, aiming for the doorway to the top-left. That led me into a dark cavern, and dropping to the lower platform triggered an ambush. Bugs swarmed in, and I had to clear them all before I could breathe again.



Once the ambush was over, I climbed to the upper area and exited through the pathway on the left. There I found a cage elevator and used it to descend to the lower section. After stepping out, I stomped on the button to my right to open a shortcut back to the main area. That shortcut felt like a small victory, because it meant future trips through Shellwood would be less painful.



From there, I kept heading left past the swamp and into the next area. That is where I finally met Shakra again. She had the Bellhart and Shellwood maps in her offerings, and buying them made the whole region feel manageable. At last, I could freely explore the lush green area of Shellwood without guessing which tunnel led where.



What I Learned on the Way

My route to Shellwood was not a clean speedrun. It was a first-person trek full of small mistakes, cautious map buying, and one boss fight that took me longer than I expected. Still, the steps are clear: finish Flexile Spines for the Drifter's Cloak, ride the Far Fields air currents, buy the Greymoor map from Shakra, climb over the Halfway Home inn, defeat Moorwing, pass through Haunted Bellhart, and then push west into Shellwood. Once inside, climb past the swamp, survive the ambush, use the cage elevator, open the shortcut, and buy the Shellwood map from Shakra.

With the map in hand, I could finally relax and enjoy Shellwood for what it is: a dense, green, unsettling biome that rewards curiosity. I also knew I could head back to Bellhart later to lift the curse off its citizens. For now, though, I was happy to stand in Shellwood with a map, a shortcut, and the feeling that Act One was nearly behind me. ?️?

Games like this reward the kind of player who pokes at every wall and backtracks for a shortcut, and that patience tends to spill over into how you shop for games too. Once you finish one journey and start eyeing the next title on your wishlist, waiting for the right moment to buy matters just as much as waiting for the right moment to climb.

That is where a site like DealNest comes in handy. It gathers PC game discounts in one place, so instead of hopping between storefronts you can scan what is actually cheap right now and decide whether to grab something new or keep saving for the next big release. For anyone who likes to explore thoroughly and spend carefully, it fits right into the routine.

If you’re like me, the moment you step into a new region in Hollow Knight: Silksong, your brain screams one thing: find Shakra. In Act One, that habit pays off constantly. Shakra hands you a map for each new area, and suddenly every suspicious wall, bench, and dead end feels less like a trap and more like a puzzle. But Act Two changes the rhythm. Shakra starts showing up less often, and more regions expect you to buy maps from a mechanism with Rosaries. That shift matters. It means exploration becomes a little more expensive and a lot more deliberate.



The Whispering Vaults is a perfect example. I remember entering the area after the rotating wheel bridge between Cogwork Core and Choral Chambers, feeling confident, and then immediately getting locked into a fight against multiple enemies. Classic Silksong. After I won that mini-boss scrap, I pushed deeper. The room eventually opens up, and a lone large enemy guards the path forward. Beat it, and then don’t rush ahead. Look for an iron pole ladder at the end of the area. Attack it. It falls, and that’s your way into the attic. You’ll need to wall jump up using the fallen iron pole ladder, so if you skipped that ability, come back later. No shame. Silksong is not a game that rewards impatience.

Once you’re inside the attic, go left. Keep going to the very end. That’s where the Whispering Vaults map waits, and it costs 70 Rosaries. I’ll be honest: my first attempt, I arrived with fewer Rosaries than I’d like to admit. I had to leave, scrounge, and come back. Don’t be me. Bring at least 70 Rosaries, and maybe a little extra for the road. The attic itself is easy to miss if you’re focused on combat, which is why I like this route: it’s short, repeatable, and it doubles as a useful connection.



Here’s the quick checklist I wish I’d had on my first run:

Step
What to do
Why it matters

1
Cross the rotating wheel bridge between Cogwork Core and Choral Chambers
This drops you into the first Whispering Vaults room

2
Win the locked-in multi-enemy fight
Opens the path deeper into the area

3
Defeat the lone large enemy
Clears the guard near the ladder

4
Attack the iron pole ladder at the end
Drops it and opens the attic route

5
Wall jump up the ladder
Required to reach the attic

6
Go left to the end of the attic
The map is waiting there

7
Pay 70 Rosaries
Buys the Whispering Vaults map

The attic has another perk that I didn’t appreciate until later. It connects to the Choral Chambers’ Songclave area, right under the first shrine. That makes it a fantastic shortcut. Once you’ve opened the route, you can use it to reach the Whispering Vaults without retracing the whole bridge-and-battle sequence. I love shortcuts in Silksong because they change how you think about a region. A scary area becomes a neighborhood. A dangerous detour becomes a back door.

And the Whispering Vaults is worth mapping properly. The area is packed with secrets, including Pale Oil, which is important for completing the Pinmaster’s Oil quest. If you’re a completionist like me, that alone justifies the trip. The region also provides shortcuts to multiple areas, such as Choral Chambers and the Underworks. In other words, the map isn’t just a convenience. It’s an investment in your future routes. You’ll save time, Rosaries, and probably a few deaths.

So, in 2026, if you’re replaying Silksong or finally cleaning up your map collection, here’s my advice: don’t assume Shakra will always be there. Act Two’s map economy asks you to pay attention. When you enter the Whispering Vaults, fight through the locked room, drop the iron pole ladder, wall jump into the attic, and head left. Bring 70 Rosaries. Buy the map. Then enjoy the fact that the area just became a lot less mysterious—and a lot more useful. ?️

That same instinct for making every Rosary count is worth carrying over to how you buy games. A little planning goes a long way, whether you’re charting a shortcut through Hallownest’s toughest corners or deciding where to spend your gaming budget.

If you’d rather put those savings toward your next adventure, DealNest is a straightforward place to browse game deals today before paying full price—so you can keep exploring without overspending.

It remains a little strange to say that Hollow Knight: Silksong is real. For seven years, players were teased by Silkposts, fake reveals, and community rituals built around a sequel that often felt more like a shared joke than an actual game. Yet the joke has become a phenomenon. When Team Cherry finally opened the gates, the response was not a polite queue but a stampede. Steam, the Nintendo eShop, and the PlayStation Store all buckled under the weight of players trying to buy the game at once. How often does a long-delayed indie sequel turn its launch day into a stress test for three major storefronts? The answer, in this case, is once in a generation.



Now that the dust has settled, the numbers tell a clearer story. Silksong reached an all-time peak of 587,150 concurrent players on Steam over its launch weekend in 2025. That figure makes it the second-highest peak ever achieved by an indie game on the platform, and it places the sequel comfortably inside Steam's top 20 most-played games of all time. The list around it is not made up of small cult favourites. Silksong edges out Valheim, Call of Duty, Terraria, Fallout 4, Schedule 1, Helldivers 2, and Among Us. For a game from a small studio, in a genre often treated as niche, that is a remarkable sentence to write.

? A Half-Million Pilgrims at the Gate

The scale of the launch becomes even clearer when the leaderboard is laid out. Silksong's 587,000 peak sits at number 17 on Steam's all-time concurrent-player chart, ahead of Path of Exile 2, the Battlefield 6 open beta, and Valheim. It is below giants such as Black Myth: Wukong, Palworld, Counter-Strike 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Lost Ark, Dota 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Elden Ring. Yet the company it keeps is the point. A hand-drawn metroidvania sequel, built by a tiny team and powered by years of community folklore, now shares a statistical table with some of the biggest blockbusters in PC gaming.

Rank
Game
Peak concurrent players

2
Black Myth: Wukong
2.4 million

3
Palworld
2.1 million

4
Counter-Strike 2
1.8 million

5
Monster Hunter Wilds
1.3 million

6
Lost Ark
1.3 million

7
Dota 2
1.2 million

8
Cyberpunk 2077
1.05 million

9
Elden Ring
950,000

10
Banana
917,000

11
New World: Aeternum
913,000

12
Hogwarts Legacy
879,000

13
Baldur's Gate 3
875,000

14
Goose Goose Duck
702,000

15
Marvel Rivals
644,000

16
Apex Legends
624,000

17
Hollow Knight: Silksong
587,150

18
Path of Exile 2
578,000

19
Battlefield 6 Open Beta
521,000

20
Valheim
502,000



What does a half-million peak actually mean? It means that, for a brief window, Silksong was not merely a successful sequel but a cultural event. It means that years of pent-up frustration were converted into a single, concentrated burst of buying, downloading, and playing. It also means that Team Cherry's decision to remain quiet for so long did not alienate the audience; if anything, the silence became part of the myth. The game arrived with a built-in audience so hungry that storefront outages became part of the launch story rather than a disaster.

⚠️ A Very Positive, Not Overwhelmingly Positive, Reception

The launch was not flawless. Silksong's reviews have settled at 'Very Positive' rather than the 'Overwhelmingly Positive' rating earned by its predecessor. The complaints are specific: a widely criticised Chinese localisation, described by some players as rubbish, and a sharp difficulty spike that has frustrated part of the audience. For a sequel with this much anticipation, any friction becomes a talking point. Does a rougher localisation or a punishing difficulty curve seriously damage a game's legacy? In this case, the evidence suggests not. The controversies have done little to dent Silksong's momentum, and the concurrent-player peak remains the headline.

By 2026, the conversation has shifted. The question is no longer whether Silksong would ever arrive, or whether the long wait would be rewarded. The question is what its launch says about the modern indie landscape. A small studio can now compete for attention with the largest publishers on Steam, at least for a weekend. Community lore, memes, and years of speculation can build an audience that rivals traditional marketing. And a game can launch with technical and localisation issues, absorb criticism, and still be remembered as one of the biggest hits of its release year.

?️ A Benchmark for the Years Ahead

The strangest part may be how normal it all feels now. Silksong is real. It is playable. It has a Steam peak of more than half a million players and a place in the platform's all-time top 20. The memes have not disappeared, but they have changed from jokes about absence into jokes about abundance. Players who once posted Silkposts to pass the time now argue about difficulty, localisation, and route optimisation. The pilgrimage is over, and the citadel is crowded.

For Team Cherry, the result is a runaway success with a few snags in the road. For players, it is a reminder that patience can be rewarded, even if the reward arrives with a few sharp edges. And for the industry, it is a data point that will be cited for years: a delayed indie sequel, powered by one of the most persistent communities in gaming, turned its launch into one of the biggest moments in Steam history. Who could have predicted that the punchline to seven years of Silkposts would be a half-million-player stampede? Perhaps the most dedicated Skongers could. After all, they were the ones who kept the gates crowded before the gates even opened.

For anyone who has been watching from the sidelines, the end of the long wait raises a more practical question: whether to jump into Silksong now or wait for a discount. With so many storefronts and regional pricing quirks, it helps to have a straightforward way to compare offers before committing. Sites like DealNest make that step easier, giving players a place to check game prices without digging through multiple store pages.

That matters in an indie landscape where attention is scarce and budgets are real. A launch as huge as Silksong can push older metroidvanias and similar games into the spotlight too, and savvy players often use the moment to plan what to play next. Whether you're buying Silksong itself or browsing for something to fill the post-credits gap, DealNest offers a useful starting point for comparing costs and spotting deals.

Introduction About Bradley Barcola



Bradley Barcola is a French footballer born on 2 September 2002 in Villeurbanne, Lyon. He plays for Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 and has developed into an exciting left-wing option, valued for his pace, close control, direct running, and ability to create danger in the final third. Although capable of operating across the attacking line, his impact from the left wing has made him a particularly promising modern wide forward.

Barcola began his football journey in Lyon’s academy at the age of eight and signed his first professional contract in September 2021. He made his senior debut in the UEFA Europa League later that year, followed by his Ligue 1 debut in February 2022. Just days after entering the French top flight, he scored his first league goal. His progress during the 2022–23 campaign earned him a nomination for Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season.

In September 2023, Barcola joined Paris Saint-Germain on a contract running until 2028. He contributed to PSG’s Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and Trophée des Champions successes in the 2023–24 season. Having represented France at U20, U21, and U23 levels, he made his senior international debut against Luxembourg in June 2024, assisting Kylian Mbappé in a 3–0 victory. He was also selected for France’s squads for UEFA Euro 2024 and the Paris Olympic Games.

Bradley Barcola's Star Performer card

Bradley Barcola’s Star Performer card is a Left Wing with an overall rating of 86, featuring a pace rating of 93, shooting rating of 80, passing rating of 79, dribbling rating of 85, defense rating of 41, and physicality rating of 68. As a winger, this card excels as a sharp attacking threat, using its outstanding pace and dribbling to quickly tear apart the opposing team’s defense, create dangerous chances, and seize the opportunity to score goals and seal the deal in a match.



How to Obtain Bradley Barcola's Player Card

There are several ways to obtain Bradley Barcola's Star Performer card in FC 27. The first method is to purchase card packs and try your luck, but the chances of getting the Star Performer card are relatively low and uncertain. The second method is to complete SBC (Squad Building Challenges) tasks, which may reward you with Bradley Barcola's Star Performer card, although the reward is not guaranteed. The third method is to buy the card directly from the transfer market, where it is currently priced at around 0.73 million FC 27 Coins, making this option quite expensive.



Fastest Ways to Earn FC 27 Coins



Common methods to earn fc 27 coins include selling player cards from your club, completing weekly objectives, and playing various game modes for rewards, but these approaches have clear limitations because they depend heavily on skill, time, or luck; if you are aiming for a specific card such as the Star Performer Bradley Barcola item, you may spend a lot of time and still fall short.

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Okay, listen: if you just picked up the Silver Bells Wish at Bellhart in Hollow Knight: Silksong and you are staring at the map like it owes you money, I get it. I am not a speedrunner, I am just a regular player who likes to poke around every corner, and this quest had me scratching my head for a minute. The Wish asks you to find eight silver bells, but it does not pin them to fixed spots. That is the whole gotcha. As of 2026, this is still one of the first Wishes you can grab at Bellhart's Wish Board, and it is a great excuse to learn the town's best-kept secret: the underground tunnels. So grab a snack, take a breath, and let's sweep Bellhart together. ?️

The short version

Here is the no-sweat summary before I get into the messy details:

Accept the Silver Bells Wish from the Wish Board at Bellhart.

Find eight silver bells in total.

The bells do not have fixed locations. They appear at several spawn points around Bellhart.

Leaving Bellhart and returning can refresh the map, so you can collect from spots you already checked.

Look for the white, glowing light and interact with it to grab a bell.

There are usually around four bells in the top area at any one time.

The underground area below Bellhart is reachable through the Bellway station.

Turn in the quest to Frey for a Rosary Necklace.



How the spawns actually work

The first thing to know is that this is not your usual find-and-collect quest. The silver bells are not sitting in one tidy list of spots like some well-behaved collectible. There are several spawn points on the Bellhart map where they may appear, and the map above is a solid starting point, not gospel. I confirmed bells in those areas, but there may be more locations out there. So do not treat it like a checklist and then panic when one bell refuses to show up.

The second thing to know is the refresh trick. If you leave the Bellhart area and come back, the map can refresh. That means silver bells can appear in locations you already visited. This is the key to staying sane. If you are missing one or two bells and you have scoured every corner, do not bang your head against the same wall. Reset the area, do another lap, and keep your eyes peeled. I usually sweep the top, grab what I see, then dip underground before resetting. It is a little tedious, sure, but it is not hard once you know the rhythm.

My top-area route

Start at the top of Bellhart. That is where I had the most luck, and it is the easiest place to learn the spawn flow. Explore every corner, check the cramped spaces, and keep an eye out for that white, glowing light. When you see it, interact with it and pocket the bell. There are typically around four bells in the top area that can be gathered at any time, so if you are only finding one or two, you probably missed a nook.

I like to do a loose clockwise loop, then double back through the tighter spots. Bellhart is not huge, but it is sneaky. The bells can hide in places that make you say, oh, of course, that is where you were. Do not ignore vertical space, either. Look up, look down, and look behind things. If you feel like you have exhausted the top section, you have two choices: reload the area and try the top again, or get adventurous and head below.

The underground route below Bellhart

This is the part that made the quest click for me. To find the area beneath Bellhart, enter the Bellway station at Bellhart. Once you descend the steps, go right under the last step instead of heading toward the Bell Beast. Sorry, buddy, not today. In here, you can find silver bells and the Bell Hermit. There is nothing to do with the Bell Hermit for now, so you can peacefully collect your bells here without any fuss.



If you still have bells left after your underground run, bounce back up to the top half of Bellhart and finish up. The quest is not about one perfect route; it is about sweeping, resetting, and being a little stubborn. If you are struggling to find all eight, don't worry. I did too. The good news is that the reward is straightforward: return to Frey and you get a Rosary Necklace for your trouble.

Quick reference

Question
Answer

How many bells?
Eight

Fixed locations?
No, they spawn at several points

Best first step?
Sweep the top of Bellhart

How many up top?
Usually around four at a time

Refresh trick?
Leave Bellhart and return

Underground entrance?
Bellway station, go right under the last step

What is down there?
Silver Bells and the Bell Hermit

Reward?
Rosary Necklace from Frey

So yeah, that is the whole song and dance. The Silver Bells Wish is a bit of a head-scratcher at first, but once you know about the spawn points and the refresh trick, it becomes a nice little tour of Bellhart. Take your time, check the map, and do not forget the tunnels. Happy hunting, and may your glowing lights always be bells. ?️

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I know it is 2026 and I am late to the Silksong party, but I finally understand why every conversation about this game sounds like a support group with a side of insect trauma. I expected a challenge. I did not expect Hunter's March to treat my confidence like a vending machine treats a crumpled dollar bill: it accepts it, makes a concerning noise, and returns something that wants to bite me. ?



For the first hour or two, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a surprisingly polite host. Bone Bottom, Mosshome, and The Marrow introduce enemies that hit hard but are easy enough to read, and the interconnected paths quietly teach you to look for secrets and shortcuts without dumping a sprawling map on your lap. The early bosses, like Moss Mother and Bell Beast, feel tough but fair. I was nodding along, thinking I had this Metroidvania thing figured out. That was adorable of me.

Then I took the obvious, enticing branch between The Marrow and Deep Docks and walked into Hunter's March. This area is the Metroidvania equivalent of a restaurant that seats you, hands you a menu, and then sets the table on fire. It is optional, it is early, and it is absolutely not interested in my feelings.



The Skull Ant guardian is the first big warning sign. He is not even a full boss fight, but his one-two punch can delete four chunks of health in a single go, and his burrowing habit makes retaliation feel like trying to argue with a doorbell. Ant soldiers are faster and meaner than anything before them, flying bugs hide around every corner to knock me off course, and the red flowers demand pinpoint accuracy from an air attack that feels like it was tuned by a mischievous gremlin. The Skull Ant fight felt like trying to fold a fitted sheet while someone throws bees at me. Not impossible, but deeply personal.



Here is the part where Hunter's March actually taught me something valuable, even while it was busy using my health bar as a chew toy. The Skull Ant keeps closing distance, swinging a big bone club, and stepping back to safety. If I cannot avoid an attack or sneak in a hit, that is usually not a sign that the game is unfair. It is a sign that I am missing something. In this case, the missing something is Swift Step from Deep Docks. Grab that dash first, and the fight stops feeling like a brick wall and starts feeling like a puzzle with a very rude centerpiece.

That is a classic Metroidvania lesson, and Hunter's March teaches it with a bone club. Optional areas are not always invitations. Sometimes they are pop quizzes. Leaving Hunter's March, continuing through Deep Docks and Greymoor, and returning later with more upgrades and a better understanding of Hornet's moveset made the area feel less like a punishment and more like a rematch I had actually prepared for. Coming back later felt like finding the instruction manual taped under the coffee table the whole time. Slightly embarrassing, extremely useful.

What Hunter's March Taught Me
How It Felt

Optional does not mean ready
Like a door labeled 'fun' that kicks back

If a fight feels impossible, check for a missing ability
Like realizing the boss is using the tutorial trick I skipped

Leaving and returning is valid
Like showing up to a rematch with actual muscles

I still think Hunter's March is a sharp difficulty spike, especially for newcomers. But it is also a wonderfully nasty teacher. It made me respect optional paths, recheck my abilities, and stop treating every enticing branch like a personal dare. In 2026, with plenty of Metroidvanias competing for my time, that lesson has stuck with me. Silksong did not just make me better at its own game. It made me a slightly less reckless player in every game with a suspiciously inviting side path. ?

Beyond Silksong, that same patience is handy whenever a new Metroidvania or indie gem catches your eye. Waiting for the right moment—and the right price—can turn a tempting launch-day purchase into a much smarter addition to your backlog, especially when there are so many great games competing for attention.

That is where DealNest game deals comes in. It is a straightforward way to keep an eye on discounts and avoid diving into every promising release at full price, so you can spend less time second-guessing your wallet and more time enjoying the games you actually want to play.

In 2026, Hollow Knight: Silksong had already become a familiar puzzle box for the speedrunning community. The original Hollow Knight earned a reputation for sequence-breaking routes and hard-but-fair mechanics that rewarded players who experimented, and that reputation kept a stubborn, creative speedrunning scene alive. Silksong carried that same invitation forward. Its trophy list includes a speedrunning achievement, and its vast world can be cleared in under five hours by a runner who knows the route. That combination—a world that begs for detours and a clock that punishes them—is exactly why Mira, a runner with a stopwatch and a stubborn streak, decided to chase the Silkspeed Anklets. She had heard the item was guaranteed to speed up a run, but she also learned that the trinket would not simply fall into her lap. First came prerequisites, then a hidden room, and finally a lesson in silk management.



The Prerequisites That Gate the Prize

Mira’s checklist was not short. Before the anklets could even be seen, she had to beat Moorwing to gain access to Bellhart. Then she had to explore Mosshome, defeat Sister Splinter, and learn the Wall Cling ability. Only after that could she face Widow and beat them to learn Needolin. The skill let her press triangle/Y to play music at the cost of some silk. It sounded lovely, but more importantly it opened certain doors.

Step
Boss or Place
What It Unlocks

1
Moorwing
Access to Bellhart

2
Sister Splinter in Mosshome
Wall Cling

3
Widow
Needolin

Without those steps, the route to the anklets is a dead end. Mira knew that a runner could memorize every sprint line in Pharloom and still fail at the black door if Needolin was missing. Preparation mattered as much as reflexes. ?

Where the Anklets Wait

The Silkspeed Anklets are located in Far Fields, in an area that can be accessed right when a player first visits the Seamstress to learn the glide ability. Without Needolin, however, the room stays sealed. Mira headed right of the Seamstress’s area and kept following the lower path to the right until she reached a black door. She played Needolin, and the door opened, granting access to Weavenest Cindril.

Once inside, she had to light all the lights. It was less of a puzzle and more of an exercise that had her run up and down the hall twice. When the last light caught, the Silkspeed Anklets appeared on a plinth before her.



What the Anklets Actually Do

The anklets are a yellow-coded tool, which means a runner will likely need to travel with no compass equipped. For players who do not know the map, that is a real burden. For a practiced speedrunner, it is a small price to pay. When Mira held R2/RT to sprint, the item pushed her movement to a much faster pace, but the boost drank silk as she ran. She had to keep topping up her silk or the advantage would sputter. The anklets did not erase the need for route knowledge; they amplified it. A runner who knew where to refill and when to sprint could move like lightning through Pharloom. A runner who did not would simply arrive at the next locked door faster. ⚡

Why the Item Matters in 2026

For Mira, the Silkspeed Anklets became less of a collectible and more of a contract. They demanded silk, map knowledge, and discipline, but they repaid all three with speed. In a game built for sequence-breaking and experimental play, that trade-off fits perfectly. The 2026 speedrunning scene around Silksong rewards runners who plan backward from the clock: which boss unlocks which door, which ability saves which minute, and which tool turns a safe route into a fast one. The anklets sit near the center of that math. They are not a shortcut that replaces skill. They are a multiplier for players who already understand the world. And for anyone chasing a sub-five-hour clear, that multiplier is hard to ignore.

For players who want to test routes like this themselves, the practical first step is often finding the game at a price that leaves room for the rest of the library. Whether you are picking up Silksong for the first time or filling out a collection of fast-paced metroidvanias, DealNest is a useful place to compare best game deals before committing.

Speedrunning rewards preparation, and that includes knowing where to buy the games you plan to practice. A little time spent checking current offers can keep the focus on route planning, silk management, and shaving seconds rather than paying full price for every title on your list.