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Silksong Wiki

Clawline (Grappling Hook)

The Clawline is a dynamic Ancestral Art in Hollow Knight: Silksong that transforms Hornet’s needle into a powerful grappling hook. This ability allows for high-speed traversal, enabling Hornet to latch onto surfaces and enemies, pulling herself forcefully through the air. It is a fundamental tool for navigating the complex vertical environments of Pharloom.

This guide details the exact path through The Cauldron to find the Clawline, explains its controls and Silk-consuming mechanics, and provides tips for its use in both advanced exploration and aggressive combat.

Ancestral Art
Clawline icon

Clawline

"Fling the needle as a harpoon and launch forcefully towards it. A tool for the airborne hunter."

Location: The Cauldron (The Underworks)

How to Get Clawline

Section titled “How to Get Clawline”

The Clawline is hidden deep within The Cauldron, a sub-region of The Underworks. Acquiring it requires careful navigation across pools of lava and mastery of your other abilities.

  1. Start from the Top Left Bench Begin your journey from the bench located at the top left of The Underworks area.

  2. Descend to the Lava Floors From the bench, head left and then proceed downwards. You will need to navigate through a series of platforms to reach the lower levels with lava floors.

  3. Cross to the Rightmost Room Once at the bottom, turn right and continue moving through the rooms until you reach the rightmost chamber of this section.

  4. Climb and Find the Door In the final room, you must climb upwards using a combination of platforms and your Cling Grip ability. Before you reach the very top of the room, you will find a door. Enter it.

  5. Platform Across the Lava The final room contains the altar that grants the Clawline, but it’s across a dangerous pool of lava. Carefully use your platforming skills to cross the gap and claim your reward.

How to Use Clawline

Section titled “How to Use Clawline”

The Clawline adds a fast, targeted movement option to Hornet’s kit. It can be aimed in multiple directions to grapple onto specific points.

How to Grapple

Section titled “How to Grapple”

To use the Clawline, press the designated button. This can be performed to grapple onto environmental points like rings, or directly onto enemies, dragging Hornet towards their position.

PC: Press S PlayStation: Press L2 Xbox: Press LT Switch: Press ZL

Usage Tips

Section titled “Usage Tips”

The Clawline completely changes the pacing of both traversal and combat, rewarding quick reflexes and spatial awareness.

Section Icon Exploration Tips

  • Look for Rings: Your primary grapple points in the environment are often special rings. Keep an eye out for them in hard-to-reach places to unlock new paths.
  • High-Speed Traversal: The Clawline is the fastest way to navigate large vertical and horizontal spaces. Chain grapples together to move through environments without ever touching the ground.
  • Resource Management: In areas without many enemies, be careful not to spam the Clawline and run out of Silk. Look for cobwebs or other ways to replenish your meter if available.

Section Icon Combat Tactics

  • Aggressive Engagement: Instantly close the distance to any enemy, especially flying or hard-to-reach ones, by grappling directly onto them for a surprise attack.
  • Aerial Dodging: The Clawline is an incredible escape tool. When a boss unleashes a devastating ground attack, you can instantly zip to the ceiling or a far wall to get to safety.
  • Stunning and Pulling: The Clawline can be used to drag Hornet towards an enemy, immediately putting you in range for a combo. Experiment to see which enemies you can grapple onto.