How to get Silk and Soul Wish and Enter Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong
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If you’re wondering how to complete Silk and Soul Quest and enter Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong, you’re not alone.
Many players finish what looks like every quest, clear all three Wishboards, and return to the Caretaker expecting the Silk and Soul wish to appear. However, nothing happens.
Because of that, it can feel like you’ve missed something important, especially since the game never clearly explains what is still required.
Fortunately, there are only a few progression requirements you need to complete before Act 3 becomes available. In this guide, I’ll explain every step and also cover the common tasks players think are required but actually aren’t.
Quick Answer
To unlock Act 3 in Hollow Knight Silksong you need to:
- Move the Flea Caravan to its final destination in Putrified Ducts.
- Complete the Wishboards in Bone Bottom, Bellhart and First Shrine.
- Obtain Bellhome from Pavo.
- Complete Shakra’s The Trails End quest.
- Unlock every Traversal Point, including Bilewater.
- Start the Silk and Soul wish from Bellhart.
- Complete the Caretaker’s quest and finish Act 2.
If the Silk and Soul wish still isn’t appearing, you’re almost always missing The Trails End quest or the Bilewater Traversal Point.
What Doesn’t Matter
Before we go through the requirements, let’s clear up one common misconception.
If you’ve been endlessly completing deliveries in Bellhart because you thought they unlock Act 3…
You can stop.
You do not need to complete deliveries to start Act 3.
Another thing I often see recommended is reviving Sentinels or finishing the Sentinel questline.
From my own experience completing Act 2 twice, you do not need the Sentinel quest to unlock Act 3. You can comfortably leave that until later.
Requirement 1 – Move the Flea Caravan
The first major requirement is moving the Flea Caravan to its final destination.
To do that, you must recruit 22 Fleas, including the two special crew members:
Once you’ve found them, speak to the Fleamaster every time your caravan is ready to move.
The caravan progresses through three locations:
- Greymoor
- Blasted Steps
- Putrified Ducts
If the Fleamaster moves to Putrified Ducts, you’ve completed this requirement.
If you’re still missing Kratt or Vog, check out my separate location guides linked with this article.
Requirement 2 – Complete Every Wishboard
Next, complete the Wishboards found in:
- Bone Bottom
- Bellhart
- First Shrine
One thing that confuses many players is that not every wish appears immediately.
Some wishes only unlock after completing other objectives elsewhere in the game.
Because of that, keep travelling between all three towns and continue checking each Wishboard even if it previously looked empty.
Sometimes new wishes quietly appear after another quest is completed.
Requirement 3 – Obtain Bellhome
After completing Bellhart’s wishes, including the donation requests return to Pavo.
If Pavo doesn’t immediately give you anything, leave the area and come back.
Eventually he’ll reward you with the Bellhome Key, allowing you to unlock Bellhome.
Many players think this is the final requirement.
It isn’t.
The Step Most Players Miss
This is where most players become stuck.
Even after moving the Flea Caravan, clearing the Wishboards and unlocking Bellhome…
The Silk and Soul wish still doesn’t appear.
The missing requirement is The Trails End.
To unlock The Trails End, you must unlock every Traversal Point in the game.
The one players usually miss is:
Even if you think you’ve unlocked every fast travel point, double-check Bilewater.
Once it’s unlocked, you’ll receive the completion notification.
Then:
- Visit Shakra.
- Purchase the updated map.
- Return to Bellhart.
The Trails End should now appear on the Wishboard.
Complete it before moving on.
Starting the Silk and Soul Wish
Once The Trails End is finished, return to Bellhart again.
You should now see the Silk and Soul wish.
Start the quest, then visit the Caretaker in First Shrine.
The Caretaker asks you to collect:
You can obtain them from:
- Hermit’s Soul — Belhart
- Maiden’s Soul — Chapel Maid in Bone Bottom
- Snare Setter — Weavenest Atla
- Seeker’s Soul — Defeat Groal the Great in Bilewater
Once you’ve collected everything, return to the Caretaker.
He’ll assemble the trap for you.
The Final Requirement
Before finishing Act 2, make sure you’ve already defeated Lace in The Cradle.
Once that’s done, head to Grandmother Silk.
After defeating her, you’ll be given two choices.
Choose:
Play your Needolin
instead of finishing her off.
This triggers the correct ending for Act 2.
After the credits finish, reload your save.
You’ll now see the option to begin Act 3.
Why Isn’t Silk and Soul Appearing?
If you’ve followed every step and the quest still isn’t available, check these again:
- Flea Caravan reached Putrified Ducts.
- All three Wishboards completed.
- Bellhome unlocked.
- Every Traversal Point unlocked.
- Bilewater unlocked.
- The Trails End completed.
- Returned to Bellhart after finishing The Trails End.
In nearly every case, one of these requirements is what’s preventing Act 3 from unlocking.
Final Verdict
The biggest reason players struggle to enter Act 3 is that Hollow Knight Silksong doesn’t clearly tell you which progression requirements are mandatory.
Most people assume deliveries, Sentinel quests, or other side content are required, when they actually aren’t.
Instead, focus on moving the Flea Caravan, clearing the Wishboards, unlocking Bellhome, completing The Trails End, and finally starting the Silk and Soul quest.
Once those are finished, Act 3 unlocks naturally.
Watch the Full Video
If you’d rather follow every step visually, watch my complete walkthrough below.
