How to Get the Clawline Ability in Hollow Knight: Silksong

In Hollow Knight: Silksong, the Clawline ability is one of the best movement options you'll get in the game, and it gates a lot of the content that you need to complete, not only to finish but also to get the opportunity to acquire some cool upgrades. It's the last major Silk Skill you need to get to finish the experience and be able to face the final boss, but getting it can be a bit of a pain if you're getting lost in the massive Citadel.

In this guide, we're going to cover the three-step process that you'll need to follow to get the Clawline ability, which begins after Act 2 starts.

Step 1 — Get to Songclave

Songclave is the last settlement that you'll be able to get in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and it's located at the top-right section of the Chroal Chambers in the Citadel. It's a pretty straight road, though in the journey, you'll have to fight the Cogwork Dancers, who are, arguably, one of the easiest mandatory bosses in the game.

Getting past them and into Songclave, make sure you go beyond the First Shrine past the bell to the very edge, where you'll find an item called the White Key. Not doing this and opening a shortcut later in the game (from the Whispering Vaults) will despawn the key and softlock you.

Step 2 — Get to Whiteward

With the White Key, you'll be able to activate you may have encountered if you were exploring the Choral Chambers thoroughly, as this one unlocks the elevator with the surgical symbol (which, yes, did confuse me in my first playthrough). Make sure to rest at the bench on the left side of the lift before you take it down, as some of the enemies in Whiteward can be heavy-hitters, and it's a long walk back from Songclave.

After you're at the bottom, Whiteward's a pretty straightforward location for you to explore, so getting lost is pretty much impossible. Once you've reached the boiler-like location's dead-end, you'll need to go up and into the incinerator, which will get you into The Cauldron.

Step 3 — Traverse the Cauldron and Get Clawline

Once you're in the Cauldron, you'll need to head left (nothing in the right as that's an exit, not an entrance) until you reach a bench. Past the bench, you'll find a small duct you can crawl under with two possible exits: the one to the left has a mechanism you'll need to hit several times to activate a draft, and that's the way we'll be going.

Up you go, and to the left, you'll reach the main section: a vertical section with clockwork enemies scattered throughout and molten rock that'll burn you if you stand too long on it (like in Deep Docks). When you get to the very bottom, the right section has another clockwork foe blocking the path, who is carrying a large bomb itching to deal massive damage to you; let them self-destruct, and then platform your way up there.

This is the last stretch before the Clawline, and it's an elaborate molten rock platforming section with lava at the bottom. Time your jumps carefully, as some of the ground will give once you stand on it, making your jumps harder, so take your time and don't rush past it.

Once you've reached the end and climbed up, keep climbing until you reach the second door to the left, which is a hatch door covered by a lever. Smack it, and a short platforming section later, you'll reach the Clawline ability!