Best Tools & Weapons Tier List

Tool System Overview

Hollow Knight: Silksong replaces the original game's Charm system with Tools — equippable items that modify Hornet's combat, defense, and exploration capabilities. There are 51 Tools in total, divided into three color categories:

• Red Tools — Active abilities that require button input. These include projectiles, traps, summons, and melee enhancers.
• Blue Tools — Passive benefits focused on defense, healing enhancement, and damage mitigation.
• Yellow Tools — Passive utility focused on exploration, navigation, and resource gathering.

Tools are slotted into matching colored slots on your equipped Crest. Each Crest has a different configuration of Red, Blue, Yellow, and White (Silk Skill) slots, so your choice of Crest determines which Tools you can equip simultaneously.

S-Tier Tools (Must-Have)

These Tools are universally excellent and should be your first priority to obtain.

Magnetite Dice (Red)

• Effect: Throws dice that bounce off surfaces, dealing multiple hits
• Location: Late Act 2
• Why S-Tier: The highest damage-per-activation Red Tool in the game. The bouncing mechanic means it can hit a single boss multiple times, especially in enclosed arenas. Community consensus ranks this as the #1 Red Tool.

Cogfly (Red)

• Effect: Summons a winged cogwork companion that attacks nearby enemies
• Location: High Halls
• Why S-Tier: Set-and-forget damage. Cogfly hovers around Hornet and attacks any enemy that gets close. It's essentially free DPS with no additional input required. Incredible for boss fights where you're focused on dodging.

Longclaw (Red)

• Effect: Extends Hornet's melee attack range
• Location: Mid-game
• Why S-Tier: More range on your needle means you can hit enemies from safer distances. This makes almost every encounter easier because you can attack while staying out of counterattack range. A staple for speedruns.

Pollip Pouch (Red)

• Effect: Deploys a poison trap that deals damage over time
• Location: Act 2
• Why S-Tier: Place it where bosses land or patrol and it deals passive damage. Stacks well with other damage sources. The poison ticks through boss invulnerability frames on some encounters.

Fractured Mask (Blue)

• Effect: Negates one extra mask of damage per hit
• Location: Early area
• Why S-Tier: When bosses start dealing 2 masks of damage (which happens early in Act 2), Fractured Mask reduces that to 1. This effectively doubles your survivability in late-game fights. The single most important defensive Tool.

Claw Mirror (Blue)

• Effect: Emits a damaging flash when Binding
• Location: Whispering Vaults (defeat Trobbio)
• Why S-Tier: Turns your healing into an offensive ability. Every time you Bind, enemies around you take damage. This creates a powerful loop where aggressive play generates Silk, which you spend on Binding for both healing AND damage.

Multibinder (Blue)

• Effect: Bind activates twice, healing double
• Location: Late Act 2
• Why S-Tier: Double healing from each Bind. Combined with Claw Mirror, it also procs the damage flash twice per Bind. The Multibinder + Claw Mirror + Injector trinity is the most powerful Tool combination in Silksong.

Spool Extender (Yellow)

• Effect: Increases maximum Silk Spool capacity
• Location: Various
• Why S-Tier: More Silk means more heals and more Silk Skill uses. This Tool scales with every ability that costs Silk, making it increasingly powerful as you unlock more Silk-dependent mechanics.

Compass (Yellow)

• Effect: Tracks your current location on the map
• Location: The Marrow (sold by Shakra)
• Why S-Tier: You literally cannot see where you are on the map without this. It's practically mandatory for navigation. The only reason to ever unequip it is if you're doing a challenge run.

Flea Brew (Yellow)

• Effect: Increases movement and attack speed
• Location: Flea Caravan (reward for collecting Lost Fleas)
• Why S-Tier: Speed is power. Faster attacks mean more DPS, and faster movement means better dodging. This Tool makes everything you do slightly better.

A-Tier Tools (Excellent)

These Tools are strong picks that excel in specific situations or builds.

Tacks (Red)

• Effect: Deploys spike hazards on the ground
• Location: Various
• Why A-Tier: Excellent for boss fights in arenas with flat floors. Place them at landing spots and let bosses walk into them for free damage. Less effective against airborne enemies.

Cogwork Wheel (Red)

• Effect: Throws a sawblade that travels along surfaces
• Location: Underworks (sold by Twelfth Architect)
• Why A-Tier: Deals multiple hits as it rolls along surfaces. Great for clearing linear gauntlets and dealing chip damage to bosses. The wall-ceiling-floor travel path can catch enemies in unexpected places.

Curveclaw (Red)

• Effect: Throws a curved boomerang forward, arcing backward
• Location: Hunter's March
• Why A-Tier: Excellent for hitting flying enemies thanks to its arcing trajectory. The return path can hit enemies twice. Early availability makes it a valuable Act 1 tool.

Silkshot (Red)

• Effect: Silk-powered ranged attack
• Location: Various
• Why A-Tier: Strong ranged option that scales with your Silk capacity (from Spool Extender). Costs Silk to use, which limits its spam potential but rewards good resource management.

Sting Shard (Red)

• Effect: Creates a shard that damages enemies and can be pogoed
• Location: Moss Grotto (early tutorial area)
• Why A-Tier: Available from the very start and remains useful throughout the entire game. The pogo interaction is what elevates it — throw a Sting Shard, pogo off it, and get extra height or damage.

Druid's Eye (Blue)

• Effect: Gain Silk when taking damage
• Location: Greymoor
• Why A-Tier: Insurance policy. Every time you mess up and get hit, you gain Silk that can be used to heal back. Creates a forgiving damage-recovery loop for less experienced players.

Warding Bell (Blue)

• Effect: Brief invulnerability window after activation
• Location: The Marrow
• Why A-Tier: Situationally incredible for learning new boss patterns. Activate it during a boss's combo that you can't dodge, survive, and punish. Less useful once you've memorized patterns.

Injector (Blue)

• Effect: Adds bonus damage effect when Binding
• Location: Act 2
• Why A-Tier: Completes the Bind damage trinity with Claw Mirror and Multibinder. On its own it's good; with the full combo, it's S-tier.

Memory Crystal (Blue)

• Effect: Releases stored damage when you take a hit
• Location: Various
• Why A-Tier: Basically a retaliatory damage burst every time you get hit. The damage output scales with how much punishment you've absorbed. Some players report it hitting for 3-4 needle strikes worth of damage.

Magnetite Brooch (Yellow)

• Effect: Attracts dropped Rosaries toward Hornet
• Location: Early area
• Why A-Tier: Quality of life improvement for currency collection. Ensures you never miss drops, which adds up to significant Rosaries over a full playthrough. Essential for farming runs.

Weighted Belt (Yellow)

• Effect: Removes knockback from Hornet's attacks
• Location: Various
• Why A-Tier: Lets you stand your ground during melee exchanges. Particularly useful against bosses in small arenas where knockback could push you into hazards.

Dead Bug's Purse (Yellow)

• Effect: Keep a portion of Rosaries on death
• Location: Wormways
• Why A-Tier: Removes the sting of death, especially in tough areas. Less relevant in the late game when Rosaries are abundant, but invaluable in early-mid game.

Ascendant's Grip (Yellow)

• Effect: Hold your position while wall-clinging indefinitely
• Location: Choral Chambers (sold at Songclave)
• Why A-Tier: Transforms wall-clinging from a temporary state to a permanent safe spot. Excellent for surveying boss arenas, resting mid-platforming, and cheese strategies.

B-Tier Tools (Good / Situational)

These Tools are solid but outclassed by higher-tier options or only shine in niche scenarios.

Conchcutter (Red)

• Effect: Fires a spiral projectile that ricochets
• Location: Sands of Karak
• Why B-Tier: Good damage in enclosed spaces where ricochets hit multiple times. Less reliable in open arenas.

Delver's Drill (Red)

• Effect: Multi-hit downward drill attack
• Location: Underworks
• Why B-Tier: Great for specific encounters where you can approach from above. Limited usefulness against bosses you fight on the ground.

Straight Pin (Red)

• Effect: Fast-throwing light projectile
• Location: Deep Docks (merchant)
• Why B-Tier: Available early and useful for chip damage, but quickly outclassed by Cogfly, Longclaw, and Magnetite Dice.

Barbed Bracelet (Yellow)

• Effect: Increased damage dealt and taken
• Location: Sinner's Road
• Why B-Tier: Glass cannon tool. Excellent for experienced players who rarely get hit, but too risky for most. The damage bonus is significant but the increased damage taken can be fatal in tough fights.

Magma Bell (Blue)

• Effect: Heat/environmental hazard resistance
• Location: Volcanic area
• Why B-Tier: Mandatory for specific areas, useless everywhere else. A necessary slot fill for certain exploration segments.

C-Tier Tools (Niche)

Tools in this tier have very limited use cases or are outperformed in nearly every scenario.

These include highly situational Tools that only matter in specific areas or against specific enemies. They're worth collecting for 100% completion but won't see regular use in your loadouts.

Tool Acquisition Priority

Here's the recommended order for obtaining key Tools during a first playthrough:

Early Game (Act 1)

1. Compass (Shakra in The Marrow) — Map navigation essential
2. Sting Shard (Moss Grotto) — First combat tool
3. Curveclaw (Hunter's March) — Ranged option
4. Straight Pin (Deep Docks merchant) — Early ranged backup
5. Magnetite Brooch (early area) — Currency collection

Mid Game (Late Act 1 / Early Act 2)

1. Claw Mirror (defeat Trobbio) — Bind damage
2. Fractured Mask — Survivability
3. Druid's Eye (Greymoor) — Damage recovery
4. Flea Brew (collect Lost Fleas) — Speed boost
5. Cogfly (High Halls) — Passive damage

Late Game (Act 2 / Act 3)

1. Multibinder — Double Bind
2. Magnetite Dice — Maximum damage
3. Longclaw — Extended range
4. Spool Extender — Max Silk capacity
5. Injector — Complete the Bind trinity

Crafting and Upgrading Tools

Some Tools can be crafted or upgraded using Shell Shards at specific NPCs:

• Crafting Kit upgrades improve the effectiveness of crafted Tools
• Tool Pouch upgrades allow equipping more Tools per Crest slot
• Shell Shards are dropped by enemies and found in the environment

Farming Shell Shards: The Underworks and The Marrow are the best areas for Shell Shard farming. Equip Magnetite Brooch to auto-collect drops.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the single best Tool in the game?

Fractured Mask for survivability, Magnetite Dice for damage, Compass for utility. If you can only have one, Fractured Mask keeps you alive longest.

Are Red Tools better than Blue Tools?

They serve different purposes. Red Tools deal damage, Blue Tools keep you alive. The best builds balance both. The S-tier Blue Tools (Fractured Mask, Claw Mirror, Multibinder) are just as impactful as the best Red Tools.

Should I use the same build for exploration and bosses?

No. Swap at Benches before boss fights. Exploration favors Yellow Tools (Compass, Magnetite Brooch, Dead Bug's Purse), while bosses favor Red + Blue combinations.

How many Tools can I equip at once?

Depends on your Crest's slot configuration and Tool Pouch upgrade level. Fully upgraded, most Crests allow 6-8 Tools equipped simultaneously.