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Sister Splinter can be one of the hardest bosses in Hollow Knight: Silksong, mainly because the fighting area can become very crowded. While her attacks are pretty straightforward, they get much more difficult to dodge when there are spikes on the ceiling and flying enemies around.
Knowing how to keep the fighting space clear can make defeating Sister Splinter much easier. With the right strategy and tools, you can beat her and move on to other challenges in the game.
Where To Find Sister Splinter and the Bench Location
Deep in Shellwood
You can find Sister Splinter in the Shellwood area on the map, as shown in the picture above. You need to fight her to move forward in the game, as she blocks the wall-jump ability that helps you explore more areas.
To reach her easily, work your way through most of Shellwood to unlock the elevator that gives quick access. Once you have it, rest at the bench near the center of Shellwood; this is the shortest route back after the fight. The bench costs 50 rosaries to unlock, so make sure you have enough when exploring this area.
From that bench, take the elevator up, go into the room on your right, then jump across the platforms and climb up. Use your pogo jump to cross the flowers on the left to reach the boss room.
How to Defeat Sister Splinter
First Phase
Your main goal during the fight is to keep the area clear. When she goes up to the ceiling, spikes will come down soon after. You can break these spikes with a few hits—don’t bother destroying all of them, just the ones that block your movement. You need enough space to dodge her attacks comfortably.
In this phase, dodge her strikes by moving left or right, jumping to hit her whenever possible. She attacks in sets of three, alternating when she strikes from the left or right. When she’s about to drop spikes, you’ll see light beams indicating where they will land—use this to avoid them and heal if needed. Staying on the correct side of her attacks makes it easier to get hits, and when she falls to the floor, step back quickly to avoid damage from her impact. When she’s on the ground, you can safely attack or heal.
Second Phase
Things get tougher here. She will summon flying enemies at the start, giving you a few seconds to handle them before she attacks again. Instead of trying to hit these enemies, it’s better to use your Silkspear attack if you have the silk available. It kills the flying enemies in one hit, helping you keep pace.
Throughout the fight, she’ll keep spawning flying enemies. Focus on killing them with your Silkspear rather than using it for healing. Her own attacks can also kill these enemies if they’re in her way, which can work in your favor if you’re careful.
If she slams down many brambles at once, use your Silkspear to take them out with a single attack. The tool you have equipped, like the Longpin (found in a side room in Shellwood), can help deal with environmental hazards. If you don’t have the Longpin, the Straight Pin is a good alternative.
Staying aggressive is key. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed; I struggled early on because I wasn’t using the Silkspear, but I beat her without taking a hit once I changed my approach. Sister Splinter is a tough opponent if she controls the arena, but shutting down her attacks quickly gives you the advantage.
After defeating her, leave the arena to the left. You’ll find a statue nearby where you can unlock the wall jump ability. With that skill, you’ll be able to reach the next boss above Bellhart as you progress towards the end of the first act of Silksong.
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