Best Tools to Use in Silksong
Silksong is packed with dozens of tools that change the way Hornet fights, explores, and survives in Pharloom. Some give her raw damage, others help with healing or resource management, and a few can completely shift how you approach boss fights. With more than 50 options to choose from, it can be tough to know which are worth equipping for the long haul.
Tools are equippable items that slot into Hornet’s crests. They come in different colors, each tied to a type of effect, whether it is offensive, defensive, or utility based. Unlike Silk Skills, which are tied to Hornet’s white slots, tools make up the bulk of her build variety and can turn even a difficult fight into something manageable if you pick the right ones.
Not all tools are created equal, though. Some sound useful on paper but fall flat in practice, while others have proven themselves as must-haves across every stage of the game. Below, we will highlight ten of the most impactful tools in Silksong, explain how to get them, and break down why they stand out from the rest.
1. Magnetite Brooch
The Magnetite Brooch is one of the most useful early-game utility tools because it automatically pulls loose Rosaries toward Hornet. In practice, this means you spend far less time chasing currency across rooms or watching helplessly as it rolls into spikes, fire, or lava. While the Brooch cannot retrieve Rosaries that fall directly into hazards, it does save countless pickups from being lost to awkward terrain or enemy knockback. Over the course of a long playthrough, the tool pays for itself many times over by ensuring you keep more of what you earn, making it especially valuable if you are saving up for expensive services, Crests, or late-game blue tools. It does not affect combat directly, but the convenience and safety it provides during exploration make it one of the most cost-effective upgrades in the entire game.
How to Acquire: The Magnetite Brooch can be purchased from Pebb in Bone Bottom for 120 Rosaries.
2. Magnetite Dice
Magnetite Dice add an element of luck to Hornet’s arsenal by giving her a chance to block incoming damage. The effect only applies to enemy attacks, not environmental hazards, but when it activates, it can completely prevent health loss. The chance to block resets to 0% after every successful proc and then builds again with each hit taken, capping at 10.1%. On average, the block rate is about 7.79%, which makes the tool surprisingly reliable over long boss fights. Although the blocked hit still causes knockback, meaning hazards remain dangerous, the potential to nullify lethal blows makes this tool invaluable in clutch situations.
When paired with the Wanderer Crest, the Magnetite Dice also slightly increase Hornet’s chance of landing critical Needle strikes, raising it from 2% to 2.2%.
How to Acquire:
- Act 1: Win Lumble the Lucky’s dice game in the Blasted Steps 10 times (4 Rosaries per round).
- Act 2: Collect the dice from Lumble’s body if he has died.
- Act 3: Purchase them from Grindle for 300 Rosaries.
3. Plasmium Phial
The Plasmium Phial is a rare red-slot tool that grants Hornet temporary Plasmium masks, effectively serving as a buffer layer of health beyond her natural maximum. Using a phial injects Plasmium into Hornet’s system, creating a protective mask that absorbs damage before her regular health does. This mechanic makes it invaluable for prepping before a tough boss or gauntlet. Players can inject all stored doses at once to create a shield of Plasmium masks, or ration them carefully to extend survivability during longer fights. Unlike normal healing through Bind, Plasmium Phials do not cost Silk, making them an efficient safety net when resources are scarce.
The tool’s depth comes from its synergies and advanced mechanics. With the Pollip Pouch equipped, the Plasmium Phial creates poisoned masks instead. These masks vanish after three seconds, releasing a large toxic cloud when they dissipate or when Hornet takes damage, punishing enemies that swarm too close. The tool also interacts with the Architect Crest, since Craft Bind can replenish Plasmium Phials mid-adventure without requiring a bench. Additionally, if Hornet reaches nine Plasmium masks at once, she enters an overdose state where her health bar is converted entirely to Plasmium. In this form, she regenerates one mask every six seconds passively, allowing her to conserve Silk for offense. However, overdosing has strict limitations, as the state ends upon death, fast travel, or resting, and binding heals less effectively while overdosed.
By default, Hornet can carry up to 20 Plasmium in reserve, which is drawn upon when crafting new Phials at a bench. Refilling this reserve requires visiting Alchemist Zylotol in the Wormways and paying 50 Rosaries per refill. Later in the game, completing the Advanced Alchemy Wish and obtaining the Plasmium Gland removes the need for reserves entirely, letting Hornet craft Phials using shell shards instead.
How to Acquire: Plasmium Phial is found in the Wormways, and its supply is tied to a Plasmium reserve system.
4. Pollip Pouch
Pollip Pouch is a blue-slot tool that transforms Hornet’s red tools by coating them in venom. Once a tool strike lands, enemies are inflicted with poison that deals three ticks of damage over time. The strength of these venom ticks scales with Hornet’s Crafting Kit progress: 1 damage per tick without any upgrades, 2 damage per tick with one or two upgrades, and 3 damage per tick with three or four upgrades. Because every new strike resets the effect, aggressive play keeps the poison constantly active, turning every hit into a sustained source of damage. This makes Pollip Pouch particularly effective in drawn-out boss fights where the damage-over-time effect continues to stack on top of your main attacks.
Unlike most blue-slot tools that focus on defense or utility, Pollip Pouch contributes directly to damage output. Its effectiveness is amplified when paired with multi-hit or lingering tools such as Cogfly or Cogwork Wheel, since these tools reapply venom rapidly and ensure no downtime in poison damage. Architect Crest users especially benefit, as the crest’s reliance on red tools aligns perfectly with the pouch’s venom boost. In the right build, Pollip Pouch can single-handedly raise your overall DPS to rival or even surpass offensive red-slot tools, making it one of the most impactful blue-slot tools available.
How to Acquire: Pollip Pouch is obtained in Shellwood by completing the Rite of the Pollip wish for Greyroot.
5. Cogwork Wheel
The Cogwork Wheel is a red-slot tool that turns Hornet’s needle into a spinning sawblade, capable of grinding through both enemies and terrain. Once cast, it travels along surfaces horizontally or vertically, chewing through anything in its path. When it collides with an enemy, the wheel slows down and lingers, landing multiple hits in quick succession. Smaller foes are often knocked back into it repeatedly, allowing Hornet to stack damage rapidly. If the wheel collides with a wall while moving vertically, it bounces back, which skilled players can use to line up ricochets for devastating “bounce shots” in tighter spaces.
Its strength lies in versatility. Against groups, the wheel’s wide coverage makes it a natural crowd-control option, hitting multiple enemies clustered together on the ground or walls. Against single targets, it can shred medium-sized foes for consistent chip damage, especially when paired with other offensive tools. Though the wheel eventually breaks after a limited number of hits, careful placement allows Hornet to get immense value from every throw.
How to Acquire: Purchased from the Twelfth Architect for 360 Rosaries and 1 Craft Metal.
6. Tacks
Tacks are an offensive red tool that scatter sharp pins across the ground, damaging any enemy that steps on them. At first glance they seem unimpressive, but in practice they are one of the strongest tools available. Against ground-based enemies, especially bosses that pace back and forth or perform frequent charge attacks, Tacks essentially provide free, consistent damage. Even certain flying enemies can be clipped if they dive close to the floor. Because up to four sets can be placed at once, you can create zones of constant punishment that force enemies to hurt themselves just by moving.
Their best application comes before a fight even begins. Many bosses roar before combat starts, giving you a window to load the arena with Tacks. When the fight kicks off, they immediately stomp into your traps and take large chunks of damage. This effect becomes devastating if combined with other red tools, most notably the Cogwork Wheel. By stacking multiple Wheels alongside your pre-placed Tacks, you can front-load an enormous amount of damage before the boss even makes its first real move. Adding poison effects such as the Pollip Pouch further ramps up the punishment, making Tacks one of the most efficient damage engines in the game.
How to Acquire
Rewarded by Crull and Benjin in Sinner’s Road after completing the Roach Guts quest.
7. Claw Mirrors (Upgraded)
Claw Mirrors are one of the strongest bind-synergy tools Hornet can acquire, turning every heal into an offensive strike. The base Claw Mirror releases a burst of thrashing blades after using Bind, dealing 15 immediate damage in an area around Hornet along with an additional 10 damage spread across two ticks. Once upgraded in Act 3, the Claw Mirrors amplify this effect dramatically, unleashing 30 direct damage with 12 more damage over three ticks. This turns every heal into both a recovery and an attack, allowing Hornet to stay on the offensive even in the middle of tense fights.
The tool shines when paired with the Witch Crest, which enhances Bind-based damage and sustain. With the Witch build, the upgraded Claw Mirrors become a pseudo–silk skill, effectively functioning like an Abyss Shriek–style nuke that also grants lifesteal. The trade-off is that occasionally enemies die too quickly from the burst, preventing Hornet from gaining the full heal from Bind. Even so, the sheer offensive pressure Claw Mirrors bring to any build makes them invaluable, especially in boss fights where maintaining momentum is crucial.
How to Acquire: The base Claw Mirror is obtained after defeating Trobbio in The Stage. In Act 3, defeat Tormented Trobbio in The Stage to gain the Dark Mirror, then combine it with the Claw Mirror to forge the upgraded Claw Mirrors.
8. Longclaw
Longclaw is a talisman carved from the talon of a predator, designed to extend the reach of Hornet’s Needle. It significantly increases the range of her attacks, letting her strike from safer distances and avoid much of the incidental contact damage that comes from Silksong’s aggressive melee combat. The extension applies not only to basic swings but also to pogo attacks, giving Hornet more consistency when bouncing off enemies or environmental hazards. Even though charged attacks see little benefit, the added reach on standard strikes alone can transform combat into something far more controlled and forgiving.
This tool is especially valuable with the Wanderer Crest, whose default Needle range is short and leaves Hornet vulnerable to chip damage while trading blows. By pairing Longclaw with Wanderer or other melee-focused crests, Hornet gains space to stay aggressive without taking unnecessary hits. Mobile bosses and evasive flying enemies are also easier to handle, since the increased reach reduces the number of whiffed attacks. Overall, Longclaw is one of the most universally useful tools in the game, effective for both exploration and boss encounters.
How to Acquire: Rewarded by the Huntress after completing the Broodfeast wish during Act 2, or alternatively by Runt after completing the Runtfeast wish in Act 3.
9. Injector Band
The Injector Band is a healing-focused tool that drastically reduces the time it takes for Hornet to perform a Bind. Healing in Silksong is riskier than in Hollow Knight since a failed Bind wastes all of your stored Silk, but with this band equipped, the window of vulnerability is much smaller. What normally takes almost a full second can be completed in under three quarters of a second, which often means the difference between recovering and being interrupted by an enemy’s attack.
Its true potential shows when paired with the Multibinder. Together, they allow Hornet to restore four Masks in the time it would normally take to perform a standard heal. This combination makes Injector Band one of the most powerful survival tools in the game, especially during boss fights that leave only the smallest gaps for recovery. Even on its own, the tool is invaluable, giving players more confidence to heal in the middle of fast-paced combat rather than waiting for the rare safe opening.
How to Acquire: Found in the lower eastern section of Whiteward, above the passage with the Morticians.
10. Cogfly
Cogflies are one of the strongest red tools available, essentially giving Hornet autonomous allies that harass enemies while she focuses on dodging or attacking. When deployed, each Cogfly swoops at nearby foes, dealing consistent chip damage and breaking only after taking enough punishment or exhausting their durability. Up to four Cogflies can be active at once, creating a swarm that shreds groups of smaller enemies and steadily whittles down bosses over the course of a fight.
What makes them particularly valuable is their persistence. Cogflies follow Hornet between rooms, meaning they can be summoned before entering a boss battle and carried in as reinforcements. During exploration, they add a layer of protection against surprise encounters or swarms of flying enemies that are otherwise difficult to hit reliably. They also pair excellently with the Pollip Pouch, as each strike can apply venom and quickly rack up damage-over-time effects.
The biggest drawback is in platforming sections that rely on enemies for pogoing or harpooning. If Cogflies kill those enemies too early, it can make traversal impossible and even fatal, as seen in the rising lava climb of Act 3. Because of this, Cogflies are best reserved for combat-heavy zones and boss arenas rather than precision platforming.
How to Acquire: Craft Cogflies at a bench in the High Halls by spending one Craft Metal.
Conclusion
With more than fifty tools in the game, it is easy to overlook some of the most impactful ones. The ten listed here stand out because they either amplify your damage to absurd levels, give you survivability that can carry through the toughest encounters, or simply make exploration less punishing. From resource-savers like the Magnetite Brooch, to aggressive options like Tacks and Cogwork Wheel, and utility staples like the Injector Band, each of these tools can fundamentally shift how you approach Pharloom.
The real strength of Silksong’s tool system is in experimentation. Many of these shine brightest when combined with crests or other tools — Cogflies with Pollip Pouch for endless poison pressure, Claw Mirrors with Witch Crest for explosive binds, or Long Claw with Wanderer Crest to fix its short range. By mixing and matching according to the fight, you can turn difficult bosses and gauntlets into manageable challenges.
If you are willing to invest the Rosaries and effort to track them down, these tools will more than pay for themselves. Equip them wisely, and you will find Pharloom’s harshest trials far more manageable.
If you’re interested in other Silksong related content make sure to check out our helpful guides below:
- All Endings in Silksong Explained and How to Get Them (Spoilers)
- How to Find All Secret Memory Bosses in Silksong
- Silksong Tools Guide and Where to Find Them
- Hardest Bosses in Silksong Ranked
- Silksong Best Early Game Tips and Tricks
- Guide to All 7 Crests in Silksong
Recommended Products
Patrick Yu is a Senior Project Manager at Level Interactive and has 8 years of experience writing business, legal, lifestyle, gaming, and technology articles. He is a significant contributor to Acer Corner and is currently based in Taipei, Taiwan.
Socials
|
|
|
|
