7 Critical Secrets Behind The Hunter Crest Upgrades In Hollow Knight: Silksong

The Hunter Crest is far more than just Hornet’s starting equipment in the highly-anticipated sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, which was released on September 4, 2025. It serves as the foundation for one of the most versatile and devastating late-game builds, but only if you know how to unlock its full potential through its unique upgrade path. As of this December 12, 2025, the community has cracked the code on maximizing this "Jack-of-all-trades" Crest, transforming it from a simple starter tool into a powerhouse of sustained damage and Silk generation.

The new Crest system replaces the Charm system of the original game, fundamentally altering how you approach combat, exploration, and movement in the kingdom of Pharloom. Understanding the Hunter Crest upgrades is the single most important step for players who prefer a balanced, aggressive playstyle focused on precision and rapid strikes. We dive into the specific mechanics, the required materials, and the recent patch changes that make the Hunter Crest a must-use for speedrunners and completionists alike.

The Hunter Crest: Starting Stats and Core Identity

The Hunter Crest is unique among the seven available Crests in Silksong because it is the only one Hornet begins her journey with. Initially, it is a simple, balanced all-rounder, designed to ease players into the new combat mechanics.

• The One Where They Tanked Jokes 15 Shocking New Secrets From The Friends Tv Show Behind The Scenes G9zdh

• Starting State: The Crest begins with no special passive properties, offering a straight, long-range needle attack.
• Tool Slots: By default, the Hunter Crest is equipped with three Red Tool Slots. This immediately biases it toward an offensive playstyle, as Red Tools are explicitly designed for raw damage and aggressive effects.
• Core Passive: Its primary function is focused on stalking prey and striking with lethal precision. This is reflected in its passive ability: hitting foes repeatedly increases damage, a bonus that only resets when Hornet takes damage. This encourages a high-risk, high-reward fighting style.
• Needle Art: The Hunter Crest grants access to a decent, balanced Needle Art, which is Hornet's equivalent of a charged or special attack.

While other Crests, like the Reaper Crest, focus on heavy, arcing slashes, or the Wanderer Crest, which leans into exploration, the Hunter Crest is about reliable, consistent damage output. However, its true power is locked behind the upgrade process, which fundamentally changes its utility by introducing defensive and miscellaneous tool slots.

The Upgrade Mechanism: How to Evolve the Hunter Crest

Unlike the original game's Charms, Crests are upgraded by finding a specific collectible item scattered across Pharloom: the Memory Lockets. These Lockets are the key to unlocking the full potential of any Crest, including the Hunter Crest, by expanding the number and type of Tool Slots available.

1. The Crucial Role of Memory Lockets

Memory Lockets are rare, often hidden items that serve as the currency for Crest upgrades. Each Locket can be used at a Bench to permanently unlock an additional Tool Slot on the currently equipped Crest. The Hunter Crest can be upgraded twice, requiring a total of two Memory Lockets to reach its final, powerful state.

• The Unseen Story Jessica Simpsons Battle For Privacy And Body Image In A Digital Age Mlvqa

Key Memory Locket Locations:

• Wormways: One Locket is found deep within the tunnels of the southwestern Wormways area, often requiring a Simple Key to access.
• Deep Docks: Another Locket is located at the bottommost section of the Deep Docks, near a large, complex chamber.

2. The Final Upgraded Slot Configuration

The Hunter Crest's upgrades are strategic, shifting its focus from pure offense to a more sustainable, well-rounded combat machine. By spending two Memory Lockets, you transform the Crest’s slot configuration:

Base Crest Slots: 3 Red Slots

Fully Upgraded Slots:

• Shania Twains Bold Statement Why The Star Chose Nude Photoshoots At 57 Qf9cg

• 2 Blue Tool Slots: This is the most significant change. Blue Tools provide passive defensive bonuses, often bolstering Hornet's Health or Silk Spool. This addition reinforces the Hunter Crest's role as a sustain-oriented combat Crest, allowing Hornet to recover and survive longer in intense fights.
• 1 Red Tool Slot: The Crest retains one Red Slot for a core offensive Tool, ensuring damage remains a priority.

The final configuration of 2 Blue and 1 Red slot allows for powerful combinations, such as equipping a Blue Tool that enhances healing alongside a Blue Tool that provides a silk fail-safe, all while maintaining a core offensive Red Tool.

The Game-Changing Patch Update (Dec 11, 2025)

For players who have already completed Silksong or are aiming for a high-efficiency build, the latest patch update, released on December 11, 2025, introduced a crucial change to the Hunter Crest's utility, significantly boosting its value.

Prior to the patch, the Hunter Crest's charged attack generated a standard amount of Silk, similar to other Crests. The new patch update has reportedly changed this: The Hunter Crest’s charged attack now produces two Silk, while other Crests continue to make only one.

This is an enormous buff to the Hunter Crest's sustainability. Silk is the resource Hornet uses for healing and Needle Arts. Doubling the silk gain on a charged attack means Hornet can heal more frequently or deploy her powerful special abilities more often, making the Hunter Crest arguably the best Crest for extended boss fights and long exploration runs. This change reinforces its identity as a premier sustain-oriented combat Crest.

The Ultimate Hunter Crest Build: Precision and Sustainability

Once fully upgraded with its 2 Blue and 1 Red slot configuration, the Hunter Crest opens the door to a specialized build that capitalizes on its sustained damage passive and the new Silk generation buff. This build is often cited by the community as one of the strongest for late-game content and challenging bosses.

The Tools of the Trade (LSI Entities)

To maximize the Crest, you must understand the three distinct Tool types that replace the Charm system:

• Red Tools (Offensive): Focus on enhancing damage, attack speed, or adding combat effects.
• Blue Tools (Defensive/Sustain): Focus on bolstering Health, providing healing fail-safes, or increasing Silk Spool efficiency.
• Yellow Tools (Miscellaneous/Utility): Focus on exploration, movement, and non-combat utility.

Recommended Build (The "Apex Hunter")

This build leverages the Hunter Crest's unique ability to scale damage and its newly enhanced Silk generation.

1. Red Slot: Pale Oils (Damage Scaling): Pale Oils is a highly recommended Red Tool. When combined with the Hunter Crest's passive (damage increase with repeated hits), the damage scaling becomes immense. This is the core of the build's offensive power.
2. Blue Slot 1: Silk Spool Enhancement (Sustain): A Blue Tool that increases the size or efficiency of Hornet's Silk Spool is essential. This synergizes perfectly with the patch update's double-Silk generation, allowing Hornet to stack up healing charges rapidly.
3. Blue Slot 2: Health/Defense Utility: The second Blue Slot should be used for a defensive Tool, such as one that offers a small shield after taking damage or a passive health regeneration boost. This ensures that when the damage bonus resets (upon taking a hit), Hornet can quickly recover and restart her offensive chain.

This combination makes the Hunter Crest a contender for the best Crest in the game, especially for players who master the art of avoiding damage while maintaining a relentless offensive. The dash attack provided by the Crest is also excellent for setting up free double hits for burst damage, further cementing its versatility and power.