Hollow Knight: Silksong — How to Get Clawline (Harpoon) Skill and Use it
Step-by-step route to The Cauldron via Whiteward, with controls and exit tips after acquisition.
Step-by-step route to The Cauldron via Whiteward, with controls and exit tips after acquisition.
by Shivam Malani
The Clawline is Hornet’s grappling hook Ancestral Art. It lets you drive the needle into rings, valid surfaces, or enemies and sling yourself forward, turning long gaps and vertical shafts into workable routes. You obtain it by binding at a Weaver statue in The Cauldron, a lava-filled chamber in the Underworks.
Reaching The Cauldron reliably requires a White Key in the Citadel and a short run through Whiteward. The instructions below outline the most consistent route reported by multiple guides, followed by an alternate path that begins directly in the Underworks.
What the Clawline does
Clawline pulls Hornet to a targeted ring, enemy, or specific surface, enabling fast repositioning and extended traversal chains. It consumes Silk when cast, but connecting with an enemy restores Silk, allowing aggressive movement in combat.
Controls are mapped to the Harpoon action. By default this is S on PC, LT on Xbox, L2 on PlayStation, and ZL on Switch. Some prompts may show a hold input (e.g., R2); check your settings if your bindings differ.
Preparation and useful pickups
Drifter’s Cloak (glide). Needed to ride updrafts and stabilize long jumps in the Underworks.
Cling Grip (wall jump). Required for narrow shafts and to reach a hatch lever before The Cauldron.
Bench and Bellway in southeast Choral Chambers. Optional but speeds up backtracking significantly.
Maps (Choral Chambers, Whiteward, Underworks). Optional but helps with route-finding under pressure.
Hazard note: Underworks and The Cauldron include heated floors and falling lava. Keep moving on hot surfaces to reduce damage ticks, watch for lava streams from ceilings, and clear explosive enemies from a safe distance.
1. Standrd route — White Key elevator to Whiteward
Pick up the White Key outside the shrine area on the far-right edge of the Songclave section. The lock icon matches a white, medical-like symbol seen on the elevator panel later.
Detour to the southeast of Choral Chambers and activate the Bellway and nearby bench. This gives you a quick return point once the route connects later.
Follow the lower loop through Whiteward until you reach a large vertical shaft on the right side of the zone. This is the descent back toward the Underworks.
Drop into the shaft to re-enter the Underworks. Avoid reactivating the elevator while you are by this pit so you can take the right-hand passage just below.
Enter the Underworks through the Ventrica connection if you already have that route open. This path starts you within the Underworks without using Whiteward.
If you rested at the eastern Underworks bench and feel boxed in, go left to the cracked wheel switch and break it again. Ride the updraft to regain height.
In the Whiteward descent shaft, avoid re-enabling the elevator when you need the right-hand passage. Keeping the lift inactive preserves that side route.
Use enemies near ceilings as emergency anchors if a climb feels just out of reach. A single grapple to a flying target often provides the height you need.
With Clawline unlocked, you’ll cross wide gaps faster, add mid-air corrections in fights, and open progress toward later mobility upgrades. If the route feels punishing at first, set the nearby benches and Bellway—shorter retries make the hazards manageable.