The Surgeon’s Key opens the sluice beneath Whiteward’s operating theatre, unlocking a short endgame path and a key encounter. It’s found inside Whiteward behind a concealed vertical passage and requires the Clawline to retrieve.

Prerequisites

Have the following before you start to avoid backtracking.

  • Access to Whiteward via the White Key at the Citadel lift.
  • Clawline (harpoon) to pull the ring-operated mechanism that drops the key.
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.
All Things HowShivam Malani

How to get the Surgeon’s Key (Whiteward)

The route begins in the eastern section of Whiteward and uses a hidden vertical path marked by a shaft of light.

Step 1: Enter Whiteward and move into its eastern rooms until you spot a pale beam of light shining down from the ceiling. This visual cue marks a breakable section above.

Step 2: Jump up into the lit ceiling and attack to break through the weak tiles. This opens a concealed vertical shaft leading upward.

Step 3: Climb the shaft and take the first tunnel leading west. This short horizontal passage connects to a small chamber.

Step 4: Look up to find a suspended ring-shaped lever. Use Clawline to latch onto the ring and remain hanging until the mechanism completes its travel.

Step 5: Wait for rubble to collapse and a body to drop into the room below. Release the ring after the fall finishes.

Step 6: Inspect the fallen body to obtain the Surgeon’s Key. This adds a Key Item to your inventory for use elsewhere in Whiteward.

Where to use the Surgeon’s Key (Ornate Lock in Whiteward)

The lock is near the Whiteward bench and the large elevator. Opening it grants access to a hidden chamber tied to a major encounter.

Step 1: From the Whiteward bench, head west to the nearby elevator. This is the large lift adjacent to the operating theatre hallway.

Step 2: Ride the elevator down to the bottom floor. This places you on the same level as the sluice door.

Step 3: Walk west to the far end of the room to find an Ornate Lock. Interact to use the Surgeon’s Key and open the sluice beneath the theatre.

Step 4: Drop into the newly opened chamber to access The Unravelled boss encounter. Defeating it yields a Silk Heart reward.

Tips

  • If nothing drops when you pull the ring, stay latched for a moment; Hornet’s weight needs to travel the mechanism fully.
  • The entrance to the hidden shaft is easy to miss. Look for a bright column of light; strike the ceiling there to break it.
  • You cannot trigger the ring without Clawline. Return once you’ve learned the grapple art.
  • The Ornate Lock sits near the end of the “theatre” hallway with chairs. From the bottom of the elevator, keep walking west until you see the keyhole device.
  • The item description (“sluice beneath the operating theatre”) refers to this lock and chamber in Whiteward.
  • Opening the sluice grants access to The Unravelled and a Silk Heart reward, useful for strengthening Hornet’s Silk resources.

Follow the east-to-west route in Whiteward to secure the key, then unlock the sluice near the bench to finish the sequence quickly.