Sit at a bench in Hollow Knight: Silksong and spend a Memory Locket to open a new colored socket on your current Crest, letting you equip one more Tool of that color. Crests define Hornet’s moveset and carry color-coded sockets (red for weapons, blue for defense, yellow for exploration). Memory Lockets are consumed on use, upgrades are permanent, and they apply only to the Crest you modify. Learn how to use them correctly and where to get more so you can build out the loadouts you actually use.

1. Expand a Crest with a Memory Locket (at a bench)

Step 1: Rest at a bench and open the Crest screen. You can only configure Crests and Tools while seated, so always start here.

Step 2: Select the Crest you want to modify. Each Crest shows filled sockets and several small, dim “dots” indicating locked sockets tied to specific colors; upgrades are Crest-specific and can’t be refunded.

Step 3: Move the cursor over a locked socket to preview its color. Match colors to Tool types: red = weapon, blue = defense, yellow = exploration. This prevents unlocking a slot you won’t use.

Step 4: Hold the Interact button on the highlighted socket to spend one Memory Locket and unlock it. The item is consumed immediately.

Step 5: Equip a Tool that matches the new socket’s color. You now have one more Tool active on that Crest, improving damage, survivability, or traversal depending on your choice.

  • Color quick reference: red = weapons/offense, blue = defense/sustain, yellow = exploration/mapping.
  • Unlocked sockets do not carry across to other Crests; you must unlock sockets separately on each Crest you plan to use.

2. Get Memory Lockets

Buy one from Mort in Far Fields. Mort’s shop sells a single Memory Locket for 150 Rosaries, making this a straightforward early purchase.

Loot Hunter’s March (right path before the Chapel of the Beast). Search the rightmost section to find a Memory Locket on a corpse tucked off the main route.

Explore Greymoor after the Moorwing arena. Move to the right from the boss’s area, pass the floor fan, and check the upper portion of the room for a Memory Locket pickup.

Purchase from Frey in Bellhart after defeating Widow. Once that boss is down, Frey’s shop offers a Memory Locket for 330 Rosaries.

Complete the “Volatile Flintbeetle” side task. Finish the objective and return to Bone Bottom to receive a Memory Locket as a reward.

Keep checking vendors and hard-to-reach rooms. Memory Lockets can appear in shop inventories and in hidden or out-of-the-way locations across Pharloom, similar to classic notch pickups.

  • Lockets are relatively rare, so consider routing through shops when you have spare Rosaries.
  • When exploring, investigate suspicious dead-ends and vertical spaces; many hides require careful platforming.

3. Plan smart upgrades (avoid wasted Lockets)

Try multiple Crests before committing upgrades. New Crests unlock via story moments and can shift Hornet’s core attacks; test them first so you don’t invest in a style you won’t keep.

Decide which Tool category you need most right now. Prioritize a socket that solves your current bottleneck—more damage (red), more safety (blue), or better routing and map comfort (yellow).

Upgrade the Crest you plan to main for a while. Memory Lockets are one-use and permanent; hoard a few until you’re confident in your preferred Crest.

Remember that the same Tool can be equipped on different Crests, but sockets don’t transfer. If you swap Crests often, you’ll need to unlock comparable sockets on each one to mirror your setup.

If a new Crest auto-equips after a cutscene, return to a bench. Re-open your loadout to re-slot Tools and confirm whether you need to unlock any sockets on the new Crest.

  • Beast Crest tends to lean heavily into red attack sockets, while the starting Hunter’s Crest is more balanced. Plan upgrades around each Crest’s layout.
  • If you always rely on mapping aids, consider adding a yellow socket early on your main Crest to keep navigation Tools slotted.

A few well-placed Memory Lockets let you tailor Silksong’s combat or exploration to your taste. Take your time choosing a Crest and socket color, and you’ll avoid buyer’s remorse while steadily expanding your best builds.