Silksong Putrified Ducts walkthrough

The Putrified Ducts in Silksong consist of polluted tunnels and lakes, that appear to have been damned by all the mechanical goings-on in The Citadel. That said, at least it isn't as gross or troublesome as Silksong's Bilewater is… and while most of the area features infested waters full of Muckmaggots, the Pale Lake subsection gives you a glimpse of what this area once was like.

To ensure you don't miss out on anything obscured by the various hidden passages and breakable walls in this region of Pharloom, here's our Silksong Putrified Ducts walkthrough.

Silksong Putrified Ducts walkthrough

Our journey into the Putrified Ducts begins from the eastern side of Memorium. Where you will have collected the Memorium Map on the east-most ground level of the area, there's a hidden passage above the Map machine that leads east.

Keep heading east (right) of this passage to come to a breakable wall (shown below), that you'll need both Clawline and the Faydown Cloak from Mount Fay to access. Double-jump up from the first section of the wall, and Clawline onto the second section of the wall where the breakable wall is. Attack the breakable entryway, and press ahead to enter Putrified Ducts.

You'll quickly be met by a spiked passage however, and must again use a mixture of Clawline and double-jump to head upwards.

If you then keep right after the spiked passage, you'll officially arrive in Putrified Ducts. Now, let's go find ourselves a Bench. Fortunately, it isn't far away!

Unlock the Bench and Bellway

The first room in Putrified Ducts is a long, watery corridor of sorts. You want to make your way to the right-hand side of the room (exit pictured below), where you'll be able to exit into a small vertical chamber.

A word of forewarning, however. In this area, you'll be encountering new enemies such as the huge Ductsucker (who you'll want to quickly kill or double-jump over), the Barnak (who can suck you in with its tendrils), and the Spit Squit (who'll spit acid projectiles at you).

Once you arrive in the aforementioned vertical chamber, there'll be an exit just slightly below you and on the right that leads to the Putrified Ducts Bellway Station and Bench. It's marked with a Bellway signpost, so you can't miss it!

In this room, you can unlock the Putrified Ducts Bellway for 80 Rosaries, and the Bench for 60 Rosaries.

Unlock the Putrified Ducts Map

Next, exit the room with the Bench and go back into the vertical chamber. To continue, head downwards and into the first exit you find on the left-hand side (pictured below). A Barnak may try and grab you along the way, but quickly attack it to force it to let go of you.

In the next room, there are two more Barnak enemies. Head past the first one and at the end of the hall, jump upwards to force the second one to grab you. Then let this Barnak pull you up past the spiked passage here, and attack it once you're near the ledge at the top.

To the right, you'll be able to pick up the Putrified Ducts Map from a desk.

You can now exit this room back into the vertical chamber again!

Meet the Huntress and collect the Apostate Key

Back in the vertical chamber again, continue downwards. At the bottom of the chamber, there'll be a breakable gate in the bottom left-hand corner (pictured below).

In the next room, head left along the upper section of the room, being careful of the Ductsucker. In the upper left-hand corner of the room, you'll find the corpse of a Wardenfly as well as the Key of Apostate in a cage beneath his body.

The Apostate Key is used to access the Mask Shard and an incredibly cool boss fight back in The Slab, so be sure to go back there and use it once you're done with Putrified Ducts!

From the Key of Apostate, we now want to jump down and go right along the bottom portion of the room (being cautious of the infested waters and disappearing platforms below). Here, you should come to a small house you can enter.

Inside, you'll be able to speak with the Huntress. Speak to her a second time to start the Broodfeast Wish, which tasks you with fetching all kinds of flesh for the Huntress and her brood. You'll be rewarded with the Longclaw Tool – which increases the range of your attacks – as a result.

From the Huntress, exit and head right. Destroy the breakable gate you come to, and continue to head right again to emerge in the bottom of the vertical chamber from earlier.

Visit Fleatopia

From the bottom of the vertical chamber, we want to keep heading right. You'll arrive in a huge, long room that has a floor entirely made up of infested waters. As a result, you want to jump along the platforms at the top of this room (while heading right), being wary of the Ductsucker enemies along the way.

At the very end of the room, you'll be able to exit to your right and enter Fleatopia.

The Flea Caravan will move here – to Fleatopia – provided you have collected 20+ lost Fleas and moved them to Greymoor and Grand Gate already.

Now that you've visited this area (and once you free the lost Flea in Putrified Ducts, which we'll do shortly), make a note to go and talk to Fleamaster Mooshka. If you have collected enough Fleas, he will then move here! You'll also be able to buy Map Markers for any Fleas you're missing once the Flea Caravan moves here…

Collect the Craftmetal

If you keep heading further east of Fleatopia, you will discover Pale Lake and will be able to retrieve some Craftmetal from the end of the room.

Once that's done, return to the lengthy, water-filled chamber that was in the room prior to Fleatopia. Rather than exiting on the left side of this room, we want to travel along the upper section of the room and look out for an upwards exit in the centre of it. Though, this exit is easily missed.

From the right-hand side of the room, climb up the wall above the exit and double-jump over to the wooden platform on your left (pictured below). This wooden platform is directly to the right of a Barnak enemy. You then want to jump onto the wall left of this platform, where there's a segment of wall you can destroy (also pictured below).

You'll now need to Clawline your way through a spiked passage. At the end, keep heading left using the wooden platform, being mindful of the Barnak and Spit Squit enemies along the way. You'll quickly arrive at the upwards exit we need to use!

Collect the Wreath of Purity Tool

In the next room, head right until you reach the abandoned tent at the very end of the room.

Here, you'll be able to claim the Wreath of Purity Tool which is very good at keeping you safe from Muckmaggots, and therefore a must-have for exploring Bilewater and beating Groal the Great.

Rescue the lost Flea, Vog

Next, head back to where you entered the room. On your left here, there's a hidden passage that leads to a breakable wall (and a Rosary cache), which provides us with a shortcut back to the Bench.

We don't want to go this way just yet, but by all means open up this shortcut for later.

Instead, go right of the entrance and allow the Barnak enemy to grab you again. He'll pull you up into yet another spiked passage that you'll need to carefully use Clawline, Cling Grip, and three more Barnak enemies to ultimately traverse. It's tricky but you'll get it!

Once atop the passage, head left to meet our lost Flea for this area: Vog!

Exhaust Vog's dialogue and she will return to the Flea Caravan. That's everything that there is to do in Putrified Ducts for now!

Now is a good opportunity to pay a visit to Fleamaster Mooshka and have him move his horde of Fleas to Fleatopia, provided you've found enough of them. If you're yet to visit Bilewater, it's also worth doing that now that you finally have the Wreath of Purity too.

For more on Hollow Knight: Silksong, take a look at our Silksong walkthrough, as well as where to get all Silk Hearts and all Spool Fragments.