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Moss Grotto
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The Moss Grotto is the starting area of Hollow Knight: Silksong. It is located at the very bottom of Pharloom, and is a secluded, sparsely populated but mostly benign cave mostly covered by moss. Alongside Bone Bottom, Moss Grotto is part of the Mosslands.
Description
The Moss Grotto is a lush, verdant cave overgrown with plant life. Relatively secluded from the rest of the lowlands, it is covered in vivid lime-green moss and plants with pools of clear water. A large pit in the Grotto's rough centre extends up into the enormous cavern that houses Bone Bottom, continuing past that all the way to the top of the Blasted Steps. This pit is likely the result of the cage Hornet breaks out of falling in the opening of the game[Note 1]. To the left of this pit, the flora and fauna have more of a presence, while to the right, the moss gives way to the foundation of bone and rock underneath.
Moss Grotto's enemies mostly consist of small, weak creatures, with slow and predictable movement, who rarely present a threat. As such, Moss Grotto serves as a relatively safe starting area, allowing Hornet to regain her bearings before leaving the secluded safety of the mossy caves. In a few locations, Hornet can find a few Mossberries for the Moss Druid, and at the rightmost point of the Grotto is a Needolin door blocking the entrance to Weavenest Atla.
History
Very little is known of Moss Grotto prior to the events of Silksong. The lack of distinct threats present is implied by Hornet to be a result of the aggression and protectiveness displayed by the Moss Mothers.[1] What is known is that at some point in time, the Weavers chose the Grotto as the location for Weavenest Atla, the largest and most complex of the Weavenests. The Ruined Chapel at the top of the Grotto formerly served as a place of worship; however, the congregation would all eventually leave for the Citadel, leaving only the Chapel Maid to take care of the building.[2]
At the start of the game, after destroying the cage trapping her and subsequently plummeting down, Hornet wakes up at the bottom of Moss Grotto, weakened, but alive. At several points through the area, she suffers bouts of exhaustion as a result of her fall; these go away after she exits Moss Grotto. Afterwards, she typically has very little reason to return, except for Mossberries and to access Weavenest Atla.
In Act 3, Moss Grotto remains relatively safe, although it is still affected by the devastation caused by trapping Lace with Grand Mother Silk in the Abyss. In the room with Mawlings, a Marrowmaw now spawns, and in the room lower and left of that, a black-threaded Moss Mother can be fought.
How to Access
Moss Grotto is the starting area of Hollow Knight: Silksong. Following the opening cinematic, Hornet wakes up at the bottom of the Grotto, at which point she can be controlled for the first time. Re-entering the area can be done through jumping through the pit at the centre of the area, or through the Ruined Chapel.
Area Features
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Mossberry x 2
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Sub-area: Ruined Chapel
The Ruined Chapel is an abandoned church adorned with spiral symbols and eroded by invasive moss. The lower floors serve as a nest for the local fauna. Another bout of exhaustion afflicts Hornet when she first enters the Chapel; she is then able to rest on a bench to the left. When she ascends to the upper level of the Chapel, she is locked inside a room and forced to combat the Moss Mother; after defeating the creature, Hornet is able to ascend to the top of the Chapel, entering Bone Bottom.
Act 3
After their role in Grand Mother Silk's ensnaring, the Snail Shamans take refuge in a previously-closed area of the Ruined Chapel. The Snail Shamans here are a key part in Act 3's story, teaching Hornet the Elegy of the Deep, tasking her to retrieve the Old Hearts, and bringing her into an old memory when she attains three of the hearts. After attaining the Everbloom, Hornet wakes up to find the Snail Shamans having disappeared, leaving only their shells behind.
In the newly opened section of the Chapel, to the right of the Snail Shamans is a hole in the ceiling that requires Silk Soar to access. From here, Hornet can find the corpse of a Shaman, which she can bind to attain the Shaman Crest.
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Gallery
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Starting area
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Mossgrubs feeding
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Crossings
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Weavenest Atla Entrance
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Bench
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Moss Mother Arena
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Hidden Marrowmaw
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Snail Shaman Hideout
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Shaman Tablet
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Shaman Tablet 2
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Shaman's Crest Corpse
(pre-claiming) -
Shaman's Crest Corpse
(post-claiming) -
Pre-release screenshot
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Pre-release screenshot
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Pre-release screenshot
Notes
- ↑ In Bone Bottom, the area around the pit shows signs of of having been broken through, such as scattered rock and the uneven environment surrounded the pit
Trivia
- Technically, the Ruined Chapel exists in both Moss Grotto and Bone Bottom. However, all of the content relevant to the sub-area is found in Moss Grotto, with only the top being located in Bone Bottom.
Names in Other Languages
| Language | Name | Meaning/Explanation |
|---|---|---|
 Brazilian Portuguese
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Gruta Musgosa | Mossy Grotto |
 French
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Grotte Verdoyante | Verdant Grotto |
 German
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Moosgrotte | Moss Grotto |
 Italian
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Grottamuschio | Moss Cave |
 Japanese
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苔の洞穴 Koke no horaana |
Moss Cave |
 Korean
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이끼 동굴 Ikki donggul |
Moss Cave |
 Russian
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Мшистый грот Mšistyj grot |
Mossy Grotto |
 Simplified Chinese
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苔藓洞穴 táixiǎn dòngxué ? |
Moss Grotto |
 Spanish
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Gruta Musgosa | Mossy Grotto |
 Internal name
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MOSS_CAVE
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Ruined Chapel
| Language | Name | Meaning/Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Brazilian Portuguese
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Capela Arruinada | Ruined Chapel |
| French
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Ancienne Chapelle | Ancient Chapel |
| German
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Ramponierte Kapelle | Destroyed Chapel |
| Italian
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Cappella in Rovina | Chapel in Ruin |
| Japanese
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朽ちたチャペル Kuchita chaperu |
Decayed Chapel |
| Korean
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황폐한 예배당 Hwangpyehan yebaedang |
Desolate Chapel |
| Russian
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Старая капелла Staraja kapella |
Ancient Chapel |
| Simplified Chinese
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颓败教堂 Tuíbài jiàotáng ? |
Ruined Church |
| Spanish
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Capilla en Ruinas | Ruined Chapel |
| Internal name
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BONECHURCH
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References
- ↑ Hunter's Journal entry for Mossmir: "This bug is soft and clumsy, but to its fortune its home caves seem relatively free of effective predators. I wonder why that is."
- ↑ Hornet: "What duty binds you to this old chapel, madam? The structure barely stands, and I see no signs of congregation." Chapel Maid: "Aye! Gone! The lot'o them, fled and hidden. But I'm not leaving till I've set this place right... ...It's that Citadel above, you see. Even now, in Pharloom's long decline, the simple bugs, they're witless before it. Too grand. Too majestic. Too powerful. This building's state is a sad example of those who'd dare suggest another path..."