Tracking down all the crest locations in Hollow Knight: Silksong is a tough task, but it's advisable, at least at first, so you can rid yourself of that pesky diagonal downward attack. What does a guy have to do to get a reliable pogo? There are lots of different crests in Silksong which alter your attack moveset and some even grant a special skill that activates when you bind.
When you acquire skills much later, like the Needle Strike charged attack, even this varies depending on which crest you use, so it can make a big difference to your overall playstyle. I know that there are a few more crests than just these in Silksong, so I'll include those when I find them (which might very well change my early recommendation for best crest). I've also included a clip of each crest's moveset so you can see it in action.
What's the best crest in Silksong?
The best crest in Silksong is the Reaper crest. When you take into account how important silk is in terms of binding to heal and using your powerful silk skills to quickly dispatch enemies and bosses, the Reaper crest's ability to produce additional silk on attacks after you bind, is really strong—especially in protracted arena battles with lots of enemies.
The Reaper crest also has the most reliable downward pogo attack, which is really the most staple move for effective combat and platforming in the game. It also has an amazing sprint attack that you can quickly combo into an additional strike for a one-two. Obviously, this opinion might change later depending on other crests I find, but the Reaper crest is definitely my pick out of those initially available.
Evolved Crest of the Hunter location
"Stalk prey and attack with lethal strikes. Builds focus with successive strikes."
- Location: Weavenest Atla, Moss Grove
While you start off with the basic Hunter crest in Silksong, you can acquire an upgrade for it once you get the Needolin by defeating the Widow boss and freeing Bellhart on the main track through the game. Once you have it, head to the right side of Moss Grove (where the game originally started), and play your Needolin to open the bug face door. Head inside, descend the lift, and go right to find Eva. If you agree to grant her insight, this character will give you the Evolved Crest of the Hunter. The main difference with this one is that it builds focus with successive hits, and deals more damage if focus is full, though you'll lose it if you take a hit.
Crest of the Wanderer location
"Cut swiftly and nimbly with short, precise strikes."
- Location: Bonegrave, Bone Bottom
The Crest of the Wanderer is technically the first you can access in the game if you purchase the Simple Key from Pebb in Bone Bottom and, once you acquire the Swift Step upgrade in Deep Docks, use it to jump across the gap above Bone Bottom, to the left of Mosshome. Here, you'll find a locked door that leads into the Wormways, and if you descend through them, you'll find yourself at Bonegrave, to the left of the chapel behind a blocked door.
You might also be able to get to this area via descending the Wormways through the upper entrances when you come left out of the Shellwood into the main shaft, and can drop down to reach them on the left side. Either way, head inside the Chapel of the Wanderer and complete it to earn the Crest of the Wanderer.
This crest can hit fast, making it perfect for those who like to attack as much as possible in boss damage phases and to get things over with ASAP. It's also a fantastic crest for harvesting lots of silk, since more hits mean more to use. Its only disadvantage is that it doesn't have a bind-based effect, but it's nonetheless a great option if you want to get rid of the diagonal downward strike as fast as you can, and it may have an evolved version later. It's also worth noting that this crest is the closest to the knight's moveset in Hollow Knight.
Crest of the Beast location
"Tear foes with savage slashes. Bind to enter a wild fury and steal life from the enemy."
- Location: Chapel of the Beast, Hunter's March
This is one I recommend grabbing a bit later in the game, after you've acquired the Cling Grip wall jump from Sister Splinter. For it, you'll have to head into Hunter's March, either by defeating the big ant miniboss in the far right of The Marrow, or by travelling up via the top right of Deep Docks (which saves a good deal of platforming). The boss is on the far right of the area, but make sure to grab the Hunter's March bench, since you'll inevitably have to try it multiple times, and otherwise the runback is hell.
After you've defeated the Savage Beastfly (again, wall jump is very good for getting over him when he charges), you'll get the Crest of the Beast. This one lets you slash at enemies as if you have claws and when you bind to heal, you'll enter a state where you can very briefly lifesteal.
Crest of the Reaper location
"Attack with heavy, arcing slashes and reap additional silk from enemies."
- Location: Chapel of the Reaper, Greymoor
As mentioned above, the Reaper crest is extremely strong due to its ability to produce additional silk for a duration post-binding as little collectible balls, and for its very reliable and airy downward pogo attack.
You can get this one after you arrive in Greymoor, either via the Far Fields or by completing The Lost Fleas quest. The Chapel of the Reaper is located on top of a tower on the left side of Greymoor (though just to your right if you arrived via flea caravan). You'll know the place once you're inside, because it's filled with bugs carrying massive scissors.
You'll have to climb the tower and complete a little platforming inside the chapel itself, as well as an arena battle against those scissor enemies. This can be a little tricky, so I recommend grabbing some handy tools like the Sting Shards that you can get from Forge Daughter in Deep Dock. Honestly, these exploding AoE traps are so good for enemy arena battles and can straight up wipe out entire waves if you place them right. Once done, you'll be able to grab the crest at the top.
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