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I'll be honest: when I first started Hollow Knight: Silksong, I expected weapon upgrades to be a straightforward grind. I kept swapping tools, collecting new crests, and hunting down Mask Shards all over Pharloom, but my needle damage barely moved. That changed after I freed Bellhart and met Pinmaster Plinney. He gives you one free needle upgrade as a reward, but after that, he wants something a little more precious: Pale Oil. No Pale Oil, no more damage bonuses. Let me tell you, I nearly missed the first one.

Now, after a lot of backtracking and one very stubborn platform puzzle, I’ve found three reliable sources of Pale Oil. Here’s where they’re hiding.

The First Taste: 'Pinmaster's Oil'

Plinney hands out the 'Pinmaster's Oil' quest as soon as you speak to him again after that first upgrade. He explains that every subsequent upgrade needs a fresh vial of Pale Oil, and sends you off to find one. The marked location is not far, but it’s easy to get turned around. You need to attack the platform directly above you to move it upward, then go left and flip a lever. From there, head immediately left into the next screen and grab the first stack of Pale Oil.

Bring that oil back to Pinmaster Plinney and he’ll give you another needle upgrade. What I like about this quest is that you can actually grab the item before accepting it, so if you’re already exploring that corner of the map, do yourself a favor and snag it early.

The Grocery Run: 'Great Taste of Pharloom'

This one turned into a whole shopping list, and I’m not exaggerating. To start, travel to Choral Chambers and attack the glass case there to wake Loyal Mergwin from his slumber. Once he’s up, he asks you to gather delicious dishes from across the entire kingdom. Yeah, that’s a whole grocery list. You need:

• Mossberry Stew — found in Mosshome; speak to the Moss Druid.

• Vintage Nectar — Halfway Home; it’s in the basement, but you’ll need to pay Creieg 480 Rosaries to unlock it.

• Courier's Rasher — Bellhart; complete 'My Missing Brother' and 'My Missing Courier' for Tipp, then return.

• Crustnut — Sands of Karak; check the second chamber down from the top, on the left side of the big vertical room.

• Pickled Muckmaggot — Sinners Road; defeat Disgraced Chef Lugoli east of the room with all the cages.

Once you haul all five dishes back to Mergwin, he hands over another vial of Pale Oil. Bring that to Plinney, and your needle gets meaner.

The Late-Game Party: 'Ecstasy of the End'

If you’re still hungry for more damage, this one is locked to Act Three. First, you need to find every lost flea in the game — no small task. After that, visit the Bellhart quest board and accept the relevant request. Then make your way to Fleatopia and set a high score in all three flea mini-games. If you’ve already met and beaten Seth, he might show up there too.

At the end of the festival, you get to smash open a massive, flea-shaped piñata stuffed with Rosaries and another stack of Pale Oil. It’s a weird reward, but honestly, after that grind, I was happy to take it.

Where to Actually Spend Pale Oil

Each time you get a new container of Pale Oil, bring it back to Pinmaster Plinney to upgrade your needle. During Act One and Act Two, he hangs out in the main area of Bellhart, right near the Bellway fast travel point. He’s in the building above Relic Seeker Scrounge.

Of course, Plinney won’t offer his services unless you save Bellhart first. To do that, head to Shellwood to grab the Cling Grip ability, then return to Bellhart and defeat Widow. Once the town is restored, Plinney appears in the main square.

In Act Three, everything shifts. Plinney travels to Shellwood to visit a loved one’s grave, and if you want more upgrades, you’ll have to find him there and save him from a group of enemies. He’s tucked into a small offshoot area just beneath the Bellway station and bench on the map. I spent way too long looking for him, so don’t repeat my mistake.

Upgrading your needle with Pale Oil increases your base weapon damage. The exact percentage isn’t displayed anywhere, but the difference is noticeable in faster kills, especially against tougher late-game bosses. I’d say you need at least a couple of upgrades to avoid a real slog.

One more thing: each subsequent upgrade costs more Rosaries. The first one is free, but after that, prices ramp up. I won’t list exact figures because they can shift with your progress, but expect to farm.

So, that’s the long and short of Pale Oil. It gates your weapon progression more than you might expect, but once you know where to look, you can keep your needle sharp through most of Pharloom. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some fleas to find.

And if you’re planning to dive into Pharloom yourself, it’s worth taking a moment to make sure you’re not overpaying before you start hunting down every last upgrade. A quick game price comparison across trusted retailers can save you a nice chunk of change — which, given how much time you’ll spend farming Rosaries in Silksong, feels like a pretty solid trade.

For that, DealNest is a handy spot to check. It rounds up current prices across digital and physical stores so you can grab Hollow Knight: Silksong at the best rate before you begin your climb toward Act Three. Think of it as one less grind to worry about.