Rosaries are Hollow Knight: Silksong’s main currency. If you want to unlock maps and upgrade your loadout, you can’t do so without these little red marbles. Although they seem scarce at first, rosaries, also known as rosary beads, aren’t that hard to obtain – if you know where to look.
Here’s how to find and use rosary beads in Hollow Knight: Silksong, including at early game vendors, and some rosary farm locations.
How to use rosaries in Silksong
As the main currency in Hollow Knight: Silksong, rosaries can be used to buy items from shops, unlock benches, and create bellway stations. The first unlockable bench is found just before entering The Marrow, just east of Sherma’s location (the singing bug at the gate). Interact with the structure, and you’ll get the option to spend 30 rosaries to unlock the bench.
The first two shops you’ll find in Hollow Knight: Silksong are Pebb’s shop in Bone Bottom (the village above Moss Grotto) and Shakra, the map vendor. The latter’s first location is in the northwestern corner of The Marrow, which is the second region in the game, east of Moss Grotto and Bone Bottom (see the “how to farm rosaries” section below for more details).
To unlock bellway stations, which act as your fast travel points around the map, you’ll first need to defeat the Bell Beast. The Bell Beast can be found at the top of The Marrow, just to the right of the sign with the three arrows. Make sure to keep an eye out for these signs as you explore because they’ll lead you to the next bellway station. However, bellways will start to cost rosaries and their price will increase as you progress farther in the game.
How you spend your rosaries is up to you, but we recommend purchasing the maps from Shakra before you purchase anything else. The Mosslands and The Marrow map are both sold by Shakra for 40 and 50 rosaries, respectively. The compass, quill, and bench markers she sells are also very handy as they mark your position, bench locations, and other general location info on your map.
To check how many rosaries you’ve got, open the inventory and look at the number next to the red marble icon, in the lower left.
How to get your rosaries back after dying in Silksong
Beware that rosary beads are lost upon death. You can reclaim them by going back to the place you perished and destroying the cocoon containing your lost items. However, if you die again before returning to that spot, those initial rosaries are lost forever. It’s not the end of the world if that happens.
Note that rosaries on a rosary string shall not be destroyed upon death. So, if you find such an item, it’s best to keep it intact until you’re ready to spend the rosaries at a vendor’s storefront. At Pebb’s store in Bone Bottom, you can exchange loose rosaries for a rosary string to keep them safe. Additionally, as you progress later into the game, you’ll find machines where you can make rosary strings on your own, as long as you have at least 80 rosaries on you.
How to get more rosaries in Silksong
Ready to go on a shopping spree? Here’s how to get more rosaries in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
- Find rosary deposits. There’s a finite amount of rosary caches you may find. The rosary beads are usually hanging from strings or piled up.
- Find rosary strings. If you find an item in the wilds (which looks like a yellow glowing orb), it may turn out to be a rosary string, which gives you a number of rosaries upon destruction. As mentioned above, a rosary string will be kept as an item in your inventory, and as long as it remains intact, it won’t be lost upon death.
- Defeat enemies. You can collect an infinite number of rosary beads by defeating certain enemies. Although many enemy types don’t drop rosaries, the slightly bigger, humanoid ones will likely do so. You will find the first enemies of this kind after meeting Shakra for the first time (more on that below).
Best rosary farming locations in Silksong
The best way to farm rosaries in Silksong is to, well, play the game! But, if you’re really fiending for some rosaries in the early game, there is an area close to the beginning of the game where you can grab a good chunk of rosaries.
First, make your way from the Moss Grotto (starting area) to The Marrow in the east. You’ll find a large vertical map with platforms that disappear, such as this one:
Jump all the way up, and go left. A bit further west, you will meet Shakra. Now, walk past her, jump upwards, and walk to the left to find a new area, Mosshome.
There are many rosary beads hidden in the nooks and crannies of this mossy place, but all the local enemies drop +5 rosaries, too. See the poisonous snails and the jumping bugs? Defeat them all, then continue to the west.
If you use the mechanisms on the western wall, you can drop down to find more rosary-dropping fiends. Take the upper pathway to the east, and you’ll be able to unlock the resting bench next to Shakra’s location.
Now you can beat enemies, collect their rosaries, rest at the bench to respawn them, and collect their rosaries again. Infinite rosaries unlocked! Don’t forget to buy Shakra’s map items before moving on.
Another useful spot is in Greymoor, which you can access after getting the Drifter’s Cloak in Deep Docks or after completing the Flea quest, though the quickest way is if you enter Greymoor from Deep Docks. From that entrance, head left. Ignore the bench that asks you for 80 beads. If you need one immediately, head to the right instead and visit Shakra in the next room.
You’ll encounter a Pilgrim Bellbearer, Pilgrim Groveller, and Pilgrim Pouncer initially and then beyond them, a Pilgrim Guide, another Bellbearer, and another Pouncer. The Silk Spear skill makes short work of this second group without you having to get close enough for the Pilgrim Guide’s staff to be a problem.
Defeating all of them nets you roughly 40 beads, and to the left of this area, you’ll find the Halfway Home. The entrance on this side is locked initially, but once you work your way around and enter from the left, you can press a switch to open the locked door for fast, easy access to this rosary farming location. Defeat the Pilgrims, rest at the Halfway Home, then repeat until you have as many beads as you need.
