High above Shellwood lies Sister Splinter, one of the most interesting yet troublesome boss battles in Hollow Knight: Silksong. If you’re looking to unlock the ability to climb up walls, you’ll have to face this monster first.

Juggling her claw attacks, the thorny branches that block your path, and the flying Splinterbeaks she sends in can be difficult even after the first few tries. To help you get through this boss battle, here are some tips on defeating Sister Splinter in Silksong.

How to defeat Sister Splinter boss in Silksong

At this point in Hollow Knight: Silksong, you may have some new tools in your arsenal to help you during this fight. Here are some that I recommend having on you during your fight with Sister Splinter:

Flea Brew: You receive this tool after you complete the Lost Fleas quest. It temporarily gives you a speed boost, so you can both run and attack faster. This comes in handy when you’re getting rid of the thorns and the Splinterbeaks.
Warding Bell: You’ll find this tool in the Far Fields. It puts a barrier around you to prevent you from taking damage if you’re healing and an enemy attacks you. This is super helpful since those flying enemies will constantly be after you.
Reaper Crest: I recommend having the Reaper Crest unlocked at this point. Your attacks are slow, but they’re more precise, and your dive attack is now downwards instead of at an angle!

Whenever a thorny branch shoots down near the center of the room, destroy it as soon as possible. It’s better to get that out of the way so you don’t accidentally hurt yourself or box yourself in.

It’s hard to avoid the Splinterbeaks she sends in, but I find that you can easily take them down in three hits if you take your Flea Brew and slash at them quickly before they can do their spin attack. Otherwise, try bunching the two Splinterbeaks together and taking them both out at once with your Silk Spear ability.

Near the end of the fight, Sister Splinter will shoot out multiple branches. Remember, unless you have the Weighted Belt, which keeps you in place when attacking, every time you slash at the branches, Hornet will slide backward. Push forward each time you hit so you don’t back yourself into a branch.

Get rid of them quickly, or at least enough for you to move around and dodge Sister Splinter’s attacks. They’ll all disappear once you stun her, anyway. Repeat all these steps, and you’ll get rid of her eventually.

Now that you’ve tackled Sister Splinter, you should make sure that by this point, you’ve acquired the Straight Pin tool.