Hollow Knight: Silksong: Crests, Memory Lockets & Build Guide
Customize Hornet's combat mechanics by unlocking all seven Crests and expanding their colored tool slots using Memory Lockets. Visit Eva in Weavenest Atla at key slot milestones to unlock universal tool slots, Hunter Crest Focus upgrades, and the Sylphsong Ancestral Art.
Crests define Hornet's moveset, pogo strike angles, Bind cast properties, and craftable tool budgets in Pharloom. Rather than equipping generic charm notches, you customize your playstyle by unlocking tool slots across discovered Crests and choosing specialized setups at benches.
How do Memory Lockets and Crest slot upgrades work?
Spend Memory Lockets at benches to permanently unlock additional Red, Blue, and Yellow tool slots on your active Crest.
Memory Lockets are hidden in secret chests, awarded by settlement wish boards, and sold by merchants across Pharloom. Upgrades apply strictly to the specific Crest being modified. Unlocking a slot on the Wanderer Crest does not add a slot to the Reaper Crest, requiring you to collect lockets to build up each Crest layout individually.
| Crest Name | Acquisition Source | Initial Tool Slots | Fully Upgraded Tool Slots | Unique Mechanics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Crest | Default Starting Crest | 1 Red, 1 Blue, 1 Yellow | 2 Red, 2 Blue, 2 Yellow | Diagonal pogo, Focus damage stacking |
| Wanderer Crest | Purchased from Merchant | 1 Red, 0 Blue, 2 Yellow | 1 Red, 2 Blue, 3 Yellow | Classic vertical pogo, fast movement |
| Reaper Crest | Greymoor (Defeat Boss) | 2 Red, 1 Blue, 0 Yellow | 3 Red, 1 Blue, 2 Yellow | Vertical pogo, extended needle reach |
| Architect Crest | Chapel of the Architect | 3 Red, 0 Blue, 0 Yellow | 4 Red, 1 Blue, 1 Yellow | UP+BIND manual tool repair, no white skill slot |
| Witch Crest | Deliver Steel Spines to Yarnaby | 1 Red, 2 Blue, 1 Yellow | 2 Red, 3 Blue, 2 Yellow | 36-frame life-drain Bind, no normal healing |
| Beast Crest | Defeat Wild Beast Boss | 2 Red, 0 Blue, 1 Yellow | 3 Red, 1 Blue, 2 Yellow | Aggressive feral strikes, high stagger damage |
| Shaman Crest | Ruined Chapel (Act III) | 0 Slots (3 White Slots) | 0 Slots (3 White Slots) | 80-frame cast, shockwave attacks, no mid-air Bind |
What rewards does Eva in Weavenest Atla grant at slot milestones?
Visit Eva in Weavenest Atla after unlocking specific cumulative tool slot thresholds across all your discovered Crests to claim permanent universal power upgrades.
Eva tracks your total unlocked tool slots across your entire Crest collection. Reaching her milestone thresholds unlocks massive account-wide bonuses:
- 12 Slots Unlocked (Universal Yellow Slot): Grants a bonus Yellow utility slot that applies automatically across every Crest in your inventory.
- 20 Slots Unlocked (Universal Blue Slot): Grants a bonus Blue defense slot that applies across all Crests.
- 27 Slots Unlocked (Hunter Crest Focus Upgrade): Upgrades the starting Hunter Crest with a secondary Focus meter. Landing consecutive needle strikes without taking damage boosts Hornet's damage output by +35% up to +100%.
- 32 Slots Unlocked (Ancestral Art: Sylphsong): Unlocks the Sylphsong passive technique, which continuously refilling your Silk spool to maximum capacity while resting at any bench.
Do not dump all your Memory Lockets into a single Crest early. Distributing lockets across multiple Crests helps you reach Eva's 12-slot and 20-slot thresholds faster for universal tool slot bonuses.
How do advanced Crest playstyles alter combat mechanics?
Specialized Crests completely rewrite Hornet's fundamental combat mechanics, changing Bind speed, pogo angles, and tool replenishment.
The Witch Crest (Life-Drain Combat)
Acquired by purchasing Steel Spines from Benjin & Crull in Sinner's Road for 160 Rosaries and delivering them to Yarnaby in Greymoor to lift the Twisted Bud curse.
The Witch Crest disables standard passive Bind healing. Pressing Bind unleashes root tendrils that drain health directly from surrounding enemies. It cuts casting time from 72 frames down to 36 frames, but missing nearby targets results in zero health restored and a wasted Silk spool.
The Architect Crest (Manual Benchless Tool Repair)
Unlocked by purchasing the Architect's Key from the Twelfth Architect above the Underworks Cauldron and clearing the Chapel of the Architect.
This Crest features heavy Red weapon slots but completely lacks a white Silk Skill slot. Its unique ability allows Hornet to hold UP while pressing BIND to spend Silk and Shell Shards, manually replenishing tool charges anywhere without needing to sit at a bench.
The Shaman Crest (Pure Spellcaster Build)
Found in Act III by traveling to the far right of the Ruined Chapel in Moss Grotto and using Silk Soar to break hidden walls.
The Shaman Crest replaces normal needle swings with slow, forward-moving shockwaves and features three white Silk Skill slots. It disables mid-air binding and increases ground Bind casting time to 80 frames. Attempting to heal off the ground fails without refunding Silk, creating an advanced high-risk spellcaster playstyle.
For intense boss fights, the Witch Crest paired with Pimpillo bombs lets you execute 36-frame life-drain bursts right next to stunned bosses while dealing continuous explosive damage.
Where do I find Memory Lockets?
Memory Lockets are found inside hidden weave chests, purchased from merchants in Bone Bottom and Citadel settlements, and awarded for completing settlement Wish boards.
Why does the Architect Crest have no white slot?
The Architect Crest trades away native Silk Skills to grant extra Red tool slots and the manual UP+BIND tool repair mechanic.
How do I reach Weavenest Atla to visit Eva?
Weavenest Atla is accessed by traveling through the upper weave shafts of Greymoor using the Wall Cling skill.