'Trail's End' quest walkthrough in Hollow Knight: Silksong

The "Trail’s End" quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong is incredibly tricky, but not just because of difficult enemies and parkour this time, but because Sherlock himself would have his brains rattled by this detective challenge. Your task is to help map vendor Shakra find her master, thereby tracking her golden rings. You may be no stranger to missing maps and merchants, but even our Silksong interactive map won’t make this one easy.

Update (Dec. 9): We've added more context on how to unlock and complete this quest.

Here's how to complete the "Trail's End" quest in Hollow Knight: Silksong, along with everything you need to do to start it.

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'Trail’s End' quest location in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Remember Shakra, the map vendor? As soon as you’ve bought all of Shakra’s maps, in every region she appears, the "Trail’s End" quest will become available on the quest board in Bellhart.

Some players have reported an issue where "Trail's End" doesn't show up on the quest board. If this is the case, you may need to collect one or two "melodies" as part of the "Pharloom's Crown" main objective first. However, as "Trail's End" should normally be available before obtaining any melodies, it's best to double-check (or triple-check) Shakra's vendor locations in the picture below, and make sure you haven't missed any. The Sands of Karak map is especially easy to overlook.

You must purchase maps from Shakra in the following places:

• Bone Bottom: Near the northwestern exit of The Marrow.
• The Marrow: In the northwest.
• Deep Docks: In a vertical chamber with hanging bell weights.
• Far Fields: In a small room near the bottom of the tallest chamber on the right side.
• Hunter’s March: At the end of the lower path to the east.
• Greymoor: After entering Greymoor from Far Fields, head to the right.
• Bellhart: On the west side of the lower path of Shellwood.
• Shellwood: On the west side of the lower path.
• Worm Ways: The northeastern road (watch out for sandcarver enemies).
• Blasted Steps: The large chamber in the east.
• Sands of Karak: In a small room on the left side of the bottom of the vertical chamber.
• Mount Fay: After entering from The Slab, continue left to find Shakra.
• Sinner’s Road: Next to the bench, which is on the left side of the first vertical chamber.
• Bilewater: In a smaller room to the right, about halfway up the largest vertical chamber. You must clear the mist in Sinner's Road to reach this region.

If you miss her at any of the locations, you will be able to buy her maps or any of her goods at the other locations. You can also find her at Bone Bottom Village and Bellhart (after you've completed the "The Threadspun Town" quest).

The remaining region maps aren’t sold by Shakra, so you don’t need to obtain them to start Silksong's "Trail’s End" quest.

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'Trail’s End' quest walkthrough in Hollow Knight: Silksong

Your objective is to find Shakra by following the rings she’s dropped behind. This trail will ultimately lead you to the northeastern corner of Bilewater:

We’ll start with the shortest route to Shakra, but beware that it requires access to the road between Putrified Ducts and Bilewater. You must've reached the Putrified Ducts region and defeated Groal the Great in Bilewater to use this route. If you haven't, scroll further down for the longer route to Shakra, which starts from Bilewater Bellway Station.

Starting from the Putrified Ducts Bellway Station, drop down the large vertical chamber to the left. At the bottom of this chamber, go left again (destroy the two breakable walls if you haven’t already). At the first opportunity, drop down into Bilewater.

Glide down to the highest path on the right, leading through Groal the Great’s former boss arena, and continue east until you reach the large chamber at the end of the path. You’ll find a ring on the ground just after entering this room – you can interact with it to track Shakra.

Now, pogo across the poison blobs to reach the exit in the upper right. Keep marching on through the waterfalls – there’s no other way to go. Since this is a “secret” area, it’ll look as if you’ve gone off-map.

At the end of the path, you’ll find Shakra. When prompted to do so, use the Needolin ability to complete "Trail’s End." You've already unlocked this Silksong ability by defeating the Widow boss during the "Rite of the Pollip" quest.

If you haven’t unlocked the road between Putrified Ducts and Bilewater yet, you can start the search for Shakra from the Bilewater Bellway station instead. From there, head into the large chamber in the east and take the exit on the upper right.

In the next vertical chamber, exit in the upper left. Parkour upward, then take the next exit to the right. From here, just continue east until you reach the large room with the steep drop:

If you parkour your way up to the top right corner, you will reach the secret passage with the waterfalls, ultimately guiding you to Shakra.

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'Trail’s End' quest reward in Hollow Knight: Silksong

As a reward for completing "Trail’s End," you’ll be given the Throwing Ring, a high-impact throwable tool that bounces between enemies and surfaces. You can carry a maximum of 10 Throwing Rings at a time.

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Looking for more Silksong help? Check out our essential beginner tips and top rosary bead farming locations if you're just getting started, and if you're running up against a few locked doors, our simple key locations guide is the one for you.

While you're exploring and completing quests like the "Rite of the Pollip" wish or "Silver Bells" request, make sure to spend some time progressing the main story as well, as you'll get some upgrades that make battles easier. After "The Threadspun Town" quest, for instance, you can upgrade your needle to deal more damage.