Chasing Pollip Hearts: My Rite of the Pollip Journey in Silksong

Even in 2026, Hollow Knight: Silksong still has a way of making me feel like a lost bug in a very pretty maze. I remember stumbling into Shellwood for the first time, all confidence and no map, and then meeting Greyroot. Her request sounded simple: bring her six purple pollips. Six flowers. How hard could it be? Several wood wasp swarms, one Sister Splinter fight, and a lot of vertical pogo practice later, I learned that the Rite of the Pollip is less a stroll and more a treasure hunt designed by someone who loves hidden tunnels. If you are chasing that 100 percent achievement and the Pollip Pouch, here is the route I wish I had on my first pass.

Greyroot giving the Rite of the Pollip quest in Shellwood

Before You Pick a Single Flower

Before you accept the wish, do yourself a favor and buy the Shellwood map. I skipped it once and spent twenty minutes hugging walls. Shakra sells it for 70 Rosary, but where she appears depends on how you entered Shellwood.

  • If you arrived from the Wormways before going through Greymoor, find Shakra in Greymoor, east of the Far Fields entrance.

  • If you came from Bellhart, take the west exit from the first Shellwood bench, ride the elevator down, and use the bottom-left exit.

The Shellwood map and Shakra's shop

With the map pinned, visit Greyroot in her west-side abode. My route: head west from the east Shellwood bench, go as far left as you can in the next room, take the top-left exit, and enter the house at the end. She asks for six purple pollips. Accept the quest, and the hunt begins.

Pollip Hearts hide inside unique purple flowers. Strike each flower three times to break it and claim the heart. A few truths I learned the hard way: many hearts are guarded by wood wasps; you must defeat Sister Splinter; Cling Grip is required for the final three; and hearts can be collected in any order, but they never respawn.

A numbered overview of the six Pollip Heart locations in Shellwood

The Six Hearts, Without the Guesswork

# Where to look Requirement
1 Top-right corner of the room two exits west of Bellhart None; Cling Grip makes it faster
2 Center alcove of Shellwood's central vertical room Pogo off white flowers
3 Room after Sister Splinter's arena Defeat Sister Splinter
4 Secret tunnel below a wood wasp nest near Herrah's statue Cling Grip
5 Top of the right wall reached from the east bench's bottom-right exit Cling Grip
6 Behind a breakable vine wall near the east bench Cling Grip

1. The Wasp-Guarded Northeast Flower

This one does not need Cling Grip, though I used it anyway. Start in the room two exits west of Bellhart — the room southwest of the east bench. Climb from the left side, keep going until you reach the east wall, then follow the vines and wasps upward. The flower waits in the top-right corner. Bring a weapon you trust, because the wasps below and at the site are relentless.

The first Pollip Heart guarded by wood wasps

2. The Center Alcove Pogo Puzzle

The second heart is a pogo puzzle. Find the small vertical room in the dead center of Shellwood, reached from the top-left exit of the east bench room. Inside, a single splinterhorn keeps you company. Bounce off the white flowers to reach the pollip in the top-left corner of the center alcove. It is safe enough to practice; just do not rush the last jump.

3. The Post-Boss Flower

This one showed up naturally after Sister Splinter. After the boss fight, continue left into the next area and keep your eyes below. Two white flowers and wall growths mark the spot. Drop down and left into the small alcove.

The Pollip Heart in the room after Sister Splinter

4. The Wasp Nest Secret Tunnel

Once Cling Grip is yours, head to the room right of Herrah's statue. Instead of going right toward Bellhart, go up past the splinterbarks. The path dead-ends at a wood wasp nest beside a pool — lovely. Destroy the nest, and a secret tunnel opens downward to the heart.

Breaking the wasp nest to reveal the fourth Pollip Heart

5. The Right Wall Climb

Return to the east bench. Take the bottom-right exit, descend until you can move right, then follow platforms along the right wall. Climb the right wall when you can, and the heart is at the top. Heart five and six are practically neighbors, so order does not matter.

Climbing the right wall for the fifth Pollip Heart

6. The Hidden Vine Wall

From the east bench, jump onto the right wall and take the first exit on the right. In the next room, drop off the ledge instead of jumping to the platform, then destroy the breakable vine wall on your left. The hidden passage reveals the final flower.

The breakable vine wall hiding the sixth Pollip Heart

Turning Hearts Into Venom

Return to Greyroot once all six hearts are in your inventory. Give her the pollips and wait while she works off-screen. In return, she hands over the Pollip Pouch.

Receiving the Pollip Pouch from Greyroot

Venom adds extra ticks of damage on initial contact and another tick after a short delay. Against bosses and the wraiths in the Mist, that extra damage matters. For trap-based builds, the Pollip Pouch is basically mandatory, so getting it early is worth every wasp sting.

The Pollip Pouch applying venom to tools

Would I do it again? In 2026, with a map and Cling Grip, absolutely. The Rite of the Pollip is still one of Silksong's fussiest collect quests, but the Pollip Pouch turns a flower hunt into a real build option. Grab the map, visit Greyroot, and pack plenty of patience for those wasps. 🪲🌺⚔️

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