After defeating Lace in Hollow Knight Silksong, you’ll find yourself venturing into a region far more hostile than any you’ve encountered so far. This area is dominated by pools of lava, shifting platforms, and erratic updrafts that, if misused, will fling Hornet into the void, or worse, strip away your hard-earned currency. Navigating this treacherous zone requires not just careful platforming but also an upgrade to your traversal abilities. That is where the Flexible Spines Silksong quest fits in, the low-key one that reveals massive mobility potential that is central to reaching farther into Pharloom's more threatening regions. The quest begins with an obvious hurdle: even to try to use the updrafts, you first must learn how to navigate them safely. Near the lava region, you will also have a tiny but inconspicuous hut with a Seamstress NPC. It is a significant NPC for Hornet's development since it allows you to construct a faster and cleaner cloak, and a catch is added. You will be required to collect 25 Spine Cores spread around the region beforehand to make this upgrade feasible. Searching for the Seamstaff Walk through the gigantic, sleeping robot with boulder-encrusted spines to initiate the Silksong Flexible Spines quest.

The robot is not aggressive itself, but a taste of things to come: enemies and hazards that normally exist in this zone are ever so slightly more aggro than they used to be. Clear the area around it, and you'll notice a tiny wooden shack precariously near the updrafts. Within, the Seamstress discusses the issue: your cloak is not currently sufficient to ride the wind streams, preventing your access to higher terrain or returning with force. Her fix is easy in construction but takes effort: gather 25 Spine Cores, and she will construct a better cloak to support Hornet in flight for longer periods.
This ability is not only great for surfing updrafts but for mobility in general since it allows you to brake your fall, cover larger gaps, and get to platforms that you were otherwise unable to reach. The Flexible Spines quest is thus both a requirement and an opportunity to add depth to your mobility set in Silksong. Spine Core Farming
The first step to completing the Flexible Spines Silksong quest is obtaining Spine Cores, which are obtained from some of the minor floating creatures within the lava landscape. They are round and on them wherever there are spikes, and thus have a unique appearance and name aptness. Though their spikes appear threatening, they are easy to control. You can attack them even when their spikes are extended, though their explosive attacks continue to be dangerous if you are not careful. The defeated enemies will drop their spikes to the ground. The spines will be buried in the ground, and firing these spines causes them to drop a Spine Core. Remember that some of the spikes will drop in places that are inaccessible or dangerous, so precise aiming of the Hornet before attacking is necessary. This introduces a small puzzle element to combat: not only must you kill the enemies, but also collect all of the cores that drop. The best farming route is linear.

Go straight from the Seamstress hut and into the little cave system right next to the lava zone. This will take you to an open grassy space well above the lava, along with further updrafts and Spine Core-spawning animals. You can then systematically take out the air spike beasts, collect the cores, and get back to the Seammoth to heal at a nearby bench. This restores both your health and silk, making it easy enough to continue the process until all 25 cores are collected. With patience and slow motion, all 25 Spine Cores are gathered within minutes. The game does not make gathering boring: after the quantity of cores is gathered, the enemy no longer releases them, which shows that the task is complete. This experience conditions players into combining combat, exploration, and senses-awareness, skills required in harder combat later in Silksong.
Back to the Seamstress Your supplier of the full set of 25 Spine Cores returns to the Seamstress. The return journey is routine, but the Lava Zone remains dangerous. Take your time around environmental dangers, such as rolling boulders and lethal updrafts, which will make Hornet trip. Show the cores to the Seamlass, and she will create the upgraded cloak halfway through the Flexible Spines mission. This cloak-like power manifests in usefulness immediately.
With the jump button continuously held down, Hornet can now hang in mid-air for a couple of seconds. This power turns travel into an entirely new thing, particularly over regions of updraft that previously could not be traversed. You can ride air currents to high platforms, glide across huge chasms, and drop softly into regions that previously promised catastrophic damage. Flexible Spines cloak isn't merely a convenience, though - it's an absolute necessity for navigating zones like Deep Docks, where vertical travel is paramount. Practical Applications The upgraded cloak basically changes your way of interacting with Pharloom's vertical sections. Updrafts, which were in the way before and presented a threat, are now transformed into reliable ways to climb. Combined with Hornet's regular movement behaviors and Faydown Cloak's double jump, this addition makes it viable to switch fluently through sections that used to require meticulous platforming.
Also, the floating of the cloak above the air is invaluable regarding combat in layered vertical arenas. Enemies attacking from ground level or high positions are fought with greater security because Hornet can remain afloat as it looks for peril. The utilization of the cloak isn't merely for naked roaming; it determines the manner in which players strategically approach fighting, environmental obstacles, and even sneaky stalking.

Going Back to Previously Blocked Areas After the completion of the Flexible Spines Silksong quest, one of the first areas that you can go back to is the Deep Docks. Previously, the lower area of the docks was blocked due to the fact that it was an environmental hazard. With your current cloak upgrade, however, you are now able to climb up through whirls and weave through lava flows to reach platforms that were otherwise blocked off. But discretion is always the better part of valour: the area is filled with foes and danger who take advantage of Hornet's higher mobility. As happens, the giant robot that you defeated earlier also returns to being active. The fight can be managed with your new cloak, but requires your new flying power as well as regular combat skills. The Flexible Spines upgrade gives you everything you require to get through without a hitch, turning what used to be a time-wasting annoyance into an overcomable obstacle.
Conclusion The core Flexible Spins goal in Hollow Knight Silksong looks remarkably straightforward from afar. While the true goal is actually just collecting 25 Spine Cores, rewards greatly improve Hornet's exploration and mobility. Seamless' enhanced cloak enables longer gliding in the air, effective surfing on updrafts, and safe passage through vertical and treacherous zones. By finishing this quest, the player not only gains a working addition but also a tangible sense of advancement. It demonstrates Silksong's game design principle: exploration, combat, and environmental interaction are converging. The quest teaches the players to be patient, precise, and use the abilities strategically, setting them up for more difficult battles in the following areas. Whether hopping over lava zones, dodging projectile-firing foes, or wading through previously inaccessible locations, the Flexible Spines Silksong upgrade remains an important addition to Hornet's toolkit. Quest completion introduces yet another element of vertical traversal and enables greater levels of exploration complexity before finally demonstrating how much of a difference such a plain upgrade can have in Hollow Knight Silksong.
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