All Pollip Heart Locations in Hollow Knight: Silksong – A Comprehensive Guide to the Rite of the Pollip Quest

Embarking on quests in the vibrant and perilous world of Hollow Knight: Silksong is a core element of the player’s journey. Among these, the Rite of the Pollip quest, initiated by the enigmatic Greyroot in Shellwood, presents a unique challenge that requires careful exploration and mastery of newly acquired abilities. While the quest’s premise seems straightforward – collecting Pollip Hearts from specific purple blooms – their elusive nature and the intricate pathways leading to them demand a detailed understanding of Shellwood’s geography and mechanics. This guide aims to provide an exhaustive walkthrough, ensuring players can locate all the necessary Pollip Hearts efficiently and claim the quest’s valuable reward.

The initial encounter with Greyroot, situated in the lower-left quadrant of Shellwood, sets players on a path that, while accessible early on, necessitates a significant power-up before its completion. The core of the quest revolves around the acquisition of Pollip Hearts, which are found within distinctive purple blooms. However, these blooms are not readily available. The prerequisite for accessing these vital quest items lies in overcoming a formidable boss within the Shellwood area: Sister Splinter.

Defeating Sister Splinter and Unlocking Cling Grip: The Gateway to Pollip Hearts

The first crucial step in undertaking the Rite of the Pollip quest is to confront and defeat Sister Splinter. This boss resides in a challenging locale within Shellwood. To find her, players must navigate upwards and to the right from Greyroot’s initial location. The path leads to the extreme right edge of Shellwood. From this point, the player’s ascent begins, twisting upwards and to the left. The exact position of Sister Splinter is strategically placed to ensure players have a thorough understanding of Shellwood’s verticality and a degree of combat proficiency before proceeding.

Upon defeating Sister Splinter, players are rewarded with access to a new area. Within this newly revealed space, a pivotal ability is unlocked: Cling Grip. This mechanic, allowing for enhanced wall-jumping capabilities, is absolutely indispensable for reaching the locations of the Pollip Hearts. Without Cling Grip, many of the purple blooms will remain tantalizingly out of reach, making the quest impossible to complete. Therefore, mastering and utilizing Cling Grip is the immediate priority after the boss encounter.

Understanding the Purple Blooms: Identifying the Source of Pollip Hearts

Greyroot’s cryptic instruction to “seek out the purple blooms” is the primary directive for players once they possess the Cling Grip ability. These blooms are the singular source of the Pollip Hearts required for the quest. The visual cues for their presence are subtle yet distinct: small purple flowers often found clinging to walls, and areas characterized by drifting purple petals in the air. The presence of either of these indicators strongly suggests that a purple bloom containing a Pollip Heart is nearby.

The purple blooms themselves are substantial, vibrant purple flowers firmly attached to the environment. Typically, only one purple bloom will be present in any given area or chamber. To extract the Pollip Heart, players must engage the bloom with their Needle. A series of strikes will cause the bloom to rupture, releasing a Pollip Heart onto the ground. This dropped item is marked by a distinct purple glow, signifying its collectible nature. Interacting with this glowing remnant allows the player to successfully gather the Pollip Heart.

Navigating Shellwood: A Detailed Map and Location Breakdown for All Pollip Hearts

To facilitate the collection process, we have meticulously mapped out the locations of all six Pollip Hearts. These are indicated by yellow arrows on the provided map, allowing for easy reference. It is important to note that players are not required to collect the Pollip Hearts in any specific numerical order. The following detailed descriptions will guide you to each of the six locations, ensuring no Pollip Heart is missed.

Pollip Heart #1: Proximity to Shellwood’s Entrance

The first Pollip Heart is conveniently located near one of Shellwood’s entrances, specifically the one situated in the bottom-right portion of the area. While geographically close to an entry point, its accessibility is gated by the need for Cling Grip. To reach the platform where this purple bloom resides, players must utilize their newly acquired wall-jumping prowess. Ascend the wall on the top-right of the adjacent room. Once on the elevated platform, the purple bloom will be clearly visible. Strike it with your Needle to release the Pollip Heart and collect it.

Pollip Heart #2: Early Shellwood Exploration

This second Pollip Heart is also found in the earlier sections of Shellwood, accessible without immediate reliance on Cling Grip in the room directly to the left of the main entrance. Players should traverse all the way to the left of this chamber. From there, ascend the platforms available, and then proceed to the right. A series of interconnected platforms will lead players upward, culminating in the discovery of the purple bloom containing the Pollip Heart. As with all others, a few strikes from the Needle will yield the desired item.

Pollip Heart #3: The Challenging Flower Bounce Puzzle

The third Pollip Heart presents a more intricate navigational challenge, requiring players to master a unique platforming mechanic. This location is characterized by a series of white flowers that act as bouncing platforms. To ascend, players must jump towards these flowers and, while airborne, press down and the attack button simultaneously. This action triggers a downward swing of the Needle, propelling the player upwards with significant force, allowing them to reach the next bouncing flower. This sequence must be repeated until the player gains enough altitude to reach the purple bloom.

While it might be tempting to hold the jump button to extend airtime and glide between flowers, a more consistent approach involves executing the downward bounce attack rhythmically. Overthinking the trajectory or relying on extended glides can lead to miscalculations and falls. Finding a steady attack pace and chaining the bounces efficiently is the key to successfully navigating this puzzle and securing the Pollip Heart.

Pollip Heart #4: The Vertical Platforming Gauntlet

The fourth purple bloom bearing a Pollip Heart is situated in close proximity to the area where Sister Splinter was defeated and Cling Grip was acquired. The path to this particular Pollip Heart can be described as a straightforward vertical platforming puzzle, demanding precise wall-jumping. Head upwards and then move all the way to the left. From a specific ledge, drop down and immediately transition rightwards to find the purple bloom. This section tests the player’s ability to quickly transition between wall jumps and horizontal movement.

Pollip Heart #5: Deep Within Shellwood’s Core

This fifth Pollip Heart is located deeper within Shellwood, in the central hub of the area. It is conveniently accessible shortly after obtaining the fourth Pollip Heart. To reach its location, players must ascend the walls on the far left side of the central room, as if preparing to exit to the right. Approximately halfway up the room’s height, move leftwards. A section of the wall will be adorned with purple flowers. Utilize Cling Grip to slide down this wall, holding left. This maneuver will lead to a hidden platform where the purple bloom awaits. Strike it to collect its precious Pollip Heart.

Pollip Heart #6: Bellhart’s Hidden Passage and the Vine Wall

The final Pollip Heart requires venturing into the adjacent area of Bellhart. To access Bellhart, players must exit Shellwood from the top-right, a path that is also to the right of where Sister Splinter was defeated. Once in the upper sections of Bellhart, players must carefully descend, avoiding the formidable bell bugs that patrol the area. After navigating the significant drops, proceed all the way to the left. Here, a concealed passage will be found. This passage leads back into Shellwood, but it opens up an area previously inaccessible.

Within this newly accessible section of Shellwood, players will encounter a platforming sequence involving spikes. Focus on traversing the lower parts of this spiked area. You will eventually discover a vine wall adorned with purple flowers. Approach this wall, jump towards it, and destroy the vines. Behind the destructible vines lies the final purple bloom, ready to yield its Pollip Heart. This location emphasizes the interconnectedness of the game’s world and the rewards of thorough exploration.

The Rite of the Pollip Reward: The Pollip Pouch Charm

Once all six Pollip Hearts have been successfully gathered, the final step of the quest is to return to Greyroot. This can be done by navigating back to its original location in the bottom-left of Shellwood, as indicated on the map. Upon speaking with Greyroot twice, a trade will occur, exchanging the collected Pollip Hearts for a significant reward: the Pollip Pouch.

The Pollip Pouch is a highly valuable charm that can be equipped in one of the available blue slots. Its primary function is to imbue the player’s tools with a poison effect. This means that when players strike enemies with their designated tools, those enemies will suffer from a persistent poison damage over time. In practical terms, this translates to additional passive damage dealt to foes after an initial hit.

It is crucial to understand that the Pollip Pouch’s poison effect applies specifically to tools, not the player’s primary weapon, the Needle. Therefore, while your regular Needle attacks are potent offensive maneuvers, they will not trigger the poison effect. To enhance the effectiveness of your Needle, players will need to seek out Pinmaster Plinney, the NPC responsible for upgrading the Needle and other weaponry, further expanding your offensive capabilities. The Pollip Pouch therefore serves as an excellent supplementary damage source, particularly effective against tougher enemies and bosses who may require sustained pressure. Its acquisition marks a significant power boost for players navigating the increasingly challenging environments of Hollow Knight: Silksong.