The Slab Walkthrough

So you’ve found yourself in bug jail AKA the Slab in Hollow Knight: Silksong. While you might be able to accidentally discover this area in your travels, the more likely scenario is you got kidnapped by a big ugly fly with a cage on its back. Getting out of here is no easy task, especially if you’re as naked as the day you were hatched, but it’s not impossible. This guide will walk you through how to find your stolen gear and fight your way out of the Slab.

This walkthrough covers the initial discovery and exploration of The Slab. There is more to this area than can be traversed during your first visit, including a secret boss fight and other upgrades - we've included these in thePutrified Ducts Walkthroughas the region contains the key needed to access the rest of The Slab.

Jump to a section:

• How to Get Captured
• How to Escape the Slab
  • Locate the Key of Indolent
  • Locate the Key of Heretic
• Reach the Bellway

How to Get Thrown in The Slab

While a normal person would want to avoid going to jail, it's actually very easy to miss an encounter that can get you captured, and therefore there's a good chance you'll miss out on a very interesting sequence in Hollow Knight: Silksong. You can always approach The Slab once you reach The Citadel in Act 2, as its main entrance is located west of the Choral Chambers, but you won't be able to recreate the challenge of breaking out of prison this way. Thankfully, even if you do miss out, you won't miss out on any items, as they can still be gained entering The Slab normally.

After you've unlocked the Cling Grip ability in Shellwood, certain rooms in Pharloom will sometimes become home to a large brutish bug called a Wardenfly, who can easily be identified by the large cage they carry around. Some of their attacks will attempt to slam the cage down on you, and if successful, will seal you away before carrying you off to The Slab.

Go To Map

Pharloom Map

The locations you can stumble across the Wardenflies include:

• Deep Docks - There is a high room in the far northeast corner of the region, directly above the upper path to Far Fields that houses a bench room, and just below the brief diversion into Hunter's March. The room is at the top of a ledge you'll need to use the Cling Grip to get up, and is otherwise empty.
• Bilewater - In the lower area of Bilewater, which you can reach by traveling through Sinner's Road, head to the right of the large poison-filled chasm that you can't ascend without a double jump. There's an opening along the ceiling in the room beyond leading to a long path with a pit of poison to the left, and the Wardenfly off to the right on a high ledge.
• Greymoor - Once you've reached The Citadel and begun Act 2 (but before you've located The Slab's front entrance) you can return to the area just outside the Greymoor Bellway that is usually home to a Dreg Catcher and Thread Raker. A Wardenfly will set up camp here instead.

How to Escape the Slab

Assuming you were kidnapped by the bug with a cage, you’ll awaken in the Slab with no items on you - not even your signature red cloak. Press any button multiple times to break out of the cage after which you’ll drop down to a platform below.

No items really means no items! Without her weapon, all Hornet can do is a extremely low damage kick, and without her cloak you will be unable to slowfall, or make use of any of your Crests or Tools. You also can't fast travel until you find a new Bellway. At the very least, Hornet still has access to a few innate abilities including the Cling Grip and Swift Step, so make us of what little you have!

From where you land, you'll notice two ledges to the left and right. On the right is a locked door marked with "Apostate", while the doorway on the left leads to another locked door marked "Heretic". These refer to specific keys you will need to find to open more paths in this prison.

Go all the way down and exit this room through an opening on the left. In this second room, you’ll see a locked door marked "Indolent", which you also won’t have on hand. Instead, step back and jump up and attack the breakable stone ceiling to open a new passage. Wall jump your way up to the floor above and spring through this path, making sure to avoid the traps that will spring up from the floor. Then jump up into the opening above.

= Locate the Key of Indolent

In the next room, go left and you’ll see a group of bugs in the floor above you; they’ll be holding your belongings. You can’t attack them at this point so continue going left until you exit the room.

It's snowing outside so you can’t stay outdoors for too long without taking damage. Move quick. and drop down until you find a door on the right leading you back inside. Here you can either choose to fight your way through the larger Penitent and smaller flying Puny Penitent, or just run past them instead until you can drop down into the next area.

Given your kicks do little damage, it's better to avoid direct fights for now. Keep heading right to find another locked door requiring the Indolent Key, and drop down into the pit.

In the next room, you’ll see Grindle and a gate to your right and an opening on the left. Run left while avoiding floor traps again. At the end of this hall you’ll see the glowing Indolent Key hanging on a chain but be careful: as soon as you grab the key, two enemies will spawn on either side of you. Again, you can try to fight them off (or luring them into the floor traps in the passage) but we recommend just grabbing the key and running back to the gate on the right. Open it then leave the area.

Key of Indolent

In the next room, you'll be in a main hall with a lower platform patrolled by a lanky Guardfly. Jump across while staying out of the way to reach the opening on the other side (You can also travel upward to find debris along the ceiling you can kick open to create a shortcut back to the room where you started. In the room on the right, you'll find Grindle and a bench right beside him.

From the bench, check the wall on the right to find a hidden path where you can find a map of this area carved on a bug husk (in true prison break fashion), which will make things a lot easier until you can get your belongings back. After acquiring the map, leave the area by exiting left.

In the next room, make your way down past the guard to the bottom floor, where you'll find a floor lock bearing the mark of "Heretic". There are exits in both directions, take the left one first.

Locate the Key of Heretic

Avoid the guard by taking the upper path and sprinting over a trap to continue left toward a doorway. When you enter the open cell, you'll find a poor Lost Flea has been locked away in a hanging cage. Free him!

The Slab Lost Flea 1

Return back to the main hall, and this time head to the right. Note that as you enter the hall, you can find a second open doorway to enter. The room seems empty, but if you play your Needolin, a very Old Pentitent will emerge that you can converse with.

Continue down the hall and use the Indolent Key again to open the locked gate. Be prepared because once you step into this next section, you’ll HAVE to fight a few fly enemies before you can continue further.

Thankfully, if you don't feel like spending a long time kicking, you can instead use the Slab's traps to your advantage. There are three sets of rail tracks with a pressure plate under each, and stepping on one will cause a spinning blade trap to move along the rail. With the right timing and dodging, you can lure the Scabflies and Guardflies right into the blades, while avoiding the traps yourself!

After the enemies are killed, exit through the door on your right. You’ll end up in an area where you can only wall jump to make your way to the top, otherwise you’ll fall into the pit of spikes below. This might be pretty challenging if your wall jump skills aren’t the greatest so be prepared to be patient in this section (thankfully, this side of The Slab's exterior is not beset by frozen winds) . When needing to cross over to the other side to keep going, use your dash ability to make the jump as it gives you an extra bit of boost.

The Slab Hidden Path 1

Once you've neared the top, look for a small ledge high on the left next to a hanging cage, and kick the rock walls to find a secret path back inside.

Carefully slide down the crevice to find a ledge on the left (don't slide all the way down), and carefully move left to find a dead bug holding a Frayed Rosary String. Just below, you can find a path leading to another wall to destroy to open a second shortcut back to the first prison room.

At the top of the first exterior room, you find some Silk spindles in the corner to put towards healing if needed, and then climb up above.

This next area is once again buffeted by freezing winds, so you’ll need to move quickly to avoid damage from the cold, especially if you’re already low on health. Thankfully, there are several fiery lamps you can rest at that keep the cold at bay.

Continue running left while occasionally stopping next to the fire lamps to prevent yourself from freezing. You’ll eventually reach a fire lamp next to a locked door with a switch on the other side.

To bypass it, return back to the right past the last fiery lamp, and wall jump up to continue left. Avoid the sleeping or patrolling guards, which you can do by taking a higher route. Note that there's also a frozen corpse holding another Frayed Rosary String, if you have enough time to grab it before dropping down.

Dodge the last patrolling guard by dashing over his head, and fall down by the twisting spires to find another fiery lamp on the other side of the locked door where you can drop down back into the prison. Be sure to hit the lever to unlock the door before you go.

Once you’re inside, you’ll see a sign for a bench. Drop down and go left to find the bench. Rest and save!

From the bench, go right and drop down to the level below and go left. You’ll find yourself directly above the bugs who are holding your belongings hostage. Drop down to reclaim your stuff but get ready to fight off the enemies that remain - but at least you’ll have your weapons this time.

Hornet will dispatch the leader like Batman pouncing on unsuspecting criminals. For the rest, you'll have to deal with a lone Guardfly, followed by a lone Wardenfly, A Guardfly flanked by two Scabflies, a swarm of four Scabflies, and then finally a Wardenfly and Guardfly team. You'll be stuck with the Hunter Crest and Thread Storm, but as long as your patient you can dodge the sticky goop they spit at you, and dance in between the smaller flies to take them all out with a well-placed Thread Storm.

Once you’ve killed all the enemies, you’ll earn the Key of Heretic.

Key of Heretic

Exit to your right to rest at the bench, save and equip your preferred Crest and Tools while you’re here. Afterwards, go right to use the Key of Heretic to open the locked door and exit the area.

Reach the Prison Bellway

In the next area, you’ll find yourself where you first awoke in the Slab. Drop down again, but remember that you can go left again and this time use the Indolent Key to find the first locked door you encountered here. Open it then drop down into the area below, then exit right.

Drop down until you find another lock along the floor, and then use the Key of Heretic to open it. This will reveal an abandoned elevator shaft you can drop down again and activate the switch on your left after passing through a broken lift, then drop to the level below you and go left into the next area.

At the bottom, you'll find another sealed floor hatch that can't be opened during your first visit. To the right is where you'd enter The Slab from its main entrance in Act 2, but if you were captured, you can't exit this way. Instead, keep going left into a much larger room.

Travel across to the far side of the room defeating a Guardfly, and jump over the sign for the Bellway for the moment. Past it, you'll find another Guardfly watching over an object hanging in a cage. Break it, and you'll find a Shard Bundle.

When you turn back, look for several hanging cages above, and use your Cling Grip to wall-jump up the left before dashing right between the cages and aggressive Drapeflies to find a small open ceiling hatch.

In the small crawlspace above, watch out for a Drapemite and a few traps as you sprint left to find another exterior area. Outside, quickly wall-jump upward to the top of this room, and you'll find your one big upgrade to collect during your escape -- a Spool Fragment!

The Slab Spool Fragment

Return back the way you came, and jump back down toward the sign for the Bellway. Jump down into this area.

Once in the tunnel, go left then drop down and go right, fighting the Penitent enemies and flies that pop up. The cells here are separated by rusty gates you can break with your weapon. At the end of this path you’ll see another lock but this will require the Apostate key, which you don’t have. Drop down then go left and drop down again.

Down in the room below, you can look to the right to find a small area with one last Bench to rest at. Off to the left, you'll finally locate the Bellway, which you can use to fast travel out of the Slab.

Congrats, jailbird! Enjoy your newfound freedom! If you haven't already, now is probably a good time to take the path up to the Citadel proper, either ascending the main path up the Blasted Steps, or taking the alternate route up through Sinner's Road to The Mist that surrounds an Organ Exhaust.

Note that if you keep heading left, you'll find a path to a frigid region known as Mount Fay. However, to properly traverse this area, you'll need to scour the Citadel during Act 2 and gain the Clawline Ability.

As we mentioned before, there's more to The Slab than just breaking out. However, the rest of the region is behind locked doors requiring the Apostate Key, something you'll only be able to find late in Act 2 on the opposite side of the Citadel. Because of this, we'll cover everything you can unlock with the Apostate Key during out Putrified Ducts Walkthrough.

Escape The Slab

The Slab Checklist
Key Items Collected
Key of Indolent	Key of Heretic
Lost Fleas Found	Spool Fragments
The Slab Lost Flea 1	The Slab Spool Fragment

Up Next: Grand Gate Walkthrough

PreviousThe Mist WalkthroughNextGrand Gate Walkthrough

Top Guide Sections

• Differences and New Features
• Essential Tips and Tricks
• Walkthrough
• Boss Guides and Boss Order

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