Bagging the Speedrunner trophy in Silksong isn’t exactly a walk in the park. The community often ranks it right up there with the brutal Steel Soul and Cursed achievements. The challenge? Finish the entire game in less than five hours. It sounds like a tall order, but trust me, with a solid route and the right priorities, any determined player can pull it off. It's all about knowing exactly where to go, which items to snag, and when to hit the gas and skip the optional fluff. This guide lays out the optimal speedrun route, step after step, leading Hornet from the Moss Grotto all the way to the final showdown with Grand Mother Silk. Just remember the golden rule of any speedrun: dying chews up the clock like crazy thanks to the long backtrack to your cocoon, so keep your cool and stay frosty.

First things first, the run kicks off in the linear tunnels of the Moss Grotto. Hornet moves through this area, takes down the Moss Mother without any fuss, and presses on to reach the gloomy expanse of Bone Bottom. From there, she hangs a sharp right to enter The Marrow. A shortcut door gets opened, then it’s a quick right and an upward squeeze through a gap in the ceiling. Once she’s topside, a leftward trek brings her face-to-face with Shakra, and then it’s up and left again to pop back into the upper portion of the Moss Grotto.

The next objective is freeing the Bell Beast. Hornet uses her trusty Silkspear to cut it loose, then quickly subdues the creature to keep things moving. With the beast dealt with, she scales the area above Shakra, navigates two rooms to the right, and then ascends into a small gauntlet packed with Skarr enemies. It’s a brief but hectic fight—stay nimble and don’t get greedy. Optionally, a quick detour can be made by dropping down below Shakra’s spot to meet the Forge Daughter, but true speedrunners often give that a miss. What isn’t optional is using the Swift Step ability to leap up and activate a lever, which swings open the boss door leading to the first major duel: Lace. With that gate unlocked, Hornet continues rightward through the windswept Far Fields, drops down a central chamber full of wind funnels, and finds the exit tucked away in the bottom-right corner.

After looping back from the Seamstress’ hut, Hornet faces the eerie Fourth Chorus on her return to that central funnel room. Then it’s all leftward momentum, making a beeline for the Halfway House. A bench here is a lifeline—take a seat and catch your breath. Once refreshed, Hornet goes left through the crumbling ruins of Greymoor until she hits the bottom‑left corner and squares off against Moorwing. Defeating this boss opens the path to Bellhart and, further left, the lush labyrinth of Shellwood.

Shellwood demands some nimble platforming. In the very first room, Hornet loops left, ascends to the right, then doubles back left again. The next room involves a drop, then a quick climb to unlock the central Bench. This bench is a crucial checkpoint, so don’t skip it. Continuing left reveals an elevator—ride it down, go left, and you’ll find a towering room blanketed in white flowers. Use these blossoms to climb skyward, then head right to unlock another elevator shortcut that zips you down to the central Bench. From there, Hornet goes right again, threads through the room, and takes the top‑left exit to confront Sister Splinter.

Boom—Sister Splinter goes down. After the fight, Hornet loops around the central pillar to the top‑left side of the room, hits a cluster of white flowers, and executes a precise jump sequence (left, then right) to reach the exit above the room’s entrance. In the next chamber, the ever‑useful Cling Grip skill awaits via a Weaver statue. Once that’s in the bag, the route swings back to the central Bench. From there, Hornet climbs up and to the right, wall‑climbing with her fresh Cling Grip into the Bellway tunnels above Bellhart. An optional stop here could be freeing Bellhart and visiting Pinmaster Plinney’s hut at the top level, but efficient runners often skip the chit‑chat.

With Widow defeated (yes, she shows up around this point), Hornet pushes to the tippy‑top of Shellwood’s left side and steps into the Blasted Steps. A mixed bag of movement skills is needed here—dashing, clinging, and sprinting through the gauntlet until a bench appears at the zone’s summit. A quick pit stop, then Hornet goes right to the Citadel entrance and throws down with The Last Judge. Toppling this boss kicks off Act 2.

Now things get seriously crafty. Hornet drops into the Underworks, navigating the dark passages to re‑enter the Choral Chambers. She heads up, follows a gently sloping long hallway to the right, then takes the top‑left exit in the next room. A full vertical climb leads to a bench in the far top‑left corner of the Choral Chambers—another precious save point. Just to the right of that bench sits the Cogwork Dancers boss fight. Beating them grants the Pharloom’s Crown quest, tasking Hornet with hunting down the three pieces of the Threefold Melody.

From the Cogwork Dancers’ arena, Hornet moves right to unlock Songclave at the First Shrine, in the far top‑right of the Choral Chambers. She then backtracks to the White Key elevator, unlocks it, and blasts through the Whiteward until its bottom‑right exit spills her into The Cauldron. An optional but highly recommended detour is to enter the Whispering Vaults via the Cogwork Core (accessible by dropping below the Cogwork Dancers boss arena). By heading to the top‑right and hitting a lever to open the large wheel gate, Hornet can descend, take the first left exit, and climb to the top‑left of that room. There she unlocks a shortcut back to the Choral Chambers and snags a Pale Oil, which eventually leads to a second Needle upgrade—a massive damage boost that saves minutes later on.

Another optional (but oh‑so‑tempting) side trip is to Mount Fay. Hornet can enter The Slab from the left side of the Choral Chambers, go down, and tackle the climb to the top of Mount Fay. The prize is the Faydown Cloak, which grants a double jump. This ability is an absolute game‑changer and slashes time off complex platforming segments. If you’re feeling confident you can nab it without blowing the 5‑hour limit, use the Clawline to enter the zone left of The Slab Bellway. Otherwise, stay focused on the main path.

Back in the Whispering Vaults’ central main room, the bottom‑left exit leads to The Stage. Hornet unlocks the shortcut back to the Choral Chambers, rests at the Grand Bellway bench, and then faces the flamboyant Trobbio. After that flashy fight, the exit in the bottom‑right of the boss arena drops her straight into the Underworks. Here, she pushes to the top‑right, re‑emerging in the Whispering Vaults to collect the Sacred Cylinder. A few rooms above this newly‑acquired item, she finds Vaultkeeper Cardinius. Handing over the Sacred Cylinder unlocks the Vaultkeeper Melody—one third of the Threefold Melody down.

The second piece is tucked away in the Cogwork Core. From the Cogwork Dancers’ arena, Hornet drops down and loops to the top‑right side of that room. Using the Clawline, she grapples onto a hook and rides around before taking the top‑left exit into the upper half of the Cogwork Core. Careful platforming leads to the top‑left side, where solving the Architect puzzle awards the Architect Melody.

The final piece demands real precision. From the bench in the top‑left side of the Choral Chambers, Hornet uses the Clawline to grapple upward into the High Halls. This spike‑riddled zone requires fluid use of the Drifter’s Cloak and Clawline in tandem. She makes her way to the bottom‑right side of the subzone, rests at a bench, then heads left to enter the High Halls Gauntlet. Surviving this brutal challenge earns her the Conductor’s Melody from Conductor Ballador.

All three melodies in hand, Hornet returns to the Cogwork Dancers’ boss room and plays the complete Threefold Melody for the ancient statues. An elevator descends, lifting her to a rematch with Lace. This fight is tougher and faster, but the strategy remains the same: stay aggressive and punish every opening. Beating Lace grants passage upward into The Cradle.

From here, it’s a straight shot to the very top layer of The Cradle. Hornet faces the final boss, Grand Mother Silk, in a climactic battle of silk and song. Keep your head in the game, dodge the relentless attacks, and land your hits whenever there’s a crack in her defense. Once the old arachnid falls, the credits roll and—if the timer reads under 5 hours—that sweet Speedrunner trophy pops. It’s a rush like no other, and with this route etched into your muscle memory, you’ll be joining the speedrunning elite in no time. Just remember to breathe, stay loose, and let the silk carry you home.

Once the credits roll and that Speedrunner trophy is safely in your collection, the natural next step is diving into other speedrunning categories or hunting down new games to master. Every extra title in your library means more routes to learn, more bosses to conquer, and more personal records to chase—so it pays to grab the cheapest steam keys around. DealNest makes it easy to stretch your budget, letting you pick up fresh challenges without burning a hole in your pocket.

With a fuller library at your disposal, you can keep sharpening those skills you've developed here—whether it's perfecting Hornet's Clawline flicks or reading a boss's tells mid-fight—all while keeping your wallet happy and your focus squarely on the next finish line.