Silksong double jump: how to unlock the Faydown Cloak and what changes
The Silksong double jump is one of the most anticipated traversal upgrades in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and it lives behind a clear set of prerequisites. Hornet cannot learn the ability at the start of the game, and it is not dropped by a common enemy or tucked into a side chest. The double jump arrives only after you have already invested time in Act 2 platforming, and unlocking it opens up a lot of the vertical space that felt intentionally out of reach during your first run through Pharloom.
This guide focuses on the practical question most players ask: how do you actually get the silksong double jump, and what should you bring with you before you try. It is written around the verified unlock path that the official community wiki documents for the Faydown Cloak, with notes on prerequisites, common mistakes, and what the ability changes once you have it.
What the Silksong double jump actually is
In Silksong, the double jump is not a baseline movement tool. It is a piece of equipment called the Faydown Cloak, which functions as one of Hornet’s Ancestral Arts. Mechanically it works like the Monarch Wings in the first Hollow Knight: it gives you a second jump in mid-air, layered on top of your standard pogo and dash options. That second jump is what players mean when they talk about the “silksong double jump” in forum threads and patch notes.
Because the Faydown Cloak is classified as an Ancestral Art, it sits in the same progression track as the Clawline, the Swift Step, and other major traversal tools. You do not stack it with another cloak. You equip it, and the double jump replaces the previous cloak behavior in your moveset until you switch back. This is the same design pattern the original game used for the Crystal Heart and Isma’s Tear, so the design intent is familiar even if the specific cloak is new.
Prerequisites before you attempt the unlock
You cannot climb Mount Fay and grab the Faydown Cloak on a fresh save. The unlock path has a hard dependency on another Ancestral Art and a soft dependency on basic survivability upgrades. Skipping these will leave you stuck in the cold before you ever reach the tuning fork.
Acquire the Clawline first
The Clawline is a grappling Ancestral Art that lets Hornet latch onto floating rings and certain enemies. Mount Fay’s climb path is built entirely around Clawline anchors, and the verified guide states that the art is required to scale the mountain. If you arrive at the base of Mount Fay without it, you will be looking at a series of rings you cannot interact with.
Have a way to heal and restore Silk
The climb path includes a cold damage timer, breakable thread bundles that refund Silk, and several mid-climb benches that you can only access through detours. Bringing a comfortable Silk reserve and a healing strategy is what separates a clean run from a frustrating reset loop. The wiki walkthrough repeatedly suggests stocking up on Silk at heated rooms before pushing into the next cold section.
Know where to start: the Slab side of Mount Fay
The unlock is located at the top of Mount Fay, to the left of The Slab. The Slab is a large Act 2 area, and the Mount Fay entrance sits on the left side of that region. If you have not yet explored The Slab, the first task is to get there and identify the Bell Beast station that serves as the staging point for the climb.
Why the Clawline comes before the double jump
It is tempting to chase the Silksong double jump as soon as you hear about it, but the design order matters. The Clawline is the tool that turns the vertical shaft of Mount Fay into a solvable platforming sequence. Without it, the rings, the flying bugs, and the crumbling platforms that act as stepping stones simply do not work as intended. Fighting the boss Trobbio is one alternate path to progress, but the wiki notes that grabbing the Clawline first is the safer option for players who are still learning Act 2’s rhythm.
There is also a practical reason to delay Trobbio. The Clawline unlocks more of the map than a single boss reward does, and the silksong double jump becomes dramatically easier to use once you can reposition between rings, walls, and enemies in mid-air. The order Clawline first, then Faydown Cloak, is the design intent the game is built around, and skipping it produces more restarts than it saves.
Step by step: the Mount Fay climb to the Faydown Cloak
The verified walkthrough describes a long, segmented ascent with heat checkpoints every fifteen seconds or so. Treat each heated safe spot as a save state in your head. If you cannot see the next heat source, you are going the wrong way.
Start from the Bell Beast station in The Slab
From the left side of the Bell Beast station, use the Clawline to reach the first set of rings. Zip across the first pit using two rings, then sprint left into a cave. Inside, you will find Shakra, who sells the Mount Fay map. Buy it. The map is the only reliable way to confirm which ledges and tunnels you have already cleared on a return visit.
Work through the lower cave and the first wall climb
To the left of Shakra, take a running leap over the icy water, climb the small platforms, and head back to the right onto a landing above Shakra. This area is full of ancient Weavelights that radiate heat, and you can also use them to double back to the right and exit the cave. Outside, take a running leap to a wall on the right and climb the crumbling platforms. When you reach a stable platform, look for a floating creature to the right. Clawline off it to a higher ring, then wall-jump up the left side.
Use the heated safe spots as rest points
Mount Fay’s design language is consistent. Every section has a small fire or a glowing patch of Weavelights, and the walkthrough keeps telling you to use them. From a safe wall spot, jump right and upward to find a landing, then look right for a series of flying bugs. Clawline across them to a platform on the right, then back to the left to gain height. At the top, a large ledge with another warm spot leads back into a cave.
Navigate the icy lake rooms
The middle of the climb features two large icy lake sections. Use the Clawline to bounce off the crystal bugs above the water. Cling to jutting ceilings so that platforms fall down below, giving you new footholds. Restock Silk at the heated rooms between lakes, and do not try to swim or fall into the water. Falling in during a cold timer is the most common cause of repeated deaths on this route.
Cross the cable car slope
At the upper bench room, head up to a large area with a broken cable car slope. Rest at the torch on the left before climbing onto the first car. Clawline to a flying bug on the right, then onto the second car. Use the nearby ring and two flying bugs to reach the third car, and continue right and up to the fourth. As soon as you reach the fourth car, jump left onto a wall with a heat spot to rest. From For additional context, that wall, keep wall-jumping up, then dash and Clawline across to the far right wall, slide down, and slowfall right to Clawline a series of flying bugs until you reach a large plateau.
Find the air vent to the peak
Past the plateau, the path narrows into a series of small jumps, wall bounces, and Clawline chains. Eventually you reach a shaft that opens into a large air vent. Riding the vent carries you to the peak of Mount Fay. At the top, look for the giant tuning fork and play your Needolin. A winged creature appears, and instead of fighting, it bestows the Faydown Cloak on Hornet.
Cold damage and the fifteen second rule
Cold damage is the single mechanic that punishes hesitation on Mount Fay. Once you leave a heated safe zone, you have roughly fifteen seconds to reach the next one. If you fail, you start taking damage and the timer does not reset until you touch another heat source. The wiki walkthrough is structured around this rule: each segment of the climb is sized to fit inside one timer cycle, and the recommended path assumes you do not stop to explore side rooms on the first pass.
The practical implication is that you should ignore optional pickups on the climb up. Loot rooms off the main path tend to be icy dead ends that burn your timer. If you want the side rewards, plan a return trip after you have the Faydown Cloak, because the cloak protects you from Mount Fay’s cold on every future visit.
Common mistakes when chasing the silksong double jump
Most failed attempts on this climb come from the same handful of errors. Recognizing them ahead of time saves a lot of resets.
- Attempting the climb without the Clawline. The rings and flying bugs are not optional traversal, they are the only traversal.
- Ignoring the heated safe zones and trying to platform past them. The fifteen second timer is shorter than it feels.
- Fighting the crystal bugs instead of bouncing off them. The bugs are Clawline anchors, not enemies to clear.
- Falling into the icy lakes. Once you drop in, the climb effectively restarts at the last bench.
- Skipping the map purchase from Shakra. Without the map, the linear segments of Mount Fay are easy to misread as dead ends.
- Trying Trobbio before the Clawline. The wiki suggests the boss can be a faster route, but only for players who already know the fight.
What the Faydown Cloak changes after you unlock it
The double jump is the headline feature, but the Faydown Cloak does more than add a second jump. According to the verified guide, the cloak also grants cold resistance, which means Mount Fay becomes a regular traversal region rather than a timed challenge. Once you have it, you can drop into the icy caves to farm Silk, hunt for missed items, or use Mount Fay as a shortcut between other Act 2 areas without watching the cold timer.
The double jump itself also reshapes how every other ability feels. Combined with the Clawline, Hornet can now chain a grapple, a pogo off an enemy, and a second jump in the same air sequence, which is the core combo used in many of the harder Act 2 platforming rooms. Players who struggled with the Bell Beast stations and the high vertical shafts in earlier areas will find a meaningful difficulty drop once the cloak is in hand.
How the silksong double jump compares to Hollow Knight’s Monarch Wings
Players coming from the first game will recognize the pattern immediately. The Monarch Wings gave the Knight a second jump, layered on top of the standard jump and the Crystal Heart’s supersuit dash. The Faydown Cloak does the same thing for Hornet, but with two differences worth understanding.
| Trait | Monarch Wings (Hollow Knight) | Faydown Cloak (Silksong) |
|---|---|---|
| Type of upgrade | Cloak ability | Ancestral Art (Cloak) |
| When you can get it | Mid-late City of Tears | Act 2, top of Mount Fay |
| Stack with another jump tool | No, replaces previous cloak | No, replaces previous cloak |
| Bonus effect | None | Cold resistance on Mount Fay |
| Best paired with | Crystal Heart, Isma’s Tear | Clawline, Swift Step |
The structure is identical, but Silksong’s version is more conditional. The cloak’s cold resistance is a soft reward for finishing a long, segmented climb, and it ties the double jump to a region rather than a single landmark. That is why so many players describe the silksong double jump as both a movement upgrade and an area unlock in one.
Suggested order for the climb if you are new to Act 2
The verified guide is a path, not a tutorial. If this is your first time through Act 2, the following order reduces the number of times you will need to backtrack.
- Reach The Slab and identify the Bell Beast station on the left side.
- Confirm you have the Clawline equipped before entering Mount Fay.
- Buy the Mount Fay map from Shakra inside the first cave.
- Climb straight up, ignoring side rooms and optional pickups.
- Rest at every heated safe zone, even if the timer has not run low.
- Save at the upper bench room before attempting the cable car slope.
- Take the air vent to the peak and play the Needolin at the tuning fork.
Once you have the cloak, come back down and explore the side rooms you skipped. The cold timer is gone, and most of the missed pickups are easier to reach with the double jump in your kit.
What to do if you keep dying on the climb
Repeated deaths on the same segment usually mean one of three things. Either you are missing a Clawline anchor and trying to platform past a ring, you are ignoring the cold timer and pushing past a safe zone, or you are entering a room from the wrong side. Reset to the last bench, walk back to the start of the failing room, and look up. The Clawline rings and flying bugs are almost always placed above or to the side of the obvious platforming path. If you cannot see one, you are probably meant to drop down to a different entry point instead.
If you have the Clawline and the map, and you are still stuck, the most common cause is the icy lake sections. Falling into the lake wastes a full timer cycle, and the recovery path runs back through two or three rooms. Treat the lake rooms as the real test of the climb, and use the Clinging ceilings and crystal bug bounces as your only safe platforms.
How the silksong double jump affects later Act 2 content
Once you have the Faydown Cloak, several previously unreachable areas open up, including some optional bosses and a number of late-game Silk farming spots. The double jump also makes the Clawline chains in the high vertical shafts far more forgiving, because you can correct a bad grapple with a second jump before you fall. If you are planning a build order, treat the silksong double jump as the pivot point between early Act 2 and late Act 2. Everything before it is about unlocking traversal, and everything after it is about using traversal to reach the endings.
For players who want to sequence multiple Ancestral Arts efficiently, the recommended order is Clawline first, then Faydown Cloak, then Swift Step. The Swift Step dash is more powerful once you already have a second jump to reset your air control, and several of its shortcuts overlap with the rooms you can now reach from Mount Fay.
Quick reference: the silksong double jump at a glance
The table below is a condensed checklist of the unlock path, useful for reference during the climb itself.
| Step | Where | What you need | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Slab, Bell Beast station | Clawline Ancestral Art | Entry to Mount Fay |
| 2 | Lower Mount Fay cave | Rosaries for the map | Mount Fay map from Shakra |
| 3 | Mid climb, heated rooms | Silk reserve, healing | Cold timer resets |
| 4 | Upper bench room | Bench access via side tunnel | Mid climb save point |
| 5 | Cable car slope | Clawline on flying bugs | Access to the air vent |
| 6 | Air vent to the peak | Slowfall for control | Peak of Mount Fay |
| 7 | Tuning fork at the peak | Needolin equipped | Faydown Cloak (double jump and cold resistance) |
Frequently asked questions
Can you get the silksong double jump in Act 1?
No. The verified guide places the Faydown Cloak firmly in Act 2, at the top of Mount Fay to the left of The Slab. There is no Act 1 shortcut, and the prerequisites for the climb, including the Clawline, are also Act 2 unlocks.
Do you need the Clawline to get the Faydown Cloak?
Yes. The walkthrough explicitly states that the Clawline Ancestral Art is required to climb Mount Fay, because the rings and flying bugs along the path are the only way to move between heated safe zones. Arriving without the Clawline leaves you stuck at the first pit.
Is the Faydown Cloak the same as the Monarch Wings?
It plays the same role in your moveset, adding a second jump in mid-air. The main differences are the unlock location, the Act 2 timing, and the cold resistance bonus on Mount Fay. Otherwise, treat it as the silksong equivalent of the Monarch Wings.
Does the silksong double jump replace another ability?
It replaces your currently equipped cloak, the same way cloaks work in the first game. You can swap back to a previous cloak at any Ancestral Art menu, but the double jump is the one most players keep equipped for the rest of the run.
How long is the cold timer on Mount Fay?
The verified guide describes roughly fifteen seconds of safe time once you leave a heated zone. Treat that as an upper bound. The safer assumption is that the next heat source is closer than fifteen seconds, because the climb is segmented around the timer.
Can you farm Silk safely on Mount Fay after the unlock?
Yes. Once the Faydown Cloak is equipped, you are protected from the cold, and you can return to the climb to clear the side rooms, hit the Weavelight clusters, and use the thread bundles for healing refills without watching the timer.
What is the fastest way back to the peak after dying?
Use the bench in the upper bench room as your respawn point. From there the path runs up through the cable car slope and into the air vent, and most of the climb above the bench is shorter than the climb below it. The wiki’s recommended route is to leave the bench room via the upper exit each time.
Is the Faydown Cloak required to finish the game?
The cloak is a major traversal upgrade and it is tied to several late game routes, but the verified source describes it as an unlockable ability rather than a mandatory ending trigger. Treat it as a high value piece of progression that you will almost certainly want, while planning your build around the assumption that some endings are easier with it than without.
Should I fight Trobbio before or after the Clawline?
The verified guide notes that Trobbio is a theoretically faster way to reach the Clawline, but it also warns that the silksong double jump makes the boss considerably easier. If you are still learning Act 2, get the Clawline first, then return to Trobbio with the double jump as a backup plan.
What happens if I activate the tuning fork without the Needolin?
The wiki walkthrough states that playing the Needolin at the giant tuning fork is what summons the winged creature that grants the Faydown Cloak. Without the Needolin equipped, the peak does not trigger the reward, so make sure the instrument is in your active tool set before you reach the top.
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