| First encounter | If first encounter is before Act 3: So rude! To raise a Pinstress from their deep meditation! If first encounter is in Act 3: |
|---|---|
| Declining to train | Ahh, is your needle too shy to show its edge? What a shame. |
| Speaking after declining | Planning to hang about are you, needle bug? Fancy a little training? Care to test the power of a Pinstress? Might be even this old master could show you a thing or two? |
| Accepting to train | Bold choice, needle bug. Let's get our shells a'shaking! How grand! To face an opponent with a bit of energy. |
| Speaking after training | If the training is before Act 3: It's a right long time since I've felt so vigorous. All those dulled pilgrims are useless for testing my talents. If the training is in Act 3: |
| Exhausted dialogue after training | Off with you now, needle bug! A Pinstress of my substantial talent requires their deep meditation, especially after such a satisfying bout.
|
| Revisiting after some time | If Pinstress is standing: Back again, needle bug? Surely you've more important places calling than these sandy steps? If Pinstress is sitting: |
| Exhausted dialogue when revisiting | If Pinstress is standing: Even my welcome has limits, needle bug. If Pinstress is sitting: |
| Playing the Needolin | The flurried dance of blades swung swift... Warriors proud in battle's midst... |
Pinstress
I like her. For her willingness to teach and her spirit still strong, despite a long age spent solitary... she has my respect.
The Pinstress is an NPC and quest boss in Hollow Knight: Silksong. She is a member of the Order of the Pinstress,[1] and teaches Hornet the Needle Strike ability. She can be fought as apart of the Fatal Resolve wish, which rewards the Pin Badge.
Background
Pinstress is a warrior of the Order of the Pinstress, a group of female warriors who were once renowned in Pharloom.[2][1] The order of the Pinstress was once allied with the Citadel, before the Citadel turned against them and stamped them out.[3]
Pinstress and Seamstress are the only surviving members of the order of the Pinstress.[4] While Seamstress has turned her back on the ways of the order,[5] Pinstress still holds true to their values.[6]
Pinstress resides in the Blasted Steps, where she hopes to avoid the attention of the Citadel.[7]
In-game Events
Upon first encountering Pinstress, she is found asleep, snoring loudly. When Hornet approaches to speak, Pinstress scolds Hornet for waking her from her deep meditation. She then asks Hornet to train with her, through which Hornet learns the Needle Strike ability.
Whenever Hornet interacts with Pinstress while she is sleeping, she is startled awake. On subsequent visits, she can be seen working at her desk or wandering her hut and rummaging through her furniture.
After entering Act 3, the Fatal Resolve wish becomes available if Hornet has learnt Needle Strike, and can be accepted from a note left in Pinstress's airship, or Bellhart's Wishwall if Silk Soar has been obtained. From the foot of Mount Fay, Pinstress can be tracked to the peak where she is found sleeping. She can be awakened by attacking her. If Hornet stands away from her and does not interact, she slumps and falls back asleep. Only once she has gone back to sleep will she react to Hornet playing the Needolin. Upon being interacted with, she greets Hornet and requests a duel. Upon defeat, she gives Hornet the Pin Badge tool. Following the fight, she also provides a hint as to Brightvein's location, provided Silk Soar has been obtained.
After Hornet has both completed Fatal Resolve and found Brightvein, Pinstress leaves Mount Fay and is absent for the rest of the game.
Behaviour and Tactics
Most attack names used by the wiki are non-canon.
Upon accepting Pinstress's challenge, she initiates the fight and has the following attacks:
- Triple Pin: Pinstress can throw 3 spread out pins to the side (similarly to a Squatcraw). While airborne, she can also throw these pins directly downwards or at a slight angle.
- Golden Dash: Pinstress quickly dashes forward across the platform towards Hornet with her golden pin extended.
- Aerial Plunge: While in the air, Pinstress lunges diagonally downwards with her golden pin. Upon landing, she follows up with a Golden Dash in the direction of Hornet. After the first dash, if Hornet is close to the ground behind her, she performs a second Golden Dash.
- Cross Strike: Pinstress charges up an attack, using the same animation as the Needle Strike ability. Once this attack is charged, Pinstress either leaps towards Hornet and unleashes the strike just before landing, or leaps into a Brolly Float to hold the charge for a bit longer before unleashing it while landing. When unleashed, Cross Strike creates a massive X-shaped slash that reaches below and slightly behind Pinstress. She will only perform this attack after reaching 774 HP.
- Brolly Float: Pinstress spends roughly half of her neutral state floating midair with her cloak puffed out, resembling the Drifter's Cloak. She floats up and down and can perform Triple Pins, Aerial Plunge, or Cross Strike in this state.
- Triple Pins can be used midair up to 2 times while maintaining Brolly Float.
- Performing an Aerial Plunge or Cross Strike cancels this state and grounds her.
- Leap & Teleport: Pinstress either leaps or teleports into a midair position to begin the Brolly Float manoeuvre, or to perform an airborne Triple Pins or Aerial Plunge attack. Pinstress can also teleport while midair. If Pinstress falls off the edge of the platform at any point, she teleports back onto the centre of the platform, or directly into a Brolly Float.
- Parry & Retreat: Pinstress scurries away from Hornet to reposition in between attacks. While scurrying on the ground, she parries using her pins, blocking damage. If retreating while in the air, she skips backwards and lands back on the ground.
Triple Pin and contact with Pinstress deal 
. All other attacks deal .
Hornet is not locked into the arena for this fight and can escape at any time.
| Stagger Values | |
| Description: Pinstress flops to the ground. If she is knocked off the platform by the stagger, she cannot be targeted for the remainder of the duration, before then teleporting back. | |
| Hits: 15 | |
Strategy
- The easiest moment to hit the Pinstress is after Aerial Plunge and Golden Dash. Needle bounce off of her when she lands from Aerial Plunge and jump over her and attack her from after Golden Dash.
- Once Cross Strike is loaded, she will only unleash the attack when Hornet is close to her. Keeping this in mind allows one to manage where the massive area of effect is. It can be advantageous to approach Pinstress and then quickly retreat then allowing her to approach you. One can even run under and past Pinstress.
Dialogue
|
Location
Pinstress can be found west of the Great Conchflies boss area in the Blasted Steps. From the boss area, travel west. Her floating home can be found near the western edge of a large outdoor area. During Fatal Resolve, she can be found in Mount Fay, in the same area as the bench halfway up the mountain.
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Location in the Blasted Steps
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Location in Mount Fay
Gallery
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Pinstress's hut
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Sleeping before first interaction
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Sitting awake
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Before training
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After training
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Working at desk
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Wandering her hut
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Responding to the Needolin
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Needle Strike training cinematic
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Note left by Pinstress in her hut
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Sleeping on Mount Fay during Fatal Resolve
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Resting after Hornet rejects her challenge
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Startled awake
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Sitting after being defeated by Hornet
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Concept sketches
Battle
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Idle
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Triple Pin (Grounded)
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Triple Pin (Airborne)
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Triple Pin (Diagonal)
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Triple Pin (Downwards)
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Golden Dash
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Aerial Plunge
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Cross Strike
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Brolly Float
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Leap
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Teleport
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Retreat (Airborne)
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Retreat (Grounded)
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Parry
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Staggered
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Arena in Mount Fay
Achievements
|
{S} Fatal Resolve |
|---|---|
| Defeat Pinstress 30G |
Trivia
- What appears to be another sister of the Pinstress's order can be discovered dead in the Putrified Ducts, where the Wreath of Purity is found. She is clad in a green mossy covering and her airship is broken down in the background.
- Pinstress's voice lines when playing the Needolin have a similar melody to "Strive", her battle music.
- After Hornet finishes training with Pinstress, upon revisiting before Act 3, Pinstress can be found either standing or sitting. She has different dialogues depending on her current state. There is a 50% chance that she switches states each time Hornet rests on a Bench outside her tent.[code 1]
- As Pinstress is cleaning, the dust on the surfaces slowly reappears after some time.
- Under certain circumstances, when Hornet is just about to leave the room, Pinstress will wave at her.
- The track that plays during the Flea Minigames is called "Pinstress Battle" internally, implying that it was originally her theme.
- Pinstress' downwards Triple Pin attack originally used four pins.[8]
Names in Other Languages
| Language | Name | Meaning/Explanation |
|---|---|---|
 Brazilian Portuguese
|
Alfinistra | Portmanteau of alfinete (pin) and mestra (mistress or teacher). |
 French
|
Maîtresse de la Pique | Mistress of the Pin |
 German
|
Nadlerin | Portmanteau of nadel (pin) and herrin (mistress). |
 Italian
|
Puntaspilli | Pincushion Puntaspilli is also sometimes used as a nickname for a tailor. |
 Japanese
|
ピンの女傑 Pin no joketsu |
Mistress of Pin |
 Korean
|
핀의 여인 Pinui yeoin |
Lady of Pin |
 Russian
|
Булавочница Bulavočnica |
Portmanteau of булавка bulavka (pin) and любовница ljubovnica (mistress). |
 Simplified Chinese
|
针姬 Zhēn jī? |
Pinstress or Pin Lady |
 Traditional Chinese
|
御針女侍 Yù zhēn nǚ shì? |
Pin-wielding Maiden |
 Spanish
|
Alfilera | Portmanteau of alfiler (pin) and señora (lady). |
 Internal name
|
PINSTRESS (NPC)
|
|
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Pinstress Hunter's Journal: "Blade maiden of a once renowned warrior sect, survived long beyond the rest of her order."
- ↑ Pinstress Needolin dialogue: "An order lost of maidens fair..."
- ↑ Pinstress: "Our grand Citadel learnt well from the training of Pinstresses past. Then it went and turned those teachings upon us! Despite our superior skills, our numbers have always been few, and their strength overwhelmed."
- ↑ Pinstress: "Of my once revered order, only two of us remain"
- ↑ Seamstress: "I sure ain't sharing many of those violent values no more."
- ↑ Seamstress: "Last to hold true to the old ways of the pin, she was..."
- ↑
Then this is not a place of hiding? That Citadel up top seems no friend to the free, or the strong who'd choose to remain apart.
Pinstress: "...Aye. Well, yes. That too's a reason, though one that shames me some." - ↑ Developer note: "Pinstress Boss/Down Projectiles 2 Old: spread of four"
- ↑
GameManager.Timepasses()setspinstressInsideSitting.
Enemies (Silksong)