How to Fix the Broken Bench in Sinner's Road - Complete Repair Guide for Hollow Knight Silksong

Quick Summary

• Problem: The Sinner's Road bench won't rise properly - its lift mechanism is jammed by overgrown vines
• Solution: Access the hidden maintenance corridor, navigate platforming challenges, and cut all vine clusters from the gears
• Requirements: Cling Grip ability, 60 Rosaries to activate the bench, and basic combat skills
• Location: Central Sinner's Road area, near Shakra the cartographer
• Estimated Time: 5-10 minutes for experienced players, 15-20 minutes for beginners

The broken bench in Sinner's Road stands as one of Hollow Knight: Silksong's most ingeniously designed environmental puzzles. This malfunctioning save point represents more than just a broken piece of infrastructure—it serves as an introduction to the game's philosophy that every problem in Pharloom has a solution, often hidden in plain sight.

Unlike traditional benches that simply require activation, the Sinner's Road bench repair introduces players to the concept of mechanical restoration puzzles. The bench appears to activate normally when you insert 60 Rosaries, but quickly becomes stuck partway through its rising animation. This partial functionality is intentional design, teaching players that malfunctioning equipment often has accessible repair solutions.

The repair process showcases Silksong's commitment to environmental storytelling and integrated puzzle design. The vine overgrowth that jams the bench's gears represents the natural world reclaiming mechanical infrastructure, a recurring theme throughout Pharloom. The hidden maintenance access demonstrates that the kingdom's builders designed their structures with serviceability in mind, even if that access isn't immediately obvious.

Materials and Requirements for Bench Repair

Essential Requirements

• Cling Grip Ability: Absolutely required for accessing the hidden wall and navigating the maintenance corridor
• 60 Rosaries: Needed to initially activate the bench and trigger the repair sequence
• Full Health Recommended: The maintenance corridor contains hazards including rotating saws and precision jumps
• Basic Combat Skills: Some small enemies may be encountered in the corridor system

Recommended Preparation

• Sinner's Road Map: Purchase from Shakra the cartographer to help navigate back to the bench after repair attempts
• Extra Rosaries: Keep 200+ on hand in case you need multiple attempts or want to activate other benches
• Familiarization with Pogo Mechanics: The corridor requires precise downward strikes for momentum
• Patience: This repair requires careful timing and observation—rushing leads to mistakes

Tools and Items Needed

Unlike some repair sequences in Silksong, the Sinner's Road bench repair requires no special tools or consumables beyond your basic needle. The repair is accomplished entirely through environmental interaction:

• Your Needle: Used to break the hidden wall and cut vine clusters
• Movement Abilities: Cling Grip for wall climbing and precise platforming
• No Special Items: This repair doesn't require any unique tools, keys, or mechanical components

Pre-Repair Checklist

Before attempting the bench repair, ensure you have:

1. Located Shakra: The cartographer stands near the broken bench, confirming you're in the right area
2. Explored the Immediate Area: Understanding the bench room layout helps identify the hidden wall location
3. Practiced Wall Climbing: If you're new to Cling Grip, practice basic wall climbing in safer areas first
4. Cleared Nearby Enemies: Remove threats from the bench room to avoid distractions during repair attempts

Bench Location and Initial Setup

Finding the Broken Bench

The broken bench is located in the central hub area of Sinner's Road, easily identifiable by several key landmarks:

• Shakra's Position: The cartographer NPC stands directly adjacent to the bench, making this area impossible to miss
• Bench Platform: Unlike working benches, this one has a visible mechanical lifting platform beneath it
• Surrounding Architecture: The room features distinctive stonework with multiple elevated platforms and passages
• Visual Cues: The bench area shows signs of mechanical wear and vine overgrowth, indicating its disrepair

Initial Bench Activation

Before beginning the repair process, you must first activate the bench to observe its malfunction:

1. Approach the Bench: Walk up to the bench platform
2. Insert 60 Rosaries: This is the standard activation cost for Sinner's Road area benches
3. Observe the Malfunction: The bench will begin to rise but quickly become stuck, producing mechanical grinding sounds
4. Note the Problem: The lifting mechanism visibly struggles against vine resistance

This initial activation serves two purposes: it confirms the bench's broken state and provides audio-visual cues about the nature of the problem. The grinding sounds and jerky movement indicate mechanical obstruction rather than power failure.

Complete Step-by-Step Repair Process

Phase 1: Accessing the Hidden Maintenance Passage

Locating the Secret Wall: The hidden entrance to the maintenance corridor is concealed behind a breakable wall in the upper-left corner of the bench room. This wall is designed to be discoverable but not immediately obvious:

1. Survey the Room: From the bench area, scan the walls systematically, paying special attention to elevated sections
2. Identify Visual Anomalies: The breakable wall section has subtle differences—slightly different coloration, texture variations, or small cracks
3. Position for Access: Use Cling Grip to wall-climb the left wall of the bench room
4. Reach the Target Area: Wall-jump or wall-climb to the upper-left corner where the breakable section is located
5. Test the Wall: Strike the suspicious section multiple times with your needle
6. Confirm the Opening: The wall will crumble after several hits, revealing the maintenance passage

Common Discovery Challenges:

• Subtle Visual Cues: The wall doesn't look obviously breakable—it requires close inspection
• Vertical Thinking: Many players initially explore at ground level, missing elevated secrets
• Lighting Conditions: The upper corner may be dimly lit, making visual differences harder to spot
• Expectation Management: Players might expect more obvious visual indicators for hidden passages

Alternative Discovery Methods:

• Audio Cues: Striking different wall sections produces different sounds—hollow areas indicate breakable walls
• Systematic Testing: If visual inspection fails, methodically test walls with your needle
• Environmental Logic: Maintenance access points are typically located near the equipment they service

Phase 2: Navigating the Maintenance Corridor

Understanding the Corridor Layout: The hidden passage isn't just a simple tunnel—it's a miniature platforming gauntlet designed to test your mastery of Silksong's movement mechanics.

Detailed Traversal Guide:

1. Initial descent: Drop down carefully into the corridor system
2. Saw navigation: Time your movements around rotating saw blades—they follow predictable patterns
3. Gap jumping: Use Cling Grip strategically for wall-assisted jumps across wider chasms
4. Tight spaces: Some sections require ducking or precise positioning to avoid hazards
5. Vertical challenges: Wall-climb sections that test your grip stamina and timing

Advanced Techniques:

• Pogo jumping: Use downward strikes on enemies or surfaces for additional height and momentum
• Wall-grab conservation: Plan your wall-grip usage to avoid falling at crucial moments
• Enemy interaction: Some corridor sections contain small enemies that can be used for pogo opportunities

Phase 3: The Gear Chamber Solution

Understanding the Mechanism: The bench's lifting mechanism operates through a system of gears connected to the main platform. Vines have grown over these gears, preventing them from turning properly.

Vine Cutting Strategy:

1. Identify all vine clusters: Look for thick, green vine bundles wrapped around gear mechanisms
2. Systematic clearing: Slash each vine cluster thoroughly—partial cutting won't work
3. Visual feedback: Successfully cut vines will visibly retreat and the gears will begin to turn
4. Complete the circuit: Ensure all gears in the system are freed, not just the most obvious ones

Common mistakes:

• Missing vine clusters in darker corners of the gear chamber
• Not slashing thoroughly enough—vines require multiple hits
• Leaving before confirming all gears are spinning freely

Phase 4: Verification and Return

Confirming Success:

1. Check gear operation: All mechanical components should be visibly moving
2. Listen for audio cues: Successfully repaired mechanisms often produce distinctive sounds
3. Return to the bench room: Navigate back through the corridor (now easier without time pressure)
4. Test the bench: The platform should now rise smoothly when approached

Bench Functionality Restored:

• Full checkpoint capability: Save game progress and respawn point
• Healing station: Restore health and Silk meter
• Fast travel integration: Connects to the broader fast travel network if unlocked

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Missed vines: If the bench still jitters or won’t rise, you likely left a vine bundle intact—recheck the gears.
• Can’t reach the corner: Confirm Cling Grip is unlocked; most routes assume it.
• Getting chipped by saws: Take small, timed hops; don’t rush the downward segment—wait for clear cycles.

FAQ

• Do I need Cling Grip? Yes—practically required to reach the hidden wall and for safe traversal in the corridor.
• Where exactly is the wall? Upper‑left corner of the bench room; wall‑jump up and strike to open.
• Is there another bench? Some reports mention a further bench, but this mid‑zone bench is the jammed one most players fix.

Route & Map Pointers

• Area entry and map: /guides/tutorial/how-to-get-to-sinners-road
• Early mapping & Shakra: /guides/tutorial/map-locations-early-game
• Currency if needed: /guides/tutorial/fastest-way-to-get-rosaries

Map Preview

Open Interactive Map

Opens the full interactive Silksong map in a new tab.

Open Map

Sources

• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSaIV0MfjJU
• Community/guide confirmations on breakable wall position, vine‑wrapped gears, and saw corridor patterns.