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When people think of McLaren, their minds usually jump to Formula 1 or mid-engine supercars like the F1 and 720S. But back in 1980, McLaren Engines in Michigan helped Ford build one of the strangest and rarest pony cars ever to wear a Mustang badge. Ford wanted to shake up its performance image as the muscle car era faded, and McLaren lent real racing credibility. The result was the M81 McLaren Mustang, a turbocharged, race-inspired Fox-body that looked ready for an IMSA grid.

A Wild Pitch from the Start

Ford originally planned to build 250 examples, but the market had other ideas. Only ten M81s ever left the factory, making them unicorns among Fox-body Mustangs. The price tag was the elephant in the room: roughly $25,000 in 1980, or around $75,000 in today's money. Buyers simply refused to pay supercar money for a four-cylinder Mustang, even one touched by McLaren. As of 2026, auction tracking shows the top sale around $75,000 and the most recent transaction near $51,000\u2014numbers that would have been laughable in the early '80s but now prove the car's collector status.



McLaren's Engineering Stamp

The heart of the M81 was Ford's 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four, but McLaren Engines did far more than add a badge. The motors were torn down and rebuilt with racing precision. Cylinder heads were ported and polished, tolerances were tightened to motorsport standards, and each engine was blueprint-matched. A variable boost controller allowed drivers to adjust boost from the cockpit, which was a big deal in 1980. With boost cranked up, output rose from a modest 132 horsepower in stock form to about 175 horsepower, with 145 lb-ft of torque. Those figures are small by 2026 standards, but for a four-banger of the era, they were impressive. The real appeal was tunability\u2014turn the wick down for reliability or dial it up for fun.



IMSA Looks and a Tuned Chassis

Visually, the M81 was no ordinary notchback. Hand-built steel fender flares widened the track, while a deep front air dam, side skirts, and integrated brake ducts gave it a serious competition stance. A vented hood, rear spoiler, and blacked-out trim sharpened the look. It rode on lightweight BBS wheels and was painted primarily in Bittersweet Orange, with one black and one white example among the ten. Inside, the racing theme continued with Recaro bucket seats, a roll bar, and a numbered dash plaque.

The suspension was heavily reworked with Koni adjustable shocks, stiffer springs, larger sway bars, and components borrowed from police-package Fairmonts. Bigger front discs and reinforced rear drums added stopping power. A bolt-in roll bar improved chassis stiffness, which was sorely needed because Fox bodies of the era had a reputation for flexing in corners. Reviewers noted the M81 turned in sharply and stayed flat in bends, something a stock Mustang of that time could only dream of.



Why Ford Pulled the Plug

The M81 was meant to be a production car sold through select dealerships. But Ford had launched its own Special Vehicle Operations division, and an outsourced McLaren project threatened to steal SVO's thunder. Internal politics, combined with sticker shock, killed the program after only ten cars. Eight were Bittersweet Orange, one black, one white\u2014each with its own dash plaque. In a nutshell, the M81 was too expensive, too radical, and too politically inconvenient for its time.



A Legacy Bigger Than Ten Cars

Although the M81 ended after just ten units, its influence didn't stop there. It proved turbocharging could be used for performance, not just fuel economy. That lesson directly shaped the 1984 Mustang SVO, which used an updated 2.3-liter turbo four making 175 to 205 horsepower and sold nearly 10,000 copies. The M81 also kept the flame alive for racing tech in road cars, bridging IMSA styling with factory engineering.

Specification
Detail

Engine
2.3L turbocharged inline-four, McLaren blueprint-matched

Power
175 hp (vs 132 hp stock)

Torque
145 lb-ft

Boost
Driver-adjustable variable boost

Chassis
Fox-body with widened steel flares, Koni shocks, roll bar

Production
10 cars (8 orange, 1 black, 1 white)

Original price
About $25,000 in 1980

Looking back from 2026, the M81 McLaren Mustang is one of the greatest what could have been stories in muscle car history. It was ahead of its time, blending smaller displacement, turbocharging, and real chassis work when most Americans still equated performance with a big V8. Only ten were built, but their story has outgrown their numbers. They remain a proof of concept that corporate courage and motorsport expertise can create something special\u2014even if the market wasn't ready to buy it.



For enthusiasts today, the M81 McLaren Mustang represents a nearly mythical collector prize. With just ten examples ever built, each car that surfaces at auction draws intense interest, and values have climbed steadily as collectors chase the rarest Fox-body variants ever produced. Tracking these ultra-low-volume sales requires more than just scrolling through social media posts or old forum threads.

Whether you're hunting for a piece of Ford history or simply evaluating the market for any classic or modern muscle car, staying on top of real-time auction results and price trends can save you thousands. That's where this price tracking tool comes in handy, making it easier to spot fair deals and avoid overpaying on vehicles whose values shift quickly and quietly.

In the damp, decaying alleys of Sinner’s Road, a strange little errand waits for any Hollow Knight: Silksong player brave enough to chat with two very hungry NPCs. Benjin and Crull have developed what can only be described as an enthusiastic taste for questionable cuisine, and they want Hornet to fetch ten fresh roach guts. Yes, roach guts. It might sound like a prank or a punishment, but this side quest is actually quick once the route is known—and it ends with a genuinely useful red tool. Time to knock this one out before the cockroaches get any ideas.



How to Start the Roach Guts Quest

First, a player needs to reach Sinner’s Road, which is accessible from the northeast area of Greymoor. From the Halfway Home tavern, Hornet must climb upward using platforms and the Swift Step ability. Swift Step is picked up at the Deep Docks, so anyone missing it should handle that first. The entrance to Sinner’s Road sits on the wall to the right after that vertical climb.

Once inside, the goal is to find the home of Benjin and Crull. Their little cabin is perched on the upper level of one of the central chambers, on the opposite side from Shakra and the Bench. Since Sinner’s Road loves to throw flying enemies and poisonous lakes at newcomers, unlocking the map and repairing the Bench before starting the quest is highly recommended. A few extra seconds of fast travel and healing will save a lot of heartbreak later.



To reach the cabin, clear out the central chamber’s irritating enemies first. The room is full of odd spikes that can be struck for a small bounce, which helps if Faydown Cloak is still missing. Use the spikes, hanging boxes, and platforms to climb from the left side. Then head right, jumping over and smacking the swinging star-maces hanging from the ceiling. Eventually, a modest little house appears. That is where the questionable duo lives.

Inside, Benjin and Crull explain their survival strategy: eating all kinds of junk in Sinner’s Road and apparently enjoying it. Their current craving is fresh guts from a Muckroach. Because the curse of Pharloom has made Muckroaches extra aggressive, the pair stopped hunting them. That means Hornet gets the honor of collecting ten Roach Guts. Accept the quest, resist the urge to gag, and move on.

How to Get Roach Guts Fast and Safely

The best farming spot is practically handed to every player who enters Sinner’s Road. The very first chamber greets Hornet with three aggressive enemies near a collection of hanging boxes. Those are Muckroaches, and yes, they look like alligators with a personal-space problem. They can grab Hornet if she gets too close, so bringing a red tool that grants long-range damage is a smart move. The Tacks reward from this quest is one such tool, but any long-range option works for the farming loop.



The strategy is simple and completely free of luck:

Loop
Action
Roach Guts Collected

1
Defeat 3 Muckroaches at the entrance
3

2
Rest at the Bench, return, defeat 3 again
6

3
Repeat once more
9

4
One final loop
10

Each Muckroach drops exactly one gut, so four loops are enough. In the current 2026 build, the route remains unchanged, and every kill still coughs up a guaranteed Roach Gut. The main caution is to avoid fighting all three at once. They hit hard and can corner Hornet quickly. Instead, pull one Muckroach at a time and whittle it down. Each one usually falls after five or six hits. When all three are dead, return to the Bench to heal and force the enemies to respawn. Then march back to the entrance and do it again. It is not glamorous, but it is fast.

After collecting ten Roach Guts, head back to Benjin and Crull’s cabin. There is no shortcut, so Hornet still has to bounce across those swinging star-maces. At least the return trip feels like a victory lap—assuming the poison lakes do not land a cheap shot.

The Roach Guts Quest Rewards

For a quest that sounds like a bad dare, the reward is surprisingly solid. Benjin and Crull hand over the Tacks, a red tool that sets traps for enemies and bosses that walk or slam into the ground. It is like leaving a passive-aggressive welcome mat for anything heavy enough to step on it. In moments of desperation, when a strong enemy is standing between Hornet and the Silk Cocoon, Tacks add both extra damage and a welcome sense of security.



Quick Tips to Avoid a Muckroach Meltdown

? Repair the Bench before farming. It makes the respawn loop painless.

? Fight Muckroaches one at a time. Greedy tactics turn into a grab-based disaster.

? Bring a long-range red tool if possible. Muckroaches deserve a wide berth.

? Do not bother hunting elsewhere. The entrance trio is the most reliable source.

? Remember that drops are guaranteed. No need to pray to RNG gods.

The Roach Guts quest is a perfect example of Hollow Knight: Silksong hiding useful gear behind a very weird errand. Benjin and Crull get their questionable meal, and Hornet walks away with a trap-setting tool that can make later boss fights noticeably less terrifying. Sometimes the grossest chores in Pharloom are worth the trouble.

For any player who has cleared the Roach Guts quest, the next step is usually to sharpen Hornet's needle for the challenges ahead—whether that means hunting down every upgrade or scouting which red tools suit their playstyle. The full release of Hollow Knight: Silksong promises plenty more of those stubborn enemies and clever rewards, and having the right game at the right price can make the wait easier to swallow.

Players keeping an eye on upcoming indie hits or hunting for similar metroidvania adventures might want to check out DealNest game deals before the next big patch arrives. It is a handy way to track discounts across the genre and keep the shelf stocked for the next long, bug-filled expedition.

I’m going to say something that sounds unhinged: I am not even mad about the bench that killed me. Well, maybe I’m a little mad, but honestly, it’s the kind of nasty trick I should have seen coming from Team Cherry. In Hollow Knight: Silksong, benches are supposed to be your sanctuary. They’re the little slice of heaven where you heal up, save your progress, swap your Crests, and finally let your shoulders drop from around your ears. So when I found one tucked into a corner in Hunter’s March after a long, miserable slog, I nearly wept with relief. I sat down, sighed, and then a pendulum swung straight down and clobbered Hornet for two masks of damage. I was already low. I died on the spot. You may be entitled to compensation? Nah, I’m entitled to a nap and a stiff drink.



That’s the thing about Silksong: the whole internet is currently up in arms because Team Cherry decided to pull a fast one. In both Hollow Knight and Silksong, benches function like bonfires in a Souls game. They are safe places, respites where you can catch your breath, heal to full health, and save before heading back into the meat grinder. You can swap Charms or Crests, update your map, and nothing can hurt you. Usually. That word is doing a lot of heavy lifting these days.

The Bench That Bites Back

The bench in Hunter’s March is not just dangerous—it’s personal. It sits in a corner where you would normally expect a bench to be, and if you’ve played the series, your brain sees those sun rays and thinks, “Oh sweet mercy, I am saved.” But this bench is booby-trapped. Sit on it, and a pendulum swings down to smack Hornet for two masks of damage. If Hunter’s March has already been kicking your butt, that’s a death sentence. And because Team Cherry clearly enjoys a bit of psychological warfare, it happens every single time you sit on it. It is not a one-time trap. To disarm it, you have to break a wall to the left and hit a lever on the ceiling. Only then can you finally sit safely. It’s like the bench itself is saying, “Not so fast, mate.”



I won’t lie, the first time I got killed I sat there staring at the screen like a total muppet. Then I laughed. Then I respawned and did it again because I needed to confirm it wasn’t a glitch. It was not a glitch. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, well, I’m the clown sitting on the same swinging bench.

Hollow Knight Already Taught Me Better

I’m definitely benefiting from actively playing Hollow Knight for the first time right now, but did I really think the developers wouldn’t troll us in Silksong? This is the studio that created the Deepnest.

The Deepnest is a particularly diabolical area. The rules of the game you’ve learned up to that point seemingly don’t apply. Enemies spawn out of the ground and swarm you with little warning. Levels are winding labyrinths you have to navigate in the dark. Floors give out beneath you without warning, often dumping you into a pit of spikes. And then there’s the Distant Village. This village is at the far end of Deepnest, and if you explore it, you’ll find a group of bugs standing around a beautiful bench. They encourage you to sit and rest. How nice of them! So you sit. And you don’t heal. You can’t move. Webs tie you to your seat as the villagers surround you. The screen goes black, and you wake up in the Beast’s Den, trapped in a web. It’s not as punishing as Hunter’s March, but it’s the same kind of betrayal.



That little moment in Distant Village is the key to understanding Team Cherry. They build up your expectations and then smash them, destabilising you and reminding you that the world is full of surprises, both good and bad. Sometimes a bench saves you, and sometimes a bench kills you. It’s a long con, and I respect the commitment.

Why I’m Not Even Mad

Here’s the thing: I did not go into Silksong expecting a cozy game. I went in expecting beautiful hand-drawn pain, and Team Cherry delivered in spades. The Hunter’s March bench is not unfair; it’s a lesson. It teaches you to read the room. A bench in a corner after a brutal stretch? Maybe too good to be true. A suspicious wall to the left? A lever on the ceiling? These are not decorations. The game gives you the tools to spot the trap before it springs. I just ignored them because I was desperate.

What I Expected
What I Got

Bench heals me
Pendulum smacks me for two masks ?

Safe corner in Hunter's March
Booby trap with a disarm lever

Team Cherry mercy
Peak trolling ?

The internet can scream, cry, throw up, and post angrily online, but I don’t blame Team Cherry one bit. If anything, the fake bench is one of the most memorable moments I’ve had in a game this year. It’s a nasty little prank that makes the actual safe benches feel even sweeter. So yes, I died. Yes, I stumbled back to the same bench half an hour later and sat on it again before remembering the lever. But that’s on me.

If there is a moral to this story, it is simple: never trust a beautiful bench in Hallownest or Pharloom, especially if it is glowing a little too nicely. Team Cherry is trolling us, and honestly? I hope they never stop.

Moments like these are exactly what make Team Cherry's games so unforgettable. The sting of that fake bench isn't just a cheap trick—it's a story you retell, a joke you share with friends, and a badge of honor once you finally outsmart it. If this little tale has made you want to experience Pharloom for yourself, or revisit the beautifully punishing halls of Hallownest, you're likely wondering where to grab a copy without getting scammed by price tags that vary wildly between storefronts and platforms.

The smart move is to do what the Knight should have done before sitting down: look before you leap. Game prices bounce around constantly depending on sales, regions, and upcoming releases, so a five-minute check can save you a solid chunk of change. Whether you're hunting for a digital key, a physical edition, or a gift for a fellow adventurer who deserves a little bench-related trauma of their own, you can compare prices here on DealNest and keep your wallet as safe as you thought that bench was. And trust me—in a world full of hidden traps, getting the best deal feels like the one victory that was never booby-trapped.

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Silksong’s tool system can feel overwhelming at first, but it is also one of the most flexible parts of Hornet’s journey through Pharloom. There are 59 Tools in Silksong, not including Ancestral Arts and other abilities she picks up along the way. Tools are split into three colors, and those colors give an instant clue about what a Tool is meant to do. Red Tools are active weapons Hornet can throw, blue Tools generally provide buffs and combat bonuses, and yellow Tools lean into quality-of-life and non-combat value. That color language is helpful, but it does not tell the whole story. A red Tool can be a game-changing boss killer, while a blue Tool might quietly carry an entire playstyle.



Not all Tools are made equally. Some are useful no matter how someone plays, and others only shine under very specific conditions. This tier list ranks every Tool according to its general usefulness, power level, and benefits versus drawbacks. The best Tools in Silksong tend to fit any build, stay relevant across the entire game, and offer a clear benefit without a painful drawback. Meanwhile, the worst Tools can still be useful when paired with the right Crests or used in a narrow situation. That is why a tier list matters less for labeling tools as bad and more for helping players decide what to equip before a tough boss or a long exploration route.

How Tool Colors Shape a Build

Each color tells a different part of Hornet’s kit.

? Red Tools are active weapons. They can be thrown, aimed, and often create follow-up pressure.

? Blue Tools are more passive, adding combat bonuses like extra damage, improved healing, or defensive utility.

? Yellow Tools usually stay out of combat entirely, focusing on movement, map readability, and resource convenience.

Because a player can mix colors, the best setups often combine one red Tool for pressure, a blue Tool for consistency, and a yellow Tool to remove friction from exploration.

S Tier Tools in Silksong

S Tier Tools are the ones a player can slot into almost any run and forget about. They do not ask for much setup, they do not fall off in the late game, and their downsides are either tiny or easy to manage. These tools define the meta in 2026 because they make difficult fights more consistent without forcing Hornet into one narrow playstyle. A great S Tier red Tool might shred through armored enemies from a safe distance, while an S Tier blue Tool could provide a passive benefit so strong that it changes how aggressively a player can push.

A Tier Tools in Silksong

A Tier Tools are right behind the top group. They are powerful, reliable, and worth using in most runs, but they usually have a small condition attached. Some require a specific timing window, some consume a little more resources, and some only reach their full potential after the player adjusts their Crest setup. Still, an A Tier Tool is never a bad pick. It just is not as effortless as an S Tier option.



B Tier Tools in Silksong

B Tier Tools are solid, but they tend to ask for more commitment. A B Tier Tool can feel amazing in a dedicated build, especially when it lines up with a player’s preferred Crests, but it may not be the best use of a Tool slot in a general exploration loadout. Players who enjoy a specific weapon rhythm or boss-killing setup will often get more value from B Tier choices than a tier list suggests.



C Tier Tools in Silksong

C Tier Tools usually carry a noticeable drawback or simply get outclassed by other options in the same color. They can work, but they often require more effort, more resources, or a very specific fight to feel worthwhile. For players who love experimentation, C Tier can still be fun, but for a first run they are rarely the best choice.



Situational and Worst Tools

Some Tools sit at the bottom not because they are useless, but because their usefulness is extremely narrow. They might only shine against a particular boss, in a certain biome, or when combined with a specific Crest effect. A player who knows Pharloom well can take one of these low-tier Tools and turn it into a surprising answer for a tricky encounter. However, for general play or blind exploration, they usually are not worth the slot.



Quick Tier Snapshot

Tier
General Feel
Best For

S
Universal power, low downside
Almost any build

A
Strong with a small condition
Most playstyles

B
Solid in a dedicated setup
Specific Crest synergy

C
Clunky or outclassed
Experimentation

Situational/Worst
Very narrow use
Specific bosses or setups

The Crest Factor

No Tool tier should be treated as final because Crests can completely change the math. A C Tier Tool that looks weak on its own can become a monster when a Crest removes its downside or doubles its effect. The reverse is also true: an S Tier Tool might not feel special if a player’s Crest choices pull the build in another direction. The smartest approach is to treat the tier list as a starting point, then test Tools against the bosses and areas that actually cause trouble.

After spending time with each Tool and finding the loadout that fits your playstyle, you may want to test those skills in other challenging worlds. Many of the best metroidvania games share Silksong’s emphasis on precision, exploration, and build variety. If you’re looking to expand your library without overspending, you can check the best game deals on DealNest to pick up similar titles at a discount. Keeping your collection fresh lets you carry the lessons learned in Pharloom into new adventures, making every Crest and Tool choice feel even more rewarding.

As of 2026, the conversation around difficult video games has only grown louder. Fans who grew up with the brutal NES era remember how challenging titles like Battletoads, Ninja Gaiden, and even Super Mario Bros. could be. Back then, that difficulty was often seen as a frustrating requirement rather than a selling point. Today, however, a hardcore group of players celebrates games that demand patience, precision, and resilience. Yet not every difficult mechanic feels fair. Some systems add challenge through risk and reward, while others seem needlessly rough. What makes a game hard but fair? Why do certain design choices push players away instead of pulling them deeper into the experience?

The modern hard game owes much of its identity to Demon's Souls. FromSoftware's action RPG did not invent difficulty, but it reframed it. The most infamous mechanic is the loss of progress upon death. Defeating enemies grants Souls, which can be used for leveling up or buying items. When a player dies, those Souls remain at the death spot. If the player dies again before reclaiming them, the currency vanishes forever. This loop creates a powerful emotional pull. Spending hours grinding only to lose everything can be disheartening, but for others, that risk-reward trial is invigorating. The 2020 remake made the experience slightly more accessible, yet the core tension remains.

The Weight of Lost Progress ?

XCOM: Enemy Within carries a similar philosophy into the strategy genre. Permadeath means that a customized soldier with hours of investment can disappear in a single bad turn. Players can reload saves to try to undo a fatal mistake, but that process becomes its own tedious ritual. Like a Soulslike, losing a carefully built character can feel like losing a piece of progress that was earned over countless battles.

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter pushes this idea toward a looping structure. The game moved the series from fantasy to sci-fi on the PS2, but it also introduced a harsh timer called the D-Counter. Everything the player does, from fighting to moving, adds percentages to that timer. At 100 percent, the game is over. The only real solution is to restart with carried-over progress. This design forces players to accept repeated failure as part of the journey. How many restarts can one player endure before frustration replaces satisfaction?

The Long Walk Back ?

Hollow Knight: Silksong has become a major talking point because of its difficulty spike. The boss fights are already demanding, but the routes back to those bosses make them even more taxing. Savage Beastfly and Last Judge are two of the hardest bosses in the game, yet the trial between bench save points can be just as punishing. Is the journey back to a boss part of the challenge, or is it simply busywork? Some players enjoy the process, but others find it like adding insult to injury. A checkpoint before each major encounter could reduce the frustration without lowering the boss's difficulty.

Cuphead suffers from a similar problem. The hand-drawn visuals are gorgeous, but the boss fights are relentless. Most levels focus on elaborate encounters filled with dense projectile patterns. What makes them especially cruel is the absence of checkpoints. The game does offer Simple Mode, but beating a boss in that mode does not count toward story progress. Why include a simpler option if it does not actually help the player advance? It may as well not even be there.

Systems Piled on Systems ?

Death Stranding was Hideo Kojima's first game after leaving Konami, and it was significantly harder than any Metal Gear title. The premise is straightforward: Sam delivers packages across a post-apocalyptic United States. But the mechanics stacked on top of mechanics turned a simple courier game into a constant balancing act. Players cannot move too fast without risking a fall, which damages packages and causes Sam's partner, a baby called BB, to cry. Mysterious entities can stalk players without an easy way back. The sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, streamlined many of these systems. That change suggests Kojima learned from the original's friction.

Monster Hunter: World is another game where multiple systems can overwhelm newcomers. Hunts have time limits and group death counts. If the group faints too many times, the quest fails even if the monster is about to die. The lack of visible enemy health bars adds another layer of uncertainty. In multiplayer, one player's mistake can doom the entire team. Between the timer, shared death limits, and hidden health information, the series can feel like one of the hardest to enter.

Abrupt Spikes and Restarts ⚡

Jak 2 is a classic example of a sequel that ramped up difficulty too quickly. The first game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, was an inviting 3D platformer. Its sequel added guns, a Grand Theft Auto-like mission structure, timers, and strange conditions. Many missions require near-perfect execution under pressure. The leap in difficulty is so abrupt that some fans of the original felt alienated. It is still a cool and more mature game, but the spike is hard to ignore.

Across these games, a pattern emerges. Difficulty can be thrilling when it respects the player's time. When mechanics erase progress, remove checkpoints, or force unnecessary restarts, the line between challenge and punishment becomes blurred. Yet for every player who walks away, another embraces the struggle. Perhaps that is the strange beauty of hard games in 2026: they are not meant for everyone, and that is exactly why they endure.

Summary Table ?

Game
Punishing Mechanic
Emotional Toll

Demon's Souls
Lost Souls on repeated death
Disheartenment and risk-reward tension

Hollow Knight: Silksong
Long boss run-backs
Fatigue

Death Stranding
Balance, package damage, BB stress
Overwhelm

Cuphead
No checkpoints and a useless Simple Mode
Frustration

Monster Hunter: World
Timers, group faint limits, hidden health bars
Group pressure

XCOM: Enemy Within
Permadeath
Loss of investment

Jak 2
Timed GTA-style missions
Abrupt difficulty spike

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
D-Counter leading to forced restarts
Restart loop exhaustion

The hardest games are not necessarily bad games. They simply ask players to adjust to rules that can feel unnecessarily rough. In an era where many titles smooth over every rough edge, these games stand out because they refuse to compromise. The question is not whether they are difficult, but whether that difficulty feels earned or forced.

That divide is personal. What feels unfair to one player might feel like a perfect test of skill to another. The only way to know is to actually sit down with a game and experience its systems firsthand, which means taking a chance on something that might not click. With new releases carrying higher price tags, that gamble becomes riskier than the in-game stakes ever were.

Fortunately, fewer players need to pay full price to find out whether a punishing challenge is worth their time. By keeping an eye on PC game discounts, anyone can pick up the titles from this list for a fraction of their launch cost. That turns the question of earned difficulty into a simple experiment, one where the main investment is patience rather than money.

Any Hollow Knight: Silksong fan worth their salt knows that exploration is the bread and butter of the game. But every so often, a side quest crops up that makes even the most seasoned players scratch their heads. Enter the Lost Merchant quest, where Jubilana decides to go walkabout for the second time. If you've already wrapped up the Balm for the Wounded quest, you might have noticed that her little shop in Songclave is looking, well, a bit lonely. Don't sweat it though — tracking her down is easier than you'd think, especially once you know where to look.



How to Start the Lost Merchant Quest

First things first — you can't just waltz into this quest cold. The Lost Merchant side quest only becomes available after completing the Balm for the Wounded quest. Once that's done and dusted, a new request will appear on the Wish Board in Songclave. Take a gander around town, and you'll quickly realize that Jubilana has pulled a disappearing act again. She's gone missing not once, but twice now, with her first vanishing act tied to the Wandering Merchant quest. This time around, it's up to you to play detective and bring her back home.



Here's the good news: you won't need to traverse half of Pharloom to find her. She's holed up in a sub-area of the Citadel called Memorium. That said, if you don't know the route, you could easily spend hours wandering around like a headless chicken.

How to Find Jubilana in Memorium

The route to Memorium starts by heading west from Songclave. Keep pushing through until you reach an area covered in grass with an opening in the ceiling. Here's the catch: you'll need the double jump ability — better known as the Faydown Cloak — to reach that opening. If you haven't snagged it yet, don't panic, but it's a non-negotiable for this quest. Once you've got it, jump up through the ceiling and into Memorium.



Now comes the fun part: tracking. Make your way through the rooms that lead east and keep your eyes peeled for Jubilana's items scattered on the ground. Interacting with them will create a scent trail that points you in her direction. It's a nifty little mechanic that makes the search feel a lot less like a wild goose chase.



Keep pressing east, and you'll eventually stumble upon a room with a contraption displaying a map of the Citadel. You can spend 70 Rosaries to grab that map if you're feeling flush. But to find Jubilana, you'll want to jump into the opening in the ceiling to access a secret area. It's one of those classic Silksong moments where the path forward is hidden in plain sight.



From there, head east once more to reach the outside and drop down to the platform below. Before you can have a proper chinwag with Jubilana, though, a wave of bird enemies will swoop in to ruin the reunion. It's not the toughest scrap in the game, but keep your wits about you. Once you've cleared the feathered fiends, approach Jubilana and exhaust her dialogue to wrap up the Lost Merchant quest.



The Lost Merchant Quest Rewards

Now for the good stuff. Completing the Lost Merchant quest expands Jubilana's inventory back in Songclave, and she'll have some seriously tempting new wares up for grabs. Here's what's on offer:

Item
Type
Price
Description

Spider Strings
Support Tool
350 Rosaries
Resonates with music to amplify a performance. Expands and strengthens the effects of the Needolin.

Craftmetal
Trade Item
180 Rosaries
Can be traded to various merchants in exchange for goods.

Spool Fragment
Upgrade Material
500 Rosaries
Increases the size of the Silk Meter.

Choral Commandment
Relic
210 Rosaries
A relic of Pharloom's past, interesting to collectors.



If you're wondering where to splash your hard-earned Rosaries first, the Spool Fragment is the smart money. It boosts your Silk Meter — one of the most impactful quality-of-life upgrades in the game. Just keep in mind that you'll need two Spool Fragments to actually see an increase in your Silk Meter capacity, so don't celebrate too early. The Spider Strings are also a solid pick if you lean on the Needolin, but the Spool Fragment takes the cake for overall utility.

All in all, the Lost Merchant quest is a classic Silksong side adventure — a bit of tracking, a bit of fighting, and a whole lot of reward. It's the kind of quest that flies under the radar but delivers some genuinely valuable loot for those willing to go the extra mile. So grab your Faydown Cloak, follow the scent, and get Jubilana back where she belongs. ?️

Much like venturing off the beaten path in Silksong rewarded you with Jubilana's hidden wares, a little extra effort when shopping for your gaming setup can pay off handsomely too. Between new releases, hardware upgrades, and the countless accessories that make those long sessions more comfortable, the costs can add up quickly — which is why savvy players know that finding the latest sales and discounts is its own kind of quest. When you want to stretch your budget without compromising on quality, DealNest takes the guesswork out of the hunt, rounding up the best offers across a wide range of products in one easy-to-browse spot.

Whether you're on the lookout for the next great indie gem to follow up your Silksong adventure or simply looking to snag a quality upgrade for your battlestation, pairing your passion for gaming with a little smart shopping is a strategy that never misses. A deal well found can be just as satisfying as a treasure well earned.