Everything seems fine in Silksong until you find yourself trying to escape The Slab armed only with your bare bug fists. Exiting this bug prison is quite a challenge, with numerous guards and tricky jumps obstructing your path to freedom.
The true reward for making it out of The Slab is reclaiming your belongings, but there are also a Lost Flea to save, a Spool Fragment to find, and some Rosaries to gather along the way. Most players will likely discover The Slab after being kidnapped in Act 1, but it is also possible to access it in Act 2 without losing your gear. As a completionist, I chose to get myself imprisoned early on to explore the area, so the advice provided below is based on that experience. If you decide to wait until Act 2, the experience will be less daunting since you can leave whenever you choose.
How to Locate The Slab in Silksong:
The Slab is a somewhat concealed area, regardless of when you choose to enter. In Act 1, you can encounter an armored flea enemy with a cage on the right side of the Deep Docks. Alternatively, if you've advanced far enough in The Lost Fleas quest, you may find one in Greymoor; it will be located on the left side of the map where the caravan previously was.
Be cautious: Defeating this enemy will prevent it from respawning permanently, no matter how many times you re-enter the area. Your goal is simply to approach them and allow yourself to be captured to access The Slab.
Once inside The Slab, your primary task is to retrieve Hornet’s equipment. Without your needle or cloak, both combat and platforming become more difficult.
I have divided the following steps into three sections corresponding to each bench that serves as a checkpoint.
Escape The Slab Part 1
Break the wall: Descend to the left and navigate through the passageway into the next room. Just to the right of the locked door, perform a wall jump to break through the ceiling above. Beware of floor traps as you move left and then climb upwards. At the top, head left beneath a group of enemies (one of whom possesses your cloak!) until you find an exit.
Find the Key of Indolent: The cold outside is biting, so act quickly to avoid taking damage. Drop down until you spot another door leading back inside. Defeat or evade the enemies to the right until you can drop down a level. Speak to Grindle at the locked door, then proceed left into a room containing a glowing item on a chain. Attacking the item will summon two enemies to confront you. Defeat them and utilize the Key of Indolent to unlock the door on the right side of the room.
Find the first bench: Continue running right until you can enter another room. Jump across the gap and enter the room on the right located below the bench sign. Speak to Grindle again and take a seat at the bench.
Escape The Slab Part 2
Pick up The Slab map: In the bench room, run right through the hole in the wall to discover a secret path leading to the area's map.
Survive the ambush: Exit the bench room and drop down to the lower level. Enter the room on the right and use the key to unlock the gate. As you approach the exit in the next room, the door will slam shut, requiring you to fight through waves of enemies. Lure them toward the pressure plates to let the spinning blades handle them for you. Once defeated, proceed to the right to exit.
Climb to the top: This section can be quite challenging if your wall jump skills aren't up to par by this point. Ascend past the spikes until you reach the top, as some jumps demand great precision. Stick to the left side and use your dash to safely cross over. For the third area with the diagonal spikes, slide down slightly before leaping to the right and dashing at the peak of your jump.
Find the second bench: The area above is outdoors, so move quickly to avoid damage. If you jump up a level and head left, you'll find a fire that provides warmth as long as you stay close. The upper level contains enemies, but if you rush to the far left, there’s a Frayed Rosary String. Otherwise, continue right until you reach the edge of the area and drop down to where the fire is located. Before dropping down again, activate the shortcut by hitting the lever on the right. In the room below, drop down until you can run left to the next bench room for a rest.
Escape The Slab Part 3
Get your gear back: From the bench, move right, drop down, and follow the path until you are positioned above the enemies from step 1. Hornet will handle the first foe and reclaim her belongings, leaving you to tackle a few waves of enemies. The final enemy will drop the Key of Heretic.
Rescue the flea: There’s another bench to the right where you can re-equip your Crest. Open the gate and return to the central room. Drop all the way down; in the left room, there’s an enemy and a flea awaiting rescue.
Grab the Spool Fragment: If you wish to bypass the Spool Fragment, use your key to open the path down to another level and jump into the hole beneath the Bellway fast travel sign, then follow step 4. To obtain the upgrade, run left past the enemies (a Shard Bundle can be found here) and then jump up the cages to the right, wall jumping into the room above. Follow the cave to the left until you can exit back outside. Wall jump up from there, and you’ll discover the Spool Fragment on the left.
Escape via the Bellway: Follow the path left down the Bellway hole until you drop down. To the right, there’s an enemy and a breakable gate that leads to more enemies and another breakable gate. In the next room, a lock requires the Key of Apostate, which is unavailable until later in the game. Drop down, move left, and drop down again. The last bench is in a room on the right. Heading left will take you to the Bellway where you'll need 50 Rosaries to purchase your exit from The Slab.