Barnak
Hiding its tongue amongst fronds so similar... There is impressive style to this one's trickery.
Barnaks are enemies in Hollow Knight: Silksong. They are growths with long, vine-disguised tongues that they use to catch prey.[1]
Behaviour and Tactics
Barnaks are ceiling-dwelling creatures that disguise themselves as regular vines, dangling their long tongues to ensnare anything beneath them. If Hornet is caught by a Barnak's tongue, it slowly drags her upwards, though she only gets damaged once she reaches its mouth. Hornet can struggle against the Barnak's grip by attacking, jumping, or trying to move, which slows down the rate at which she is pulled up. Struggling several times (at least four times, if done in quick succession) or being attacked by another enemy breaks her free entirely. If the Barnak succeeds in pulling Hornet into its mouth, she will be damaged for 
roughly every second. Performing the same struggling actions three times will free Hornet from this, but she will be damaged for at least + before she can escape.
Barnaks deal on direct contact with their bodies.
In order to reach Vog above the Putrified Ducts Bellway station, or the room containing the area map, Hornet must intentionally get snared and pulled up by Barnaks. The Weighted Belt reduces the speed at which Barnaks drag Hornet upwards by ~33%, which can help with timing escapes during these platforming sections.
Attacking the Barnak causes it to retract its tongue for a short time. The same happens when hitting its tongue directly, though this does not damage its actual body or grant any Silk. Its body can only be temporarily defeated, recovering after about 15 seconds.
Barnaks can capture and eat Spit Squits, but this does not count as a kill for the Hunter's Journal. Black-threaded Spit Squits unleash a large circle of Void Blades a short time after being eaten, incapacitating the Barnaks that consumed them. Although Cogflies do not attempt to attack Barnaks, they can still be ensnared and eaten. If this happens, they will damage the enemy for 3 to 10 HP, depending on the Crafting Kit level, and apply a venom effect if the Pollip Pouch is equipped. Barnaks also eat Tools that explode on contact, such as the Pimpillo or the Bola form of Voltvessels, which incapacitates them. Defeating Barnaks forces them to drop any explosive tools they are holding, but Cogflies simply disappear and Spit Squits are released as corpses, unless they are black-threaded, in which case they also disappear.
Since Barnaks cannot be truly killed, the best course of action is usually to simply hit their tongues to disable them and secure a safe path. The Clawline can be used to traverse Barnak territory safely, as the Clawline's attack hits their tongues and prevents them from grabbing Hornet as she grapples past.
Needolin Dialogue
- Eating... eat...
- Swallow... suffer...
- Swallow... swell...
- Touching... tasting...
- Slime... Slick...
- Sliding... wet...
Location
Barnaks can be found in the Putrified Ducts.
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Locations in the Putrified Ducts
Gallery
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In the Putrified Ducts
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Dead
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Eating Hornet
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Reacting to the Needolin
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Barnak platforming
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Eating a Pimpillo
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Eating a Voltvessel Bola
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Eating a Cogfly
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Eating a Spit Squit
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Eating a black-threaded Spit Squit
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Eating a Wardenfly
Trivia
- Barnaks do not drop organs for the Broodfeast or Runtfeast wishes.
- The Barnak's name and function might be inspired by the Barnacle enemy from the Half-Life video game series.
- There is a glitch where if a room containing a Barnak is left right after incapacitating a Barnak, it can properly die until Hornet rests again at a Bench.[Missing information]
Names in Other Languages
| Language | Name | Meaning/Explanation |
|---|---|---|
 Brazilian Portuguese
|
Barnak | — |
 French
|
Barnak | — |
 German
|
Rankepock | From ranke (tendril). |
 Italian
|
Balano | From Balano, a plant genus of barnacles. |
 Japanese
|
バルナク Barunaku? |
Barnak |
 Korean
|
바르나크 Bareunakeu |
Barnak |
 Russian
|
Прилипал Prilipal |
From прилипать prilipat' (to stick) and -л -l (agent suffix). |
 Simplified Chinese
|
巴纳克 Bānàkè? |
Barnak |
 Traditional Chinese
|
巴納克 Bānàkè? | |
 Spanish
|
Balanok | From Balano, a plant genus of barnacles. |
 Internal name
|
SWAMP_BARNACLE
|
"Swamp" sometimes internally refers to Putrified Ducts |
References
- ↑ Barnak Hunter's Journal entry: "Toothy growth that lives on cave roofs. Wraps wayward bugs with its long tongue and drags them up to be consumed."
