Hollow Knight Silksong wastes no time testing your curiosity. From the very first area, hidden walls and secret rooms reward players who explore thoroughly. Strike or jump into suspicious walls and dead ends to discover secret paths, hidden currency, and beast shards locked behind tougher enemies.
Early on, Silkong teaches you to scan rooms for subtle visual cues like uneven tiles or oddly placed decorations. These often indicate concealed passages. Many hidden chambers contain useful items or tools that improve Hornet’s survivability, so make wall-checking a regular habit.
Master Healing and Silk Management
Healing works differently in Silksong. Instead of restoring one mask at a time like in Hollow Knight, Hornet uses a silk meter that heals multiple masks in a single bind. Early on, you can restore up to three masks at once—but it drains your entire silk bar, even if you only need one mask.
Unlike the original, Hornet can heal midair, letting you recover health during tricky fights or platforming sequences. However, balancing silk between healing and offensive abilities is crucial. Skills like Silk Spear consume silk, so knowing when to attack and when to save your bar becomes a vital part of survival.
Pro tip: Use straight pin tools later in the game since they deal ranged damage without consuming silk, freeing up your bar for emergencies.
Tools, Crests, and Custom Loadouts
Silksong replaces charms with a new tool system. Instead of a single pool, tools are grouped by color-coded crests, each unlocking unique abilities. Players can equip one or more tools per crest, swapping setups at benches depending on playstyle.
Memory lockets expand your tool slots, so always keep an eye out for them in hidden areas or shops. Combining offensive and defensive tools strategically lets you adapt to different environments and boss encounters seamlessly.
Your default Hunter Crest also changes sprint attacks into powerful combo opportunities. For example, landing a sprint strike launches Hornet forward, allowing an immediate air down-strike for high-damage sequences.
Combat, Parrying, and Smart Exploration
Hornet’s combat system rewards timing and precision. While parrying isn’t always the best defensive move, it’s situationally powerful—swing your weapon as enemies begin their attack animation, not on impact, due to Hornet’s brief wind-up frames. Projectiles can also be deflected back at enemies, giving you an edge in certain boss fights.
Learn enemy behaviors carefully. Some foes respawn when you rest at benches, while others stay permanently defeated. Boss arenas and challenging rooms often include shortcut routes, so explore thoroughly to find faster respawn paths.
And when it comes to platforming, remember Hornet experiences slight knockback on every strike. Always secure footing before attacking airborne enemies to avoid falling hazards.
Hollow Knight on Steam has achieved an all-time peak of over 70,000 players in the last 24-hours, and has set a new all-time peak almost every day since the Silksong announcement!
byu/merryMellody inHollowKnight
Death, Beads, and Survival Strategies
Silksong uses a hybrid death system blending soulslike mechanics with classic Metroidvania progression. When you die, your rosary beads (main currency) drop at your spool, allowing safe retrieval without needing to fight a shade-like ghost.
However, if you die again before reclaiming them, the beads are gone permanently. To avoid catastrophic losses, purchase rosary strings from shops for 80 beads each. These convert your currency into safe bundles stored in your inventory until used, making high-risk exploration less punishing.
Also, keep in mind:
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Shell shards are only lost if consumed before death.
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Many locked doors don’t require keys; some are one-way shortcuts or breakable barriers.
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Use the right stick to look down before dropping into unknown areas to avoid hidden spikes or enemies.
