Hollow Knight: Silksong is a very difficult game, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to go through the various regions and bosses. Similar to every other Soulslike game, it comes down to using the tools the game gives you to overcome the challenges.
Additionally, if you want to make Silksong easier for yourself, you must learn to get your basics right. You cannot rush through the game, which means taking your time to understand your advantages and disadvantages is important for success.
As such, here are some tips that I think will make your journey easier in Hollow Knight: Silksong. When I first played Dark Souls 2 several years back, I also felt lost, but after over a decade of playing Soulslike games, Silksong is a pretty normal experience for me. The tips given here don’t have any specific order, as all of them are equally important. However, I have included everything possible so that your journey is as seamless as possible.
Learn How To Pogo As Early As Possible
Pogoing is an ability where you can bounce off enemies or objects while in the air. This skill is extremely valuable since it can help you ignore certain enemy attacks or reach areas that aren’t normally accessible. In the original Hollow Knight, pogoing was very simple, as all you did was press the downward switch and attack switch to execute.
Hornet’s pogoing isn’t as simple as her pogo happens at an angle, which means you have to get used the the directional movement. You must learn it early by either jumping on enemies or in The Marrow. This is because you’ll reach an area called Hunter’s March, where you can’t even traverse without learning how to Pogo.
The good part if you get access to Crest of the Wanderer, you get access to Hornet’s version of vertical Pogo. The Crest of the Wanderer does limit you with how many tools you can equip, but the vertical pogo will make traversing easier for you. Regardless, it’s important to learn how to Pogo early to make your life easier.
Explore Every Area And Unlock Hidden Paths Before Proceeding
While you’re playing Hollow Knight: Silksong, you will have the instinct to push forward to the next area as quickly as possible. However, you should never do that, as almost every region in the game has hidden paths and areas.
Opening up the hidden paths gives you access to new tools, skills, and even checkpoints. You might feel it’s not necessary, but sometimes when you’re fighting a boss and you feel the runback is too much, that’s because of a hidden checkpoint you have missed. Silksong rewards exploration, and it’s important you give in to that aspect.
Hit Every Bench And Create Checkpoints
Benches are your lifesaver in Silksong, and you must ensure that you hit every one of them before leaving a region. Some bosses don’t really have benches close to them, but there are enough in every area such that you can cover the regions without being forced to run too much.
Most benches are free to use, while some will require Rosaries to unlock. Irrespective of the requirement, you must unlock the benches so that you can have an easier time exploring the regions of Pharloom. Additionally, you can’t change your equipment unless you are sitting on a bench as well.
Unlock Every Fast Travel Point On The Map
Pharloom is a gigantic location, and traveling across the regions can be tedious. You also can’t teleport between benches, which means you can’t really jump onto any specific point on the map. However, you do have the option to fast travel between regions by using the subway system.
You’ll have to defeat the Bell Beast to access it, and you can do it very early. However, you must unlock it as towards the end you’ll have to travel back and forth between regions.
Stock Up On Rosaries As Much As Possible
I can’t stress enough how important Rosaries are in Hollow Knight: Silksong. The problem is unlike the original Hollow Knight, all enemies do not drop them. You can only pick them up upon defeating humanoid enemies or from stockpiles around Pharloom.
As such, they are a valuable resource, and you must stock up on them. Rosaries allow you to purchase Craftmetal, Keys, Maps, and other upgrades, which are essentially your survival tools in Pharloom.
Purchase Every Map From Shakra
Every time you reach a new location, your first objective will be to locate Shakra in that area. She is your only source of maps, and you must purchase the area map so that you can navigate easily.
There are several hidden routes in Silksong, and you can only find them if you locate unexplored roads on the map. Without the map, you are pretty much blind, and you’ll miss out on more than half of the game.
Complete All Wishes and Side-quests
Hollow Knight: Silksong has a fairly good number of Side-quests, and you must complete all of them. You will often find them as Wishes, and it will require you to collect items or other valuables during your journey through Pharloom.
For instance, the Garb of the Pilgrims side-quests will ask you to collect Pilgrim Shawls in the game. Completing these side-quests grants specific items that will make you stronger. It also unlocks lore and other interactive aspects of the game, which you shouldn’t miss out on.
Unlock Every Power Available And Increase Your Strength
Hornet is significantly weakened in Hollow Knight: Silksong, and you must restore her to her former glory. In order to do this, you will have to collect every Power that is available in the game. These Powers are often hidden in areas, and you’ll have to explore to find them. However, the more Powers and Skills you unlock, the stronger you will become, making it easy to defeat difficult bosses. Additionally, these Powers are sometimes essential to progress through the various platforming sections of the game.
Increase Your Health With Mask Fragments
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a very difficult game, and I am not buying into the “git good” meme. This game is genuinely difficult as bosses hit for two pips instead of one from the original Hollow Knight. As such, maintaining your health will be a problem.
One easy fix to this problem is collecting Mast Fragments, which will increase and add to your health pool. You’ll need four mask fragments to add one health, and that is often enough to make a difference. You’ll have to explore the regions to gain access to these, but you must keep a mental note of the locations of the fragments. If you can’t access one immediately, it means there will be some hidden way to do it.
Increase Your Silk Bar To Store More Silk
Silk is the most important resource for Hornet as she can use it to heal and also use various skills. However, in the beginning, the Silk bar is pretty small, which significantly restricts its usage.
Make sure you increase the Silk bar, similar to how you collect Fragments for your HP bar, so that you can spam your skills as much as possible. Late game bosses will need you to heal more, so a bigger Silk bar is an absolute necessity.
Do Not Heal While Enemies Are Trying To Attack You
Healing in Silksong isn’t as free as it was in the original Hollow Knight. You need a lot of Silk to activate your heal, and if you miss it, there’s no other way to get your health back up. This is especially true in the early game, where you need a fully loaded Silk bar to heal once and then refill it again.
If enemies hit you while you’re healing, you also miss out on the full Silk bar, which can be disastrous during combat. As such, heal only when you think it’s completely clear and you have a clear window. Most bosses and enemies do give windows in Silksong, which is a good balance considering they deal so much damage. You need to recognize that window to get off your heals.
Take Breaks If You’re Unable To Clear A Boss Fight
This advice isn’t directly related to the game, but it will help you in your journey through Pharloom. Boss fights can get frustrating, and I know this more than anyone, considering Dark Souls 2 was my first Souls game. The same holds for Hollow Knight: Silksong as well, where bosses deal a lot of damage, and you are bound to die over and over again.
When you feel you’re getting frustrated, take a small break for 15 to 20 minutes and then retry the boss again. I can assure you the clears will become a lot smoother as there have been moments where I was struggling with a boss, but a quick break and I cleared it on the next try. Sometimes all you need to do is reset your brain, and Hollow Knight: Silksong demands that a lot, especially towards the endgame.
