Hollow Knight Silksong Guide FAQ: Answering the Most Common Questions

Is Silksong Actually Coming Out?

tbh the wait has been brutal. Team Cherry last gave a meaningful update confirming the game is still in active development and won't appear at showcases until closer to launch. No one outside the studio has a date. What we do have: the E3 2019 playable demo, multiple trailers, deep Edge magazine coverage. The scope clearly ballooned, what started as Hornet DLC became a full sequel with 165+ new enemies and a kingdom larger than Hallownest. Started as Hornet DLC and then just kept growing.

So if you're checking Steam daily, you're not alone. Best move? Wishlist it and stop refreshing. The game lands when it lands. not sure about this but I think we might get a shadow drop rather than a traditional release date annoucement. No trailers, no release dates, nothing. That would be very Team Cherry honestly.

What Makes Hornet Different From the Knight?

Hornet plays nothing like the Knight, and that's kinda the whole point honestly.

She's faster with a higher jump and her dash feels snappier. But the real difference is the ledge grab, you can hang off platforms and watch enemy patterns before committing. Plus she has an actual sprint. The Knight never got that. Movement overall feels closer to Ori than Hollow Knight, which I've found makes backtracking way less tedious. Way less.

Healing works totally different too. The Knight could channel Soul while standing still, risky but manageable. Hornet uses something called Bind. Spends Silk instantly with a short animation. The window is tighter and you can't just tank through most boss combos hoping to heal after. And Silk is also what you spend on Tools. So every heal is a genuine tradeoff. I kind of love that tension actually.

Her primary weapon is a needle instead of a nail. More thrust focused, faster attacks. Tools replace spells, they're craftable and run on independent cooldowns instead of consuming Silk. Examples from the demo: a buzzsaw projectile, a spinning AoE, a decoy that pulls aggro.

Death is different too. Instead of leaving a Shade you have to fight, Hornet drops Shell Shards you need to retrieve. You lose Silk resources, not geo. Less punishing maybe but still stressful when you die deep in unfamiliar territory. Every single time.

Customization splits into two separate systems, Crests and Tools, instead of the single Charm notch system from the first game. I actually think this gives more build variety but we'll see how it pans out in the full game. Could go either way.

Is Silksong Harder Than Hollow Knight?

From the demo, honestly yes. But different kind of hard.

Hornet takes more damage per hit and heals slower. Enemy attack patterns have more phases and are genuinely more complex. But her mobility kit, ledge grab, sprint, aerial dash, gives you way more defensive options than the Knight ever had. So you die faster but you also have more tools to avoid dying. Weird balance.

Team Cherry said the difficulty curve is more gradual this time. Early areas work as a proper tutorial, unlike the original that just drops you in King's Pass with nothing. So newcomers get a softer start. Veterans will still get wrecked by late game bosses, don't worry about that. Not even a question.

What Areas Are on the Silksong Map?

Only a handful of regions have been confirmed through trailers, demos, and developer commentary.

Moss Grotto is the starting area, lush and green, replaces King's Pass. Deep Docks is a vertical port town built into cliffs, heavy on bells and lanterns. Bonebottom has this desert vibe with skeletal remains of giant creatures scattered around. Coral Caves is an underwater-ish zone with coral structures and bioluminescent enemies. Gilded City looks like a mechanical metropolis, probably mid to late game. Greymoor is foggy and haunted with serious graveyard energy.

And there are definitely more regions they haven't revealed. The map system itself works differently too, you piece it together by finding cartographer NPCs and purchasing incomplete maps, then fill gaps yourself. No more rushing to find Cornifer at the start of every zone. That's... honestly a relief.

What Collectibles Should I Look For?

The demo showed several collectible categories and based on Hollow Knight patterns here's what we know.

Crests are basically Silksong's Charms, equippable passive buffs that change stats, movement, or combat. But unlike Charms they don't use notches. Hornet has fixed crest slots that expand through progression. So no more notch math. I've found that's either a relief or a disappointment depending on who you ask.

Tools are active abilities on independent cooldowns. Unlike HK spells that consume Soul, Tools just need their timer to expire and then you can use them again. The buzzsaw projectile was my favorite from the demo footage. Looked so satisfying.

Rosaries are the Silk container equivalents, break them while bound to an NPC to increase your maximum Silk capacity. Shell Shards are what you drop on death and need to retrieve. Pretty standard Hollow Knight DNA there.

There are also bonded characters, NPCs you rescue and bring back to a hub. Each provides a service. A blacksmith upgrades your needle, a weaver crafts new Tools, and others haven't been shown yet. So the completion loop mirrors Hollow Knight but leans harder into NPC driven progression instead of buying everything from a shopkeeper. I kinda prefer that approach honestly.

What's the Best Progression Route?

tbh nobody has a definitive route since the full game isn't out. But based on the demo flow and how these games usually work, here's my guess at an efficient early path.

Start in Moss Grotto to learn movement and find your first Crest. Head to Deep Docks for the Sprint ability and the Lace fight, which is the first major boss. Then Bonebottom to pick up a key Tool and rescue the blacksmith NPC. Back to the hub to upgrade your needle to level 2 and craft a couple Tools. After that either Coral Caves or Greymoor, whichever actually opens with your current abilities.

The demo made clear that backtracking rewards you heavily. Blocked paths are everywhere and abilities stack in a way that makes returning to old areas feel worthwhile rather than a chore. Which is... not something every metroidvania pulls off.

Tips for Hollow Knight Veterans Playing Silksong

Unlearn the healing timing first. Bind is faster than Focus but the window is tighter. You cannot heal safely during most boss combos, wait for true recovery frames, not just the end of an attack string. Took me several deaths in the demo to really internalize this. Way too many deaths to count honestly.

Use Tools aggressively. In HK saving Soul for healing is often smart. But in Silksong Tools have independent cooldowns, so sitting on a full Tool bar is just wasted damage. Throw them out constantly. Don't hoard.

Sprint isn't just for traversal. Hornet can sprint through smaller enemies and stagger them. It also dodges certain projectiles. Get comfortable using it in combat, not just between rooms. This was probably the biggest adjustment for me personally. Took ages to break the habit of only sprinting between areas.

Ledge grab changes platforming entirely. You can hang and observe enemy patrol patterns before committing to a jump. Use this constantly in unfamiliar areas and you'll die way less. Saved me so many times in the demo.

Crests are situational, not set and forget. Unlike HK Charms where I've found myself settling into one build and never touching it again, Silksong seems designed around swapping Crests per encounter. Boss too aggressive? Equip the dodge distance Crest. Getting swarmed? Throw on the AoE damage Crest. It's more dynamic and I honestly think it'll make boss fights more interesting. We'll see though.

Should I Play Hollow Knight First?

You don't need to but I'd strongly recommend it.

Silksong is a standalone story, Hornet's journey happens in a different kingdom with different characters. You won't miss any plot critical setup. So you can absolutely start here. Nothing stopping you.

But Hollow Knight is a masterpiece worth experiencing on its own. And playing it first means you understand the weight of Hornet as a character. That moment she first appeared in Greenpath, the Mantis Lords duel where she watches from the background, the multiple encounters spread through Hallownest, all of that context vanishes if you start with Silksong. It's like watching the sequel before the original. Not wrong exactly, just... less.

Also Silksong's mechanics are a direct evolution. Going backwards to the simpler Knight moveset after playing Hornet might feel genuinely restrictive. Play HK first, enjoy it for what it is, then appreciate every refinement when Silksong arrives.

What Platforms Will Silksong Be On?

Confirmed: PC (Steam, GOG, Humble), Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4. Day one Game Pass on Xbox and PC.

No word on macOS or Linux native versions. Steam Deck compatibility is almost certain, the original runs perfectly on it and the demo was playable on Switch hardware which is less powerful. So that's basically guaranteed.

How Long Is Silksong Compared to Hollow Knight?

Team Cherry first called this Hornet DLC that grew too large. Then they called it a full sequel. The map is confirmed larger than Hallownest and the enemy count at 165+ exceeds the original.

So a reasonable guess: 25 to 35 hours for a first playthrough, 40 to 50 for completionist runs. Speedrun routes will probably settle in the 1 to 3 hour range once optimized. Don't expect the sub 30 minute territory of Hollow Knight any percent, Hornet's more complex movement kit should keep runs longer by default. But who knows, speedrunners always find ways to break these games. Always do.