It still feels a bit surreal to write that Hollow Knight: Silksong is officially out in the world. Not only that, it’s been out for almost an entire week. In that time, Hollow Knight: Silksong has remained the focal point of the gaming industry, with talk of its difficulty, world design, and bosses dominating media headlines and fan social media posts alike.
But while Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s launch has been a whirlwind of hype that’s managed to drag in even those previously uninterested in the long-awaited sequel, there are still plenty of gamers who haven’t jumped into Silksong yet. And for those newcomers, there’s a set of unwritten rules that might help them in the first few hours of their Hollow Knight: Silksong adventure.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a Metroidvania first and foremost. That means its world is filled with countless branching paths and optional areas in addition to its critical path. Along the way, players will be able to unlock Benches, Silksong‘s equivalent of Dark Souls‘ Bonfires.
While discovering a new area in Hollow Knight: Silksong can be incredibly exciting and is often accompanied by mesmerizing visuals, players should make sure their first goal when reaching any new location is finding a Bench. Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s difficulty has been one of the most prominent talking points surrounding the game at launch, and to ensure that players don’t need to run all the way back from the previous region to regain their lost Rosary Beads, they need to find a Bench checkpoint as early as possible.
Hollow Knight veterans will know that secrets can be hidden behind practically any wall in the game, and the same is true in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Players should try to make a habit of slashing at every wall they bump into, because a surprising number of them have hidden goodies inside, or sometimes entire alternate paths to other regions and secret areas.
Most video games gently encourage players to horde their in-game currency in case they need it for a big purchase later down the line. Hollow Knight: Silksong is not one of these games. Rosary Beads are a finite resource in Silksong‘s currently controversial economy, and while it’s great to have a bunch saved, they can easily be lost in an instant if players don’t manage to make it back to their fallen body.
Players should aim to spend their Rosary Beads on useful items as often as they can. Alternatively, players should trade their loose beads for Rosary Strings and Necklaces. These items cost a bit more than they’re technically worth, but they do prevent players from losing any Rosary Beads upon death, which can be particularly useful when starting out in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Hollow Knight: Silksong teaches players a classic Metroidvania lesson very early on in the game. After an hour or so, players will likely be able to access Hunter’s March, an area located above Deep Docks. This totally optional area feels like a major step up in terms of both platforming and combat difficulty, to the point where some players might feel a little discouraged.
Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s Hunter’s March area is actually teaching new players a staple element of the Metroidvania genre. If players are feeling too weak in the area they’re in, it’s more than acceptable for them to leave and come back a few hours later when they’ve gotten a bit stronger. The same is true for any boss fights that the player is desperately stuck on.
On a similar note, one of the most important things to remember above all else is that Hollow Knight: Silksong is designed to be taken at the player’s own pace. It can easily feel like you’re being left behind when the entire internet is seemingly a whole act ahead of you, but the key to enjoying Silksong is to ignore everyone else and focus solely on your own playthrough.
Hollow Knight: Silksong‘s sprawling Kingdom of Pharloom is designed to be taken one step at a time, and while players can technically finish the main story in under 20 hours, they’ll likely have a lot more fun if they take their time and make sure they experience everything the game has to offer
September 4, 2025
E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
Team Cherry
Team Cherry
Unity
