Hollow Knight: Silksong Beginner's Tips – 10 Things You Need to Know First

Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally arrived, and players are diving into the beautiful yet challenging world of Pharloom. As a sequel to the notoriously difficult Hollow Knight, Silksong introduces new mechanics, enemies, and challenges that can overwhelm even experienced players. Whether you're new to the series or a veteran of Hallownest, these 10 essential tips will help you navigate Pharloom's treacherous landscapes with confidence.

1. Master Hornet's Unique Movement Early

Unlike the Knight from Hollow Knight, Hornet is naturally more agile and acrobatic. Right from the start, she can wall climb and perform mid-air dashes. These aren't abilities you unlock later—they're core to her movement from the beginning.

Practice using these abilities in the early areas to get comfortable with Hornet's mobility. Wall climbing isn't just for reaching higher platforms—it's a vital combat tool that lets you reposition during fights. The mid-air dash (Silk Dash) is both an offensive and defensive tool that can save you from falls and help you dodge attacks.

Pro Tip: Combine wall climbing and Silk Dash to reach areas that seem inaccessible at first. Many secrets in Silksong are hidden in plain sight, requiring creative use of Hornet's movement abilities.

2. Understand the Silk Resource System

Silk is Silksong's most important resource, functioning similarly to Soul in Hollow Knight but with more versatility. You consume silk for special attacks, healing, and creating silk lines for traversal.

Unlike Soul, silk doesn't automatically regenerate over time. Instead, you must collect silk by defeating enemies, breaking silk pods found throughout the world, or resting at save points. This makes resource management more challenging than in the original game.

Pro Tip: Always break silk pods when you see them, even if your silk meter is full. You can carry excess silk in silk containers (similar to soul vessels in Hollow Knight), which become available early in the game.

3. Prioritize the Right Upgrades First

With so many upgrades available, it can be overwhelming to decide where to spend your resources. As a beginner, focus on these essential upgrades first:

Silk Container: Increases your maximum silk capacity, allowing more special attacks and healing before needing to refill.
Healing Weave: Unlocks the ability to heal using silk, which is crucial for surviving tough boss fights.
Basic Shell: Provides additional defense, reducing damage taken from all sources.

These three upgrades will dramatically improve your survivability and give you more options in combat. Save more specialized upgrades for after you've established these fundamentals.

Pro Tip: The Healing Weave upgrade is found in the Silkfall area, which is accessible early in the game. Make this a priority destination as soon as you have basic movement abilities.

4. Learn to Parry Enemy Attacks

One of Hornet's most powerful abilities is the parry, which wasn't available to the Knight in Hollow Knight. By pressing the parry button just as an enemy attacks, you can deflect the blow, dealing damage and potentially stunning the enemy.

Parrying is essential for defeating tougher enemies and bosses efficiently. It requires precise timing, but mastering it early will make the entire game significantly easier.

Pro Tip: Different enemies have different attack patterns that are easier to parry. Look for telegraphed attacks with clear wind-up animations. Practice on basic enemies before attempting to parry boss attacks.

5. Explore Thoroughly but Wisely

Like its predecessor, Silksong rewards exploration with upgrades, secrets, and lore. However, not all areas are accessible from the beginning, and some paths lead to dead ends until you acquire specific abilities.

As a general rule, explore each new area thoroughly before moving on, but don't get frustrated if you can't reach certain platforms or access specific rooms. Mark these locations on your map and return later when you have more abilities.

Pro Tip: The game's mapping system is more detailed than in Hollow Knight. Use it to track unexplored areas and potential secrets. Look for breakable walls, hidden passages, and environmental clues that might indicate hidden paths.

6. Manage Your Shell Loadout

Shells replace the charm system from Hollow Knight, providing various bonuses and abilities. Unlike charms, shells have equip costs based on their power level, and you can only equip as many as your shell capacity allows.

Experiment with different shell combinations to find what works best for your playstyle. Early in the game, focus on defensive shells that increase your survivability, then gradually incorporate more offensive options as you become more comfortable with combat.

Pro Tip: The Balanced Shell is an excellent early-game choice that provides a modest boost to both offense and defense. It's found early in the Bloom Palace area and serves as a reliable all-purpose option until you find more specialized shells.

7. Learn Boss Patterns Before Attacking

Silksong's bosses are challenging but fair, with clear attack patterns that can be learned and exploited. When facing a new boss, spend the first few attempts just observing and dodging rather than attacking.

Each boss has a set of moves that they perform in specific sequences. Learning these patterns is more important than dealing maximum damage quickly. Once you understand a boss's patterns, you'll know when to attack, when to dodge, and when to use special abilities.

Pro Tip: Most bosses have "tells" before their most powerful attacks. Watch for visual or audio cues that signal these dangerous moves, and be ready to dodge or parry accordingly.

8. Use the Environment to Your Advantage

Combat in Silksong isn't just about direct confrontation. The environment often provides tools and advantages that can turn difficult fights in your favor.

Look for hazards that can damage enemies, platforms that can give you height advantages, and objects that can be used as cover. Many boss arenas have environmental elements that can be exploited if you pay attention.

Pro Tip: Some enemies are vulnerable to environmental hazards like spikes or silk pools. Luring enemies into these hazards can conserve your silk and make fights significantly easier.

9. Don't Neglect Side Quests and NPCs

While the main story is compelling, Silksong's side quests and NPC interactions provide valuable rewards, including upgrades, lore, and essential items. Many of the game's best upgrades are locked behind side content rather than main progression.

Take time to talk to NPCs multiple times, as their dialogue often changes as you progress through the game. Some quests require you to return to NPCs after completing specific objectives or reaching certain areas.

Pro Tip: The Weaver in Silkfall offers a series of side quests that ultimately reward you with one of the best shells in the game. Make sure to check back with her regularly as you progress.

10. Embrace Death as a Learning Tool

Death is an integral part of the Silksong experience, especially for new players. Unlike many games, Silksong doesn't penalize death heavily—instead, it uses death as a teaching tool.

When you die, you return to the last save point with all your geo (currency) intact. The only real penalty is having to traverse back to where you died. Use these return trips as opportunities to practice combat and movement skills.

Pro Tip: After dying, don't rush back to where you fell. Take your time on the return journey, exploring areas you might have missed and practicing against enemies you previously struggled with.

Early Boss Strategies

To help you get started, here are brief strategies for the first few bosses you'll encounter in Silksong:

The Silk Sentinel

This is likely the first major boss you'll face, serving as a tutorial for boss mechanics. Focus on parrying its silk attacks, which are clearly telegraphed. After parrying three attacks, the Sentinel will be stunned, allowing you to deal significant damage. Avoid standing directly in front of it when it performs its spinning attack.

The Bloom Warden

Found in the Bloom Palace, this boss has two phases. In the first phase, focus on dodging its thorn attacks and parrying its lunges. In the second phase, it will add area-denial attacks with pollen clouds. Use your Silk Dash to quickly close distance and create openings for attack.

The Crystal Guardian

This boss is found in the Crystal Caverns and specializes in projectile attacks. Use the environment to break line of sight when it fires crystal shards, then close in for quick attacks. Watch for its charge attack, which can be parried for massive damage.

Conclusion

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a challenging but rewarding experience that builds upon the foundation of the original while introducing new mechanics and systems. By mastering these essential tips, you'll be well-equipped to face the dangers of Pharloom and uncover its many secrets.

Remember that patience and persistence are key. Don't be discouraged by difficult sections or bosses—each death is an opportunity to learn and improve. With time and practice, you'll master Hornet's abilities and discover why Silksong is considered one of the best metroidvania games ever made.

Good luck, and enjoy your journey through Pharloom!