Hello everyone and welcome back for another blog post! So, you’ve finally ascended from the depths of Hallownest, your little Knight is a certified Void deity, and you thought you were ready for anything. Then you boot up Hollow Knight: Silksong and Pharloom’s inhabitants have, with terrifying enthusiasm, handed you your own thorax on a silver platter. Repeatedly.
The question on everyone’s mind (usually screamed into a pillow) is: Is Hollow Knight: Silksong Too Hard?
The short, brutally honest answer? It’s a Team Cherry game. It’s designed to be a challenging, rewarding mastery test. But “challenging” doesn’t mean “impossible.” It means you need to shift from the Knight’s methodical style to Hornet’s acrobatic, rapid-flow combat. Now, let’s make your life easier.
Beginner Tips to Make Silksong Feel Easier
1. Embrace the Silk, You’re a Weaver Now
Your muscle memory from Hallownest is lying to you. The Knight is a methodical, tanky brawler who wins trades. Hornet is a nimble, silk-weaving duelist who wins through agility and resource control.
Trying to stand your ground and trade hits is a one-way ticket to the last Benchmark. Your entire philosophy must change. Stay Aerial, Strike Faster: Here’s a pro tip straight from the code: Hornet’s attacks are significantly faster and often have different properties when performed in the air. That pogo move isn’t just for bouncing; it’s a primary DPS tool. Instead of standing your ground like a Knight, use your mobility to stay airborne, dodge low attacks, and shred enemies from above.
2. Tool Tips: Your New Best Friends
Hornet’s Tools are a complex and vital system, and understanding the three color-coded types is the key to tailoring the game’s difficulty to your playstyle. Or, as I like to call it, the key to avoiding throwing your controller into a ceiling fan.
- Red Tools (Offensive): These are your active attacks and traps. They consume a finite resource (gained from combat) but are replenished at a Bench by spending Shell Shards from your inventory. Think of it as a vending machine of pain, and the currency is bug parts. Delicious.
- Early Game MVP: The Sting Shard is a fantastic “get off me” tool, creating a spiked trap that detonates on enemies. It’s the equivalent of scattering Legos on the floor behind you while being chased. Brutally effective.
- Blue Tools (Passive): These are your equippable buffs. Simply slot them, and they automatically bolster Hornet’s capabilities. No activation needed. They’re the video game equivalent of a good luck charm, except they actually work.
- Crucial for Beginners: The Fractured Mask is a literal lifesaver, protecting your final Health Point from a killing blow. It’s basically a participation trophy for almost dying, and it will make you feel so much better about your many, many mistakes.
- Yellow Tools (Utility): These tools make the exploration and economy of Pharloom less punishing. They’re for people who, unlike the developers, believe you should be rewarded for your suffering.
- Must-Haves: The Compass is essential for keeping your bearings. Without it, you’ll be lost forever, doomed to wander the beautiful, terrifying halls of Pharloom until you drop dead. The Magnetite Brooch automatically draws Rosary Beads to you, saving you from the classic horror of watching your hard-earned cash mock you from just over a bottomless pit.
The Strategy: Your Tools are your best answer to “this is too hard.” Stuck on a boss? Maybe swap a Red Tool for a different one. Dying to environmental hazards? The Magma Bell lets you walk on hot floors like some kind of fire-proof bug messiah. Your loadout is the primary dial for adjusting the game’s challenge.
3. Map Your Surroundings (And Your Mind)
Prioritize buying every single Map Pin from the cartographer the moment you see them. It’s the single best investment you will make in the entire early game.
Why? Because Pharloom is a maliciously designed masterpiece filled with:
You’ll stumble upon platforms that are just out of reach and suspicious-looking walls that are practically screaming “COME BACK LATER WITH A BOMB.” You will swear you’ll remember that one breakable ceiling. You will not. You’ll be three biomes deep, overloaded with new information, and that critical secret will be lost to the void forever.
Marking them immediately with a pin is like leaving a breadcrumb trail for your future, more powerful self. Stop trying to remember everything and start letting the map do the remembering for you. Your future self, who is blissfully clearing out your meticulously marked checklist, will thank you. Your current self just has to resist the urge to buy a hat instead. You can do it. Probably.
4. Die. A Lot. But Do It Productively.
You are going to die. You will die to bugs you didn’t see, traps you didn’t expect, and bosses who seem to have downloaded aimbots. This is not failure; it’s data collection.
Each death teaches you:
- An enemy’s attack pattern.
- A safe spot on the arena.
- Which of your tools is ineffective (so you can try another).
Instead of raging, ask: “What did I learn?” Besides the fact that a giant, swinging bug has a surprisingly powerful right hook.
5. If an Area is Too Tough, Leave. Seriously, Just Go.
Let’s be real: your ego is writing checks your skill level can’t cash. This is a Metroidvania, not a battering-ram simulator. If the local fauna is treating you like a pinata and your needle feels about as effective as a wet noodle, that’s not a challenge—it’s a hint.
The game is literally telling you to go somewhere else. You are likely under-powered and missing a key ability. Your stubbornness is not a virtue here; it’s a one-way ticket to frustration city. Population: you.
So, do the smart thing. Turn around. Explore a different path. Find a new tool or upgrade. Come back later when you’re stronger, faster, and armed with something that can actually deal with the absurdly large enemy blocking your way. The satisfaction of returning to effortlessly stomp a foe that once owned you is better than any Rosary Bead. And it’s a lot cheaper than therapy after a three-hour losing streak.
The Bottom Line: Is It Too Hard?
Hollow Knight: Silksong is not “too hard.” It is precisely as hard as it intends to be: a demanding, deeply satisfying experience that respects your intelligence and perseverance.
The difficulty is a feature, not a bug. It’s the wall you climb to earn that breathtaking view. The struggle makes the eventual victory—that perfect, no-damage boss run—all the more euphoric.
So take a deep breath, sharpen your needle, and remember: every master was once a beginner who refused to give up. You’ve got this.
Now get out there and show Pharloom who’s really the boss. If you want to read our review of the first Hollow Knight, click here.
And by the way guys, as you have already guessed, I’m glad to announce that Game On Reviews is officially back! I’m so excited to return, I was thinking on having a longer break, but the blog optimization seemed to have a good new traction and I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to make a comeback with this awesome game. Missed you all and thank you for your patience, now let’s buckle up for more indie games!