Silksong Tips: Surviving Pharloom as Hornet

Hollow Knight: Silksong finally released in 2025 after years of anticipation and won the Steam Game of the Year award. Team Cherry delivered a sequel that's faster, more aggressive, and more vertical than the original — Hornet moves differently from the Knight, with silk-based abilities, tools, and a combat rhythm that rewards offense over caution.

The game tells you almost nothing. That's by design. Here's what makes the difference between struggling and thriving.

Hornet is not the Knight

The biggest adjustment for Hollow Knight veterans: Hornet plays fundamentally differently. She's faster, more mobile, and has different healing mechanics.

Silk replaces Soul. Instead of healing by hitting enemies and channeling Focus, Hornet generates Silk through combat and uses it for healing, tools, and abilities. Silk management is the core resource challenge — spend too much on tools and you can't heal, hoard too much silk and you're underusing your toolkit.

Speed is survival. Hornet's dash is faster and covers more distance than the Knight's. She has aerial mobility options earlier. The game is designed around constant movement — standing still to heal like in Hollow Knight gets you killed here.

Tools replace spells. Where the Knight had Vengeful Spirit and Shade Soul, Hornet has craftable tools with diverse functions. Some are ranged attacks, some are traversal aids, some are traps. Experiment with all of them — the right tool for the right encounter transforms difficulty.

Combat fundamentals

Attack constantly to generate Silk. Hornet heals by spending Silk, and she generates Silk by attacking. This creates an aggressive loop — the game punishes passive play and rewards staying in the fight. If you're low on health, the answer is usually "attack more" rather than "retreat and wait."

Downward strikes for aerial resets. Like the Knight's pogo, Hornet can downward strike enemies and hazards for height. Use this for aerial positioning and extending airtime during platforming and boss fights.

Learn each boss's punish windows. Every boss has moments where they're vulnerable after specific attacks. The first few attempts at any boss are for learning — watch their patterns, identify the openings, then execute.

Use tools aggressively. Don't save tools for emergencies. They're part of your basic combat rotation. The Silk cost is offset by the enemies you kill faster, which generates more Silk.

Exploration priorities

Go where you can. Silksong is a metroidvania — some paths are blocked until you have specific abilities. If you hit a wall, go somewhere else. The game opens up as you acquire new movement abilities.

Talk to every NPC. Quest NPCs provide tools, upgrades, and map information. Some quests are multi-step across different zones. Talk to everyone twice — some have additional dialogue after story progress.

Break suspicious walls and floors. Hidden passages are everywhere. If a wall looks slightly different in texture or color, attack it.

Map upgrades are essential. Find and buy map-related upgrades as soon as they're available. Getting lost in Silksong without map pins and markers wastes enormous time.

Bench and save point management

Benches save your progress and restore health. They're limited — the distance between benches is a deliberate design choice that creates tension.

Don't backtrack to benches unnecessarily. Push forward when you can. The game is designed around making progress between saves, not returning to safety constantly.

Some benches are hidden. If an area feels punishingly long without a save point, you've probably missed a hidden bench. Explore more thoroughly.

Boss strategy

Every boss is learnable. No boss in Silksong requires grinding or luck — they require pattern recognition and execution. If you're dying repeatedly, the answer is usually "learn the next attack pattern" not "go get more upgrades."

Tools can trivialize specific bosses. Some bosses are dramatically easier with the right tool equipped. If you're stuck, try a different tool loadout.

Healing windows exist in every boss fight. They're shorter than in Hollow Knight because Hornet heals faster. Identify the 1-2 second windows after big attacks and heal then.

What we make at Choost

Granny's Rampage shares Silksong's indie spirit — small team, tight mechanics, deep gameplay. Different genre (bullet heaven vs metroidvania) but shared commitment to rewarding player skill.

For more metroidvania content, the games like Silksong, games like Hollow Knight, and best metroidvania games posts have more.

The shortest version

Hornet is faster and more aggressive than the Knight — attack constantly to generate Silk for healing. Tools are part of your combat rotation, not emergency buttons. Explore everywhere, break suspicious walls, talk to every NPC twice. Benches are scarce by design — push forward. Every boss is learnable through pattern recognition. If stuck, try different tools. Silksong rewards aggression — passive play is how you die.