Master Hornet’s moveset! This advanced Silksong guide covers how to taunt, the Reaper Crest, deflecting attacks, using your death cocoon, and secret lore with the Needlelen.
Table of Contents
- 1. Hollow Knight: Silksong – 15 Advanced Tips & Secrets You NEED To Know
- 1.1.1 1. Master the Taunt to Control the Battlefield
- 1.1.2 2. Short Hop for a Faster Attack String
- 1.1.3 3. Use the Downward Dash for Combat & Style
- 1.1.4 4. Get the Game-Changing Reaper Crest
- 1.1.5 5. Deflect Projectiles and Weapon Swings
- 1.1.6 6. Skip Travel Animations
- 1.1.7 7. Unlock Secret Lore with the Needolin
- 1.1.8 8. Use Enemies as a Double Jump
- 1.1.9 9. Use Your Death Cocoon as a Resource
- 1.1.10 10. Acquire the Powerful Tacks Tool
- 1.1.11 11. Bounce on Spikes (But Not Thorns)
- 1.1.12 12. Buy the Weighted Belt for Aggressive Play
- 1.1.13 13. Expand Your Crest with Memory Lockets
- 1.1.14 14. Use Silkeaters to Save Rosaries
Hollow Knight: Silksong – 15 Advanced Tips & Secrets You NEED To Know
Wake up, warriors of Pharloom! Whether you’re just starting or deep in the kingdom’s jolly places, mastering Hornet’s arsenal is key to survival. This rapid-fire guide delivers essential advanced combat, traversal, and secret-finding tips that the game doesn’t tell you, straight from the community’s early discoveries.
1. Master the Taunt to Control the Battlefield
Press the right stick to perform a taunt. This screams an inaudible insult, costing a small amount of Silk to lure the attention of nearby enemies. Use it to pull foes into traps or split up patrolling groups for easier fights.
2. Short Hop for a Faster Attack String
Your aerial combo can be slightly faster than your ground combo. Tap jump as briefly as possible and immediately rock your thumb to attack. This “short hop attack” can weave in an extra hit during an enemy’s tiny vulnerability windows.
3. Use the Downward Dash for Combat & Style
Once you have the Swift Step (dash on RT), press down while in the air to dash straight to the ground. Use this to quickly reset your position, avoid aerial attacks, or chain into ground combos. It’s also the fastest and most stylish way to descend.
4. Get the Game-Changing Reaper Crest
Head to the far west Chapel of the Reaper in Greymore. Complete its platforming challenge to earn the Reaper Crest. Equip it at a bench to transform your downward aerial attack from a stab into a wide slash. This makes platforming easier and creates a safe “pogo” combat style to bounce on enemies. Its bonus effect: after healing, landing attacks spits out Silk orbs, often refilling your meter for another heal.
5. Deflect Projectiles and Weapon Swings
Your dash lacks invulnerability frames. Instead, attack incoming physical projectiles or even an enemy’s weapon mid-swing to cancel it out without taking damage. This is often a better defensive option than dodging.
6. Skip Travel Animations
Depending on your system’s load speed, you can press jump during a travel scene to skip it entirely. A welcome quality-of-life feature.
7. Unlock Secret Lore with the Needolin
Once you have the Needolin upgrade, play it in front of most NPCs to hear a fully voiced, “bugvoiced” song. This works on everything from your collected Fleas and travel companion to certain corpses (summoning a spectral singer) and even large beasts, which you can momentarily pacify.
8. Use Enemies as a Double Jump
Downward attack on enemies to bounce off them, propelling yourself to normally unreachable heights. Lure enemies into position to create your own shortcuts.
9. Use Your Death Cocoon as a Resource
When you die and leave behind a silk cocoon, top off your health before destroying it. Destroying it provides a huge chunk of Silk. In tough boss arenas, leave it untouched as a tactical resupply point for healing mid-fight.
10. Acquire the Powerful Tacks Tool
In Sinus Road, find two NPCs with a side quest for roach guts. Completing it rewards the Tacks tool. These thumbtacks are fantastic for ground-based bosses; lure enemies into them to rack up multi-hit damage as they linger in the area.
11. Bounce on Spikes (But Not Thorns)
You can safely bounce on metal spikes and spinning blades with a downward aerial attack. However, natural thorns cannot be bounced on—a key detail to remember.
12. Buy the Weighted Belt for Aggressive Play
A vendor in the Far Fields sells the Weighted Belt crest. Equipping it reduces the knockback you suffer and how far you retreat when attacking, letting you hold your ground and unleash faster strike sequences.
13. Expand Your Crest with Memory Lockets
To socket more pendants, toggle over to any unopened nodes on your crest and consume a Memory Locket to create new slots for upgrades.
14. Use Silkeaters to Save Rosaries
When you die, you drop Rosary Beads. Spider eggs hidden in the environment drop Silkeater items. Using one immediately retrieves your death cocoon and all Rosaries without risk. For a huge stack, convert Rosaries into permanent Necklaces at a vendor first (e.g., spend 80 to get a 60-bead necklace) to secure them before using the Silkeater, avoiding potential loss.
What are your raw thoughts on Hollow Knight: Silksong so far? Are you breezing through, struggling with the challenge, or just deep lost somewhere wondering where the heck the map is? Let us know!
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- Hollow Knight: Silksong – How to Get the Sands of Karac Map (Full Shakra Guide)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – How to Get the Blasted Steps Map (Shakra Location)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – Cogheart Pieces Guide: Find All 3 & Fix the Automaton
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – How to Find the Key of Apostate
- Hollow Knight: Silksong – How to Unlock Fast Travel
