This comprehensive Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough will guide you through every Act of Hornet's journey through Pharloom. Whether you're looking for a step-by-step walkthrough for your first playthrough or pursuing 100% completion, this guide covers every secret, boss strategy, and ending in Team Cherry's masterpiece sequel.
This Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough is designed to accommodate different playstyles and goals. Whether you're experiencing Silksong for the first time or aiming for 100% completion, this guide provides flexible pathways through Hornet's journey. Understanding how to navigate this walkthrough will help you get the most value from your playthrough.
Our walkthrough structure breaks down the game into four main Acts, each with detailed progression routes, boss strategies, and collectible locations. For players following this walkthrough step-by-step, we recommend starting with Act 1 and progressing sequentially. However, Silksong's open-ended design means you can often tackle areas in different orders—we'll note when alternative routes become available during your walkthrough.
If this is your first Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough experience, we recommend following the "Story-Focused Route" detailed below. This path minimizes backtracking and focuses on the main narrative while still showing you approximately 60% of the game's content.
Use the walkthrough as a reference when you get stuck rather than following it word-for-word—discovering secrets on your own is part of Silksong's magic.
For players pursuing 100% completion, this walkthrough includes comprehensive checklists for collectibles, optional bosses, and secret areas. Pay special attention to sections marked "Missable" as some content becomes inaccessible after certain story events.
We recommend creating multiple save files before key decision points to experience all endings without replaying the entire game.
As you progress through this Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough, you'll discover that Silksong's progression system is deceptively open-ended. While the game appears linear initially, you'll soon discover multiple paths through Pharloom, each with different difficulty curves and rewards. Planning your walkthrough route carefully dramatically affects your enjoyment and success rate. Unlike the original Hollow Knight's relatively fixed early-game route, Silksong expects you to make meaningful routing decisions within the first 2-3 hours that influence your entire playthrough.
The key to an efficient Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough is balancing three resources: Health Masks (survivability), Silk Capacity (ability usage), and Tool unlocks (combat options). Most players following this walkthrough for the first time over-invest in offensive tools, reaching mid-game bosses with inadequate health pools and struggling unnecessarily. Our recommended walkthrough approach prioritizes survival through Act 1, offensive power in Act 2, and specialized builds for Acts 3-4 based on your preferred playstyle.
Philosophy: Experience Silksong's narrative without overwhelming completion anxiety. This route gets you to credits while sampling ~60% of content, leaving substantial material for repeat playthroughs.
Approximately 40% of areas, 3-4 boss fights, 2-3 endings, most secret lore reveals. This is intentional—Silksong rewards repeat playthroughs with different choices.
Philosophy: See everything Silksong offers in one meticulously planned playthrough. Requires extensive backtracking, optimal routing, and patience with difficult optional content.
Use our comprehensive checklist guide, maintain multiple save files before major decisions, and follow community routing spreadsheets to minimize backtracking.
Most players using this Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough find the sweet spot between these extremes: follow the story-focused route, but whenever you encounter something interesting (a hidden passage, an NPC with a quest, a mysterious locked door), indulge your curiosity. This "guided exploration" approach to the walkthrough typically lands at 70-80% completion naturally, hitting ~18-22 hours, and leaves enough undiscovered content to make NG+ playthroughs feel fresh rather than repetitive. Many consider this the ideal way to experience your first Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough.
The Issue: The exit to Act 2 isn't where you'd expect—it's not in the boss room or the obvious main path.
The Solution: Return to Deep Docks' upper levels (where you first entered Moss Grotto). Use your new Swift Step ability to reach previously inaccessible ledges on the western wall. The path to Blasted Steps and Last Judge opens here, which then leads to Greymoor. Many players waste an hour searching Moss Grotto when the exit is actually backtracking.
The Issue: This boss has a massive difficulty spike compared to Moss Mother. You're likely undergeared.
The Solution: Before attempting Last Judge, ensure you have: (1) At least 6 health masks (find the mask fragment in Crystal Caverns and Shell Market), (2) Silk Saver charm equipped (reduces ability costs by 15%), (3) Practice parrying in Moss Grotto's training room until you can consistently perfect-parry 5 times in a row. With these preparations, Last Judge becomes a fair challenge rather than a wall.
The Issue: Coral Forest's underwater sections disorient players because vertical navigation feels unintuitive and the map doesn't clearly show water levels.
The Solution: Purchase the Navigation Charm from Greymoor's merchant (350 Geo). This highlights unexplored map edges in yellow, making the intended path obvious. Additionally, underwater sections always have air pockets every 20-30 seconds of swimming—if you haven't found one, you're going the wrong direction. The main path follows the bright coral formations; dim areas are optional side rooms.
The Issue: Silksong has "point of no return" warnings before Act 5, but some ending requirements must be completed earlier.
The Solution: Before entering the Citadel (end of Act 4), ensure you've: (1) Spoken to all major NPCs in their final dialogue states, (2) Collected the Forgotten Seal from Bonebottom (required for endings 3 & 5), (3) Defeated at least one optional boss (unlocks ending 4). If you miss these, you can still see endings 1 & 2, but will need a second playthrough for full completion. The game doesn't clearly communicate these requirements, so use our endings checklist guide.
The Issue: Geo income feels insufficient compared to the cost of upgrades, charms, and map markers.
The Solution: Equip Geo-multiplier charms (Greedy Silk, Found Wealth) and establish farming routes in high-density enemy areas. The most efficient farming spot is Greymoor's Spectral Gardens (500-800 Geo per 10-minute loop). Never buy map markers from Confectioner—they're overpriced luxury items. Prioritize spending on health masks and essential charms; cosmetic purchases can wait until post-game when Geo becomes abundant.
Navigate the industrial waterfront and lush underground areas. Master basic silk techniques and defeat the Moss Mother.
Explore the mysterious moorlands and underwater coral gardens. Learn advanced combat techniques.
Master the Swift Step ability early for horizontal platforming sections
Look for Hornet's Mask pieces in Far Fields using lava steam pile techniques
The Last Judge marks the end of Act 1 - prepare for a challenging two-phase fight
Explore thoroughly as Silksong has 5 different endings to discover
Save your tools and abilities for boss fights - resource management is key
To start your Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough effectively, begin by selecting your preferred difficulty setting and taking time to practice movement controls in the tutorial area. The walkthrough recommends completing Act 1: Deep Docks first, as this introduces core mechanics without overwhelming you with choices. Focus on mastering Swift Step and basic combat before venturing into more complex areas. Most players following this walkthrough spend their first 2-3 hours exploring Deep Docks thoroughly, collecting early health upgrades and Geo to purchase essential charms from the Shell Market merchant.
For first-time players using this walkthrough, the Story-Focused Route provides the best balance between experiencing Silksong's narrative and avoiding overwhelming completion requirements. This route progresses through Acts 1-4 sequentially, tackling main story bosses while collecting approximately 60% of optional content. The walkthrough clearly marks which collectibles are essential for story progression versus purely optional. Following this path results in a 12-15 hour first playthrough that feels complete without becoming tedious. Players can always return in New Game+ using the 100% Completionist route detailed in this walkthrough.
The duration of your Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough depends heavily on your goals and playstyle. Following the Story-Focused route typically requires 12-15 hours for first-time players. The Hybrid Approach recommended in this walkthrough extends to 18-22 hours, offering a sweet spot of thorough exploration without completionist grinding. For players pursuing 100% completion using the full walkthrough checklist, expect 25-35 hours including Hunter's Journal completion, all boss defeats, and witnessing all five endings. Speedrunners can complete the main story in under 4 hours, though this requires extensive knowledge gained from multiple walkthroughs.
Priority collectibles during your walkthrough should focus on health mask fragments, silk capacity upgrades, and essential charms. This walkthrough marks "Must-Have" collectibles with green indicators—these items significantly impact your success rate against upcoming bosses. Specifically target mask fragments in Crystal Caverns, Shell Market, and Coral Forest early in your walkthrough. For charms, prioritize Silk Saver (reduces ability costs), Quick Focus (faster healing), and Greed (Geo multiplier for purchasing upgrades). Collectathon items like Grubs and Lore Tablets can be safely ignored on first walkthroughs unless you're pursuing 100% completion.
This Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough recommends tackling optional bosses when you're properly leveled rather than immediately upon discovering them. Fourth Chorus (Act 2 optional boss) should be skipped during your initial walkthrough and revisited after Act 3 upgrades, as attempting it undergeared leads to frustration. The walkthrough provides specific "Recommended Level" indicators for each optional boss encounter. Generally, optional bosses become significantly easier 1-2 Acts after you first encounter them, so don't feel pressured to defeat them immediately. Bosses required for ending unlocks are clearly marked in the walkthrough with red "Required for Ending" tags.
Area progression in this walkthrough follows ability unlocks rather than linear exploration. Key abilities that unlock new areas include Swift Step (horizontal dashing), Silk Bind (creating traversal points), and Coral Rush (underwater movement). The walkthrough clearly indicates when you've obtained abilities that allow backtracking to previously inaccessible areas with "New Areas Unlocked" notifications. Major area gates include: Deep Docks requires Swift Step, Greymoor requires defeating Moss Mother, Coral Forest requires Silk Bind, and the Hidden Kingdom requires completing three of four major regional questlines. Following the walkthrough's progression naturally unlocks all areas by Act 4.
Several items in this Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough become permanently missable after certain story progression points. Most critically, the Forgotten Seal in Bonebottom must be collected before entering the Citadel (end of Act 4), as this area becomes inaccessible afterward. This item is required for endings 3 and 5. The walkthrough marks all missable items with orange "MISSABLE" tags and recommends creating manual save backups before points of no return. Other notable missables include specific NPC dialogue options that affect ending availability, charm combinations that unlock secret areas, and time-sensitive quest chains. Following the walkthrough's suggested save file management strategy ensures you don't lock yourself out of content.
Using this Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough on your first playthrough is recommended for players who prefer structured guidance over trial-and-error exploration. However, the walkthrough is designed to be used as a reference tool rather than a step-by-step instruction manual. We recommend playing naturally until you get stuck or feel lost, then consulting the relevant walkthrough section. This approach preserves Silksong's sense of discovery while preventing frustration from extended stuck points. Players who enjoy completely blind playthroughs should save this walkthrough for New Game+ when pursuing 100% completion or specific endings. The choice between guided and blind play is personal—both approaches offer valid ways to experience Silksong.
Tracking progress through your Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough is essential for completionists. This guide recommends using Silksong's built-in completion percentage (accessible via the pause menu) as your primary metric. The walkthrough provides detailed checklists for each Act that align with specific completion percentage milestones. For example, completing Act 1 with all optional content should place you at approximately 25% completion. External tools like our interactive completion tracker (linked from this walkthrough) allow you to manually check off collected items and compare against the full item list. The game also features an in-game Hunter's Journal that tracks enemy encounters, helping you identify missing journal entries for 100% completion.
After completing your first Hollow Knight Silksong walkthrough to reach the credits, Silksong offers extensive post-game content. The game continues in your completed save file, allowing you to pursue remaining collectibles, optional bosses, and alternative endings. This walkthrough's Post-Game section details efficiently completing remaining tasks without replaying the entire story. Most players following this walkthrough unlock 2-3 endings in their first playthrough and can witness remaining endings via save file loading. New Game+ mode unlocks additional difficulty modifiers and charm slots, making previously challenging optional content more accessible. Many players following this walkthrough spend equal time in post-game completion as they did reaching initial credits.