Home
Content Remastered

Hollow Knight: Silksong - Complete Guide to Everything We Know

Last Updated: October 27, 2025

Hornet in Hollow Knight: Silksong, preparing for battle in Pharloom.

The phantom kingdom of Pharloom remains shrouded in mystery, and the wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong has become a legend in its own right. As anticipation reaches a fever pitch, the line between confirmed fact and fervent fan theory has blurred, leading to a wealth of speculation about Hornet's new abilities, tools, and the challenges she will face.

As an authoritative source, our mission is to cut through the rumors. The original version of this article contained detailed, speculative information about "Silkshot Variations" that, while imaginative, is not based on official information from Team Cherry. This remastered guide corrects the record, presenting a comprehensive overview of everything that has been officially confirmed and what it means for one of the most anticipated games of all time.

Hornet's Confirmed Abilities: A New Kingdom, A New Toolkit

While the original Hollow Knight saw the Knight gradually acquire a set of core skills, Hornet enters Pharloom as a far more nimble and established protagonist. Trailers and official demos have showcased a moveset that is faster, more acrobatic, and built around her identity as a hunter.

Core Movement & Combat:

  • Speed and Agility: Hornet is significantly faster and more agile than the Knight. She can sprint on the ground, clamber up ledges, and perform a high-flying dash.
  • The Needle: Her signature weapon, the Needle, allows for rapid thrusts and wide, arcing slashes. She also has a ranged Needle Throw ability.
  • Healing - Bind: Unlike the Knight's Focus, Hornet heals by Binding. This uses her full spool of Silk to instantly recover three masks, but it must be done at full Silk capacity, making it a more tactical, all-or-nothing decision.

The Tool System: Crafting Your Playstyle

Perhaps the biggest departure from the original game is the replacement of Charms with a robust crafting system. Hornet can collect Shell Shards from fallen enemies and use them at benches to craft a wide array of tools. These tools are consumable and can be replenished at benches. This system encourages experimentation and adapting your loadout to specific challenges.

Confirmed Tools Include:

  • Straight Pins: Simple, throwable projectiles akin to the Knight's Vengeful Spirit. A reliable offensive option.
  • Sting Shards: Deploys a patch of sharp caltrops on the ground to damage enemies that walk over them, perfect for area denial.
  • Pimpillo: A fiery, explosive bomb that Hornet can throw in an arc, dealing area-of-effect damage.
  • Other Tools: Demos have shown inventories with numerous other tool icons, hinting at a vast arsenal of gadgets for players to discover and master.

The Truth About "Silkshot Variations" and Special Abilities

Speculation about advanced forms of Hornet's Silk abilities, such as a "Piercing Silkshot" to break armor or a "Gossamer Silkshot" to create platforms, is a testament to the community's imagination. However, as of now, no such specific variations have been confirmed by Team Cherry.

Instead of a single evolving "Silkshot," Hornet's abilities seem to be expanded through her diverse toolkit and Crests—special items that provide passive bonuses. The core silk abilities we've seen are focused on traversal, such as a grappling hook-like ability to pull herself to ledges. The functions imagined in speculative guides, like ranged damage and utility, are instead filled by the crafted tool system.

The World of Pharloom: What We've Seen

Hornet's adventure takes place in the haunted kingdom of Pharloom, a new land entirely separate from Hallownest. She begins her journey imprisoned in a cage and must ascend from the bottom of this cursed kingdom to its shining citadel at the peak.

Confirmed Locations:

  • The Moss Grotto: The starting area, a lush and overgrown cavern system where Hornet first breaks free.
  • The Deep Docks: An industrial, lava-filled area showcased in early demos, filled with bell-themed enemies and complex machinery.
  • The Gilded City: A stunningly beautiful and advanced city that serves as a central hub, where Hornet will interact with NPCs and receive quests. This is likely the "citadel" she is ascending toward.

These confirmed locations are vast and distinct, promising the same level of environmental diversity and intricate, interconnected level design that made Hallownest so memorable.

The Lingering Question: When Is Silksong's Release Date?

Hollow Knight: Silksong was first announced in February 2019. Since then, information has been sparse. The game famously appeared at the June 2022 Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase with a promise that everything shown would be playable within the next 12 months. That window has since passed, and in May 2023, Team Cherry's marketing lead announced the game had been delayed to allow for more development time.

As of today, there is no official release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong. The team remains hard at work, and the gaming community waits, ever hopeful, for the day they can finally guide Hornet through the kingdom of Pharloom. Until then, we can only analyze the official footage and prepare for the masterpiece Team Cherry is meticulously crafting.