Hollow Knight: Silksong - Everything We Know About Pharloom

Last Updated: October 20, 2025


Hornet battling enemies in the vibrant, new kingdom of Pharloom from Hollow Knight Silksong.

The long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed Hollow Knight, Team Cherry's Hollow Knight: Silksong, remains one of the most anticipated titles in gaming. Players are eager to step into the agile shoes of Hornet, princess-protector of Hallownest, as she embarks on a new adventure in a strange and distant land. While the wait has been filled with fervent speculation and fan theories, a clear picture of Hornet’s journey is beginning to form.

This guide will serve as your authoritative resource, cutting through the rumors to detail everything we know for certain about Hollow Knight: Silksong, from its gameplay mechanics and setting to the ever-elusive release window.

The Quest for a Release Date

First, let's address the most pressing question: when is Silksong coming out? As of today, Team Cherry has not announced an official release date.

The game was initially revealed in February 2019. A significant update came during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022, where Silksong was featured with a gameplay trailer. At the time, Xbox stated that every game shown, including Silksong, would be playable within the next 12 months. However, that window came and went.

In May 2023, Matthew Griffin, who handles marketing for Team Cherry, provided a rare update, confirming the game had been delayed. He stated, "We had planned to release in the 1st half of 2023, but development is still continuing. We're excited by how the game is shaping up, and it's gotten quite big, so we want to take the time to make the game as good as we can." Since then, official news has been sparse, and fans continue to watch every gaming showcase with bated breath.

A New Kingdom to Ascend: The Land of Pharloom

Hornet's adventure takes her far from the familiar depths of Hallownest. Captured and brought to the haunted kingdom of Pharloom, she must ascend from the mossy grottos at the base to the shining citadel at its peak. This new world is described as a land of silk and song, ruled by a mysterious and powerful force.

Unlike the Knight's descent, Hornet's journey is a pilgrimage upward. Trailers have showcased an incredible diversity of environments, including:

  • Moss Grotto: Lush, green, and overgrown areas seen at the kingdom's start.
  • The Marrow: Deep, boney caverns filled with coral-like structures.
  • Greymoor: Ancient, crumbling ruins haunted by strange pilgrims and metallic sentinels.
  • Deep Docks: A bustling town that serves as a potential hub for quests and vendors.
  • Gilded City: A shining, golden metropolis high up in the kingdom.

This vertical design promises a different kind of exploration, with Hornet using her unique acrobatic abilities to navigate the treacherous heights of Pharloom.

The Agile Hunter: Hornet's Gameplay and Abilities

Hornet is a fundamentally different protagonist from the Knight. She is taller, faster, and far more nimble, which is reflected in every aspect of her gameplay.

  • Acrobatic Combat: Hornet wields her signature needle with deadly precision. Her combat style is more fluid and aerial, featuring dashes, grapples, and high-flying attacks. She can parry foes and execute powerful Silk-based special moves.
  • Tools and Crafting: Instead of Charms, Hornet crafts a vast arsenal of tools, weapons, and traps. Using Shell Shards collected from defeated enemies, she can craft items like the Sting Shards (caltrops), Pimpillo Bombs (explosives), and Straight Pins (throwing daggers). This crafting system adds a new layer of strategy and customization to combat encounters.
  • Healing with Bind: Hornet's healing mechanic differs from the Knight's Focus. She uses her accumulated Silk to Bind her wounds, a much faster process that allows her to heal mid-combat, though she can only heal three masks at a time before needing to replenish her Silk spool.
  • A Voiced Protagonist: Unlike the silent Knight, Hornet is a voiced character, offering short lines of dialogue and battle cries that bring a new level of personality to the player's experience.

Quests, Denizens, and Over 150 New Foes

Pharloom is teeming with life. Team Cherry has confirmed that players will encounter over 150 all-new enemies and bosses. From the nimble fencer Lace to the hulking Moss Mother, the enemies revealed so far showcase intricate designs and challenging attack patterns.

To navigate this dangerous world, Hornet will undertake quests for the denizens of Pharloom. Official gameplay has shown a quest board system where Hornet can track various tasks, from hunts to exploration objectives. While the community has imagined elaborate side quests involving cleansing corruption or hunting down specific entities across the kingdom, the exact nature and narrative depth of these quests remain one of the game's biggest secrets. Completing these tasks for NPCs will likely reward Hornet with new tools, Shell Shards, and other valuable resources.

The anticipation for Hollow Knight: Silksong has created a vibrant community dedicated to dissecting every frame of footage. While the wait continues, the confirmed details paint a clear picture: Team Cherry is crafting a sequel that is not just bigger, but fundamentally different, building upon the beloved foundation of the original to create a bold new adventure for the agile and deadly Hornet.