Complete Beginner's Guide - Your First Steps in Hollow Knight Silksong

Welcome to Hollow Knight Silksong! If you've never played a "metroidvania" game before, you're in for a unique and rewarding experience. This guide will teach you everything you need to know to start your adventure in the kingdom of Pharloom.

What Kind of Game Is This?

Hollow Knight Silksong is a "metroidvania" - a type of game focused on exploration and gradual progression. Think of it like this:

• You start weak with limited abilities in a small area
• Explore to find new powers that let you reach previously blocked areas
• The map grows larger as you gain more abilities
• Each power opens multiple new paths to explore

Expected Experience:

• First playthrough: 25-30 hours for main story
• Complete exploration: 40+ hours
• Difficulty: Challenging but fair - expects you to learn and improve

This isn't a linear game where you follow a set path. You'll spend time figuring out where to go next, and that's completely normal.

Core Game Concepts You Need to Understand

1. The Map System - Your Best Friend

How it works:

• Buy maps from Shakra (the cartographer NPC) in each area
• Maps show room outlines only - you fill in details by exploring
• Get a Quill to mark areas you've visited with solid lines
• Rest at benches to update your map with clear room layouts

Key tip: Always buy the map first when entering a new area. It's worth every Rosary.

2. Blocked Paths Are Normal

You'll constantly see places you can't reach yet:

• Ledges too high to jump to
• Gaps too wide to cross
• Walls that seem breakable but won't break
• Doors that won't open

This is intentional design! Come back later with new abilities. The game is built around this concept.

3. Death and Currency Loss

When you die:

• Lose all Rosaries (the game's currency) at your death location
• Respawn at the last bench you rested at
• Keep all abilities and map progress - death isn't that punishing
• Can retrieve Rosaries by returning to your death spot

Rosary Strings act as insurance - secure some Rosaries so you don't lose everything.

Your First 3 Hours: Survival Essentials

The 5 Most Important Controls

1. Jump + Down Attack - Your bread and butter combat move
2. Edge Grab - Hornet can grab ledges, unlike many platformer characters
3. Dash - Essential for dodging and reaching distant platforms
4. Block/Parry - Hold to reduce damage, time it right to parry
5. Bind (Heal) - Costs Silk but heals multiple health points

Practice these in safe areas first!

The 3 Critical Game Mechanics

Silk System (Your Mana)

• Generate Silk by attacking enemies
• Spend Silk to heal (Bind) or use special abilities
• Full Silk bar required for healing - you can't heal with partial Silk
• Healing takes time and can be interrupted - find safe spots

Bench System (Save Points)

• Rest at benches to restore health and save progress
• Enemies respawn when you rest (this is normal!)
• Plan your route between benches - they're your safety net
• Some benches are hidden - explore thoroughly

Equipment System (Crests)

• Crests replace the charm system from other games
• Colored sockets: Red (attack), Blue (utility), Yellow (passive)
• Tools are equipped into Crest sockets
• Experiment freely - you can change equipment anytime at benches

Common New Player Death Traps

1. Healing at the wrong time

• Don't heal in the middle of combat
• Find cover or create distance first
• Learn enemy patterns before attempting heals

2. Over-exploring without resting

• Rest at benches regularly to save progress
• Don't hoard Rosaries - spend them on useful items
• If you're carrying lots of currency, play more carefully

3. Fighting every enemy

• Not every enemy needs to be killed
• Some are there to block paths, not provide rewards
• Learn to identify when to fight vs when to dodge past

4. Ignoring the map

• Mark interesting spots you can't reach yet
• Check your map frequently to plan routes
• Look for unexplored sections - they often hide important items

Mental Approach: Setting Proper Expectations

Death Is Your Teacher

Every death teaches you something:

• Enemy attack patterns and timing
• Environmental hazards to watch for
• Better routes through difficult areas
• When you need to come back later with better equipment

Don't get frustrated - even experienced players die regularly in new areas.

When to Take a Break from an Area

Time to explore elsewhere if:

• You've died to the same thing 5+ times
• Enemies take too many hits to kill (you might be under-equipped)
• You feel completely lost despite having the map
• A boss seems impossibly difficult

The game encourages exploration - there's almost always another path to try.

Signs of Progress

You're improving when:

• Enemies that once killed you become routine
• You can navigate areas without constantly checking the map
• You instinctively know when to heal vs when to keep fighting
• Previously unreachable areas become accessible with new abilities

Essential Early Purchases

Priority 1: Survival

• Maps and Quill - Navigation is everything
• Rosary Strings - Protect your currency
• Health upgrades - More forgiveness for mistakes

Priority 2: Convenience

• Magnetite Brooch - Auto-collects dropped Rosaries
• Crafting supplies - For upgrading equipment
• Fast travel items - Reduces backtracking time

Your First Session Checklist

Before you start playing:

• ✅ Understand that getting lost is part of the experience
• ✅ Accept that you'll die frequently while learning
• ✅ Know that blocked paths will make sense later
• ✅ Plan to play for at least 1-2 hours at a time (this isn't a quick mobile game)

During your first few hours:

• ✅ Buy the map immediately in each new area
• ✅ Rest at every bench you find
• ✅ Don't hoard Rosaries - spend them on helpful items
• ✅ Take notes (mental or written) about interesting areas you can't reach

Conclusion: Embrace the Journey

Hollow Knight Silksong rewards patience, observation, and gradual skill building. Unlike many modern games that hold your hand, this one trusts you to figure things out. That process of discovery - both of the world and your own growing abilities - is the core joy of the experience.

Remember: Every expert player started exactly where you are now. The confusion you feel in your first few hours is temporary. The sense of mastery and exploration you'll develop is what makes this genre special.

Take your time, explore everything, and don't be afraid to experiment. Pharloom is waiting for you.

Ready for your first boss? Check out our Moss Mother boss guide for detailed strategies on the game's tutorial boss.