Hollow Knight: Silksong Guide — Early Walkthrough, Tasks & Tips

Hollow Knight: Silksong Guide — Early Walkthrough, Tasks & Tips

Quick intro

After seven years of waiting, Hollow Knight: Silksong finally launched on September 4, 2025, and the day-one rush briefly overwhelmed Steam, PlayStation, and eShop storefronts—yup, servers wobbled because that many people jumped in at once.

You play as Hornet, captured and taken to Pharloom. Escaping your cage, you begin a vertical pilgrimage to the kingdom’s peak, with a new, formal Quest/Tasks system guiding progression.

Story & the new Tasks system (Wishwells)

Silksong adds a clear quest structure called Tasks, posted by NPCs and on town notice boards known as Wishwells. Tasks come in categories like Gather, Hunt, and Wayfarer; they award items, Tools/Crests, materials, and sometimes unlock paths. An early Gather example is “Berry Picking” in the starting hub, which nets a Druid’s Eye reward.

Tools & Crests basics. Unlike Hollow Knight’s charms, Hornet equips Tools on Crests (loadouts) at benches. Crests determine what Tools you can slot (and even tweak the HUD), while Tools include map items like Compass/Quill and combat utilities.

Early-game walkthrough (Act 1)

1) Moss Grotto → first boss: Moss Mother

The tutorial unfolds in Moss Grotto. Break vines and test movement/combat, then enter an overgrown chapel to face Moss Mother—a teaching fight about pogoing and safe windows. Look for dust trails before falling rocks, and pogo during her dive to stay safe in the cramped arena.

Boss tips (quick):

• Jump & downward-slash to pogo on her dive.

• Watch for dust lines signaling falling debris.

• Use short hit-confirm strings; don’t overcommit.

After the fight, a brief cutscene leads you upward toward the surface.

2) Bone Bottom (first hub)

At Bone Bottom (a.k.a. Bonebottom), rest at the Bench to set your respawn, browse Pebb’s shop (e.g., Magnetite Brooch to attract rolling Rosaries), and check the Wishwell for beginner tasks.

Sherma’s gate. You’ll meet Sherma, a singing pilgrim stuck behind a gate; explore the rooms above/around it to flip the ceiling lever and open his path—good early lesson that “off-route exploring pays.”

Buy your maps ASAP. Find Shakra (the cartographer). Purchase the area map + Quill/Compass and, when possible, pins (Bench, vendors, etc.). If you miss Shakra in the field, she later sells back maps in town—so you won’t be locked out.

3) The Marrow → Flea Caravan & a key Tool

Pushing upward into The Marrow, talk to Fleamaster Mooshka to start “The Lost Fleas” (Wayfarer Task). It’s a multi-part side quest you can progress gradually as you roam.

Before you leave the region, detour for the Shard Pendant—a Tool tucked in a side room near Shakra’s spot that boosts Shell Shard income (handy for crafting Tool charges). Equip it on a Crest at a Bench.

Currencies, healing, and death — what matters early

Rosaries (money). You drop all un-strung Rosaries on death. Use Rosary Strings (buy from vendors like Pebb, or find “Frayed” ones) to bank beads so you don’t lose them—break the string later to “cash in.”

Shell Shards (crafting). Spent to craft/replenish Tool uses at benches; unlike Rosaries, Shards are not lost on death.

Bind (healing). Hornet heals via Bind, which consumes a full Silk spool to restore up to three masks—fast but punishable if hit mid-animation (you lose the Silk and the heal). Use only when you’ve created space.

On death. You respawn at your last Bench and leave behind a Silk Cocoon; breaking it refills Silk, which you can even save tactically near a tough arena as a mid-attempt refill.

Pro tips (that actually help)

• Play hit-and-run. Two safe hits > getting greedy—especially in early boss rooms where space is tight. (See Moss Mother tips above.)

• Smack suspicious walls & flip every lever. Pharloom is full of breakables, shortcuts, and lever-gates—great for safer routes and hidden caches.

• Map first, always. Prioritize Compass + Quill + Bench pins from Shakra; her humming helps you locate her. Your future self (and backtracking) will thank you.

• Protect your wallet. Before a boss/new zone, string your Rosaries; strung beads are safe—but unusable until you break the string.

• Invest in quality-of-life. Early Magnetite Brooch (Pebb, Bone Bottom) makes scooping up scattered Rosaries painless.

What to do next

• Clear Bone Bottom Tasks (Wishwell), unlock Sherma’s gate, then head into The Marrow for Shakra + Shard Pendant and start The Lost Fleas chain.

• Keep Shell Shards flowing and rotate Tools/Crests at benches to suit areas/bosses.