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[Draugoth]

At the root of this ongoing wave of player complaints about Hollow Knight: Silksong's difficulty is the fact that a massive proportion of enemies and bosses deal double damage to Hornet, taking two of her health masks instead of just one. These grievances have now been addressed by a new mod, simply called No Double Damage. Developed by Nexus Mods user Baiker, the add-on was released on September 5, roughly 24 hours after the game itself.

According to the author, the mod prevents hits from enemies and "normal bosses" from dealing more than one mask of damage. What's likely considered "normal" in this context are Hollow Knight: Silksong bosses with regular attacks that dish out damage without impeding Hornet's movement. Any grab attacks or similar shenanigans will presumably still do double damage on account of consisting of multiple guaranteed hits. The mod also does not affect environmental hazards, some of which deal two masks of damage beginning in the late early game.

On social media sites like X and Reddit, as well as conversations with colleagues at Polygon, it appears that some Silksong players are approaching the game with a tilted head. Few people are saying that Silksong is too hard. It's more that everyone has had to adjust their expectations as to what Silksong was going to be like.


"Taking damage is more punishing, movement is more precise and feels a little clunky until you get the hang of it," one popular Reddit thread reads. "The overall skill curve is much much higher. Love it though."


"bro Silksong is like Endgame Hollow Knight difficulty FROM THE START," a post from a viral thread on X reads.

Article:

Hollow Knight: Silksong Mod Removes One of the Biggest Fan Annoyances

Source: https://gamerant.com/hollow-knight-silksong-mod-no-double-damage-removed-easier-game/

Article:

Even Hollow Knight fans are surprised at how punishing Silksong is

Source: https://www.polygon.com/silksong-difficulty-challenge-hollow-knight-easy-mode-hornet/

 

[rkofan87]

i love this

 

[Little Mac]

 

[ssringo]

I don't mind the overall difficulty, it's the fucking run backs when you do die. Bench placements for several of the harder bosses/areas are just miserable.

 

[Germuso]

 

[kevboard]

when does it become this "hard" that people complain? I'm 5h in and so far the most tries on a boss I had was 3.

 

[March Climber]

I don't mind the overall difficulty, it's the fucking run backs when you do die. Bench placements for several of the harder bosses/areas are just miserable.

Ah, so those Dark Souls 2 comparisons were more accurate than I thought.

Silksong feels like Dark souls 2... :: Hollow Knight: Silksong General Discussions

The game is great, don't get me wrong, but there are so many minor things that are just ruining my experience... -Long boss runbacks : benches are 4+ rooms away from bosses ~90% of the time and 40sec is pretty long and annoying after 20/30 tries in a row... -Most of bosses deal 2 masks of damage...

steamcommunity.com

 

[Kacho]

 

[poppabk]

Seems like the Chinese dislike it. 92% positive in English language.

 

[LakeOf9]

Scrubs

 

[Griffon]

Honestly this isn't so surprising when you think about it.
The game got unreal hype, hitting much wider than anybody could ever hope for... they could've seen it coming, that the the hard-ass difficulty was gonna be a problem. Keeping the game as hard as if it was a DLC to HK was definitely a mistake.

This isn't some niche product anymore, they had to satisfy a much wider range of skill and ability, and people unfamiliar with the first game. They fucked up here.

 

[The Pleasure]

When you finally beat that boss

 

[T-Reks]

Dark Souls and its consequences have been a disaster for the gamer race

 

[MagiusNecros]

Ah, so those Dark Souls 2 comparisons were more accurate than I thought.

At least your Needle doesn't break and have to be repaired.

 

[LakeOf9]

Gamers: lol journalists hate difficult games, introduce an easy mode difficulty specifically for journalists lololololol

Also Gamers:

Honestly this isn't so surprising when you think about it.
The game got unreal hype, hitting much wider than anybody could ever hope for... they could've seen it coming, that the the hard-ass difficulty was gonna be a problem. Keeping the game as hard as if it was a DLC to HK was definitely a mistake.

This isn't some niche product anymore, they had to satisfy a much wider range of skill and ability, and people unfamiliar with the first game. They fucked up here.

 

[RodriGames40]

No problem with the difficulty whatsoever, and it's been years since I touched anything HK related. That one boss gatekeeping Act 2 though... jesuschrist.

 

[SJRB]

Fucking normies.

 

[Kacho]

Sounds like people hate the adds during boss fights and the way the pogo bounce works. Thats way I'm seeing as a passerby.

 

[JusticeForAll]

What bothers me most is qol stuff like needing to equip an item to see where you are on the map or unnecessarily long distances between a bench and boss or really difficult platforming section. That's just stupid.

Anyway, I liked the first game (perfect switch game, this is the kind of stuff I like to buy for that instead of my PS5Pro) and bought this as well, so I will still play it at one point. But I could go without that kind of shenanigans.

 

[John Bilbo]

Hollow Knight -> Silksong

=

Super Mario -> Super Mario: Lost Levels

 

[Boneless]

You should not need difficulty options if it's well designed, like Elden Ring.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I'm probly going to drop Silksong when Borderlands 4 is released.

 

[kevboard]

Ah, so those Dark Souls 2 comparisons were more accurate than I thought.

Silksong feels like Dark souls 2... :: Hollow Knight: Silksong General Discussions

The game is great, don't get me wrong, but there are so many minor things that are just ruining my experience... -Long boss runbacks : benches are 4+ rooms away from bosses ~90% of the time and 40sec is pretty long and annoying after 20/30 tries in a row... -Most of bosses deal 2 masks of damage...

steamcommunity.com

5h in and the longest runback was maybe 20sec and avoiding enemies so far has been very easy while running back (of there are enemies in the first place)

 

[Hookshot]

I've not found it difficult, I've found it annoying.

Poor bench placement, damage sponge bosses (40+ hits), god awful pogoing in multiple zones where my stick doesn't want to register down 3/4s of the time, and several zones that don't have enemies or enough secrets to generate the currency needed, yet other areas have thousands. Also there are several big drop areas where if you fall down it's quicker to reload than bother making the way back.

I'm only about 10 bosses in but it's worse than the first one.

 

[NeverYouMind]

At least your Needle doesn't break and have to be repaired.

Just use Santier Spear, Bone Fist, or bare hands if you do not have the powder or equip a Bracing Knuckle Ring. Just by equipping a Bracing Knuckle Ring your weapons will have more durability than a Katana in the original Dark Souls.

P.S. I used a mod to do double damage in Cuphead and it was still hard for me since I avoid shmups. There are other qualities in Cuphead that are worth experiencing in spite of overtuned difficulty. If this mod allows people that payed for this bugslop to not feel ripped off then it is a good thing.

 

[Timberwolf25]

5h in and the longest runback was maybe 20sec and avoiding enemies so far has been very easy while running back (of there are enemies in the first place)

In HK, you could usually avoid most enemies when going back and forth to biomes you've already visited. From what I saw so far, Silksong seems to be the same.
I'm looking forward to getting started on this game later this week.

 

[Nocty]

not gonna lie even as someone that speedran the first game regularly for years this has some incredibly hard zones and bosses

the final couple of bosses are brutal if you are not good with timing

 

[DelireMan7]

I found the game quite difficult at first. But once you get the flow, it much better.

Don't really get the run back complaints. There a bit of run back but most time is extremely quick and you can easily dodge enemies.

I am often after my 2 first attempt "Ho no ! I have to do all that way again ?!" Then realize it's like 30 sec max.

 

[Aldric]

But I thought PC gamers were härdcroer? What's going on???

 

[Notorious_Roy]

A couple of hours in and I just hate the pogoing. Of course it was going to be difficult. It is an extension of the first game.

 

[devutos]

They really screwed a lot of it up, balancing, difficulty, pacing, sense of progression.
Wouldn't be surprised if, in this bizarre secretive no-preview, no-communication development process, they barely had anyone playtest the game.

Do yourself a favor and download the Stake of Marika mod, doesn't make the game any easier but at least removes the awful boss runups.

 

[MagiusNecros]

I think getting further by 2 seconds in a boss fight where it introduces a new mechanic or an add phase is rewarding in a 2D game but not a 3D one as much.

My only complaint is probably the lack of a Rosary payout when you beat a boss if no other reward is given. Most of the time the only reward you are getting is you open a new path to move forward in.

I know the pacing or confusion on where to go might be a valid complaint but on the other hand lorewise Hornet was captured from Hallownest and has NO IDEA where they are so you really have no real clue on what to do other then go up towards a "Citadel".

It's a more Simon's Quest or NES Metroid kind of game where you figure things out as you go.

 

[kevboard]

But I thought PC gamers were härdcroer? What's going on???

noone is as casual as PC only gamers. they often don't even know what half the settings in their graphics menu mean.

 

[ungalo]

I thought the chinese were review bombing the game, i don't think it's related to difficulty.

 

[Arsic]

This is my favorite meme image of all of 2025.

I mentioned in other thread but this reminds me of the journalist who used cheats to beat sekiro and tried to justify it.

 

[Tg89]

Modern gamers lol.

Game isn't even that bad. 97% of games these days are far too easy and have 0 friction, they should go play those.

 

[ClanOfNone]

Will be interesting to see how Team Cherry responds to the difficulty complaints and review bombs.
Will they issue a balance patch reducing difficulty, actual difficulty settings and/or sliders, or will they stick to their guns?
I'm personally hoping for sliders, but I support a Dev's right to make the game they want to make without compromising their vision. I just don't see how sliders affect that, plus it means more people will actually complete your game instead of getting frustrated and dropping it.
Have the sliders work both ways so you can make it even harder and lock special achievements behind it or some shit.

 

[SuperC]

I thought the chinese were review bombing the game, i don't think it's related to difficulty.

Why would they do this?

 

[calico]

it's the fucking run backs when you do die

This is the #1 reason I cba with any of these games. I don't mind bosses being hard but a time tax to try again = no ty.

 

[ungalo]

Why would they do this?

Because of a bad translation apparently.

The game is at 40% accross more than 20 thousands chinese evaluations, so it drags down the score a lot.

 

[Dorfdad]

Making games isn't just a get good bro challenge anymore. It ruins your game sales as well. There are tons of good games out that allow players to enjoy the games and make progress without having to be uber sweats to play them.

I am one such weak player, and while I like a challenge I'm not looking to prove I've got 30 hours to clear a section. I'll just drop your game and move on to another and enjoy and hype those to my friends.

 

[March Climber]

Have the sliders work both ways so you can make it even harder and lock special achievements behind it or some shit.

 

[Holammer]

Almost 20% of players made it to Act 2.
That's a lot of work and is literally gate-kept by a tough boss.

 

[Lionel Richie]

Honestly this isn't so surprising when you think about it.
The game got unreal hype, hitting much wider than anybody could ever hope for... they could've seen it coming, that the the hard-ass difficulty was gonna be a problem. Keeping the game as hard as if it was a DLC to HK was definitely a mistake.

This isn't some niche product anymore, they had to satisfy a much wider range of skill and ability, and people unfamiliar with the first game. They fucked up here.

Is this pasta/shitpost or are you being for real? Because if this is honest then it's nonsense, they don't have to "satisfy" anyone, HK is a hard ass game so it's not like this is out of the blue.

 

[ungalo]

Is this pasta/shitpost or are you being for real? Because if this is honest then it's nonsense, they don't have to "satisfy" anyone, HK is a hard ass game so it's not like this is out of the blue.

That's just the beauty of it. They clearly didn't give a shit about reaching the widest audience possible and we got this game.

That's funny not all people here appreciate it the same way.

 

[kevboard]

Making games isn't just a get good bro challenge anymore. It ruins your game sales as well. There are tons of good games out that allow players to enjoy the games and make progress without having to be uber sweats to play them.

I am one such weak player, and while I like a challenge I'm not looking to prove I've got 30 hours to clear a section. I'll just drop your game and move on to another and enjoy and hype those to my friends.

... that's why there's different types of games...

also imagine thinking this will "ruin sales" ... dude... souls-like is literally an oversaturated trend genre these days. so much so that even metroidvanias like Silksong have souls-lite elements now.

trends happen when things sell well.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

It's honestly very difficult and some parts straight up infuriating. The double damage just by touching an enemy is a bad design decision, IMO.

Still, I wouldn't touch it. For now.

 

[Lionel Richie]

Making games isn't just a get good bro challenge anymore. It ruins your game sales as well.

This game is at 0 risk of flopping.

 

[MagiusNecros]

It ruins your game sales as well.

Only sales it will ruin is all the indie devs delaying their releases as they flee Silksong in absolute terror due to it's massive cult following and any new players that might decide to try both of Team Cherry's games. And AAA devs crying that a $20 game is delivering a great quality game that runs great vs AAA devs charging $70+ for mediocre to average unoptimized games. MTX or Live Service nonsense sometimes included. Which is rather similar to both E33 and BG3 where other people big mad that these games make all these other games and their developers look bad.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

they went gediatric wating for the sequel, so I don't blame them