Hollow Knight Walkthrough GameFAQs

Introduction

Hollow Knight, developed by Team Cherry, is a modern indie masterpiece in the Metroidvania genre. For many new players, the opening hours can feel overwhelming: huge maps, unforgiving bosses, minimal guidance. This Hollow Knight walkthrough aims to guide you through essential starting steps, give actionable tips, share insights, and help you prepare well — especially if you plan to tackle Hollow Knight: Silksong later.
(Internal link: check out more guides at GamingOcean.xyz for maps, boss tips, and player journals.)

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started: First Steps in Hollow Knight
2. Key Mechanics: Combat, Movement, Charms
3. Mapping & Exploration Strategy
4. First Bosses & Upgrades
5. Should You Play Hollow Knight Before Silksong?
6. Hollow Knight: Silksong — Release, Reviews & Patch Info
7. SEO-Focused Features & Tweaks
8. FAQ
9. Video Links & External Resources

1. Getting Started: First Steps in Hollow Knight

When you first boot up Hollow Knight, these first moves set the tone.

• Begin at the Forgotten Crossroads: This is your early hub. Learn how to move, attack, gather Geo (currency), and collect items.
• Visit a Bench early and often: Benches are save points + fast travel unlocks. If you die, you return to the last bench.
• Buy your map & quill: Cornifer will sell you the map of an area; the Quill lets you mark your path. Knowing where you’ve been (and where you haven’t) saves time. (External: Hollow Knight Beginner’s Guide at Fextralife) Hollow Knight Wiki

Tip: Don’t worry if you miss things — exploring back later with new abilities is a core part of the experience.

2. Key Mechanics: Combat, Movement, Charms

These are the tools that determine how smooth your early game is.

• Movement: Dash, wall‐climb, downward strike. Learning to “bounce” off enemies and use your downward strike in platforming sections helps a lot.
• Charms: Choose your charm loadout based on the situation. Early ones like “Wayward Compass” (shows current position) and “Gathering Swarm” (drops Geo when hit) are helpful. Some charms slow you down, so balancing mobility and power is essential. (External: Gamerant’s Hollow Knight Beginner Tips) Game Rant
• Combat: Learn enemy tells. Many bosses build off the same moves as regular enemies. Practice dodging, timing, and using soul (spell power) when needed.

3. Mapping & Exploration Strategy

• Use your map, but don’t expect it to mark everything. You’ll need to revisit places.
• Mark areas you can’t yet access (locked doors, tall jumps) using map markers.
• Look for shortcuts: breakable walls, hidden passages, and alternate paths. These will make backtracking less painful.
• Side‐areas have rewards (Geo, charms, masks). Early exploration in optional zones can make your main path easier.

4. First Bosses & Upgrades

Here’s how to tackle early bosses and which upgrades to prioritize.

Also, early upgrades: health mask shards, soul vessel (so you can spam spells), nail (your melee weapon) upgrades. Gather geo and don’t spend it frivolously. Save for the map, key items, and upgrading your defenses.

5. Should You Play Hollow Knight Before Silksong?

Short answer: It helps.

Reasons:

• Silksong is the sequel to Hollow Knight. Hollow Knight: Silksong builds on mechanics, world‐building, and lore introduced in Hollow Knight. Wikipedia+2Metacritic+2
• Many players ask: Do I need to play Hollow Knight before Silksong / Do you need to play Hollow Knight before Silksong? While Silksong is designed to be accessible, your understanding of Hornet’s character, prior game mechanics, and Hallownest lore will enrich the experience.
• If you play Silksong first, you may miss references, character motivations, and some “Easter eggs” that make the sequel more meaningful.

6. Hollow Knight: Silksong — Release, Reviews & Patch Info

Since Silksong is now released (as of 4 September 2025) across major platforms: PC, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series, and via Xbox Game Pass. Windows Central+3Wikipedia+3Metacritic+3

Metacritic & Reviews

• Silksong holds a high Metacritic score (~91) on many platforms. Critics praise its art, combat, world design, and expansion over the original. Metacritic+1
• Players are broadly positive, though some raise concerns about the difficulty in early sections. Metacritic+2Metacritic+2

Patch / Post‐launch Adjustments

• Early patches have addressed bugs, balancing issues (e.g., certain hazards, boss behavior), but the core difficulty remains. GamesRadar++1
• Localization fixes and quality‐of‐life improvements are being rolled out. Wikipedia

Steam Charts & Popularity

• Silksong saw a major launch. It quickly topped Steam charts, had high concurrent player counts, and made waves in Game Pass metrics. Wikipedia+1

7. SEO-Focused Features & Tweaks

Because search terms like “hollow knight silksong metacritic”, “hollow knight silksong map”, “how long is hollow knight silksong”, etc. are trending, here is how to incorporate them:

• Map: Silksong features a massive new map of the kingdom of Pharloom. Use map markers, return paths, etc. (map guide videos / interactive maps help).
• Metacritic & Reviews: Important to monitor Metascores; the high critical acclaim (universal acclaim on many platforms) makes for a strong pull in search results. Metacritic+2Metacritic+2
• Release time: September 4, 2025, with varying time zones; also Day One on Xbox Game Pass. GamesRadar++2Windows Central+2
• Length / Boss count: Many players ask how many bosses in Silksong and how long Hollow Knight Silksong is. Available early reports mention “large number of bosses” (new ones plus returning style), playtime estimates of 20-30 hours for main run; significantly more for completionists. Wikipedia+2Metacritic+2

8. FAQ

Here are frequent questions and answers (SEO keywords included):

9. Video Links & External Resources

Here are some helpful video and resource links to help you with Hollow Knight & Silksong:

• Hollow Knight: Silksong Official Reveal Trailer — Team Cherry / Nintendo Direct
• Hollow Knight Beginner’s Guide / Walkthrough (No Spoilers) — Fextralife Wiki Walkthrough. Hollow Knight Wiki+1
• “Tips for Beginners in Hollow Knight” Video from Gamerant or Polygon (YouTube)
• “How to Use Charms Effectively” Video Tutorials

(If you want direct embedded video links, I can pull some for you to add to GamingOcean.xyz.)

10. Real-World Example / First Hour Walkthrough

Here’s what a sample first hour could look like, with checkpoints and things to watch:

1. Start, move through the first area: learn basic controls, jump, and attack.
2. Fight small enemies to get used to timing. Pick up any Geo you find. Do not waste Geo.
3. Meet Cornifer early, buy the map and quill. Mark unexplored areas.
4. Find the first charm slot; get a basic charm (e.g., Wayward Compass) to help with navigation.
5. Encounter False Knight — observe patterns, guard/dodge, use spells. After victory, search the area for hidden upgrades.
6. Return to benches, rest, and explore side paths before pushing onward.

Every time you die, think about what killed you: was it lack of mobility, insufficient charm loadout, or wrong positioning? Adjust.

11. Internal Links & Why They Help

Since SEO is one of your goals, make sure to interlink related articles on your site, GamingOcean.xyz, for example:

• GamingOcean.xyz/hollow-knight-boss-guides
• GamingOcean.xyz/silksong-map-guide
• GamingOcean.xyz/hollow-knight-charms-tips

Linking from this article to those will keep readers on your site, deepen the content, and improve ranking for long-tail keywords like “silksong map”, “how many bosses in Hollow Knight Silksong”.

Final Thoughts

Hollow Knight & its sequel Silksong offer deep, richly rewarding experiences. The beginning can be tough, but with good mapping, charm strategy, and knowing what to expect, you’ll thrive. Play the original if you can, to better appreciate the lore, mechanics, and design choices. Leverage Game Pass if available, stay updated on patches, and follow resources (like GamingOcean.xyz) for maps, boss guides, and tactics.