Everything we know about Hollow Knight: Silksong

Created by: Sumwan, cqtgirl, mossbag

Last updated: 13 June 2022

This document contains everything we currently know about Hollow Knight: Silksong, including lore, areas, factions, NPCs, Bosses, Enemies, and mechanics.

(Note: it is recommended that the document outline is turned on for easier navigation and viewing. This can be done under the “View” tab.)

Sources used:

Videos:

Hollow Knight: Silksong Reveal Trailer

Hollow Knight: Silksong - Details from Team Cherry

E3 (DEMO) Media:

Hollow Knight: Silksong Gameplay - Nintendo Treehouse: Live | E3 2019

Nintendo Direct for E3 2019

Discord video showing the enemy in the first room of the game

First Area Footage by /u/Harker70702

Silksong opening cutscene by /u/Harker70702

Silksong Demo Gameplay at E3 2019 by JammerProHD

Hollow Knight: Silksong - 16 Minutes of Gameplay (Midgame) at E3 2019

E3 Hollow Knight Silk Song Footage and Lace Boss by Harker

Silksong Hands-on Demo by Kotaku

Silksong PGW by Fighters

Links:

Hollow Knight: Silksong official website: https://hollowknightsilksong.com/ 

Steel Assassin Sharpe reveal: http://teamcherry.com.au/hollowmas/ 

Blog post Silksong reveal: http://teamcherry.com.au/hollow-knight-silksong/ 

Silksong update 19 March 2019: http://teamcherry.com.au/hk-physical-late-anniversary-celebration-silksong-mini-update/ 

Press kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hJE8wYWgb3rMOieKfrvPVI7INNZkRNZj 

Blog post E3 Silksong update 25 June 2019: http://teamcherry.com.au/e3wrap/ 

Blog post Holiday Sign Off http://teamcherry.com.au/team-cherry-holiday-sign-off/ 

Setting

Silksong takes place in the distant and unfamiliar kingdom of Pharloom; a land haunted by silk and song. These two powerful forces rule this world, and will be major themes in the game. Many people in this kingdom had their wishes unfulfilled and lost hope.

Pharloom is a withered land, a kingdom dedicated to faith and pilgrimage, crowned by an enormous, shining citadel which Hornet must ascend to. It is unknown what its importance is, but it is described by Team Cherry as being “holy”.

Factions and groups

Note that all of these except for the Weavers do not have official names yet.

The Citadel’s caste: Bugs who are affiliated with the Citadel. They wear a blank white cloth with a yellow symbol of the new kingdom. A group of these captured and brought Hornet to the new kingdom. They’re shown to be able to manipulate silk into attacks much like Hornet.

Bell heads: These bugs have bells on their head with a single bell hole marking what is possibly an eye. They are seen smithing and shoveling coals in Deep Docks. Described during Nintendo Treehouse: “They still continue to work, despite being haunted by something, so there’s still some sort of goal that they’re working toward. It seems that they’re gathering coal to send up to the Citadel, which is high above in Pharloom.”

Ballow and Forge-Daughter are two characters among this group that aren’t hostile towards Hornet. The rest are, according to Forge-Daughter “all wound up”.

Steel: Steel Soul Jinn, Steel Assassin Sharpe, and one of his companions all look similar and have a similar name. Jinn and Jiji have masters which have some sort of relation to the Void, which Jinn mentions after the Knight gets Void Heart:

“This It... A rare It. Has not seen many, so vulnerable, but triumphant. Makes Jinn feel a thing... surprise? Jinn misjudged... The It is not inferior. Perhaps... different? Different to Jinn. More complete? Different... like masters?”

It is possible that these are Sharpe and his companions' masters too. They are tasked with eliminating Hornet. The big companion shares the following similarities with Jinn: colours, material, eyes down to the gem in the chest.

Weavers: They left behind “Weaversong” in Hallownest, a charm which contains a “song of farewell, left by the Weavers who departed Hallownest for their old home.” Most likely this old home is the kingdom in which Silksong takes place. Weaver motifs are in the title design, silk is Weaver equipment, and one is seen bound in silk behind Hornet in some sort of shrine. There are also doors in one of the areas which have a Weaver’s head design.

The scene in the trailer with a Weaver bound up in silk is explained in Edge Magazines article to be a cocoon. The Weavers’ purpose is to help Hornet restore her strength that she lost while trapped within the cage seen in the introduction cutscene.

Ants: Seen in several locations, these ants wear shells of other bugs on their heads and appear to be part of a tribe. They also wear scraps of cloth and have some sort of gladiatorial form of combat with arenas/theatres. The Ant Queen Carmelita’s boss fight appears to take place in one of these.

Ants appear to use the bones of their prey as weapons and accessories as notanly seen with the following enemy’s skull specifically being used as a helmet for one of the ant types:

Pilgrims: Wrapped up in some kind of coloured cloth, they appear in large groups in all environments. They are on their way to the Citadel at the top of the kingdom, some carrying bundles of silk. The pilgrims also attack each other along the way for some unknown reason. There are some variations between the pilgrims: some can fly while others are crawling. Not all of them are hostile and some appear as NPCs.

The pilgrims are mentioned on a quest board in the reveal trailer, where Grunby of Bonebottom asks for help in dealing with violent singing pilgrims:

Greymoor tower bugs: These are bugs in what is presumably a tower in Greymoor. They might be the former tenders of that area who have become haunted.

Scholarly Suite: A trio of bronze armour-clad bugs that are “former tenders of a dusty vault full of ancient knowledge”. Related to their groups seems to be the boss, Last Judge as well as another enemy featured in a screenshot also from Edge Magazine.

Motifs

Bell

Bells can be found all over the kingdom, hanging on markers by the paths or littering the streets. Many of the NPCs we see hold bells or have them attached to a staff. A faction of bugs wears bells themselves. In addition there are also houses made of bells and an entire dump of discarded bells. In the Wild Songshrine after Lace’s first fight, Hornet also rings some sort of arcane bell that causes a seal to appear.

The Symbol

Like the Hallownest’s Seal in Hallownest which represented the Pale King, Pharloom features its own mark. This symbol is the mark that the Citadel’s caste has on the white cloth that they wear. What this symbol represents is currently unknown but it is possible that it could be a higher power.

The very basic composition of the symbol consists of a ball half surrounded by a crescent resembling a globe. The banded pattern on the ball may symbolize a ball of yarn/thread given the other major motif of silk.

Gilded pin

Taking over from nails, the (gilded) pin is the traditional weapon of Pharloom.

Being utilised by Lace, what seems to be city guards, and also appearing as the main symbol for ‘hunt’ quests, these thin needle-like weapons with hooked endings are the direct parallel of the nail as the traditional weapon of Pharloom.

However, unlike what was seen with the extent of nails in Hallownest that never really extended beyond weaponry, multiple NPCs can be seen using various tools and unrelated weapons of their own that resemble pins or factor hooked segments somewhere into the design. Such examples of this can be seen above, with the bell worker’s coal shoveler.

Silk and Song

In the Silksong Details video at 10:25 min, Team Cherry mentions that “The two powerful forces of this new world are silk and song. It's a world ruled by silk and song. Those are the two big themes.” In the reveal blog post, they also mention how Pharloom is “haunted” by silk and song. It is currently not clear how exactly these forces work, but there are certain things shown that could be related to silk and song.

Silk: When bugs are hit, silk seems to trail from their bodies. It does not matter if it is Hornet who hits the bug, or if another character does so.

In a blog post, Team Cherry mentions that Hornet’s abilities are tied to the silk she produces. For Hornet, silk and soul are inseparably bound, her life-force fused with her thread.

The thread spool that Hornet uses for certain abilities consists of threads of silk.

The Weavers seem to be associated with silk as well. In Hallownest, Relic Seeker Lemm mentions that:

“In its declining age, this city switched from stone to parchment woven of spider's silk.”

In a screenshot, Hornet can be seen with a Weaver and thread flowing around her, and the Weaver itself has silk in front and behind it.

The boss Lace seems to be fought in an area with silk in the background

Lastly, it is possible that the “Symbol” motif might represent yarn or a ball of silk.

Song: It is unclear what song exactly is, although the charm Weaversong is a “song of farewell”, meaning that song possibly might be associated with the Weavers too.

There are several bugs who are shown to be singing:

One Backer boss is said to be an “operatic queen” in Team Cherry’s Silksong reveal blog post. This is probably Hunter Queen Carmelita who will be discussed below.

On the quest board shown in the reveal trailer, “strange singing pilgrims” are noted to surround somebody’s house and attack them:

A lore tablet in Deep Docks mentions how substances are measured in “measures” and “beats”:

Measures and beats are used in musical notation:

Conductor Romino, mentioned as the author of the opening text of the game, is presumably a conductor of music (and song) who might have an important position in the kingdom.

Stone tablets found across Pharloom that feature its language are also shown to be marked with musical notation as explained in the Edge Magazine article.

Markings resembling Gilded Pins can also be seen on this tablet.

The boss Lace is seen conducting the movement of several flying bugs before her first fight:

The Bell motif might be related to song in some way as well.  

Plot

Overview

Silksong is a sequel to Hollow Knight, although it is unclear which ending it is a sequel to, or if it even is a sequel to the story.

The game starts with Hornet who has been captured and was brought to the unfamiliar and distant land of Pharloom.

She must figure out the truth behind why she was captured and by whom. Her captors are part of the Citadel’s caste, bugs wearing a cloth with a stylized mark over their heads. They carry bell staves as well.

In her search, Hornet is bound by her lineage and guided by echoes of her past. She will uncover ancient secrets tied to her nature and to her past. Hornet is the daughter of the Pale King, a Wyrm higher being, and the daughter of Herrah, a common beast who was the queen of the spider tribe of Deepnest. It is possible that the ancient secrets tied to her nature and her past are related to this.

Hornet furthermore seeks to fulfill the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom's hope. She must do this by unearthing ancient mysteries and searching for lost treasures.

The goal of Hornet is to ascend Pharloom and reach its peak. On the Steam store page for Silksong, Hornet is said to “become the Princess Knight”.

Opening cutscene

A text is shown before the opening cutscene:

“They see your beauty, so frail and fine,

They see your peace, woven of faith and toil,

They forget your heart, bound in slumber and servitude,

When you wake they shall see your truth,

A beast’s nature bare to all.

• From ‘Pharloom’s Folly’ by the Conductor Romino”

The “you” appears to refer to Pharloom, similar to how the opening of Hollow Knight talked about Hallownest (and the Pale King, indirectly).

Hornet cannot escape from her cage because of some sort of seal on the cage

Entrance to Pharloom (?) shown in the opening

Bug that touches Hornet’s cage

It causes the seal to disappear

Hornet and the cage falling into Moss Grotto after the bridge breaks

Nintendo Treehouse lore related remarks

“These enemies [in Moss Grotto] appear to have some sort of curse. What that curse is, what that haunting is, we need to [solve] as part of our journey. It’s different than the curse that was in Hallownest. It is kind of tragic as you’re exploring in here, and you find all these little bugs. In some respects they’re still toiling away at their life’s work, but their minds aren’t their own anymore.”

“These guys [in Deep Docks] still continue to work, so they’re haunted by something, but there’s still some sort of goal that they’re working toward. At least for these bellheads here, it seems that they’re gathering all this coal to send up to the citadel, which is high above in Pharloom.”

Areas

Moss Grotto

The first area of the game. An area full of moss and greenery. Probably home to the Druid of the Moss Temple. Also features a small village as well as a boss fight against Moss Mother.

Hornet’s needle falls next to her after the opening cutscene.

To get up, Hornet has to bind (heal) first

The area name

Giant enemy that deals 2 masks of damage. Passive until hit, but then begins to roll around in ball form.

Doors found throughout the area with a Weaver head design

Mossberries can be found around the area which can be picked up. Described as: “Secret fruit that grows in moist environments. Its seeds are toxic to most creatures.”

This is likely also the area where the “Moss Temple” is located.

“Old Church” sub area where Moss Mother (boss) is fought:

Deep Docks

During Nintendo Treehouse, this area was described as: “An industrial region of Pharloom.” It is “a little bit further into the game, but not by much.” Team Cherry described it on their blog as: “a groaning structure atop (and within) a lake of lava”

This area in the E3 demo is the same as the smith area shown in the reveal trailer.

Seen in the trailer:

Seen in the E3 demo:

The lava here damages Hornet for 1 health similarly to acid in Hollow Knight

Hornet can walk on these embers, but she cannot linger and has to keep moving in order to not take damage.

Lavafall area. Lavafalls deal two masks of damage instead of one.

Unknown substance found on the walls which may possibly be “Smokerock” as mentioned in the lore tablet found within this area

Hornet collecting the Dock Key

The machine where the dock key can be used.

Hornet using the dock key

Ambush sequence with a new enemy. The room has a lever and bell on ceiling. A platform will appear after the encounter that can be climbed to reach a new area.

There is a room that Hornet can access that shows a lore tablet

“At the seventh bell toll, send:

• Thirty measures, four beats Smokerock
• Eight beats Sweetsmelt
• Mark of fealty, all workers

At the ninth bell toll, send:

• Twenty measures, two beats Smokerock
• Seven beats Sweetsmelt
• Mark of fealty, all workers”

The area to the right of Lace’s fight has shrubbery on the walls. There is also shrubbery growing on the statue in the background

“Wild Songshrine” seen after defeating Lace. It seems similar to the area seen at the end of the reveal trailer. After destroying the silk covering the bell, Hornet can activate a lever here which will ring the bell several times. While ringing, the bell shows a seal like in the trailer. A bench replaces the lever after that.

Greymoor

Described by Team Cherry: “As Hornet ascends from the foundations of Pharloom towards the citadel at its crest, she may pass through the wasted caverns of Greymoor. The misted fields and dilapidated towers are now infested with Crawbugs, devious nesting types, and the former tenders of the land have become haunted. In the pens at this land’s height, keepers wrangle swarms of Dustroaches, rapid-breeding pests with insatiable appetites.”

Greymoor is a huge area, one of the biggest Team Cherry has ever created. Within its caves and structures Hornet will uncover many mysteries, make several new friends and duel with a lunging new boss.

The following area shown in the reveal trailer may also be part of Greymoor:

Bonebottom

Bonebottom is Silksong’s starting town. The music for this town was released on December 12th, 2019. Its name is also mentioned on a quest board.

Bonebottom could also be the town that was shown in Team Cherry’s blog post of June 25th 2019. It appears to be in the bone area:

Overgrown Village

A village in which the Druid of the Moss Temple may be first encountered. It is possibly the encampment shown below:

The Marrow

The bell-lined area where the Bell Beast is encountered and fought. They also act as the tunnels that the Bell Beast travels through when fast traveling. The name indicates that this area is a part of some sort of “bone-structure” for the kingdom of Pharloom.

Hornet departing off the Bell Beast after transportation through the tunnels.

The Citadel

The Citadel is the top of the world and the location that Hornet must ascend to. Many pilgrims also make their ascent to it.

In Team Cherry’s detail video at 3:25 min, they say that “At the crown there is this huge, holy Citadel, that you'll see glimpses of in the trailer and in some of the supporting materials.”

The only area that has been shown in both the trailer and the press kit which fits the Citadel’s description is the area shown below:

More evidence for this is the lighting of the shot which shows Hornet and the boss in shadow. The significance of this comes in the way a light source acts. The Citadel, being at the top of the kingdom and being described as “shining”, is assumed to be the source of the light of many of the areas. If the light were emanating from beneath the Citadel, then it would result in a dark zone or a shadow of sorts above the actual source as the light flows downwards and outwards but not upwards due to the Citadel/object creating the light from the bottom. This would leave the Citadel itself mostly in shadow but still cause the glow seen in the windows as the light flows outwards.

More screenshots of a similar area basked in light; possibly the Citadel or adjacent to.

Other areas

“Coral Forests” - An area with underwater theming (despite not being submerged itself), features colorful coral and fish swimming in the foreground. Features a boss fight with a Lobster Warrior that can summon coral to strike Hornet. Also features an encounter with one of the Steel Hunters that had been teased by a silhouette in Team Cherry’s Hollowmas blogpost.

“Gilded Cities” - Below is an image of what is presumably one of these gilded cities, or the only one.

“Lakes of Fire” - Seems to be the cut Forest of Bones. Has lots of lava lakes and structures made of bone/shell.

Gears area - An area with many spinning gears in the background

Bell area  - During the E3 Nintendo Direct, an area with bells was shown briefly.

Hornet can pogo on these bells in order to get higher.

“Soaring warlord’s tower” - A dungeon designed by a Kickstarter backer. It is possibly the area in Greymoor that is depicted below.

New towns - Multiple new towns and villages are shown in the reveal trailer.

A settlement which appears to be in a gilded city:

A village in what is supposedly the misted moor and/or Greymoor:

A town consisting of bell houses:

Base/roots of the Citadel, this is also where Seth is encountered.

Area with what appear to be stalactites. This area may be a part of Greymoor.

An overgrown catacombs-like area.

Windblown sand-covered area possibly at the outskirts of the kingdom.

NPCs

Note that some of these do not have official names yet.

Shakra: “Fierce and intimidating, Shakra is a warrior seeking her master, who vanished under strange circumstances. Shakra’s clan are skilled fighters who can handle their own in the kingdom’s wilds. Usefully for Hornet, each member of the clan also hones a Craft-Skill and Shakra’s mastery of cartography will prove invaluable on Hornet’s adventure.”

Shakra will aid Hornet with charts, compasses and various other tools.

Sherma: “An optimistic pilgrim on a spiritual journey. Sherma’s path may often cross with Hornet’s own, but his lack of combat and acrobatic prowess can land him in desperate need of aid.”

Garmond and Zaza: “A rambunctious older bug and his noble steed, on a quest to discover a new home. Garmond may be the chattier of the two, but Zaza could be the real brains of the pair.”

Huntress: Revealed after a riddle was posted on the Hollow Knight Discord server. She has the following description:

““Ssssppiiiderr, Your ssstench is strange yet similar... Have you come bearing the organs of others? Or would you offer your own? Gift your sshell's warm insidess as ssweet feast for my brood'sss birth-meal?”

A towering old predator, awaiting her children to come. Though her attention is fixed on her task, she seems to know much about the waning state of Pharloom, scorning the Citadel above and the hapless pilgrims that make their ascent towards it.”

Grindle: Also revealed after a riddle was solved in the Hollow Knight Discord server. He has the following description:

““Hoho, free at last! Locked up in here much too long, we was! Nasty place to keep a poor little snitchbug! You’re smellin’ fancy though... Bet you got some nice shinies hidden in that cloak!”

A common snitchbug, fixated on thievery. Though he has travelled the lengths of Pharloom, he’s seen most of it through the iron bars of cages and cells. Free at last, he’s taking full advantage of the kingdom’s ailing state. This sneaky thief will gladly take rosaries in exchange for snippets of information he has gathered, though his gossip is often of questionable value.”

Caravan: A group of NPCs revealed after a riddle was solved in the Hollow Knight Discord server. They have the following description:

““You’re a traveller? A kindred spirit! We hear it's good luck for wanderers to meet on an unfamiliar path. It’s luck we need too, for these roads are haunted and danger snarls at us from every dark corner. Our caravan has only a single, humble wish, but it seems now as though it will never be granted...”

A friendly band of travellers trekking the dangerous roads of Pharloom in search of

something precious. Masters of the journey, their caravan boasts a bounty of flavourful

food, powerful drinks and some surprising amenities. They wish to gather the playful

young fleas scattered across the kingdom, but this land is far more dangerous than they

thought.”

Fleas: Fleas are part of the Caravan. One of them was described during Nintendo Treehouse as a “ lovely little gentle flea. This is a flea, one of the loveliest bugs in all the worlds [..]. They have come to Pharloom for enlightenment.” They seem to work similarly to Grubs in Hollow Knight.

Edge Magazine further elaborates on both Caravan and the Fleas:

‘On our adventures around Pharloom, we spot one gatherer-type bug with something unexpected in its clutches: a distressed flea. They function much like the first game’s grubs, although instead of being trapped in jars, “these fleas have gotten themselves into various scrapes - they’re more complicated than the grubs, in that they’ve got various different ways of being in trouble.” Once we’ve rescued the puppyish little creature, it leaps away, home to its caravan of fellow fleas. “It travels around the world and expands,” Gibson says, “so it’s a real troupe. And it’s almost like - I probably hadn’t really put it together until now - but it really does act like a travelling town, like a Dirtmouth that’s on wheels. So yeah, you’ll see them at different places throughout your journey, and obviously, the town will evolve as it gets more flea companions.”’

Church Keeper: In the area after the fight with Moss Mother in the Old Church, Hornet collapses before this NPC is revealed. This NPC’s name is “Church Keeper” who is mentioned during the Nintendo Treehouse to be “a mentor of sorts for Hornet throughout the journey”.

In the reveal trailer, the Church Keeper sings while Hornet plays a song on her needle (called her needolin by Team Cherry).

Bell Beast - Found in an area known as The Marrow, she is first fought as a boss before she can be tamed as used for fast travel. Charges at Hornet, and is capable of burrowing beneath her arena.

Druid of the Moss Temple: Looks similar to a mosskin and can be seen stirring a cauldron. Their name is seen on the quest board where they are asking for Mossberry Brew.

Gathering Mossberries for this NPC is confirmed to be a “Gather” style Quest.

Swimming in the Druid’s cauldron will damage Hornet.

Forge-Daughter: Described during Treehouse: “This is Forge-Daughter, and she’s going to help Hornet out with some tools throughout the journey.” She talks in the “royal we” when referring to herself.  She appears to be smithing a metal shell with lava inside it. These shells can be seen in the background in other scenes.

Dialogue:

Forge-Daughter: Oh! Small pointy bug, why do you bother us, at our work?

Hornet: The sound of your craft called me to investigate. I’d expected more combative types, but you seem composed?

F-D: Oh… The rest? They’re all wound up! Their work still continues, in its simple way, but they’re useless for conversation. It’s only ourselves and Ballow over there with any sense left.

H: What is your duty? Are you perhaps, a smith of some kind?

F-D: A smith? Hardly so crude! We are Forge-Daughter! How can a pointy bug not tell? Ours is the ancient line and honoured role. These docks and lands around are fortunate to have our skills.

H: If you are as talented as you suggest, would you lend me your aid, if only briefly? I’ve lacked for my usual tools, and I suspect you could craft fine replacements.

F-D: Blades and traps, no doubt? I know your type!

H: Of sorts, but maybe strange to this land? Some would likely prove fine challenge for your craft.

F-D: Hmph! Then we’ll construct them. But! You’ll provide the materials, and compensation for my time.

Talking again:

F-D: If you have the materials, we can make whatever you desire. Until then, you must leave us to our work.

Ballow: Forge-Daughter’s assistant. He is “shoveling away for a better purpose here,'' according to the people at the Treehouse event. He has one line of dialogue: “Talk to the boss!”

Hitting Ballow deals no damage, but it makes Forge-Daughter laugh.

Shaman town bug: Appears in one of the towns holding a bell staff.

Town background bugs: Bugs appearing in the background of a town in noble attire. (Sherma can also be seen in this town)

Hermit bug: snail bug hiding under a shell in a town near a bench and looks slightly similar to Relic Seeker Lemm.

Singing bug: Sings and dances near a quest board.

(Presumably) Shopkeeper: appears on the left side of the town with a quest board.

Tent town bugs: Shown in the trailer where they are run over by a large beast wearing a skull. Later again shown resting in Edge Magazine’s article.

Bone town bugs: Shown in the blog post of June 25th, 2019, these two bugs appear in a bone town. One of them seems to be building a Quest board there.

Bell town bug: Shown in Edge Magazine’s article to be resting beside a bell shaped house featuring a stone plaque engraved with musical notation and pins.

Ant NPC: Shown in Edge Magazine’s article. This NPC is described as a friend being serenaded by Hornet’s music.

(Presumably) Shopkeeper: Shown in Edge Magazine’s article. Appears to be in some sort of store with tables.

Bosses

Note that most bosses here have unofficial names.

Steel Assassin Sharpe - Tasked with eliminating Hornet. Uses his proboscis as a whip-like weapon.

Steel Hunter 1 - Accompanies Sharpe on his quest to eliminate Hornet. Resembles Steel Soul Jinn. Capable of flight via a set of small wings, has familiars that direct and fire lasers that are not unlike Crystal Guardian’s. Appears in the coral zone, but does not seem to be native to the area.

Steel Hunter 2 - Unknown

Moss Mother-  A boss found in the Old Church sub area in Moss Grotto, Moss Mother seems to be one of the first bosses in the game. She flies around and charges at Hornet, and can cause smaller “moss babies” and stalactites to fall from the ceiling.

Moss Mother pops out of this cocoon:

Boss name reveal

Bell Beast - Found in an area known as The Marrow, she is first fought as a boss before she can be tamed as used for fast travel. Charges at Hornet, and is capable of burrowing beneath her arena.

A full description of her initial encounter was provided in Edge Magazine:

‘We know exactly where to go next, then, looping down through the town and across back to The Marrow, where we’ve previously spotted a creature crying out in distress. A huge, armadillo-like bug struggles in a silken trap: this, we are fairly sure, will be our main method of fast travel about the world, much like the giant rideable stag beetle of the first game (indeed, we spot at least one telltale cavern around the tunnels that reminds us of a Stagway). We’re finally able to cut away the offending articles, and at first we think it’s wagging its tail with gratitude. That’s before it lets out an angry roar, and charges at Hornet: Pellen lands quick air-strikes with the needle as it sprints back and forth across the screen. “And this guy - this girl, sorry - does two points of damage as well,” Pellen says. The Bell Beast burrows into the bells lining the floor of the cavern, then bursts up through another spot, jungling metal flying everywhere as Pellen neatly sidesteps the creature. In the next phase - despite having played this a number of times recently for our demo - Pellen is caught on the hop at least once or twice by the extra-large bells falling from the ceiling, summoned by the Bell Beast with each attack. “This is almost your exam fight to get out into the real wide world,” Gibson says, as Pellen finally bests the beast. And to our surprise, it’s not staying to chat: it’s off, presumably to be tamed another time.”’

Lace - “A lithe fencer wielding a gilded pin, the traditional weapon of Pharloom. Lace is a dangerous foe, cloaked in mystery, who’ll delight at causing Hornet’s swift, skewered demise.”

Lace’s fight can be accessed after acquiring the Dock Key and using it to open a door in Deep Docks. Described during Treehouse: “Lace is part of a group who is going to impede Hornet’s journey to the top of Pharloom.”

Lace will be waiting for Hornet on a platform “conducting” the movement of some flying bugs near her with her gilded pin. She then offers to “save” Hornet by killing her. After a brief conversation, Hornet has to fight her. Lace is voiced by Mitsuki Hashimoto, one of the earliest and most active members of Hollow Knight’s fan art community.

Lace’s Theme was released on December 12th, 2019.

Lace’s dialogue:

Lace: “How sad. A little spider has fallen from its cage. So lost, so weak. Poor little morsel.

I can save you little spider. All the trouble you’d face above. All the suffering. It’s so simple.

I’ll just skewer you here and now, pluck that flickering life right out of you.”

Hornet: “Your threats are worthless. If you are my foe, cease this prattle and raise your blade.”

Lace: “Delicious! I like you already!”

After the fight, Lace flees the area.

Her second fight takes place in an arena with white roses, a cage and some pipes in a very dark backdrop.

Trobbio - “Master of the Stage, the Brush and the Voice, the flamboyant butterfly Trobbio seeks fame and adoration throughout Pharloom.” Described in Edge magazine as

““The idea, narratively,” Gibson says, “was something like ‘The hero enters’.” He steps onto the stage, utterly convinced of his own brilliance - and proceeds to “do a lot of stupid things”, set to a gloriously goofy accompaniment from Christopher Larkin. He’s affectionately named for - and voiced by - “the one game developer [we] know”, Hacknet creator Matt Torbbiani

Hunter Queen Carmelita  - Fight takes place in a big auditorium with ants viewing in the background. She has two small blades which she twirls in her hands, and after landing a jump, spikes shoot out from the ground. She is the Kickstarter Backer designed boss who is described as an “operatic queen”.

Seth - Seth was revealed through the final riddle posted by Leth in the Hollow Knight Discord server. He was designed by Seth Goldman who got the chance to work with Team Cherry via the Marty Lyons Foundation, an organisation which grants wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.

His description is:

““The Voice… has chosen me.”

An eternal protector, waiting amidst tangled roots at the base of the Citadel. He guards

a secret long forgotten and will attack any who stray too close.

Imbued with stamina and strength beyond a normal bug, he strikes up close or from a

distance with blinding speed. With unwavering devotion, this ancient guardian will fight

until the very end, and beyond.

Many of the Citadel’s caste have fallen to this deadly warrior. Those who encounter him

should turn back, or else prepare for a vicious battle.

The character of Seth was developed together with Seth Goldman, who's a really cool

young guy we were fortunate enough to meet and get to know. Thanks to the Marty Lyons

Foundation for hooking us up with Seth. Huge thanks to Seth himself! And look forward to

entering battle with his deadly bug warrior!”

In one of the GIFs included in the riddle, Seth appears to be passive next to Hornet. It is possible that Hornet might speak to him before attacking.

Seth fights with both his pin and his cymbal. He uses his cymbal mainly as a shield, though he can also throw this cymbal at Hornet to deal damage at range.

Golem: Described by Team Cherry as being “something ancient [that] awakens”. It is massive, it stands in the background and wades back and forth through the lake of fire. It is able to slam its hand down and break sections of the arena.

Lobster Warrior: Appears in the coral area, face resembles Lord Fool or the beast of God Tamer, able to shout and create pillars of jagged coral.

Citadel Boss: wields two blades and has a cloth depicting the yellow symbol of the kingdom on their chest (much like the cloth of the Citadel’s caste).

Last Judge: Shown in Edge Magazine’s article. It’s shown attacking by shooting out rings of fire.

It also appears visually to have some relation to the “scholarly suite” revealed previously:

In its description the Edge Article author writes:

‘Gibson specifically points out the above screenshot, featuring a foe firing rings of flame at Hornet, as one of interest. “This character’s name is Last Judge,” he says, enunciating its title clearly. Pellen grins: “You star immediately thinking about what its deal is.” Enjoy, Mossbag’

This reference to Hollow Knight Lore youtuber Mossbag may be due to the black streaks emanating from the Last Judge’s Eyes.

Enemies

Hornet will be able to fight over 150 all-new enemies. These include beasts and hunters, assassins and kings, monsters and knights.

Moss Grotto

Deep Docks

These bellheads don’t take damage if Hornet attacks them from above

This enemy uses their bellcap as a shield to protect their head, looks similar to Sherma’s hat. Described during Nintendo Treehouse as “part of a cymbal, or a drum kit”. They can do a charging move with it.

Greymoor

The Citadel

These enemies are mainly found in the Citadel, but there is a chance they could be located in other places too. Some of them can use silk in combat like Hornet can.

Other areas

According to Team Cherry, the enemies above are “members of a scholarly suite, former tenders of a dusty vault full of ancient knowledge. This is a tough later game trio who, when in battle, work closely together, covering for each other’s weaknesses.”

Besides these, there are various other enemies seen in the reveal trailer whose areas are unknown:

Mechanics

Moveset and Skills

Walking - Hornet seems to walk in towns.

Running/jogging - This appears to be Hornet’s default speed similar to the Knight’s running.

Sprinting - Hornet is able to sprint, which is toggleable and may be enabled by specific equipment.

Dash - Hornet ground dashes when she starts sprinting.

Long Jump - Hornet can perform a long jump if she jumps while sprinting.

Ledge grab - If Hornet hits the side of a ledge, she will grab onto it and pull herself up.

Lunge - Hornet can lunge forward with a burst of speed to damage enemies.

Slash - Hornet can attack enemies with a slash of her needle

Aerial Lunge - While in the air, Hornet can perform an aerial lunge that deals damage to enemies.

Air Dash - Hornet can perform a dash in midair, this appears to still be usable after using an aerial lunge. She performs this dash if she sprints while in the air.

Grapple - Hornet can throw her needle at an enemy or wall to do damage and/or be pulled into that object. If the needle does not hit anything, Hornet can still lunge in that direction. This move costs four notches of thread. However, if Hornet hits an enemy, it will do damage, allowing Hornet to regain the thread she just lost.

The grapple can also be used to latch onto specific objects and allow Hornet to grab onto them.

Walljump - Hornet can walljump.

Spider dash - Hornet can crawl on all fours, increasings her movement speed while backing away. Looks similar to the spider crawl that Grimm does.

Needle throw - Hornet can forcefully throw her needle to deal massive damage which also pierces through enemies. This attack costs 4 notches of thread.

Gossamer Storm - Hornet can throw her needle all around her to deal continuous ticking damage to enemies. This attack costs four notches of thread and will cost further notches of thread per each hit landed with this attack.

Bind - Hornet can heal herself almost instantly by binding. This move can be performed in the air or on the ground and is much quicker than focusing in the base game of Hollow Knight.

At the beginning of the game, healing requires a full spool of silk and will heal Hornet for 3 masks. It is possible that upgrades to her binding ability and her spool of silk can be acquired later in the game. If Hornet gets hit during the action, the healing effect will be wasted and the silk will be gone.

Parry - Hornet can perform a parry counterattack against enemies. When blocking with a successful parry Hornet is invincible for a few moments and can follow up with a lunge- it is unsure whether this move will always follow up with a lunge or if Hornet can chain a different move instead. This move costs 4 notches of thread.

Needle Strumming - In one clip, Hornet can be seen strumming strings on her needle (called a “Needolin” by Team Cherry) to play music. It is unclear what this ability is useful for but it aligns with the game’s importance laid on the concept of Silk and Song.

Taunt - Hornet can perform a taunt animation at will when the player presses the right stick. It is unknown what effect this has.

Glide - In the GIF showing Seth’s boss fight, Hornet uses a glide move to evade Seth’s thrown cymbal. It is not clear if this is enabled by an ability or a Tool.

Silk Spear - The name of an ability revealed in the Edge Magazine article with the description:

‘Silk Spear gives us a superpowered forward lunge that uses part of Hornet’s silk supply - and can cut through sticky web barriers.’

Tools and Crests

Hornet has her own equippable system which is parallel to the Knight's charm system. The difference is that she is making these tools herself based on things she encounters throughout the world. More elaborate tools can be found and made throughout the world. There are some bizarre sequence breaking possibilities with some of them.

Crests

It seems that each tool can fit into a crest which has three slots, with the active tool being in the red slot, and the yellow and blue slots possibly giving some sort of passive bonus. Crests can be switched, presumably to switch up the ratio between the colours of the slots.

Wanderer Crest

What appears to be Hornet’s starting Crest.

Reaper Crest

Crest Movesets

Equipping different Crests will change the look of Hornet’s hp bar display and appear to completely alter Hornet’s base set of attacks (indicated by the change of the needle design in the back of the HUD), with some appearing to have further passive effects.

Tools

Sting Shards - Hornet throws out a ball of spikes which stays suspended mid-air. If enemies collide with a Sting Shard it will also spike out multiple times, dealing a flurry of damage ticks. Hornet can also use this tool to pogo up to a higher area.

Pimpillo - “Explodes on impact or when ignited by its fuse. Dangerous to friends and foes alike.”

Familiars - A tool which gives Hornet familiars which follow her around. She seems to throw these at will, though there may be a maximum. Possibly works along the same concept as Glowing Womb.

Straight Pin - A short blade which Hornet can throw for ranged attacks. This blade can only hit a single enemy and will not pass through one.

“Straight Pin; 12/12; Light throwing tool, designed for quick, rapid attacks.”

Tri-Pins - Hornet throws a set of 3 shivs spreading and covering more area but possibly doing less damage. An upgrade from the Straight Pin.

Lifeblood syringe - Hornet injects herself with some sort of syringe, giving herself two lifeblood masks and possibly more. Note that the lifeblood mask is likely a placeholder sprite.

Updated sprite for the Lifeblood Masks.

Saw blade - A saw blade that barrels in a straight line which can be thrown by Hornet and deals damage to enemies. It does not pierce and will continually run into one enemy until it dies before travelling on to the next in line. The saw will not travel indefinitely, though the factors that determine how long it can remain active for are unknown.

Javelin pin - A pin that Hornet throws like a javelin, described as a “charmingly customized Pharloom pin”.

Drill attack - Hornet turns into a drill and falls downward sticking to any enemy hit and dealing constant damage.

Drill projectile - Hornet throws out a drill projectile diagonally which bounces off walls and can travel through enemies dealing damage.

Spike tacks - Hornet throws 3 tacks which land on the ground and deal continuous damage to enemies that step ontop of them.

Dialogue

Hornet can speak to NPCs.

Hornet’s dialogue will have her head on the top, and the weaver symbol on the bottom.

Forge-Daughter has the Pharloom symbols at the bottom and top

Health and death

When Hornet gets damaged, she loses health and white particles emit from her.

At the beginning of the game, Hornet heals 3 masks back when healing, which fully depletes her starting spool of silk. The prompt to heal is called “bind”.

Hornet collects mask pieces in order to increase her maximum health.

When Hornet is on one health, white particles can be seen floating off her.

When Hornet dies, soul and silk explodes out of her

The screen turns black starting from Hornet’s body and expanding outwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx3jCJwlDRc - death animation

Hornet will lose all of her rosaries upon death.

When returning to the place of death, there is a silk cocoon that will replenish all silk.

Sitting on a bench with health missing will regain all of Hornet’s health.

Inventory

Inventory descriptions

“Needle

Long, bladed weapon, uniquely balanced for combat.”

“Mask Pieces 2

Fine shards of an old mask. If fully assembled, masks can provide powerful protection from damage.”

“Thread Spool

Silk thread naturally produced within the shell. When enough silk is stored, wounds can be healed and skills executed.

Attack enemies to replenish Silk.”

“Hunter’s Cloak

Simple protective garb. Discreet pockets are woven within the lining.”

“Tool Pouch

A basic pouch, designed to hold tools, traps and accessories.”

“Mossberry

Sweet fruit that grows in moist environments. Its seeds are toxic to most creatures.”

“Rosary String

Short string of rosaries. The string can be broken and the rosaries used to trade.”

“Rosaries

Holy currency beads used to trade for goods. Each rosary is etched with a fine patterned design.”

“Shell Shards

Fossilised fragments of shell and bone. Useful for crafting tools.”

There is a maximum amount of shell shards that can be collected (400 in the demo)

“Shard Pouch
Small bag of Shell Shards. Useful crafting material often carried by prepared pilgrims.”

HUD

Tools are displayed next to the silk meter, a complete circle means you have the max amount. As the item is used, the circle depletes. Shell shards are used at benches to refill the circle. The item shown here is described in the Treehouse event as a straight pin.

It is possible to upgrade the silk meter so that it can hold more silk. In the GIF showcasing the Caravan, the silk meter was shown to be extended. It might be that a Tool and/or a permanent upgrade can increase the meter.  

The silk meter may also be broken in certain circumstances as shown in Grindle’s GIF as well as in screenshots from Edge Magazine. The effects of this are unknown.

Equipping different Crests will change the look of Hornet’s hp bar display; it is unknown if this has any effect on gameplay.

Silk

Hornet’s abilities are tied to the silk she produces. For Hornet, silk and soul are inseparably bound, her life-force fused with her thread.  She uses Silk to heal herself and to use certain skills. Her main sources of Silk are enemies, though she can also find sources of Silk throughout the world.

Sources of Silk

Moss Grotto

Deep Docks

Silk Soul mode

Silk Soul mode is Silksong’s version of Hollow Knight’s Steel Soul mode. There will be some differences as it will be unique to Hornet. In the expository video from Team Cherry they noted that Silk Soul mode is intended to vary up the game much more than Steel Soul did in Hollow Knight.

Mapping

Charting the caverns of Pharloom is one of the most important and active tasks that Hornet can carry out in her journey. The NPC Shakra will be able to help her with charts, compasses and various other tools. The mapping system will work the same as in Hollow Knight, with players finding golden rings near Shakra.

Quests

Hornet can take on requests of characters, whether that’s saving them, finding something for them, or something else. This will tie a lot into some of the themes of the game. In the world there are many characters who had their wishes unfulfilled, and Hornet will take on the responsibility of fulfilling them.

There is a full quest log for Hornet so she can track all of her quests. These quests will twist in interesting and unexpected ways. A quest board can be found in towns where Hornet can see which quests can be completed.

There are three types of quests revealed with self explanatory names:
Gather - Item fetch quest
Hunt - Enemy combat quest (Grand Hunt with 3 hooks most likely is harder difficulty)

Wayfinder - Exploration quest

Currency and crafting materials

Hornet can collect two different types of materials to use. Shell Shards are used to replenish her tools and to acquire new tools. Rosaries are used to purchase items. Upon death, Shell Shards are not lost except to replenish Hornet’s tool meter, but all Rosaries are lost upon death.

A Shard Pouch can be collected which contains Shell Shards. It seems that this item can be used/broken to obtain Shell Shards. Similarly, an inventory item called Rosary Strings can be found throughout the world. This item can be used/broken at any time in order to obtain Rosaries.

Shard Pouches and Rosary Strings are similar to how selling Relics in Hollow Knight would give Geo, making Relics a source of Geo that could not be lost. Consequently, Rosary Strings are a source of Rosaries that cannot be lost until used.

Hornet finding a rosary string:

Inventory descriptions:

“Rosaries

Holy currency beads used to trade for goods. Each rosary is etched with a fine patterned design.”

“Rosary String

Short string of rosaries. The string can be broken and the rosaries used to trade.”

“Shell shards

Fossilised fragments of shell and bone. Useful for crafting tools.”

“Shard Pouch

Small bag of Shell Shards. Useful crafting materials, often carried by prepared pilgrims.”

Sources of rosaries and shell shards

Hornet collects Shell Shards after killing a creature:

These enemies drop rosaries and shell shards:

These enemies drop rosaries:

Some Enemies drop silver rosaries that are worth 5 instead of 1:

Collecting rosaries and shell shards:

These strings in Deep Docks contain rosaries that Hornet can destroy.

These statues in Moss Grotto give shell shards:

Also seen in Deep Docks:

Miscellaneous

Controls

Main menu

Demo version number seems to be 0.0.3.7

Demo ending screen

“Thank you for playing the demo

Hunt your captors. Discover your song. Save a haunted land.”

Bug blood: different colours

In Hallownest, bugs can have three different colours of blood. White blood is for uninfected enemies, orange blood for infected enemies, and black blood for Void beings without a shell. In Pharloom, there are bugs with different coloured blood, depending on the species.

The bugs which are wearing bone shells have white blood but also purple-blue blood:

The flying bugs in the gears area have purple-blue blood:

The Wandering Bugs and the Citadel’s caste have purple-blue blood:

The ants all appear to have red-brown blood:

The Moss Mother boss has green blood:

Purple Projectiles

So far only one enemy is shown to have this colour of projectile, it is unknown if this has any deeper meaning.

Old Cut enemy

This enemy was cut from Hollow Knight, but makes an appearance as a particle decoration in Moss Grotto.

The Lumafly Pit

A small glass orb with Lumaflies in it attended by an NPC, it reoccurs in a couple of the towns. It is unsure what gameplay purpose it serves if any. It also bears a resemblance to the pit used by Leg Eater in Hollow Knight.

Moss and Bone area border

The village here has moss on the left side but slowly fades away to bone.

The enemy that charges in is also an enemy in Deep Docks.

Finally brightening up and adjusting the equipment frame shows Hornet on a Bench somewhere in a clear divide between the Bone and Moss areas with the moss on the left and Bone to the right.

Green object on thread spool

In the GIF showcasing Grindle, Hornet’s thread spool contains a green object which could possibly affect the amount of silk she can gather. This could be part of a Tool or Crest.

Shell/mask on the health bar

In the GIF showcasing the Caravan, Hornet’s health bar contains some sort of shell or mask on the very first health point. It is possible that this was added by a Tool. It is unknown what effect this might have.

Giant “beggar” statues

Newly added decor to the lava/bone areas, they were first seen in the Edge Magazine article. It is unclear when or why they were added to these scenes. The statues themselves are modeled after the common “pilgrim” type enemies found all over Pharloom and are holding out bowls in a begging fashion.

Before

After

Before

After (top right corner)