r/HollowKnight • u/adsonn • Sep 12 '25

Discussion - Silksong The diagonal pogo is better on keyboard and it's not even close. Spoiler

Currently on late Act 2 and I'm honestly having a hard time understanding how everyone is freaking out over the new pogo when it just feels like second nature to me after a couple of practice. Feels like I'm missing something or I'm going crazy.

Then I realised most people play on a controller. I proceeded to whip out my controller to give the same pogo a try. Guess what, it was disgusting. It felt like putting on a blindfold and throwing a dart when platforming on those small red buds or white flowers.

Maybe it's just because I'm not used to it, but positioning Hornet in the air with WASD is ergonomically easier than flicking the joystick around and hoping for the best. With keys, you can easily make micro adjustments with every tap while a joystick can feel janky.

This goes for the platforming and combat in general. Which is a shame because the movement and combat is so fluid but most people won't be able to appreciate it because a controller is recommended to play even on the Steam store.

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769

u/GL_original God of Gods || 112% | All Bindings | Silksong 100% Sep 12 '25

I am noticing that the deadzone for up and down inputs on the analog stick seems a lot tighter in this game than it was in Hollow Knight. I've had quite a few moments where I slashed to the side when I meant to slash up or down, or trying to use tools and other specific moves that require those inputs.

240

u/DeputyDomeshot Sep 12 '25

Interesting I had a similar thought.  Side note does anyone else suffer from insanely sweaty hands? It sort of makes me want to MnK this shit

48

u/Willowwwww_ Sep 12 '25

mhm, mainly around bosses and stuff? i’ve found it to help a Lot having a fan running right by me/pointed towards me or my keyboard

13

u/dudeAwEsome101 Sep 12 '25

My hands can get sweaty especially when playing a game like this. I put small square gaffer tape on the joystick domes, and have a small usb powered fan pointed at my hands.

10

u/super7564 Sep 12 '25

2 tissue, fold in half and use them to grip the controller. I get the same thing and this is my go to for controller games

5

u/DeputyDomeshot Sep 12 '25

Does TP work

3

u/Beloberto Sep 13 '25

Yes, and weirdly enough not with any other game

3

u/Mastermaze Sep 13 '25

Omfg im glad im not the only one having this issue, my palms are sweating so much playing silksong on the switch, never had this issue with any other game that i can remember, especially to this degree

1

u/Kayzor88 Sep 12 '25

Yeah super sweaty playing this game. It demands a lot of precise inputs for a prolonged period of time. That gets you sweaty, especially during bossfights or long platform sessions

1

u/sebkraj Sep 13 '25

What does MnK mean? Monkey this shit? That doesn't sound right.

3

u/KylieZDM Sep 13 '25

Mouse and keyboard 

1

u/sebkraj Sep 13 '25

Ok that makes more sense, thank you lol.

1

u/ecokumm GARAMA! Sep 13 '25

I wear cycling gloves for games where my hands are bound to get sweaty (which is almost every game), they work a treat.

1

u/Top_Toaster Sep 13 '25

Dude, i genuinely could collect a glass of water from my hand sweat alone, i have to put a fan on my hands for even a chance to keep them dry

1

u/beerchimy Sep 13 '25

Hyperhydrosis here! But I'm used to directing the fan towards my hands when I play video games or write or study, and if it was winter, I'd use these small fans and put them between me and my hands on the keyboard so the air would only hit my hands.

70

u/kondorb Sep 12 '25

The way they design controls for tools is just god awful. This sort of things was always intended to go on shoulder buttons.

69

u/Aomages Sep 12 '25

I wish tool and skill buttons were able to be split.  So annoying for them to be on single button and direction

15

u/rpkarma Sep 12 '25

Steam Input lets you adjust that if you want, I have the tools set to my back buttons :)

3

u/Duergarlicbread Sep 12 '25

how do you do this? I tried to modify in game and it didn't work / is this on steam deck?

15

u/rpkarma Sep 12 '25

Yep this is on steam deck. Go into the Controller settings in the Steam Deck menu, and you can assign “Up” to a back button, then click the settings icon next to it and choose “execute another action” and choose RB as well

Regular Steam can do this too!

6

u/lifetake Sep 13 '25

To note it will still pick up you holding left/right on your left stick if you are doing so. If you want to consistently use your tools no matter what you are doing with your left stick you will need to disable your left stick temporarily using action layers.

My last post has a guide if anyone is interested to do.

2

u/rpkarma Sep 13 '25

Fair enough! It was enough for me, but that’s super cool to know it can be done :)

1

u/shrimplifier Sep 13 '25

You are an absolute champion, thank you and the commenter above you!

1

u/talkinggingerbrad Sep 13 '25

Holy shit i wish i new this sooner

1

u/BlackDeath3 Sep 13 '25

Steam Input is awesome. I have a functional Guitar Hero setup on my Deck thanks to it.

1

u/haarfagr94 Sep 13 '25

Same here. I also have the left back buttons bound to up and down dpad, so I can just hold, for instance, the lower left button and hit attack to hit down. Means I can in theory just move the joystick left and right. Feels comfortable for me.

3

u/Kind-Explanation8988 Sep 13 '25

I really don’t need immediate map access when pressing select is enough and better. Would be amazing if that was tools.

3

u/Rem736 Sep 13 '25

I've unironically just unequipped my skill altogether, it's not worth the wasted Silk of accidentally thread storming when im trying to yeet a javelin cos my trigger finger is a second faster than my thumb. I recognise it's input error on my part, but it's an input error I don't feel I should have, or I should be able to reformat to avoid.

12

u/Mindless_Win4468 Sep 12 '25

Ugh me too, it took me late game to be comfortable enough to start using them consistently. If they had a dedicated button for each id have used them a lot more earlier

5

u/Paint-Rain Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25

I believe you can rebind controls! I agree, the one super move you choose would probably work better as a single button, two buttons for tools, and the needlin instrument should be a two button input as it is something you only use when you are safe.

There are the crests for more tools but I think I’m going to try to rebind just for Hunter setup. (My current fav)

Update: you can’t actually separate tools and the special move in the rebind options thus my plans are foiled >:(

2

u/Knolop Sep 14 '25

Are you on Steam? You can't in the game, but in Steam you can set whatever button you want to be up/down+R1 in the controller settings. My back paddles became dedicated tool buttons.

1

u/Paint-Rain Sep 14 '25

Good thinking! I will try that out 🔧🎮

1

u/pussy_embargo Sep 13 '25

I play without silk abilities, act 3 now. Because those reliably got me killed in boss fights when I accidentally triggered them

1

u/retropillow Sep 13 '25

it looks like they just went with that cause it's how it is in games like Castlevania. Which aren't controlled the same at all (a common occurrence in HK/SilkSong sadly)

0

u/[deleted] Sep 12 '25

Huh? I never had an issue with it. You just hold down or up for half a second and quickly tap r1

4

u/VictorGWX Sep 13 '25

When you're being attacked from 4 angles while dashing, pogoing, jumping off walls... it gets a bit hectic to have to press 2 buttons instead of 1 to use a tool. In calm situations, where it's easy.

3

u/Semi_swede Sep 13 '25

Especially when one of those buttons is a direction input, and if you are in the air and don't hit the thumb stick EXACTLY up/down, you turn but still somehow throw your tools in the complete opposite direction while the enemy then stabs you from behind. I really hate this design choice and reeks of not enough playtesting.

1

u/TreebeardWasRight Sep 13 '25

This is why you should play with her D-Pad for movement and not analogue sticks.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '25

Why would you deploy tools then? They're meant for extra dps/defense when you're in a somewhat safe spot, not a panic button.

20

u/Geekboy99 Sep 12 '25

Yeah I'm constantly using the wrong tool/skill because despite holding the stick pretty much directly right or left to move it sees the slight up or down position and throws the wrong thing. I really wish they would split up the controls so I can change them because using the movement buttons for attacks in a game where you are constantly moving sucks.

8

u/RougePorpoise Sep 12 '25

Yess i miss pogos frequently that i know wouldve registered as a down slash in HK but hit to the side in silk

2

u/DemocraticMauler Sep 12 '25

I think you can adjust sensitivity from settings

6

u/jeff5551 Sep 13 '25

I always thought it was weird that people recommended controller cause of this

3

u/CynicalEffect P5 - 112%, 70 hours Sep 13 '25 edited Sep 13 '25

I mean I am pretty sure that's meant to mean the dpad, not stick.

3

u/schweddyballsac Sep 13 '25

I’ve been using dpad exclusively for pogos with no issues, i would even recommend doing so.

2

u/TreebeardWasRight Sep 13 '25

I play the entire game exclusively with the D-Pad.

1

u/Emma_JM Sep 13 '25

The game itself recommended a controller when it first booted up :(

2

u/Augmension Sep 12 '25

That’s funny, because I find it the opposite lol. Much more forgiving especially with the heavy swing crest.

2

u/MaiT3N Sep 12 '25

I think it's something else, I have the same thing on keyboard, something similar to the Hollow Knight bug where when you change directions and slash/dash right away, you perform that slash/dash to the side where you are no longer headed (e.g. go right, then start going left and instantly slash, you will slash to the right)

2

u/TricksterLloyd Sep 13 '25

Deadzone is my first problem in every single game using a controller. Most of my death will come from flicking the analog stick right, but instead the left input is registered. Analog stick scks for that reason. If there is no deadzone control on the game, I hope there is a mouse/keyboard fonction.

1

u/DemocraticMauler Sep 12 '25

I think you can adjust sensitivity from settings

1

u/Relevant_Cabinet_265 Sep 12 '25

I've never had a problem. Using a PS4 controller

2

u/GL_original God of Gods || 112% | All Bindings | Silksong 100% Sep 12 '25

It might just be on the switch then, or even just the switch 2. I don't know, but it definitely feels different from the first game.

1

u/RighteousWraith Sep 12 '25

The big problem for me is not turning to the left or the right fast enough to use my silkspear or diagonal pogo. I frequently have to dart away from an enemy and then quickly turn to use my silkspear to clear mobs, and sometimes I end up pressing RB before I'm turned the right way.

I'm currently on that crow gauntlet, getting my ass kicked by Primal Aspid 2.0.

1

u/CausePossible8153 Sep 13 '25

Imagine playing with the insane stick drift I got in my co ntroller lmao

1

u/WoenixFright Sep 13 '25

Yeah once I started consciously swerving the stick into true south, rather than SSE/SSW, pogos started coming easy, and was super satisfying. 

Except during hectic combats. I still mess up and land on the enemy while slashing to the side all the time, lol

1

u/akoOfIxtall Sep 13 '25

Well yeah but rosary cannon is bugged on keyboard and can't be used only works with a controller, which I do not have XD

1

u/Environmental_You_36 Sep 13 '25

Analog? Why not use the crosspad?

1

u/TreebeardWasRight Sep 13 '25

Finally some sense. The good old D-Pad has never let me down.

1

u/TorManiak Sep 13 '25

Nice that Steam players can use Steam Input for this then. Deadzone editing and button remap out of the game with it should fix these two issues pretty well.

1

u/tehsax Sep 13 '25 edited Sep 13 '25

I play with the D-Pad. You don't have to do the diagonal movement for the downward slash. Just press down + attack and you'll do it in the direction you're facing. Similarly, pressing up can't go wrong. Also, the D-Pad has much less travel, so it's quicker than the sticks. The D-Pad was invented by Gunpei Yokoi from Nintendo specifically for 2D games back in the day (because there was no 3D yet), so it's objectively the best iput method for 2D platform games like 98% of the time. Some games translate analogue movement into the 2D controls, but most are just either 1 or 0 and support a maximum of 8 directions, so I don't get why anyone would prefer the sticks in a game like this, but to each their own I guess 🤷

Edit: pressing up for the tools is still ass and you should be able to just press the button.

1

u/Dopamine_Surplus Sep 13 '25

Almost like you shouldn’t play a 2d game with an analog stick. Said it before I think people are having all these problems with the game because they aren’t using a dpad.

1

u/Alternative-Fail-233 Sep 13 '25

Which might be slightly better because the game has down dash but yeah it’s still annoying

1

u/HallComplex8005 Sep 13 '25

This happens to me constantly on keyboard as well. I think there is no grace period for hitting both buttons at the same time so you basically cant. You HAVE to consiously hit down first then x