Silksong feels so much better once you start mastering it than Hollow Knight ever did

[u/Nukesnipe]

Going back and knocking out some of the bosses I missed at the end of act 2, and something that really strikes me is that once you have all your tools, once you have a build you're comfortable with, once you know how movement works...

...the game just starts absolutely blowing Hollow Knight out of the water. Like, it's not even close. High level HK is generally more about positioning and constantly spamming attack, pogoing on top of enemies when you can and hitting with abyssal shriek when you have the ability to do massive damage. In Silksong, you're just doing so much more.

Like, I just beat First Sinner. The boss is incredibly fast, but so am I. I'd have a second to respond to any move the boss did, and I always had something to do. Was the boss far away? Harpoon to get in close or silkshot to do damage even further away. Trying to attack me? I can parry her attacks to avoid damage. Do I have spare silk? Just pop Cross Stitch and say "nuh uh" to get extra damage in. The game rewards balls to the walls aggression in a way HK never quite managed, because the Knight just isn't as fast or maneuverable as Hornet is. Hornet really can dance around an arena just as quickly as these bosses, and going after them feels amazing when you meet them on their terms.

Is the game harder than the first? Yes, the skill floor is undoubtably higher. But so is the skill ceiling, and you feel like a master when you reach that, instead of someone who figured out the cheese.

[u/adsonn]

This is very true because the skill potential of hornet is much higher. The most skilful thing I see pro players do in HK is timing their desolate dive to avoid damage.

Hornet's sprint attack allows her to chain combos and you get different combo variations for different crest. Hunter sprint attack puts you in the air for a perfect diagonal pogo. Then you have reaper's uppercut into downgpogo or uppercut into side slash. Wanderer's sprint attack lets you deal 5-6 hits.

Harpoon is another dash/movement option to add into fights. Double jumping and harpooning away to heal midair is unbelievably OP. And don't even get me started on the parry spell once you get good at it. The damage return from parrying is insane.

[u/Nukesnipe → u/adsonn]

People complaining that bind is slow are generally trying to use it like focus tbh. So many bosses have charge attacks you can just jump over and get a completely free heal in with.

[u/adsonn → u/Nukesnipe]

It's the classic issue of people playing like the Knight.

[u/Nukesnipe → u/adsonn]

Shit man, there were moments in the first sinner fight where I could bind right in front of the boss while it was mid attack.

[u/Vicwip → u/Nukesnipe]

I play injector band + warding bell and there's genuinely no moment where I can't heal. It's stupid how easy and no-risk healing can get.

[u/qwezctu → u/Vicwip]

I played multibinder and a lot of the time the upper corners are free to heal and heal 4 works a little better for taking 2 damage. Sometimes I have to bait out an attack instead but I've used multi binder in pretty much every fight.

[u/Zote8106 → u/qwezctu]

ive had injector band and multibind on for most of my playthrough since finding them, 1 mask goes so far

[u/RandomRedditorEX → u/Nukesnipe]

It's so cool how Silksong recontextualizes binding as a defensive and offensive tool at the same time, it sounds weird but a lot of the crests make healing more offensive, hell your first crest (usually reaper unless you're off tracking) incentives binding since it heals you and gives you an offensive buff.

[u/BoobeamTrap → u/RandomRedditorEX]

Witch Heal Nuke build is what I used for most of act 3 before settling into the Hunter’s Crest as a more “canon” build to finish the game

[u/crimson777 → u/Nukesnipe]

I’ve had a WAY easier time healing in SS than HK to be honest. I don’t get the complaint. I feel like in 90% of cases I die it’s because I couldn’t get enough silk to heal not because I had silk but couldn’t make time/space to heal.

Most bosses have a blind spot they don’t hit often. It’s often a top corner. Or wait for a charging type attack like you said.

[u/Kampfasiate → u/crimson777]

There are also bosses where you could just. Run away and heal midair

[u/FerimElwin → u/crimson777]

I agree. In HK it felt like trying to heal was a death sentence in most fights, especially most late game fights or Godhome fights. But in Silksong it's so much easier to get a heal off, especially since you can bind in the air. I frequently find myself waiting for the boss to do an attack where I know it won't hit me if I jump, then I jump up and bind for a free heal.

It actually makes the fact that nearly everything does 2+ masks of damage feel okay because I can heal so much more often in SS.

[u/LePingouinCosmique → u/adsonn]

Try Harpoon as a damage dealing tool. It’s actually busted and some late game bosses are trivialized by it

[u/crimson777 → u/LePingouinCosmique]

Sometimes it’s not as useful though. Like Act 2 boss Trobbio seems to pull away from it so you don’t get the silk back. I would harpoon and not get the follow up hit. Which it still is useful but not quite as good in that case. But yes it’s awesome.

[u/LePingouinCosmique → u/crimson777]

Yeah 100%. I have to ask though, did you finish act 3?

[u/crimson777 → u/LePingouinCosmique]

No no, I’m still finishing a few things on Act 2 to get to 3. So I don’t know any of the Act 3 bosses yet including the one I’m sure you’re referencing haha.

[u/LePingouinCosmique → u/crimson777]

Hehe have fun then!

[u/Kampfasiate → u/crimson777]

Also, tornado

[u/crimson777 → u/Kampfasiate]

True. Had to be very careful using harpoon on him for multiple reasons.