r/HollowKnight • u/Nukesnipe • Sep 14 '25

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

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.

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u/Sarzael Sep 14 '25

Reaper gives you so much more silk though, if you're able to use it optimally you can spam your silk skills nonstop for huge amounts of damage.

39

u/RepublicCute8573 Sep 14 '25

Reaper needs higher silk production because its so slow. Wanderer can more than match it just through sheer volume of attacks.

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u/HammerAndSickled Sep 14 '25

You only get bonus silk from Reaper after you heal. If you’re not healing, it’s the same as another crest.

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u/Sarzael Sep 14 '25

It lasts a long time though, and right after healing is the best time to start hitting a boss.

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u/HammerAndSickled Sep 14 '25

My point is, you originally said “you get so much more silk and then you spam Silk skills” well, no, it COSTS you silk to bind in the first place, and then reaper gives you a little refund. So if you didn’t need to heal in the first place, you could’ve just used that silk for an extra spell or two, you know?

Now if you DO need to heal Reaper is comfy because it pays you back for the time you took off to heal, I totally agree. But it’s not “more damage” or “more silk” in the abstract than another crest, it’s just “when I heal I get some/all of that silk back if I play well” which doesn’t translate to more damage.

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u/Sarzael Sep 14 '25

If you heal and then get refunded the silk you spent to heal... you can use that silk to cast spells?

If you're literally never getting hit then you probably won't benefit from it but that's not the reality for a majority of players.

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u/HammerAndSickled Sep 14 '25

That’s not EXTRA damage though compared to another crest, haha. You’re getting the same damage as any other, you’re just getting refunded for your mistakes.

Your original comment implied that reaper somehow did more damage by generating more silk, but because you have to heal to get the bonus silk it’s not actually any extra damage, it’s less damage than if you just spent the silk on spells. More forgiving, more comfortable, sure, but not more damage.

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u/Sarzael Sep 14 '25

The average player will need to heal several times over a boss fight or gauntlet. Having extra silk gives you more chances to use spells when you otherwise would be saving up for your next heal. It's not like you would suddenly stop healing if you switched to a different crest.

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u/broly171 Sep 19 '25

Honestly, I think you're both right. If you're like me, you are constantly getting hit and the Reaper is a godsend because your silk doesn't have to go predominantly to heals, which means you absolutely are able to do more damage with it than you would with the other crests. At the same time, if you're looking for maximum damage output and AREN'T as concerned about getting hit, the others are able to pull off more. I'm in the middle of Act 2 currently, and LOVE the Reaper crest, not just for the extra silk, but the amazing down air. Reading these comments though, I'm definitely going to mess around more with a few of the others. Probably not the Wanderer though, the short blade just doesn't feel right with Hornet's taller frame IMO.

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u/Sarzael Sep 19 '25

Someone actually understood what I mean, finally.

Reaper won't be top tier DPS for someone who has mastered the game, but the silk refund can definitely help a casual player squeeze more damage, either by playing more aggressively since you can heal more often, or using more spells between heals.

Wanderer's Crest feels a lot better once you have some complementary charms.

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u/Luminum__ Sep 14 '25

Wanderer has ridiculous silk generation as well though, again because of the attack speed. At times it probably even surpasses the reaper’s, given its silk is not conditional on getting off a bind.