Is Hollow Knight: Silksong really too difficult? That is an entirely different conversation that has exploded after the launch of the indie title. It’s a difficult game without a difficulty setting to make things easier, which has taken players aback. Even veterans of the first game have been stunned by how heavy some of the early bosses are. Now, in the game’s latest patch, it appears that Team Cherry has admitted that some of those early fights are indeed a little too challenging.

Silksong Patch Notes Suggest Help is on the Way

The biggest changes from the upcoming patch are that the Sandcarver enemy is going to see a damage reduction as are two bosses: Moorwing and Sister Splinter. Moorwing in particular was providing a huge challenge for players once they got to Greymoore. That might not be the case anymore.

Additionally, those who’ve complained about the rich cost of doing business in Pharloom can rest easy. Some places and some expenses are being reduced in the update. Along with those substantial changes, plenty of bug fixes are being sent out, though there’s no word yet on what Team Cherry is going to do with the fact that virtually every screen has harmful bugs on it (sarcasm).

Here are the full patch notes:

• Fixed situation where players could remain cloakless after Slab escape sequence.
• Fixed wish Infestation Operation often not being completable during the late game.
• Fixed wish Beast in the Bells not being completable when Bell Beast is summoned at the Bilewater Bellway during the late game.
• Fixed getting stuck floating after down-bouncing on certain projectiles.
• Fixed courier deliveries sometimes being inaccessible in Act 3.
• Fixed craft bind behaving incorrectly when in memories.
• Fixed Lace tool deflect soft-lock at start of battle in Deep Docks.
• Fixed Silk Snippers in Chapel of the Reaper sometimes getting stuck out of bounds.
• Fixed Claw Mirrors leaving Hornet inverted if taking damage during a specific moment while binding.
• Fixed Snitch Pick not giving rosaries and shell shards as intended.
• Removed float override input (down + jump, after player has Faydown Cloak).
• Slight difficulty reduction in early game bosses Moorwing and Sister Splinter.
• Reduction in damage from Sandcarvers.
• Slight increase in pea pod collider scale.
• Slight reduction in mid-game Bellway and Bell Bench prices.
• Slight increase in rosary rewards from relics and psalm cylinders.
• Increase in rosary rewards for courier deliveries.
• Various additional fixes and tweaks.

Silksong‘s hype grew to nearly untenable levels in the years between announcement and its launch earlier this month. That undoubtedly led to players picking it up even if Metroidvanias aren’t their thing and without having played much of the first Hollow Knight, like myself. It shocked many with how difficult it was, though the complaints were not limited to new players.

On one hand, many gamers believe that all games should have optional difficulty settings to reduce the barrier of entry. Others believe that not all games need to be accessible and that players simply need to get better instead of complaining about the challenge. It’s a debate that has raged on, and while Team Cherry isn’t taking a side, they are admitting that on a few occasions, they overdid the difficulty ever so slightly.

Conclusion

Though it won’t come out until the middle of next week, Hollow Knight: Silksong’s first patch is going to act a bit as a beacon of hope in a raging storm. The game is no joke, and it’s very hard even if it’s not “too hard.” This will give some respite in the early game to those who’ve languished so far, hopefully allowing a path forward to continue playing what’s sure to be a genuine awards contender from 2025.