The first wave of Hollow Knight Silksong mods are here, and it didn’t take long for enterprising creators to leap to the rescue of anyone feeling frustration in Team Cherry’s new action platformer. While the reception so far suggests the indie developer has done a remarkable job of living up to the immense weight of hype, there are some aspects of the sequel that aren’t sitting right for some players. Thankfully, if you’re finding yourself annoyed at double-damage enemy attacks or the need to equip a compass to see yourself on the map, modders are here to help.
I’m having a great time with Hollow Knight Silksong, and as a long-time aficionado of the original I’ve been largely content with Team Cherry’s design choices. But no matter how finely balanced the best action games are, having the freedom to adjust the challenge to your preferred level allows more players to enjoy the world and story. I’ve already talked about the switch from the classic downward ‘pogo’ to Hornet’s diagonal dive attack and why I love it, but I can certainly see why early boss fights dealing two masks of damage can be a little off-putting, especially if you’re new to the series.
First on the list of mods, then, is the ‘No Double Damage’ mod from creator ‘Baiker.’ This works as you expect, tuning down all Hollow Knight Silksong bosses and stronger enemies so that they’ll only ever take off a single mask per hit. The creator notes that, in its current state, you’ll still take two points from some environmental hazards, but I imagine it won’t be long before there’s a similar adjustment there if you want it. You can grab it here via Nexus Mods, but note that you’ll also need to install the ‘BepInEx’ mod framework linked in the description.
The other big pain point I see from a lot of people, one that was always a common complaint in the first game, is the inability to see yourself on the Hollow Knight Silksong map without committing a slot to equip the Compass. Even in my early hours, I’ve found it quite handy to have, but I’m reluctant to take off my Magnetite Brooch, which makes scooping up loose Rosary beads much faster.
It’s an interesting trade-off, and I do enjoy that it rewards you for learning the world around you, but not everyone wants to deal with that. If you’d rather not worry about it, ‘Always Have Compass’ (here) and ‘Always Have Magnet’ (here) from ‘Synthlight’ let you activate one or both of them permanently, freeing up the tool slot for something else. Like the first, both of these also require BepInEx.
There are plenty more mods to choose from, including some that are just outright cheats to give you items and currency, should you not fancy our favorite Hollow Knight Silksong Rosary farm spots. I’m going to keep it vanilla for my first playthrough, but I’m a believer in playing games the way that lets you enjoy them most. If some of these frustrations have you on the brink of falling off one of the best platform games of the year, now there’s a solution.
If you just need a lighter nudge in the right direction, we’re hard at work to bring you the latest guides, from how to upgrade Needle to deal more damage yourself, to how to complete the Hollow Knight Silksong Flexible Spines quest.
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