After months of anticipation, Team Cherry has released a new update for Hollow Knight: Silksong, focusing heavily on technical improvements, stability, and fine-tuning gameplay elements. While this patch doesn’t introduce new areas or story content, it delivers a host of bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and subtle balance adjustments that have fans praising the developer’s continued dedication to polishing the game’s complex world.
Performance and Controller Enhancements
One of the biggest highlights of the update is its improved controller support. The game now offers smoother input recognition across all major platforms and adds compatibility for advanced controllers such as the DualSense Edge. Players on macOS also benefit from expanded controller support, resolving previous connection and input lag issues.
A new feature automatically pauses the game when a controller disconnects, preventing players from losing progress during intense combat or platforming sequences. This small but impactful tweak was widely requested by players and represents Team Cherry’s attention to user experience details.
Major Bug Fixes
The latest patch tackles a long list of known issues that affected gameplay flow and enemy interactions. Among the most notable fixes are:
- The resolution of a bug that left players in a “stuck-cursed” state during late-game sections.
- Fixes for rare glitches that allowed players to double jump or air dash when not intended.
- Adjustments to ensure characters and enemies no longer fall out of the game world during certain boss fights.
- Corrections for out-of-bounds exploits in multiple regions, preventing players from unintentionally escaping level boundaries.
- Improvements to the game’s collision detection, particularly with wall jumps and needle attacks.
- Fixed issues where specific enemy types, like Pharlid Divers, behaved unpredictably after ambushing players.
Players will also notice improved performance when transitioning between scenes and fewer instances of soft locks or freezes, particularly when collecting key items or entering new zones.
Balance Adjustments and Combat Tweaks
While Silksong remains true to its challenging roots, the update introduces a few balance refinements aimed at fairness rather than difficulty reduction. Some weapons, such as the Sharp Dart and Cross Stitch, now deal slightly more damage, while high-level Thread Storm abilities have been slightly toned down to maintain balance.
The patch also reworks item drop rates. For instance, Fine Pins now have a guaranteed drop chance but require a larger quantity for upgrades. This makes farming more predictable, reducing random frustration without removing the grind element that many players enjoy.
Additionally, certain crafting components and blue tools now scale more consistently, giving players a stronger sense of progression when upgrading abilities and equipment.
Enemy and Boss Improvements
Boss encounters—one of Silksong’s defining strengths—have also received attention. Team Cherry has fixed issues where bosses could clip through walls or vanish during specific attacks. Notable fixes include:
- The Crust King Khann occasionally falling out of bounds during battle.
- Second Sentinel rotation logic errors causing unpredictable attack patterns.
- Surgeon enemies unintentionally pulling players out of playable areas.
- Improvements to Seth’s refight mechanics to prevent duplication or glitching.
Enemy AI routines have also been refined for smoother behavior, reducing erratic movement or delayed attack animations during high-stress encounters.
Quality-of-Life Updates
Several small but meaningful changes make Silksong feel more polished than ever:
- Improved item tracking: Collected items like Spool Fragments are now permanently recorded, even if the game is closed immediately after pickup.
- Crafting accuracy: Upgrades now properly enhance tool damage and functionality.
- Environmental consistency: Adjusted lighting and camera behavior during certain transitions for smoother visuals.
- Physics correction: Fixed water interactions where Silk-based abilities would behave inconsistently.
These refinements, though subtle, contribute to a more stable and immersive experience, particularly for completionists exploring every hidden nook of Pharloom.
Community Response
The update has been warmly received by the Hollow Knight community. Players have praised the stability improvements and the meticulous attention to detail evident in the patch notes. Many noted that the game “feels smoother and tighter” across all platforms, and that long-standing bugs no longer break immersion or speedruns.
Speedrunners in particular are pleased with the consistency improvements, though some lament the loss of certain exploits that had allowed for creative routing in previous versions. Casual players, on the other hand, appreciate the fixes to soft locks and controller responsiveness, making the experience far more accessible.
A Step Forward in Silksong’s Ongoing Evolution
While the patch doesn’t introduce new content or DLC hints, it represents a significant step in Silksong’s continued refinement. The game’s layered combat, intricate exploration, and moody aesthetic continue to captivate players, and Team Cherry’s dedication to polishing even minor aspects reinforces confidence in its long-term support.
Fans are hopeful that future updates might expand the world of Pharloom, potentially adding new quests or postgame challenges. For now, this patch reaffirms that Silksong remains one of the most meticulously crafted and lovingly maintained indie titles in modern gaming.
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