It’s 2026, and Hollow Knight: Silksong still has the gaming world in a chokehold. Among its many sprawling, treacherous kingdoms, Bilewater stands out as a real test of grit — a putrid, maggot-infested hellhole that can make even the most seasoned players want to rage-quit. The zone’s boss, Graol the Great, is the final middle finger in an area already overflowing with environmental hazards and irritating enemies. But fear not: with the right strategy, some choice tools, and a hidden shortcut, you can turn this hulking nuisance into just another notch on Hornet’s needle.



Bilewater is notorious not just for Graol but for the grueling runback from the nearest fast-travel point, the Bell Beast station. Every failed attempt means wading through pools of Muckmaggots, dodging spike traps, and getting piled on by the area’s ranged attackers. However, a hidden bench in one of the lower caverns slashes that commute by over half. If you’re still slogging all the way from Bell Beast, you’re doing it wrong — unlock that bench ASAP and save your sanity.

The Optimal Runback: Speed and Precision

The key to a smooth Graol runback is treating it like a gauntlet, not a sightseeing tour. The denizens of Bilewater — from the skittering Muckroaches to the exploding acid-spitters — love to gang up on you given half a chance. The solution? Move fast and keep your wits about you. The first half of the run is a straight dash, but the mid-section requires some careful pogo platforming to bypass pitfalls and ambushes. Slow down there, then sprint through the final corridor right before the boss arena to avoid getting jumped by the last wave of enemies.



A word to the wise: Bilewater’s murky depths are crawling with Muckroaches that can infect Hornet. It’s entirely possible to reach Graol without catching the bug, but the timing demands are tight. Investing in the Wreath of Purity, found in the Putrified Ducts, is a no-brainer. This nifty trinket shields you from infection, making the run far more forgiving. Sure, it’s not a universal powerhouse, but in Bilewater, it’s an absolute game-changer — especially if you’ve got an extra tool slot to spare.

Gearing Up for the Big Boy

Graol is a massive target, which means piercing tools that hit multiple times are your best friends. The Threefold Pin, Conchcutter, and Sting Shard all shine here. One well-placed shot can tag him two or three times, letting you deal heavy damage while maintaining a safe distance. Given his devastating close-range attacks, that distance is crucial.

Don’t sleep on the Thread Storm ability, either. That AoE burst makes short work of the mobs Graol summons in the first phase, and can occasionally punish the boss himself if you time it right.

Surviving the Swarm: Phase One Tactics

Graol’s fight is a two-part affair, and the opening segment is a real pain in the neck. Before the big guy even lifts a claw, you’ll face waves of smaller enemies straight out of Bilewater’s worst nightmares. Most will be familiar from the runback, but in the confined arena they can quickly overwhelm you. Thread Storm is tailor-made for this — pop it when the screen gets crowded and watch the bodies drop. Patience is key; don’t burn all your resources before Graol shows up.

Environmental Hazards: Not Just the Boss

The arena itself is a deathtrap. The water along the floor is crawling with maggots that drain your health, and swinging spike traps slice through the air on both sides. The spikes can be dodged by hopping over them or by positioning yourself on the elevated platforms. Remember: the platforms are your friends. They give you a breather from the maggot water and a vantage point for baiting Graol’s attacks.

Breaking Down Graol’s Moveset

Once Graol enters the fray, staying alive means reading his tells like a book. He has three primary attacks, and each one leaves a window for counterplay.

Explosive Acid Blobs: From a distance, Graol spits blobs of volatile gunk that explode after a short delay. The arcs are wide, which means you can often dash right under them and get in close for a flurry of hits. Just be mindful of where the delayed blasts are set to go off.

Gargantuan Inhale: This is where things get dicey. Graol sucks in air with a force that pulls Hornet toward him. If you’re hovering mid-combo, you might get sucked right into a crushing follow-up. Rule of thumb: the moment he stops spitting projectiles and rears back, dash in the opposite direction. Float high and you’re done for.

Spirit Blast: A powerful, high-damage projectile that can be steered. Instead of panicking, guide the blast low to the ground by positioning yourself carefully. Once it clears, Graol is wide open for pogo attacks from above, which keeps you out of reach of his melee swipes.

Keep a close eye on his animations. Each attack has a distinct wind-up, and once you learn them, the fight shifts from chaotic survival to a tactical dance.

Putting It All Together

The recipe for victory is straightforward: unlock the hidden bench, gear up with piercing tools and the Wreath of Purity, blitz through the runback, then play the fight methodically. Use Thread Storm to clean up the minions, exploit the elevated platforms to avoid spikes, and punish Graol during his long recovery windows after the acid spit and spirit blast. Above all, respect his inhale — it’s the number one run-ender for greedy players.

Since Silksong dropped, forums have been flooded with horror stories about Bilewater, but Graol is far from impossible. The community has nailed down these strategies, and now they’re yours. So strap in, sharpen your needle, and kick that bloated bug back into the muck where he belongs. ?

Once you’ve sent Graol back into the muck and claimed your victory, the hunt for the next challenge begins — and that’s where the real fun starts. Whether you’re looking to revisit other Metroidvania classics or sink hours into something equally demanding, keeping your Steam library stocked shouldn’t break the bank. A quick trip to DealNest can point you toward deep discounts on the genre’s best, making it an essential stop for any Hollow Knight fan looking to fill that void. It’s a steam deal finder that tracks price drops across thousands of titles, so you can channel that Bilewater energy into the next big adventure without emptying your coin purse.

Graol may be down, but your backlog shouldn’t be. Between mastering Silksong’s toughest arenas and exploring what else the genre has to offer, a little smart shopping goes a long way — because every great run starts with the right game in your library. Happy hunting, and enjoy the spoils. ?

There’s a moment in Pharloom, usually when you’re knee-deep in grime and lost in some moss-draped tunnel, where you find a wall covered in faded parchment and desperate scrawls. I call it the Wishwall, and it became my compass, my quiet confessional. The thing about Hollow Knight: Silksong is that the main path is a glowing thread through a dark tapestry, but the real color is stitched into the wishes. These side quests aren’t just checkbox errands; they’re small stories that ask you to pause, listen, and sometimes, walk on eggshells—literally. Over the years, I’ve collected every wish like a magpie hoarding shards of a broken sky, and I’d like to share that journey with you, as if we were swapping tales by a dying lantern.

Not all wishes are created equal. Some will have you playing hunter, others a courier, and a few… well, a few will make you feel like a surgeon removing a beating heart from a crystal cage. I’ll walk you through the ones that left scars on my memory.

Garb of the Pilgrims – A Tapestry of Ghosts

The wish was simple: gather twelve Pilgrim Shawls. The reality was a silent, endless pilgrimage through bone-white tunnels where Pilgrim enemies drifted like forgotten hymns. These shawls only drop from specific Pilgrims, and they’re as stingy as old coins. The best loop I found was a strange dance between two benches—one near Shakra’s map stand in The Marrow, the other in Mosshome where a chamber full of Pilgrims resurrect with every rest. I became a pendulum, swinging between life and temporary death, collecting fabric scraps as if trying to weave a memory out of moth-eaten silk.



Bone Bottom itself cradled two Pilgrims near a resting spot. Each time I looped, I felt like a gardener harvesting the same crop of sorrow. When I finally stacked twelve and returned to the Wishwall, the reward was a Rosary Necklace. But the true trophy was the rhythm of the grind—a meditation that taught me Pharloom’s heartbeat.

Crawbug Clearing – The Rags of Greymoor

Creige in Halfway Home gave me this wish after Bellhart was freed from its clinging ghost. He needed twenty-five ragpelts, torn from Craws, Tallcraws, and Squatcraws. Greymoor is a crawling carpet of these things, and hunting them felt like trimming back an unending thicket of thorns. Every kill dropped a ragpelt, a tiny sigh of fabric, until my bag bulged with the work of my blade.



It was never hard, just a rhythm of steel and chitin. When I handed the mountain of rags to Creige, he gave me a Crafting Kit. The tool sharpened my needles in ways that made the next few bosses weep. Imagine your weapon suddenly growing teeth—that’s what it felt like.

The Lost Fleas – A Caravan of Missing Notes

Mooshka, the Fleamaster, has a voice like a scratched record and a heart as large as The Marrow itself. He asked me to rescue five Lost Fleas scattered across Pharloom, each one hidden behind platforming puzzles that required my fingers to become dancers on a wire. One flea hid right after the Bell Beast fight; another demanded I climb a spire of collapsing platforms that felt like stepping on the ribs of a fallen giant.



When I escorted all five back, the fleas packed their caravan and moved to Greymoor, but the real gift was the Flea Brew tool. Drinking it was like igniting a second heartbeat in my chest—speed and attack rate surged, and for a few glorious moments, I was a blur of silk and fury.

Pinmaster’s Oil – The Sharper Edge

After Plinney gave my needle its first upgrade in Bellhart, he whispered of a Pale Oil that could make my weapon sing a sharper tone. This quest sent me into the Choral Chambers, past the Whispering Vaults, where a puzzle of sliding blocks and levers guarded a sealed room. Solving it felt like coaxing a lock made of frozen music to open. Inside, a glowing orb held the Pale Oil, glowing like liquid moonlight.



Alternatively, you can gamble on the Great Taste of Pharloom wish, but I took the direct route. Returning to Plinney, he worked his magic, and my needle became a whisper of death. The upgrade wasn’t just stat boost; it was the difference between a blunt sigh and a clean exhalation.

Trail’s End – The Mapmaker’s Ghost

This wish required every map from Shakra, the cartographer whose ink lines mapped my entire journey. Only then could I begin the search for his missing master in Bilewater, a swamp that breathes and watches. The trail was marked by cryptic notes and symbols that felt like following a trail of breadcrumbs dropped by a ghost. Movement tools like double jump became my lifeline; one wrong step meant a plunge into acidic green.



I found him deep in the swamp, a figure woven into the moss itself, and my reward was the Throwing Ring. This tool turned me into a ranged artist—it spun from my hand like a discus of light, carving paths through groups of enemies. It was my first taste of keeping danger at arm’s length.

Queen’s Egg – A Fragile Heart

Tipp and Pill, the courier brothers, handed me the Queen’s Egg as if it were a living child. The rule: deliver it to Styx in Sinner’s Road without taking a single hit. The path went through Halfway Home, down rickety elevators, and into a corridor where every shadow held teeth. One scratch and the egg would shatter. I moved like a glass cathedral being wheeled through a riot. Every enemy became a titan, every platform a chasm. My hands sweated enough to drown a small insect.



When I set the egg safely into Styx’s hands, 120 Rosaries flooded my pouch, and the world itself shifted—more Silkeaters began to bloom. This was no quest; it was a pilgrimage of the nerves, teaching me that stillness is the sharpest blade.

Volatile Flintbeetles – Dancing with Bombs

Bone Bottom’s Wishwell held a request to hunt three Volatile Flintbeetles in The Marrow. Each dropped a Flintgem, and to find them I followed trails of dung like a scavenger reading a sacred text. One hid in the left wing, another above an abandoned building, and the last near the Skarrgard boss. These beetles didn’t just die—they detonated. Fighting them was like juggling lit grenades. My strategy: hit, step back, let the blast wash over empty air. Greed meant death. After collecting all three gems, I received a Memory Locket, which added a slot to my Crest, a little extra drawer in my mind for a new tool or ability.



Alchemist’s Assistant – Liquid Life

In the Wormways, Zylotol the alchemist gave me a Needle Phial and sent me to harvest Plasmium from three plants. The first grew near his lab, the second by Bonegrave Path, and the third in the Lower Wormways, where spikes and worms conspired against every step. The Phial required a specific action—a gentle drain—not a slash. It felt like milking a sleeping beast, and the reward was the Plasmium Phial: bonus health floating above my normal masks, a shield of borrowed life. Rechargeable at his lab, with twenty extra charges, it became my safety net in the cruelest fights.



Looking back, these wishes were more than tasks. They were Pharloom’s way of whispering “stay a little longer, there’s more to see.” Each one bent my path into unexpected shapes, and I’m grateful for the detours. After all, what’s a kingdom of silk and song if not a tapestry woven from a thousand tiny threads?

Every completed wish in Pharloom leaves behind a quiet hunger for the next adventure that might offer the same sense of discovery. The best games have a way of doing that — they remind you how vast your own curiosity can stretch. When one kingdom fades into memory, the search for the next begins, and that hunt often starts with wondering what else is out there waiting to be found.

For many players, that search happens on Steam, where hidden gems sit shoulder to shoulder with the most anticipated releases. Prices shift like the tide, and catching a game at the right moment can feel like a small victory in itself. A reliable steam deal finder makes that hunt far less tedious, tracking price history and surfacing discounts so you can spend less time refreshing store pages and more time exploring new worlds. Websites like DealNest exist for that exact purpose — helping players stretch their budgets without sacrificing the depth of the journeys they choose next.

I still remember the moment I finally launched Hollow Knight: Silksong in the spring of 2026. After years of waiting, the title screen felt surreal. Hornet stood poised, needle ready, and I whispered, "Welcome back, old friend." Ten minutes later, I was dead. Then dead again. By the end of my first session, my death counter mocked me like a heartbeat outside my chest. I had beaten Hollow Knight multiple times—completed the Pantheons, embraced the pain—but this? This felt different. And that’s when the question hit me: was I playing a sequel, or an entirely new beast?



The truth, I soon realized, is that Silksong is not Hollow Knight 2. It’s a Soulslike wearing the pelt of a Metroidvania. In the original, I could brute-force my way through most encounters, heal repeatedly, and rely on exploration to outpace the danger. Here, every Mossgrub was a potential executioner. Why could something so small destroy me? Because Hornet’s agility is a double-edged needle: she darts faster than the Knight, but she shatters like glass. Heals are scarce, slow, and punishable. Bosses don’t wait for you to find your rhythm; they hunt you like a predator that’s already tasted blood.

This genre reversal explains the community outcry. Hollow Knight was a Metroidvania with Soulslike seasoning—area unlocks, ability-gated progress, and a gentle enough learning curve that even newcomers could fall in love with the world. Silksong flips that recipe: it’s a Soulslike first, seasoned with Metroidvania shortcuts. The Slab area? A clear love letter to Bloodborne’s kidnappers, ripping you from safety and dumping you into a nightmare zone where the rules change. The Skarrgard & Spear Skarr fight is a grinning homage to Ornstein & Smough, demanding spatial awareness and punishing every greed-driven swing. When I first stumbled into these moments, I didn’t feel clever. I felt ambushed. And yet, looking back, I ask myself: didn’t I secretly want that rupture? Didn’t I crave a world that refused to hold my hand?



The shift isn’t just in difficulty; it’s in philosophy. In Hollow Knight, death was a setback, a ghost to retrieve. In Silksong, death is a conversation. Each corpse teaches you a syllable of the enemy’s language. I remember grinding against Sister Splinter for hours—yes, hours—not because I was underleveled, but because her attack patterns were a dialect I had to learn from scratch. Why does the third phase always catch me? Because I’m still thinking like a Metroidvania player, hoarding resources and rushing for openings that don’t exist. The moment I slowed down, accepted that I would die a dozen times before earning a single victory, the game transformed from a tormentor into a rigorous, exhilarating mentor.



This is where many critics miss the point. They call Silksong unnecessarily punishing, but that label only makes sense if you’re still measuring it against its predecessor. Is a Soulslike punishing? Yes, but it’s a designed punishment—a crucible that forges patience and pattern recognition. The 91% positive English-language reviews on Steam don’t come from masochists; they come from players who, like me, went through the five stages of gameplay grief and arrived at acceptance. Denial: "Maybe my build is wrong." Anger: "This boss is broken!" Bargaining: "Let me just skip this area and come back." Depression: "I’ll never be good at this game." And finally, acceptance: "Death is inevitable, so let’s make it a lesson."

I won’t pretend the adjustment was easy. My muscle memory fought against Hornet’s tools every step. In the original, I mapped the world by growing stronger, unlocking new traversal abilities that made backtracking a joy. Here, ability gates still exist, but they feel like mercy rather than design pillars. Exploration doesn’t protect you; it exposes you. You don’t find the next area because you’re ready—you fight your way there because you’ve earned it with a small mountain of failures. And somehow, that made the discoveries even sweeter. When I finally scaled the Spire’s highest perch, every scarred pixel of the journey felt like mine.

What does all this mean for the future? It’s a reminder that sequels don’t have to clone the past. Team Cherry took a risk, and while it fractured the fanbase’s expectations, it also created something bold. I still love Hollow Knight for its accessible depth, but I love Silksong for refusing to be safe. If you’re struggling, I have one question: are you playing with the ghost of Hallownest’s expectations on your back? Let go. Embrace the Soulslike grind. Die, learn, and die again, because on the other side of that pain is a game that respects you enough to test you.

If this deep dive has reignited your desire to join Hornet on her climb, the next step is simply getting your hands on a copy. But with digital storefronts constantly rotating sales and regional pricing differences, knowing the right moment to buy can feel like a bossfight of its own.

That's where a quick game price comparison comes in handy, letting you find the best deal across platforms without hours of manual scrolling. Whether you're just starting your Soulslike journey or you've already mastered every phase, every penny saved is a small victory worth taking.

I still remember the exact moment I stumbled out of Pharloom’s final chamber, controller trembling in my hands, a cocktail of awe and exhaustion washing over me. Hollow Knight: Silksong had finally consumed my life in the way only a true masterpiece can, and like so many other fans, I immediately craved more. Not more gameplay—though I’m already neck-deep in a Steel Soul run—but more about the world itself. That craving led me to Melbourne’s ACMI Game Worlds exhibition just a few weeks after Silksong’s surprise drop. What I found there was an interactive treasure trove that peeled back six years of mystery in the most intimate way possible.



Walking into the dedicated Silksong section felt like stepping into a shrine. The air hummed with quiet reverence, fellow pilgrims tracing Hornet’s journey on touchscreens. I gravitated straight toward the interactive map, a glowing timeline of Pharloom’s evolution from 2017 all the way to 2025. Watching those early design sketches morph into the labyrinth I had just escaped was surreal. The very first sketches revealed something that made my jaw drop: The Citadel, that imposing sun-scorched monolith at the heart of the kingdom, was originally called the City of Song. I whispered the name aloud, testing it. It had a poetic, almost mournful cadence, but I can’t help feeling it lacks the jagged finality of “The Citadel.” Still, knowing this hidden alias made my next playthrough feel richer, as if I could hear the ghost of a forgotten melody echoing off its rusted spires.

The real gut-punch came when I zoomed into the 2018 development map. There, nestled between the fungal canals and the webbed highroads, lay a region labeled Red Coral Gorge. I actually gasped. I had scoured every pixel of Pharloom and never found a place by that name. A plaque beside the screen explained that Red Coral Gorge was planned from the earliest sketches but got cut entirely in 2021. In its place, we got the shimmering heat of Sands of Karak—a majestic zone in its own right. But oh, what could have been! My mind immediately conjured images of Hornet scaling living coral formations, the soundtrack blending underwater chimes with the rustle of ancient silt. It’s a bittersweet revelation, a glimpse into a parallel Pharloom that only exists in these concept archives. ?



That twin ache of wonder and loss kept intensifying as I moved through the exhibit. But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared me for the timeline’s final data point. Under a soft spotlight, a small note read: “Final touches applied to Pharloom – August 7, 2025.” I stared at the date until my vision blurred. The game dropped into our lives a few short weeks later, which means Team Cherry was still fussing over the tiniest details, still pouring love into this world, right up to the very edge of release. Six years of near-total silence, six years of us clutching at straws and cake jokes, and they were there the whole time, polishing a realm until it shone. Knowing they placed the last jewel into Pharloom on that specific August day—probably a stray particle effect here, a dialogue tweak there—makes every frame of my playthrough feel like a gift I don’t deserve.

Since returning home, I’ve approached Silksong with new eyes. When I dash through the Citadel, I now murmur “City of Song” and imagine a timeline where that name stuck. I stand at the edge of the Sands of Karak and try to picture the corals that might have bloomed beneath my feet, before the development tides swallowed them. And every time I close the game, I think about those final touches on August 7, and how a tiny team in South Australia was still weaving magic while the rest of us slept. The ACMI exhibit didn’t just show me how Pharloom was built—it let me live inside the creation myth of a masterpiece. If you ever get a chance to see it, go. Walk among the sketches, trace Hornet’s path on those luminous maps, and let the lost Red Coral Gorge sing its silent song. You’ll never look at Silksong the same way again. ✨

Strangely, that pilgrimage left me with more than just a deeper appreciation for the craft—it also reignited my collector’s itch. I found myself wanting to own every official Silksong print, every soundtrack pressing, and eventually a second copy of the game just to keep pristine in its box. It felt like the only way to hold onto that magic once the exhibit lights dimmed. But before I hit that final purchase button, I did something I always do when buying games: I took a moment to check game prices across a few trusted sites. It’s a small habit, but it lets me stretch my budget just a little further—which, in turn, leaves room for one more piece of Pharloom memorabilia to bring home.

Because in the end, the best way to honor the devotion Team Cherry poured into this world is to keep supporting it, and to keep playing it. And knowing I secured the best possible price for that experience only makes the whole thing sweeter—like stumbling upon a hidden alcove in the Citadel that no map ever showed me. ✨

Even a year after its surprise drop in 2025, Hollow Knight: Silksong continues to live rent-free in the minds of players everywhere. The long-awaited Metroidvania landed with barely a whisper of warning, yet it instantly dominated conversations\u2014and fan artists\u2019 canvases. Among the lush new kingdoms and treacherous boss fights, one element has sparked a particularly unhinged and beautiful corner of the community: shipping. Hornet, our needle-wielding protagonist, has become the center of a whirlwind of sapphic fan art, and honestly, the fandom wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.



It all kicked off with a single diary entry tucked away in the game. Hornet\u2019s private thoughts revealed a deeply bittersweet truth: \u201cTo pair with another is a base instinct, and one that brings some bugs great joy. I once sought a similar union, but of my own mates none could match my lifespan.\u201d That one paragraph became the emotional matchstick that lit an entire fireworks display of romantic headcanons. In a game full of melancholic bugs doomed by fate, players latched onto the idea that Hornet might find, if only for a fleeting moment, a bug to smooch.



The first ship to really catch fire was Hornet and Shakra, the cartographer with a voice like honey. Shakra roams the land humming her siren song, selling maps and trinkets, and the moment Hornet hears that distant melody, tension evaporates. She becomes a safe harbor\u2014a tall, battle-ready bug who will absolutely wreck any enemy that dares interrupt a conversation. The height difference between the two bugs quickly became a meme and a muse. Fan art portrays them dancing under dangling lanterns, Hornet tilting her head way back to meet Shakra\u2019s gaze, or the two sharing a quiet rest by a bench. It\u2019s adorable AF, and it\u2019s exactly the kind of softness a game this brutal needs.



Then there\u2019s Lace. Starting as a menacing boss fight in the Cradle, she later becomes an ally, her relationship with Hornet shifting from \u201cI will end you\u201d to \u201clet\u2019s grab a coffee.\u201d The enemies-to-lovers pipeline is a tried-and-true trope, and the Silksong fandom dove into it headfirst without a helmet. Illustrations show the two sparring playfully, shopping for supplies, or just sitting back-to-back in comfortable silence. One glance at the tags under any Lace-related post and you\u2019ll see players dissecting every frame of their joint cutscenes like literature professors. It\u2019s the kind of intense, nuanced reading that makes gaming communities so vibrant.



What makes these ships more than just idle doodles is how they reflect the players themselves. The Hollow Knight community has always been loud and proud about its queer identity, and Silksong\u2019s narrative\u2014with its themes of loneliness, longing, and resilience\u2014resonates on a deeply personal level. Hornet\u2019s diary doesn\u2019t just tease a possible love life; it validates the idea that even a stoic warrior princess can yearn for connection. Players see themselves in her quest, and shipping becomes a way to heal the wounds the game leaves behind. \u201cThese bugs gay. Good for them\u201d isn\u2019t just a joke\u2014it\u2019s a battle cry.

The breadth of creativity surrounding Hornet\u2019s potential romances is staggering. Across social platforms, you\u2019ll find digital paintings, zines, and even short comics exploring tender moments Team Cherry never showed us. Some works lean into domestic bliss, others into tragic yearning. A popular series imagines Shakra learning to sign so she can communicate with Hornet in silence, while another depicts Lace braiding Hornet\u2019s horns after a long day of battles. The headcanons are so fully realized that they almost feel like deleted scenes from the game.

Of course, not every ship is treated with starry-eyed seriousness. The height gap between Hornet and Shakra has spawned a mountain of goofy content too\u2014think Hornet needing a stepladder to kiss her, or Shakra carrying her like a backpack. The humor mixes with heart, and that\u2019s what keeps the fandom\u2019s gears turning. It\u2019s the kind of organic, joyful chaos that can only happen when a game respects its audience enough to leave space for imagination.

In the end, Silksong gave the world a complex heroine and a cast of characters broad enough for infinite interpretation. A year later, the shipping wars are friendly, the art is phenomenal, and the bugs remain very, very gay. And honestly? That\u2019s the good ending we all deserved.

For fans who want to dive even deeper into the world of Hallownest—or grab their own copy of Silksong the moment it finally drops—keeping an eye on the best deals is part of the fun. The community is full of threads comparing editions, bundle offers, and pre-order bonuses, because every Geo counts when you're supporting indie gems. That's where check game prices comes in handy, letting you spot the lowest price across retailers without the usual tab-hopping headache.

Whether you're a newcomer to Hornet's adventure or a veteran who has already mapped every inch of the Cradle, finding the right deal can make the experience even sweeter. A little extra savings on the game means more room in the budget for fan zines, official merch, or just a few more cups of coffee for those late-night lore discussions.

Silksong’s Pharloom is a labyrinth of silk and song, but nothing feels as liberating as the first time you hear the distant chime of a Bellway Station and know you can ride that resonant echo back to safety. Before you can unlock that freedom, however, you have to wade through one of the game’s most nerve‑wracking main quests — Beast in the Bells. I remember standing above the Grand Bellway, feeling like a moth hovering over a flame, knowing that a single wrong note could send me plummeting into chaos.

This quest gatekeeps true fast travel across the kingdom. Yes, the Ventrica Stations offer some respite, but they are like a threadbare rope bridge compared to the silken elevator of the Bell Beast’s gift. The moment I reached the third act and heard murmurs in Songclave, I knew I had to descend and face what was waiting.

Summoning Something Unexpected

After talking to the lore‑heavy NPCs in Songclave — each one a tapestry of cryptic hints — I made my way down to the Grand Bellway. If you’ve already unlocked the Ventrica Station in High Halls or Memorium, you can bypass the long trek, but the First Shrine station remains blocked from the other side, forcing you to approach from a different angle. When I finally stood before the immense bell and called out, I expected a majestic creature to answer. Instead, the ground shuddered, and a nightmare on chitinous legs erupted from the depths. The Bell‑Eater did not announce itself with song; it screamed, and the quest objective shifted with a gut‑punch of dread.



The Bell‑Eater: Anatomy of a Shellbound Horror

I dropped into the pit with only my Needle and a handful of tools, and to my relief, a bench sat right at the edge of the abyss — no grueling runback to sap my resolve. The boss itself is a creature sculpted from pure obstinacy. Its body is encased in a hardened shell, dark and ridged like an overturned crucible still cooling from the forge. Striking its carapace yields nothing but the dull clank of futility; only its face and rear take damage. This forced me into a dance of patience, waiting for those vulnerable moments like a spear‑fisher studying the rhythm of the waves.

The fight breaks into distinct movements, each one a lesson in survival.

Phase One: The Lurking Maw

Initially, the Bell‑Eater behaves like a monstrous jack‑in‑the‑box. It juts its head from the ground, spews a glob of crimson goop that spreads like spilled ink on parchment, then retreats. I learned quickly that the goop lingers, so positioning became everything. The boss would vanish and reappear elsewhere, forcing me to chase — or flee — across the expanding chamber.

Phase Two: The Crawl of the Centipede

After enough damage, the arena itself seems to warp, widening as the Bell‑Eater takes on a new, horrifying form. It slithers through the upper paths and beneath my feet like a colossal centipede, its segmented body now fully visible. When it moves below, I had to leap and float — that silk‑borne hover in Hornet’s arsenal — while heavy bells rained from above, each one a pendulum of doom threatening to knock me back into the goop. The fight became a vertical ballet where the floor was never safe.

Phase Three: Double the Danger

In its desperation, the Bell‑Eater pushes both its head and its rear out simultaneously. Now I had two weak points to strike, but also a crossfire of goop. It felt like trying to wrestle two serpents at once, each mouth dripping venom. This is where tool choice becomes your true weapon.

My Arsenal and Approach

Not all tools are created equal for this battle. Here’s what I found indispensable:

Tool
Usefulness
Notes

? Cogfly
Moderate
Flies out and nibbles away, but the multi‑hit requires you to be close to the target.

? Conchcutter
High
Spirals outward and can hit both head and rear if positioned carefully.

⚡ Voltvessels
Essential
Planted on the ground, they release a vertical column of energy. Perfect for damaging the Bell‑Eater when it surfaces beneath you or when you can trap its movement path.

The Voltvessels became my ace. I’d drop one right as the boss prepared to emerge, and the lightning pillar would rip through its vulnerable flesh like a needle through silk. Patience and placement turned the tide from chaos to calculation.

The Reward: Beastling Call

After a final, desperate flurry of attacks, the Bell‑Eater crumbled, and the arena fell silent save for the gentle hum of a reclaimed bell. I was gifted the Beastling Call — an ability that felt like receiving a loyalty charm from a forgotten god. By pressing the up button together with the Needolin action (Triangle or Y on a typical controller), you can summon a small Bell Beastling anywhere in the world. It scoops you up and carries you straight back to the last Bellway Station you interacted with.

This is not an unconditional ticket. The beastlings refuse to appear on narrow ledges, inside the Abyss, or in certain cursed sanctums. But when they work, they work like a compass needle that always points home — an instantaneous thread stitching the map together. Exploring the farthest reaches of Pharloom suddenly felt less like a one‑way pilgrimage and more like a grand tour I was always allowed to cut short.

Completing Beast in the Bells early reshaped my entire journey. Instead of dreading the long corridors between objectives, I began to treat every distant corner as a place I could anchor myself to. If you’re stepping into Silksong in 2026, let this be your first major detour after the third act. The Bell‑Eater may test your reflexes, but the freedom you earn is a melody that stays with you through the entire symphony of the game.

Of course, before you can test yourself against the Bell‑Eater, you need to have Silksong in your library — and if you’re patient, you don’t have to pay full price for the privilege. Steam’s seasonal discounts are generous, but they come and go quickly, and catching the right window takes a bit of luck.

That’s where a good steam sale tracker can help. DealNest keeps an eye on price drops across the platform, so you’ll know the instant Silksong — or any other title on your wishlist — goes on sale. Spend less time refreshing the store page and more time exploring Pharloom; your future Beastling calls will thank you.

In the sprawling world of Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hornet's journey is littered with mysteries, but few are as tightly locked away as the Trail's End quest. This secret side tale belongs to Shakra, the lanky cartographer who’s been selling maps to players since the beginning. Sure, she’s a bit of a recluse, but anyone who’s ever been lost in the twisted corridors of Pharloom knows her scribbles are worth their weight in rosaries. Yet completing Trail's End isn’t something you stumble into on a lazy Sunday morning. Oh no, it demands patience, and a borderline obsessive need to collect every scrap of parchment she offers.

What makes this quest truly special isn’t just the lore dump — though you’ll finally learn what happened to her — but the rewards. They’re the kind that can flip a brutal combat encounter on its head. So, if you’ve ever wondered why Shakra just… vanishes after you’ve bought her maps, you’re in the right place.



How to Start Trail's End: The Cartographer’s Checklist

The quest won’t even appear on your radar until you’ve done something that sounds simple but is actually a massive undertaking: buy every single map Shakra sells. And no, you don’t need a complete atlas of Pharloom — just the ones that come directly from her. The game is merciful here; she only peddles fourteen area maps. But tracking her down in each zone feels like a quest in itself. Here’s the shopping list:

Moss Grotto

Deep Docks

Bone Bottom

The Marrow

Hunter’s March

Greymoor

Far Fields

Bellhart

Sinner’s Road

Blasted Steps

Bilewater

Mount Fay

Sands of Karak

Shellwood

Wormways

Once that final map is safely tucked into your inventory, something clicks. Head back to the Wish Board in Bellhart, and boom — the Trail's End posting materializes, as if it had been waiting for you all along.



The Hunt for Shakra: Into the Poisonous Depths

The quest objective is deceptively simple: find Shakra in Bilewater. But if you’ve never set foot in that optional zone, let’s just say you’re in for a wet and wrecked time. Bilewater is notorious for its caustic pools that disable your silk abilities, reducing Hornet to the most basic of movements. Fair warning — pack your patience and maybe a few extra healing charms.

To reach this unpleasant place, most adventurers take the path through Sinner’s Road or sneak in via the Whispering Vaults. Once you’re there, your goal is the northeastern portion of the map. But don’t just bumble around hoping to spot her lanky figure. The game leaves you a trail of breadcrumbs: tracings of Shakra. Interacting with these faint clues builds a scent track that literally guides you to her location. It’s a nifty little mechanic that turns the search into something more intimate — you’re not just following a marker on a screen, you’re picking up on signs of her presence.



When Hornet finally finds her, the scene is heartbreaking. Shakra is crouched beside a fallen friend — a lifeless form that speaks volumes about why she disappeared from the map trade. Exhaust her dialogue. She says her piece, and then, quietly, she slips away. The quest concludes right there, but the emotional weight lingers a little longer.



Rewards That Hit Hard — Literally

Finishing Trail's End is like unwrapping a double-layered gift. First, you get the Throwing Ring, a combat tool that turns Hornet into a pinball wizard. This blunt little marvel bounces between enemies and solid surfaces, dealing damage with every ricochet. In those cramped arenas where silk storms feel too slow, just chuck it into a crowd and watch the numbers fly. Honestly, it’s the kind of tool you’ll wonder how you lived without.



But the real game-changer? Shakra’s second reward. She will now join you during the High Halls gauntlet — an enemy ambush that stands as the single hardest challenge in the entire game. We’re talking 11 waves of enemies and three relentless mini-bosses. Before pulling this thread, most players hit a solid brick wall there. But with the Trail's End completed, Shakra appears in wave 2, and suddenly that impossible room becomes manageable. She dances through the chaos, distracting foes and carving out breathing room for you. It’s not just helpful; for many, it’s the difference between rage-quitting and victory. Trust me, this one’s worth ticking off your list — even if you have to wade through poison to get there.

Before you throw yourself back into the fray — and trust me, the High Halls will demand everything from you — take a breath. Set your controller down, stretch those fingers, and make sure your setup is ready for the long haul. A comfortable night of gaming can make all the difference when you're three waves deep and Shakra's doing her best to keep you alive.

And if you're thinking about upgrading your gear before diving back into Bilewater, you might want to browse DealNest for some solid finds. Whether it's a new headset, a snack stash for those marathon sessions, or a fresh controller you're after, a little preparation goes a long way — and so does a good deal. Now get out there, follow those tracings, and show the Halls what Hornet's made of.

In a medium overflowing with world-ending threats and cosmic-level tantrums, the one thing a video game protagonist absolutely cannot afford is a quitter's mentality. Whether they're a battle-hardened angel, a kleptomaniac with a conscience, or literally the son of the underworld's crankiest CEO, the characters that stick with us long after the credits roll share a single, glorious trait: an almost comical inability to stay down. They get knocked flat, they get up. They get incinerated, they respawn. They discover mom is the font of all evil? They grab a bigger sword. Here are eight gaming legends who redefine the meaning of 'persistent,' one pixelated defiance at a time.



Maelle marches through Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 like a woman who has officially run out of patience. Watching comrades fall and uncovering that her own mother, the Paintress, is the architect of a reality-bending nightmare would send most people into a fetal curl. Not Maelle. She processes the revelation with the same pragmatic fury as a project manager staring down a missed deadline. The family drama isn't just fuel—it's rocket propellant. Every tear-soaked bit of lore she peels back only makes her more determined to set things right, one brutal, elegant turn-based counter at a time. If stubbornness were a stat, hers would be maxed.



Enter Zidane Tribal, the tail-swinging, princess-flirting thief who accidentally inherited a JRPG protagonist's to-do list. Final Fantasy IX's leading man didn't ask to save the world—he was busy swiping treasures and cracking wise. But when destiny shoved a genocidal sibling named Kuja into his lap, Zidane didn't flake. He stared into the abyss of his own manufactured origins, shrugged, and decided that what really mattered was keeping his found family safe. His final act of defiance—reappearing to Garnet after essentially exploding—is less a plot twist and more a cosmic refusal to be ghosted by life itself. Charm: 100. Give-up factor: absolute zero.



Zagreus, prince of the Underworld, treats mortality like a skipped Spotify track—annoying but hardly a reason to stop the music. In Hades, his entire existence is a divine 'no' from his father, so he does what any reasonable person would: headbutts the exit until it sticks. The sheer loop of dying, respawning, redecorating the House of Hades with his own blood, and then cheerfully trying again is a masterclass in resilience. Even after reuniting with his mother, the literal surface air kills him. Does he quit? Of course not. He upgrades his mirror stats and scrambles back out. For Zagreus, perseverance isn't a virtue; it's a personality.



Then there's Pit, the cherub who flies entirely on the power of earnest platitudes. In Kid Icarus: Uprising, he graduated from 8-bit ambiguity to being a fully-fledged motivational poster with wings. He actually utters the words 'I'll never give up' with a straight face and means every syllable. In an industry awash with brooding anti-heroes, Pit's relentless optimism and borderline-naïve faith in the forces of good feel refreshingly brave. Mock the cheese factor all you want—when he's diving headlong into a hail of laser fire to protect Palutena, the boy earns his wings every single time. ?️✨



Sora from Kingdom Hearts is what happens when you distill the concept of 'friendship' into a spiky-haired Keyblade wielder and then subject him to unimaginable torment. His friends are his power—literally his fighting fuel. He's watched Kairi slip into darkness, weathered Riku's edgy phase, had his heart torn out, his memories scrambled, and his entire reality rewritten multiple times. Yet his response is always to tighten the grip on his Keyblade and trust a little harder. Sora's emotional resilience could power a small galaxy. He's the golden retriever of JRPG protagonists: endlessly loyal, occasionally confused, and utterly incapable of abandoning hope. ??️



Meet Ichiban Kasuga, the human sunbeam who decided that losing everything means you're free to build something better. Taking over the Yakuza series with Like a Dragon, Ichiban's defining trait isn't his suit or his slugger—it's his sheer, unironic love for the people around him. In Infinite Wealth, he wakes up in Hawaii, pocket empty and heart full, and immediately accepts a new quest: find mom. The journey involves befriending a mismatched crew, battling sharks (both literal and metaphorical), and spreading joy like a virus. Ichiban demonstrates that you don't need a plan when you have unlimited kindness and a baseball bat. ⚾?



Insomniac's Peter Parker proves that great power doesn't just mean great responsibility—it also means great emotional labor. This Spider-Man stitches up his own suits and volunteers at a homeless shelter, all while trying to save a city that occasionally throws literal tanks at him. The true test of his persistence arrives when Doctor Octavius, a father figure turned nemesis, forces Peter to choose between saving a mentor and saving the city. He still refuses to give up on Otto. Peter's heart is a shield; it absorbs tragedy and keeps moving. And honestly, who else would keep quipping while dangling off a skyscraper? ?️?



Finally, Mega Man Volnutt—or Trigger, if you're feeling formal—shows up in Mega Man Legends with the conversational skills of a polite brick and the work ethic of a dozen heroes. Stranded on an island, menaced by air pirates and ancient robotic nightmares, he doesn't angst or monologue. He just recalibrates his buster and keeps walking. Whether the obstacle is a mechanized boss the size of a building or a dungeon filled with traps, Volnutt treats it like an errand. No drama, no fanfare, just an unceremonious refusal to stop being helpful. In a world of complicated heroes, this blue-bomber’s simplicity is a superpower.

The Common Thread

What makes these characters magnetic isn't their flawless execution—it's their endless reboot. From literal respawns to emotional reconstructions, they embody the gamer's creed: try, fail, learn, try again. They teach us that heroism isn't a grand gesture but a thousand tiny, stubborn comebacks.

Hero
Defining Persistence Moment
Signature Stubborn Weapon

Maelle
Facing her mother's horrific legacy without flinching
Emotional resilience

Zidane
Returning from apparent death for love
Thievish charm

Zagreus
Dying repeatedly just to breathe fresh air
Boundless respawns

Pit
Proclaiming ‘I'll never give up’ mid-combat
Earnesty

Sora
Rebuilding his heart after losing everything
Keyblade & friendship

Ichiban
Turning a Honolulu misadventure into a rescue mission
Infectious optimism

Peter Parker
Sparing a fallen mentor despite betrayal
Unyielding compassion

Mega Man Volnutt
Facing giant robots and pirates without blinking
Relentless stoicism

In the end, these pixelated paragons remind us that the most unbeatable power-up in any game isn't a legendary sword or a cheat code—it's the simple, foolhardy, magnificent refusal to give up. Game on. ?

Of course, nostalgia and determination are only half the battle—getting your hands on these classics (or their modern remasters) is the other half. Whether you're hunting for a physical copy of Mega Man Legends or hoping to snag a discounted season pass for the latest Spider-Man adventure, a quick search can save you a surprising amount of cash. Game prices fluctuate wildly across platforms and stores, so it always pays to do a little homework before hitting that buy button.

If you're feeling inspired by these resilient heroes and ready to embark on your own comeback story, why not start by making a smart purchase? Plenty of retailers offer rotating discounts, so you can easily compare prices here and put the money you save toward your next great gaming adventure. After all, every hero deserves a bargain—just another small win on the road to victory. ?

Deep within the forgotten bowels of Pharloom, where light fears to tread and silence reigns supreme, a dark secret slumbered. Hornet had heard whispers—fragmented tales spun by frightened bugs—of a creature so dangerous it was locked away beyond the reach of even the most zealous jailers. They called it the First Sinner. Few had ever seen its prison, and fewer still had returned to speak of the encounter. But Hornet was not one to shy away from a challenge, especially when the reward was whispered to be a Silk Skill of terrifying power.



To even reach the prisoner, Hornet first needed to breach The Slab—a sprawling underground penitentiary that clung to the left flank of the Choral Chambers. But simply finding the entrance was not enough. A massive gate barred the way, demanding the Key of Apostate. Some daring wanderers had been kidnapped by Wardenflies and stolen into the prison that way, only to lose their belongings in the process. Hornet opted for a more direct method. She descended into the Putrefied Ducts, a festering network below Bilewater, where the stench of decay was overpowering. In a crumbling hole in the left wall of the lower section, she discovered a corpse clutching the long-coveted key.



With the Key of Apostate in hand, Hornet returned to The Slab and turned the lock, the ancient mechanism groaning awake. The corridor beyond was lined with rusted cells and the faint scent of old sorrow. She scoured each level, her needle humming with readiness, until she located two more essential keys: the Key of Indolent and the Key of Heretic. The latter was the final piece of the puzzle. Descending quickly to the lower floors, she found a cell sealed by the Key of Heretic. Inside, a chest sat atop a pile of gleaming Rosaries. Hornet climbed onto the chest, then leapt upward, her Faydown Cloak enabling a double jump into a hidden ceiling passage. The path narrowed until it opened into a silent chamber dominated by a coffin-like structure bound by four heavy chains. She shattered the chains one by one, and as the last link fell, a living mask stirred inside. The First Sinner had awoken.

Before engaging the boss, Hornet took a moment to prepare. Over the years, players across Pharloom had refined a reliable setup for this fight. For a Crest, the Wanderer Crest was ideal—its swift, precise strikes could match the boss’s manic speed. Three passive abilities were non-negotiable: the Swift Step dash from the Deep Docks, the Drifter’s Cloak glide from Far Fields, and the Faydown Cloak double jump. For Tools, the combination of a crafted Cogfly and a Pollip Pouch was devastating; the Cogfly spawned tiny flying minions that dealt poison damage while Hornet focused on evasion. To sharpen her edge, she equipped the Fractured Mask for better precision, the Weighted Belt for agility, and the Flea Brew for an extra health point.



The arena stretched long and foreboding, and the masked creature emerged with a chilling screech. The battle unfolded in two distinct phases. In the first, the First Sinner lunged across the ground in a razor-edged dash. Hornet easily evaded it with a double jump and retaliated with a quick slash. Next came a mid-air multi-slash—the boss would vanish briefly, then reappear above Hornet, nails gleaming. A well-timed dash sent Hornet safely out of reach. The third attack filled the air with summoned nails that sliced vertically and horizontally, demanding a mix of jumping, gliding, and dashing in a frantic dance. Most importantly, whenever the Sinner paused to recharge her Silk—an attempt to heal—Hornet interrupted her with a swift strike.

Aggression was the key. Hornet stayed close, dashing away from attacks and then sprinting back to land a blow before the Sinner could recover. The tip-tap of needle against chitin became a rhythm she controlled. Then the screaming started. The boss’s form shuddered, and the second phase began.



Everything became faster, more frenzied. The Sinner now wielded a Silk Skill of her own: a storm of burning white circles that erupted across the arena. Hornet watched the floor intently, standing where the circles never touched. She released her Cogfly earlier, letting the tiny machine gnaw away while she dodged. The Flea Brew added a burst of speed to her movements. Once she deciphered the new tempo, she resumed her onslaught, never letting the boss dictate the dance. The masked creature wailed, its form shattering into silence.

When the battle ended, the reward was immediate and glorious. From the remnants of the First Sinner, Hornet claimed the Silk Skill called Rune Rage—the very same circle attack that had nearly bested her. As she stood in the quiet chamber, the power thrumming in her thread, she knew this skill would become a favorite among the many tricks up her sleeve.



Thus, the tale of the First Sinner ended, but for Hornet, it was only another scar carved into her journey through Pharloom—a reminder that even the darkest prisons hold treasures for those cunning enough to unlock them.

Battles like this one are exactly why fans of the genre keep returning to Pharloom—each victory unlocks not just a new ability, but a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship behind the challenge. For players inspired to expand their library with similarly gripping adventures, finding the right time to buy can be just as strategic as any boss fight. Whether you are hunting for a fresh indie gem or a long-awaited AAA sequel, a reliable game price tracker can help you strike when the price is right, letting you focus your energy on mastering the next arena rather than overspending on it.

With every hard-earned skill acquired and every formidable foe conquered, the journey through Pharloom proves that patience and preparation always pay off. The same mindset applies beyond the screen: knowing where and when to buy your next game ensures you never miss out on an adventure simply because of a steep price tag. Platforms like DealNest make that process effortless, gathering the best offers in one convenient place so your next great challenge is always within reach.

It’s 2026, and I’m still utterly consumed by the hauntingly beautiful world Team Cherry has built across Hollow Knight and its phenomenal sequel Silksong. Hallownest and Pharloom are brimming with so many memorable bugs that it almost feels criminal to leave their stories untold. Sure, the Knight’s journey was epic and Hornet’s ascension in Silksong gave us everything we wanted and more, but I can’t shake the feeling that some side characters are screaming for their own spotlight. Whether it’s through a brutal Metroidvania or an entirely new genre, I just need to see more of these crawling, flying, and sometimes downright silly creatures. Here are my top picks for bugs who absolutely deserve their own game.

Sly: The Strongest Nail Wielder



I’ll never forget the first time I stumbled upon that unassuming little shopkeeper in the Forgotten Crossroads. Sly seemed like just another merchant until I dug deeper. Beneath that tiny fly exterior lies the Great Nailsage, arguably the most skilled nail wielder in Hallownest’s history. His optional boss fight remains one of my favorite moments in the entire series — a whirlwind of slashes and sheer fury packed into a ridiculously small frame. Team Cherry loves contrasting sizes in their protagonists, and after the towering Hornet, going comically small with Sly would be brilliant. I can already imagine darting between an enemy’s legs, charging up a massive nail strike, and unleashing all the skills he’s kept hidden for so long. A prequel exploring his training days or his fall from grace? Sign me up. Sly deserves the chance to unsheathe that blade once more.

Green Prince: A Tragic Tale From Beginning to End



Royalty runs deep in this universe, and the Green Prince of Verdania is a character whose tragedy still haunts me. His striking design alone — part regal, part broken — begs for more screen time. In Silksong, we only caught glimpses of what happened to his fallen kingdom and his lost partner. I’m not asking for a dating simulator, but a smaller, more intimate game set in pre-ruin Verdania could be devastatingly beautiful. Let me walk through those lush gardens before they withered, witness his romance blossom and shatter, and finally learn why he was imprisoned. The Green Prince’s assumed fate after Hornet defeats him is the quietest, most heartbreaking kind of lore, and I need closure. A self-contained tragedy starring this royal bug would fit perfectly in the Hollow Knight universe, proving that even side stories can leave you weeping.

Cloth: Looking to Find Her Confidence



Cloth’s story hit me harder than almost any other NPC arc. In my first playthrough, I befriended her, and watching that timid but valiant bug leap into battle against the Traitor Lord only to perish was a gut punch. But here’s the thing — if you don’t befriend her, she actually survives and leaves Hallownest to prove herself elsewhere. That open-ended survival is the perfect narrative hook for her own adventure. Imagine a game where Cloth journeys to an unexplored kingdom, still wielding her absurdly oversized club, still searching for the courage she knows is buried somewhere inside her. She’s a fan-favorite for a reason: her blend of vulnerability and explosive heroism is unlike any protagonist we’ve played yet. Plus, seeing her finally become the confident warrior she always wanted to be — on her own terms — would be the uplifting saga this dark universe sometimes needs.

Garmond & Zaza: Companions for Life



Old knights have a special place in my heart, and Garmond of Pharloom is no exception. Along with his noble beast-companion Zaza, they spent decades protecting their decaying homeland. What makes me desperate for their own game is the sheer untapped potential of their past adventures. In Silksong, their story ends tragically when a Void-corrupted Hornet defeats Garmond, leaving Zaza alone. But what about all those decades before? I crave a co-op or tag-team experience set in Pharloom’s earlier, brighter days. Garmond’s goofy yet noble personality paired with Zaza’s fierce loyalty would make for a wildly different tone — somewhere between heartwarming and haunting. Their combat could revolve around tandem attacks and mounted charges, offering a playstyle no other Hollow Knight title has touched. I honestly believe this duo could carry a full game, and I’ll keep hoping Team Cherry explores their rich history before the Void claimed everything.

Dung Defender: Smells Like Heroic Duty



Yes, I can still smell him through my monitor, and no, I don’t care. Dung Defender is far more than a joke boss. He was once Ogrim, one of the legendary Five Great Knights of Hallownest, a title that carries immense weight. The fact that he now joyfully guards a sewer full of excrement while laughing with heroic bombast is exactly the kind of tragicomic brilliance Team Cherry excels at. A game starring Ogrim could dip into his glory days alongside Isma and the other knights, revealing the fall of Hallownest from a defender’s perspective. His unique fighting style — explosive dung balls, burrowing, and ground pounds — would be a hilarious but deeply strategic departure from the Knight’s nail or Hornet’s needle. The fandom adores this stinker, and I’m convinced a full Dung Defender title would be equal parts gross, funny, and emotionally devastating. Just imagine the smell-o-vision possibilities.

Sherma: The Cutest Bug in the World



When Silksong launched, the community instantly latched onto Sherma, and so did I. This little pilgrim bug is pure, sunlit positivity — he sings, he plays music, and he cheers up anyone who looks sad. He has zero combat skills, and that’s precisely why he’d make a perfect star for the series’ first spin-off. Picture this: a rhythm-adventure game where Sherma’s music literally heals broken lands, calms hostile creatures, and uncovers ancient secrets. Music already holds mystical power in the Hollow Knight universe; just recall the delicate melodies of City of Tears. Let Sherma wander a new kingdom armed only with his voice and instrument, turning sorrow into song. It would be a lighter, more colorful journey that still respects the underlying melancholy of the series. I’d play a hundred hours of that, and you would too, because who can say no to more Sherma content?

Quirrel: Dreaming Memories



Quirrel is, in my opinion, the most criminally underutilized character in the entire series. He was just as important to the original Hollow Knight as Hornet, yet his story ends so quietly that newer fans might not even realize his depth. As Monomon’s apprentice and the bearer of her mask, Quirrel’s past is a tangled web of dreams, duty, and lost memories. We know he traveled beyond Hallownest before the events of the first game, which practically hands Team Cherry a prequel on a silver platter. I want to wield his unique weapon, explore foreign lands through his curious eyes, and perhaps even witness his encounters with Hornet before she became the fierce protector we know. Quirrel isn’t just a tag-along; he’s been shown to match Hornet in strength, and his calm intellect would offer a refreshing contrast to the Knight’s silence. A Quirrel-led adventure wouldn’t just be a game — it’d be the missing piece of Hollow Knight’s soul.

Lace: More Silk Less Song



Lace fascinated me from her very first appearance. She’s not fully a bug; she’s a living construct of pure silk, a kind of sister or mirrored reflection of Hornet herself. Throughout Silksong, she constantly challenges Hornet, teasing out the mysteries of their shared origin. But even after multiple boss encounters, I still have so many questions. A game centered around Lace would let Team Cherry delve deep into the nature of silk, binding, and identity. Her body being made entirely of silk opens up insane gameplay possibilities — unraveling to slip through cracks, reforming weapons from her own form, or manipulating enemies with threads. She’s precisely what Hornet was in the original game: a character too central and too mechanically fascinating to be left as a side figure. Lace deserves her own chance to shine, to weave her own story, and honestly, I’m ready to get tangled up in it.

While we hold out hope that Team Cherry eventually gives these incredible characters the spotlight they deserve, there’s no harm in revisiting Hallownest in the meantime — whether that means replaying the original masterpiece, diving back into Silksong, or hunting down official art books and soundtracks to keep the lore alive. The Hollow Knight community thrives on speculation and fan-made content, but sometimes you just want to own a piece of the world yourself. If you’re looking to expand your collection without breaking your Geo reserves, it’s always worth checking a few retailers to find the best deal on Hollow Knight merchandise, collector’s editions, or even a fresh controller for those marathon boss runs.