Hollow Knight Silksong tips for beginners

8 tips for beginners, including how to Pogo and how to get maps

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

Looking for some effective Hollow Knight: Silksong beginner tips and tricks to get you through the early game? The deadly realm of Pharloom has many obstacles in store, and Hornet undeniably feels very different from her predecessor in the first Hollow Knight . She’s way faster, and learning how to restore health and Pogo off of enemies with her is an entirely new experience.

If you’ve never played a Metroidvania in the past, Hollow Knight: Silksong can feel very intimidating with its expansive, labyrinthine map and powerful enemies - and we haven’t even gotten into the light Soulslike elements thrown into the mix!

This guide walks new players through 8 top tips for Hollow Knight: Silksong , including how to Bind and Pogo effectively, where to farm Rosaries, which upgrades to prioritise, and more. Follow these beginner’s tips to make the first few hours of the game much easier!

1. Learn how and when to Bind

Don’t just Bind on the ground - do it in the air. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

In Silksong, instead of using Focus to heal yourself via collected Soul (as was the case in the first Hollow Knight), Hornet utilises Bind. Requiring strands of Silk to activate, Bind is an ability that lets Hornet heal herself instantly and get back into the fight.

To get more Silk, just keep attacking enemies, and pay attention to the Silk meter in the upper left corner. You know, Hornet is technically a spider, despite her name, so this mechanic makes sense when you think about it.

Be aware that activating Bind makes Hornet vulnerable for a second. If an enemy attacks her while she’s using Bind, the entire process will be cancelled, meaning that Hornet will lose all of her accumulated Silk and she’ll still be low on health. Thankfully, you can Bind in mid-air - which is much safer against many of Silksong’s ground-moving enemies and bosses, particularly in the early game.

2. Practise the Pogo

<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/pogo-1.jpg?width=2048&height=2048&fit=bounds&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“Hornet uses her “Pogo” downward attack ability to slash towards a red flower in Hollow Knight: Silksong. - 4”>

You’ll need to put your Pogo skills to the test when you encounter these red thingies. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

The art of bouncing on top of enemies like a Pogo Stick is a time-honoured tradition in platformers, and in the original Hollow Knight, it was a necessary tactic for advancing further in the game. The same is true in Hollow Knight: Silksong, but there’s an added complexity. Hornet’s default Pogo attack is diagonal , until you find and equip other Crests such as the Crest of Wanderer , which turns it into a more straightforward downwards slash.

To use the Pogo technique, jump and do an attack while holding down. Hornet will dash her Nail downwards at a 45-degree angle, and if she hits an enemy, she’ll bounce off and carry this momentum onwards. If your timing is good, you can consistently bounce off of enemies without ever needing to touch the ground. This works well against large foes, like the Bell Beast boss , but it’s also good against regular enemies as long as you can predict where the enemy will be after you bounce off of them. Often, you’ll have to turn directions in mid-air, which takes practice.

Mastering Hornet’s Pogo gives you a powerful tool against nearly every enemy in the game, and is also essential for many platforming sections later in Silksong. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn the Pogo once you reach Hunter’s March , the third or fourth region that most players will stumble upon. This area is full of red flowers that Hornet will need to Pogo off of in order to reach greater heights. Get ready for some tricky platforming sections (that really tested the patience of our hardware master James !)

3. Study enemy behaviours and attacks

These guys are always worth killing, but watch out for the pot that protects their head. You can’t pierce it with a Pogo. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

It’s good practice to count how many hits it takes to dispatch an enemy . Hornet’s initial foes go down after a single hit or two, but once you’re in the aforementioned Hunter’s March, those damn ants take a lot of damage. Counting the hits is a good strategy that ties into Pogo-ing off of their heads, since you don’t want to try to bounce on an enemy who suddenly dies. Also, take note of the fact that there’s a slight pushback whenever you hit a foe. It’s minor, but it is enough to knock Hornet off of certain platforms if she’s standing too close to the edge.

Some mobs also aren’t worth fighting. The more humanoid-looking bugs usually drop Rosaries , the currency you need to buy most important items in Silksong. The pot-wearing bugs in the Marrow, for instance - always kill those podgy fellas. The explosive grubs that hang onto platforms there? I personally don’t bother with them.

4. Attack every wall

These walls; they annoy me. I must renovate them! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

I tend to fall into a certain pattern whenever I play Metroidvanias - dash and/or bunny hop everywhere (even if it doesn’t actually make you move faster, it feels like you’re moving faster) and hit every wall for the possibility of a hidden chamber . I heartily recommend that you abide by this second bit of advice, since Pharloom is filled with breakable walls, most of which aren’t especially obvious until you hit them. You’ll usually hear a visual or auditory “tell” to let you know that you can break the wall and find some treasures beyond - typically a shortcut, Rosaries, or maybe even a Bench to rest and save your progress.

5. Invest in your Tools

Straight Pins are very handy for chucking from afar at the start of your quest. |Image credit:IGN/Team Cherry

Hornet uses Tools in her arsenal. These are colour-coded according to the slots of Crests that Hornet finds during her journey. From what we’ve seen thus far, they abide by the following rules:

• Red Tools : Active Tools that require a button press to use. The Straight Pin, a light throwing projectile designed for rapid attacks, is a good example of this.
• Blue Tools : These provide passive benefits that usually revolve around extra armour or resisting environmental hazards. For instance, the Magma Bell, which wards Hornet against heat.
• Yellow Tools : Passives that are more geared towards exploration or general support. The Shard Pendant, which lets you collect more Shell Shards from foes, falls under this category.

There are also White Tools , but despite sitting in the same place in the menu as Red, Blue, and Yellow Tools, they’re technically special Skills that expend Hornet’s Silk meter - for example, dashing (Swift Step). You’ll naturally find these as you explore the world, and most are mandatory.

6. Purchase maps from Shakra as soon as possible

Always perk your ears for Shakra’s distinctive song. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

Shakra is Silksong’s equivalent to Cornifer , the cartographer from the original Hollow Knight. She can first be found in the Marrow, and you’ll hear her singing whenever you enter an area that she’s in. Buy all of the area maps that she has available, but also be sure to purchase the Quill and the Compass. If you’re lacking Rosaries, you can grind for them easily enough in the neighbouring Mosshome region (see more on that below).

Like the first Hollow Knight, Silksong has an irking map system that requires you to possess several different items before you can just track your progress normally. Shakra’s maps give you an incomplete overview of an area, the Compass shows your position on the map, and the Quill lets you fill out Shakra’s sketch. These new sections will be added to your overall map when you rest at a Bench.

This is Hornet looking at one of Shakra’s maps without with only the Compass and no Quill. Useless! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

When you unlock a new region, Shakra will move from the last place she was , so don’t expect her to always be hanging out where you left her. You’ll need to purchase all of her resources in order to unlock additional markers on your map - for instance, fast travel points, the locations of especially tough enemies, etc.

7. Learn effective Rosary management

String up those beads to avoid losing ’em. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

Like the first game, Hollow Knight: Silksong possesses a fair bit of Soulslike influence. Aside from the gloomy atmosphere, this is most obvious in Rosaries, the little red beads that you can sometimes find hanging from rocks or on the corpses of defeated enemies. This currency is the bread and butter in Pharloom, and it’s hard to come by. Whenever you die, you’ll lose all of your Rosaries unless you head to the site of your death and slash the Cocoon that’s appeared there.

Every now and then, however, you’ll encounter a Rosary String , which will not be lost upon death. Some merchants will let you convert your existing Rosaries into a Rosary String, and if you can afford this, it’s a handy option especially if you don’t want to lose your hard-won beads when moving through a very hard area.

There are also a number of areas throughout the game that allow you to farm rosaries very quickly. Using these farms, and effectively managing your Rosaries throughout Silksong helps minimise frustration and ensures you can afford upgrades and unlocks as soon as they become available.

Defeat these fanatical pilgrims in Mosshome (west of where you first meet Shakra) for consistent Rosary drops. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

Mosshome is a decent place to farm Rosaries at the start of the game . Go west after meeting Shakra in the Marrow and you’ll reach this village full of pilgrim bugs who attack you on sight. There’s a Bench nearby, and they’ll respawn every time you sit there, so get ready to grind. You can quickly raise your Rosary amount by repeatedly killing the mobs here over and over again.

8. Unlock Swift Step before facing this miniboss

Yes, he’s huge and hits hard. No, he’s actually not a boss. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Team Cherry

New players, beware the Skarrgard . The Skarrgard is a huge ant wearing a skull awaiting you above the Jail Bench in the Marrow, near the area’s border with Hunter’s March. He seems like a boss and hits hard like a boss, with two massive swipes from a bone cudgel that will cut off two Masks of your health at a time. But he’s technically just a really big regular enemy (or a miniboss at most), and it’s painful to face him unless you either manage to get really good at Pogo-ing on his head or kiting him into the small corridor that leads into his room.

For an easier time facing the Skarrgard, track down the Swift Step dash Skill, which can be found at the top of the Deep Docks area . You’ll need to run across some lava and then hit an oranga magma ball in the ceiling that explodes and makes a new passage. A statue containing Swift Step awaits you.

If you’re having trouble finding the Swift Step, here it is in relation to the skull ant. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/MapGenie/Team Cherry

Once you’ve got this upgrade, Silksong opens up tremendously, and Hornet becomes faster and significantly more fun to control. The Swift Step also isn’t just a dash - if you hold it down, it’s a full-on run , and it’ll make Hornet much speedier and increase her agility against everyone, including this big skull ant.

With that, you should be ready to tackle the beginning of Hollow Knight: Silksong. For more on the challenges that await you when you first step into Pharloom, take a look at our expansive walkthrough hub , and specifically our guides on Moss Grotto and The Marrow/Mosshome

We’ve also got a list of all bosses in Silksong , as well as primers on how to get the Needolin , how to beat Widow , and all the Lost Flea locations across Pharloom. Good luck, and may your Silk strands never run out!

Hollow Knight: Silksong

PC , Nintendo Switch

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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