Part 1: Moss Grotto to The Marrow
You start off getting tossed off a bridge—classic Hornet luck. After landing in Moss Grotto, just follow the linear path until you hit a Bench. Rest up, then head left to face the Moss Mother. She’s not too tough, but if you’re still getting used to Hornet’s moveset compared to the Knight, she might catch you off guard. I got wrecked a couple times, not gonna lie. Once she’s down, continue left, jump into the next room to meet the Chapel Maiden, then head right into Bone Bottom.
In Bone Bottom, find the building with three chevrons—that’s a Bellway. You can’t fast travel yet, but discovering it saves you a headache later. Continue right into The Marrow, meet Sherma, jump around the Bone Gate, beat a quick gauntlet, and drop down to open a shortcut. Keep going right, take the ceiling exit in the big room, and eventually you’ll run into Shakra, the cartographer. Buy the Mosslands and Marrow maps, plus the Quill and Compass. Trust me, you want these.

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But here is the thing: when a long-awaited sequel finally arrives and it is actually good, the wait can feel like a weird badge of honor. In 2026, we have plenty of evidence that patience sometimes pays off, and also plenty of evidence that I should maybe touch grass between announcements. Let us look at the sequels that made the suffering worth it.
Hollow Knight: Silksong: Six Years, One Very Fast Bug

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The Konami Code Still Works, Because of Course It Does
If you grew up anywhere near a controller, you know the Konami Code. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. It is the cheat code equivalent of a handshake. In Silksong, you can input it while viewing the Extras menu. Do that, and you unlock Steel Soul mode immediately. No full playthrough required. No final boss victory lap. Just a forbidden ritual and a sudden sense of dread.
PCGamer credited a Reddit user for proving the unlock existed. I love that. In 2026, with datamining and guide wikis everywhere, an old-school cheat code can still feel like a secret passed around a schoolyard. Except now the schoolyard is a subreddit, and the secret is ‘enjoy permanent death, idiot.’
What Steel Soul Actually Does
Steel Soul is not a difficulty slider. It is a lifestyle choice. Here is the basic breakdown:

Mode
How you unlock it
What happens when you die

Normal
Default
You respawn and try again

Steel Soul

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Why the Bilewater map matters
Bilewater is not a small side room. It is a large, ugly, sprawling area, and the poison does more than tick damage. The maggots in the water eat away at Hornet’s Silk, which makes it harder to use skills or regenerate masks. That combination turns every wrong turn into a slow death spiral. A map is not a luxury here. It is a lantern in a cave of bad decisions.
The catch is that Shakra will not sell you the Bilewater map right away. You can only buy it after obtaining the Faydown Cloak, the double jump ability. In the early game, Bilewater is only accessed from Sinner’s Road, and without double jump, you can reach Shakra’s area but not fully explore beyond it. Even if you somehow cheese your way up to her, the rest of Bilewater requires the Faydown Cloak to explore further and access the next area.
Getting to Shakra step by step

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Let me tell you, the translation itself seems to have a personality—a pretentious, faux-Shakespearean one that thinks it’s smarter than everyone else. One Chinese player on Reddit, Pro_Cream, put it bluntly: ‘As a native speaker of Chinese… the quality of Chinese is so bad to the degree I prefer to play the game in English.’ Oof. Another user, 9k99G, said the dialogue reads like someone ‘[trying] to speak in fake Shakespeare vocabulary with a dialect of Yoda.’ Imagine Yoda trying to write a tragedy. That’s the vibe. A simple ‘I’ll kill you’ got mangled into something so laughable that players started sharing screenshots for the memes. 😂
And here’s the kicker: the original Hollow Knight had six people on its Simplified Chinese localization team. Silksong has just two, and none of the original translators returned. One of them, Hertzz Liu, is even suspected of leaking game details on Tieba earlier this year. Yikes. That’s like hiring a chef who’s also a food critic—and then finding out they leaked the recipe. The translation is like a clingy ex: it just won’t let go of its bad habits.

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🗺️ Where to Find Sister Splinter and the Nearest Bench
Sister Splinter resides deep within the heart of Shellwood, a region marked on the map. She guards the path to the wall jump ability, a crucial upgrade that opens up new exploration avenues. To reach her, players must first unlock the elevator that provides easy access to her chamber. Once unlocked, it’s wise to rest at the bench near the center of Shellwood for the shortest runback. This bench costs 50 rosaries to unlock, so players should ensure they have enough currency on hand. From the bench, take the elevator up, enter the room to the right, and platform across and up the room. A series of pogo jumps across flowers will lead leftward into the boss chamber.

⚔️ Phase One: Keep the Arena Clear

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Hollow Knight: Silksong’s combat is a considerable leap forward from the first game. Hornet has a far wider arsenal of weapons and skills, and her acrobatic movement often lends battles a ballet-like elegance. Momentum and style flow through encounters in ways that were rare in the original Hollow Knight. Could the first game’s combat have supported such graceful, fast-paced exchanges? Not without losing its own identity. Silksong instead builds a new identity around speed, positioning, and tactical choice. The game’s other most important pillar, level design, serves to buttress that combat. Arenas are not neutral boxes. They are stages filled with dangers that can become weapons.

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Once the Needolin hums in her grasp, the map changes shape. Songs become doors. Ledges become invitations.
The Shortcut Out of Shellwood 🧭
Most travelers assume they must crawl all the way back through Bone Bottom and start the western trek from scratch. There is a better way, and it hides in plain sight. Hornet should move toward the bench that links Shellwood to Bone Bottom — but she should not drop down to it. Just before reaching that bench, she needs to look up
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Below are the Tools I keep coming back to in 2026. Some are pure comfort picks, some are boss-melting monsters, and a few are the difference between a Steel Soul heartbreak and a victory lap.
⚔️ My Top Red Tools
Cogfly

Cogfly is a Red Tool that summons a small bug companion to fight alongside you. It sounds simple, but it is absolutely clutch in larger battles because the Cogfly can smack foes you cannot pay attention to. Having one or more Cogflies at your side evens the odds in crowded arenas and gives you a numbers advantage in boss fights. Until they are damaged, Cogflies do not reset when you sit on a bench, which makes them one of the best long-lasting companions in the game. If you like playing with a buddy, this is your jam.
Flea Brew

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I have always been a little scared of Metroidvanias. The open maps, the backtracking, the ‘where was that one cracked wall from four hours ago’ feeling — my brain just blue-screens. If a Metroidvania doesn’t grab me with its mechanics, I’m gone. The original Hollow Knight, great as it is, almost lost me. Its art, enemies, and lore are legendary. Its combat, though? Floaty. Simple. In those first few hours, before movement abilities, fights boiled down to hitting one attack button, stepping away from danger, and pogoing off enemies like a very goth trampoline. It worked. It just didn’t make me lean forward in my chair.
Silksong’s Tool System Is The Build Diversity I Craved
Silksong fixes that within its opening hours. The tool system is the big reason. You get red, blue, and yellow slots early, and each color does a different job. Red tools are usually offensive toys like throwing knives. Blue tools give passive buffs, such as faster silk regeneration. Yellow tools often help with exploration. Suddenly I’m not just Hornet; I’m Hornet with a curated little murder kit.

Tool Color
Main Role
My Favorite Use

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1. Purchase the Grand Gate Map (40 Rosaries) 🗺️
The very first thing players should do in Act 2 is buy a map. Unlike Act 1, where maps came from NPCs like Shakra, most Citadel maps are sold by machines. In the first room of the Citadel, players will find one such machine. Interact with it and pay 40 Rosaries to receive the Grand Gate map. This small zone connects the Blasted Steps to the larger Choral Chambers above, but it is a crucial starting point.
2. Grab the Free Underworks Map
From the Grand Gate map machine, head right and drop down into The Underworks. This eerie sub-area is filled with forced labor bugs and deadly fans that deal two Masks of damage. Traverse upward until you spot a sign with lines and shapes. Enter that room to find the Underworks map pinned to a board — it costs nothing. Then continue upward to reach the Choral Chambers.

3. Buy the Choral Chambers Map (70 Rosaries) and Find Ventrica

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The Main Route Begins in Memorium
The Putrified Ducts is mainly available from the Memorium area in Hollow Knight: Silksong. A lower part can be accessed from Bilewater, but that small section does not connect to the rest of the region. What players will find there is the Broodfeast quest and the Key of Apostate. For the full experience, the Memorium approach is required.
To start, players should enter Memorium by heading north from the Grand Bellway, all the way to the top. Next, they must use the double jump, which is a necessity, to climb the platform and access the area. In Memorium, Hornet should jump to the platform containing the lore board, then hop to the one above it. Hornet will arrive at the second level of the area, and the path will split.
Through the Enemy Corridor

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Long story short, Seeker’s Soul is tucked inside a shell home in Bilewater. It’s close to the Key of Apostate spot, so if you’re already hunting that key, you can kill two birds with one stone. I did exactly that, and it felt like a small mercy in an otherwise brutal zone.
There are two ways to reach it. I tried both because I’m a glutton for punishment.
Route 1: The Southern Slog

• Start in Bilewater’s southern edge.
• Pass through Sinner’s Road.
• Push north until you hit the top section of Bilewater.

This route is the “classic” way, and by classic I mean it can kick your teeth in. You’ll face several waves of enemies, and then you’ll run into Groal, a boss who doesn’t believe in warm-ups. The worst part? There’s no nearby bench. If you fall in combat, you’re sent back to the last bench you visited. I learned that the hard way, and let me tell you, walking back felt like Groundhog Day.
Route 2: The Putrified Ducts Shortcut

• Enter Bilewater from the northern side.
• Use the Putrified Ducts route.
• Drop into the top section and grab the Seeker’s Soul.

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Start at the Memorium entrance and head up to the first door on your right. Proceed forward, cutting down any enemies in your path. Soon, you’ll drop down near a door marked with a sign. Enter it and perform a double jump to access a secret path. This leads you to a large bridge. Here, you’ll need to use your Clawline to the left, double jump, then Clawline to the right, and finally climb the wall. Look for a breakable part—destroy it and avoid the spikes inside as you run to the right. This brings you to the Putrified Ducts.

Step
Action

1
Start at Memorium entrance, go up to first door on right

2
Proceed past enemies, drop down near door with sign

3
Enter, double jump into secret path to large bridge

4
Use Clawline left, double jump, Clawline right, climb wall
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The Long Wait Was Not a Joke—Except When It Was
I followed Silksong from its brief 2019 announcement trailer through years of near silence. Team Cherry showed a few trailers here and there, but updates were rare. That quiet period turned into a strange community ritual. Fans made clown memes about Silksong, and I laughed at them because I was in them. Every Nintendo Direct, every showcase, every random Tuesday became a chance to put on the makeup again. The joke was never really about hating the game. It was about how much we wanted it and how little we knew.
Now that Silksong is out, those memes are mostly retired. The conversation has shifted to boss fights, tools, Crests, and the game’s steep learning curve. I have seen plenty of players celebrate its difficulty and plenty of others bounce off it. That split feels healthy. A sequel to Hollow Knight was never going to be easy, and Team Cherry did not pretend otherwise.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Inherited the Clown Crown

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The Mist is a dense, disorienting puzzle, and brute force will not solve it. The rules are simple once understood:

• Play your Needolin near spirit moths and follow the path they reveal.
• Only take exits that the spirit moths themselves indicate.
• Defeat wraiths the moment they appear — never let them accumulate.
• Carry a dependable trap that is both aerial and ranged, so wraiths in tight corners can be cleared safely.

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The Shaman Crest and Its Three Silk Skills
The foundation of the build is the Shaman Crest, which players can find in the Ruined Chapel area of the Moss Grotto. It only becomes available after they have unlocked the Silk Soar ability in the Abyss. The Shaman Crest allows players to equip three Silk Skills at the same time, making it ideal for a setup that relies on spending silk aggressively. The three recommended Silk Skills are Pale Nails, Sharpdart, and Cross Stitch.

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Steel Soul Mode is Hollow Knight: Silksong’s hardest test. It features permadeath, so once you die, you restart the entire game. Every enemy and boss you defeated comes back. But this mode does not just recycle the base experience. Bosses can gain new attack patterns. The Moorwing, for example, might push into a fourth or fifth phase that throws even more attacks at you. Enemies may also appear in places you would never expect, forcing you to rethink old routes and old strategies.

That unpredictability makes every run feel unique. It also makes every mistake feel permanent. 💀
How To Unlock Steel Soul Mode

You can unlock Steel Soul Mode in two ways. The straightforward method is to simply play Hollow Knight: Silksong and beat it. The second method is a hidden code, and it is much faster.
On the main menu, go to the Extras option. Once you are in the Extras menu, press the following buttons on your controller’s D-pad: Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right.

The screen should flash white for a moment. That flash is your signal that the game registered the code. Afterward, when you start a new game, you will see Steel Soul Mode listed under Classic Mode.
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• Defeat the Last Judge
• Navigate the Underworks
• Unlock the Choral Chambers
• Free the First Shrine (clear silk around the bell)
• Unlock Songclave
• Accept the wish from the wish board

To even receive the Fine Pins wish, players must have progressed significantly. The quest becomes available only after unlocking the Choral Chambers, which itself requires defeating the Last Judge and navigating the Underworks. Once the Choral Chambers are accessible, the path continues. Players must climb the right side of the biome to reach the next boss arena. However, before stepping into that fight, there is a crucial detour: freeing the First Shrine by clearing the silk around the bell located at the top right of the biome. This action unlocks the Songclave area, a hub where the wish board resides. From that board, the Fine Pins wish can be accepted.

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First, a quick reality check: you need the Clawline ability. Without it, you’re just a bug with a needle and a bad attitude. Once you have Clawline, your first task is to find and defeat the Cogwork Dancers boss. Yes, those mechanical ballet nightmares. After they’re scrap metal, head down and left to reach the top left section of the Coral Chambers. There, you’ll spot a Bench directly below a few grapple points. Sit on it. Seriously, sit on it. You’ll thank yourself later.
From the Bench, start making your way up using Clawline. The first section is relatively simple—just go right and ignore the enemies. Why fight when you can run? Use your dash to zip past them if you’re feeling fancy. When you reach the grapple wheel, harpoon onto a hook and wait for it to rotate upward. Then use your abilities to slip through the top right passage. More enemies? Ignore them again. Dash over their heads like the graceful spider you are.
Now the real fun begins. You’ll enter a room with spikes on the bottom and another grapple wheel. This time, ignore the wheel
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Before players can claim the Shaman Crest, they must have unlocked Hornet’s Silk Soar ability. Assuming that prerequisite is met, the journey begins at the Bone Bottom Bellway. From there, players should head left until they come to a hole with a ray of light shining down on it. Once there, they can drop down and head inside the doorway to the Ruined Chapel on their left.

Inside the Ruined Chapel, players should head to the far right and stand in front of the lore marker. Then, they need to use Silk Soar by holding down together with the harpoon button (S on PC, L2 on PlayStation, LT on Xbox, or L on Switch). This action propels Hornet through the ceiling above her, allowing her to carry on to the right. From here, it’s a simple case of following the path, while being sure to destroy the three breakable walls using slash attacks along the way.

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Key
Location
Acquisition
Cost or Requirement

1
Bone Bottom Shop
Purchase from the shopkeeper beside the Wish Board
500 Rosaries

2
Sinner’s Road
Defeat the Roachkeeper after a climbing puzzle near the top
Access to Sinner’s Road above Halfway Home in Greymoor

3
Sands of Karak
Found on a bench beside a poor bug
Requires Hornet’s grappling hook in Act 2; reach via Blasted Steps west

4
Jubilana the Merchant
Purchase from Jubilana at the First Shrine in the Citadel
Complete Wish “The Wandering Merchant”; 650 Rosaries

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The Bellway Stations at a Glance

Station
Vibe
Usefulness

Bone Bottom
Home sweet home
Essential

The Marrow
First date with Bell Beast
Least useful

Deep Docks
Industrial chaos
Very handy

Far Fields
Secretly huge
Great

Greymoor
Halfway Home
Quest central

Bellhart
Second hub
Amazing

Shellwood
Pogo paradise
Central

Blasted Steps
Act 3 glow-up
Fantastic

The Slab
Prison break
Niche but needed

Grand Bellway
Citadel chaos
Most used

Bilewater
Nope juice
Painful

Putrified Ducts
Flea heaven
Endgame

Bone Bottom

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Endless Legend and the Fantasy 4X Hook

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What Pollip Hearts Are
Pollip Hearts are special quest items in Hollow Knight: Silksong. They are found only in the Shellwood area map. In their natural state, they appear as large purple plants that pop out of the item upon destruction. The telltale sign of their presence is a set of floating purple petals and smaller bulbs and flowers adorning the side of the wall they are growing on. If you see violet debris drifting in the air, stop and look around. A Pollip bulb is usually nearby, tucked into an alcove, ceiling, or vine-choked ledge.
Starting the Rite of the Pollip
To begin, travel to the area marked on the map, below the bench and to the left. Enter the home that is made of roots. Greyroot waits inside. She talks about a new birth about to happen and asks you to bring her six Pollip Hearts. This begins the quest, Rite of the Pollip. I recommend starting the quest before hunting the hearts, because Greyroot’s request gives the whole journey a clear purpose.
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#
Item
Where to Find It
Difficulty

1
Courier’s Rasher
Tipp & Pill in Bellhart (delivery run)
🔥 Brutal

2
Crustnut
Sands of Karak
😤 Annoying

3
Pickled Muckmaggot
Sinner’s Road (boss fight)
⚔️ Moderate

4
Vintage Nectar
Halfway Home, Greymoor
💰 Costs 480 Rosaries

5
Mossberry Stew
Moss Druid in Mosshome
🍰 Free

1. Courier’s Rasher — The Quest’s Final Boss (Sort Of)

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The Carnevale: A Music Box Wound by Trembling Hands
The Carnevale wrapped around us like a music box wound by trembling hands—pretty on the surface, but ready to snap. Monstrous attendees lurked among the stalls, and every cheerful light seemed to hide a trap. Tarsier Studios’ series has always excelled at atmospheric horror, and this entry keeps that timeless art style. The camera angles and vistas often make the game look like a Tim Burton film playing out across the screen. From color grading to lighting to character design, Little Nightmares 3 is visually striking and exceptionally moody. The subdued soundtrack keeps focus on whatever terrible thing Low and Alone are witnessing next.
Despite the vague cuteness of its art style, the game isn’t afraid to hit players with gruesome moments. At one point, my partner and I slowly tore a deceased carnival attendee’s body in half. Our grizzly action was accompanied by the sickening sound of entrails collapsing to the floor. It was disgusting, and it was exactly the kind of moment that makes the series unforgettable.
Co-op Is the Spine, Not a Gimmick

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The preview followed Low and Alone, two children trapped in a nightmare realm called The Nowhere. Like Hazelight’s It Takes Two and Split Fiction, each protagonist has unique mechanics for combat and puzzle-solving. Low carries a bow and arrow. Alone wields a large wrench. The game keeps the series’ 2D perspective, but now two characters share the screen.

Character
Tool
Role

Low
Bow and arrow
Ranged attacks, distant switches, boosting Alone

Alone
Large wrench
Smashing barriers, melee combat, receiving boosts

For the most part, the co-op experience flowed smoothly. Familiar puzzle and platforming mechanics returned. Both players push open doors or move heavy boxes. Low can boost Alone to high places or activate switches from afar. Alone can smash barriers and take out enemies. It is slower-paced than Split Fiction, but exploring creepy environments with a friend had its charms.

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Most Silksong mods use BepInEx, and in 2026 the installation process is still pretty simple. Here is how I do it:

1. Download the BepInEx zipped file that matches your system.
2. Extract its files and add them to Silksong’s install folder. I placed BepInEx in the Content folder.
3. Start and exit the game. This creates the required BepInEx folders. You can also create the plugins folder manually inside BepInEx.
4. Download a mod and add its .dll file to the plugins folder.
5. Load the game, and the mod should work.

Some mods may have unique instructions, so I always read their descriptions first. That said, the BepInEx method covers most of what I have tried.
Stakes of Marika – Rebirth Anywhere
Creator: Kassant

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The mod, created by a clever soul named XvX, popped up on Nexus Mods less than a week after launch. The only catch? It’s Steam-only. Sorry, console peasants—you’ll have to wait for the official nerfs, which we’ll get to in a moment. But for those on PC, the mod lets a second player control an identical Hornet. You can fight together, or you can fight each other if you’re feeling particularly masochistic. Because nothing says “friendship” like a duel to the death in a bug-infested kingdom. And yes, the mod would have arrived even sooner if XvX hadn’t been distracted by Delta Force—a handy reminder that other games do exist, even if Silksong has a tendency to swallow your entire life.

Now, here’s the kicker: the mod doesn’t mess with balance. Enemies are just as beefy, bosses just as brutal. But with two Hornets, the dynamic changes. Bosses with targeted attacks can only focus on one player at a time, leaving the other free to poke them in the back. It’s like the old saying goes: two Hornets are better than one, especially when one of them is a distraction. This has made some of the game’s most notorious bosses—looking at you, Moorwing—significantly more manageable. Not easy, mind you. Just… less likely to make you cry.

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Left 4 Dead 2: The AI Director Makes Strangers Work Together 🧟
Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2 has always been about survival in the face of chaos. But the secret sauce isn’t just the hordes of zombies — it’s the AI Director that adapts every run. It throws random obstacles, special enemies, and twists at the group. Pros and newcomers alike are at the mercy of the Director. That means strangers have to react together in real time. What makes this title thrive with randoms is its accessibility. There are no strict classes or meta builds. Just a small set of weapons and roles that shift on the fly. Team communication is streamlined through character callouts and on-screen silhouettes. So even if voice chat is silent, players rarely feel lost. In Left 4 Dead 2, strangers are forced to adapt together. Every run becomes memorable, unpredictable, and uniquely satisfying.
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Shakra — The Paper Wasp

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From the moment players take control of Hornet in the hub area of Bone Bottom, the goal is clear: reach the citadel at the top of Pharloom. Unlike Hollow Knight, where the objective was ambiguous and the world pulled players ever deeper, Silksong establishes a vertical trajectory from the outset. Each new region conquered represents a tangible step upward, fueling a constant sense of progression. This ascending structure doesn’t rely on solving a central mystery with each layer; instead, it offers a straightforward, rewarding climb that keeps players motivated.

The shift from descending to ascending has profound implications for level design. In Hollow Knight, the Knight’s journey was largely about descent—both literal and metaphorical. Players dove into the Forgotten Crossroads, then further into the fungal wastes, the city of tears, and the deepnest. Each layer revealed more about Hallownest’s tragic history. The level structure supported this gradual peeling back of the mystery, with branching paths that often led downward.

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A Record-Breaking Launch With Sharp Edges 🎮
Team Cherry had spent years building anticipation for Silksong, and when the game arrived, players flooded the storefronts. The launch was spectacular enough to break almost every platform it touched, a sign of just how large the Hollow Knight audience had become. But technical strain was only one part of the story. There was the now-infamous bench, a moment that traumatized some players, and there were widespread complaints about the game’s localization. Those issues, however, paled in comparison with the growing chorus of players unhappy with the game’s difficulty.
The backlash did not take long to materialize. Within days, Steam user reviews turned negative at a pace rarely seen for a game with such high expectations. According to data from SteamDB, Hollow Knight: Silksong received 32,490 negative user reviews on Steam over its first six days. The original Hollow Knight, by contrast, has only received 13,690 negative reviews in eight and a half years. That means Silksong had well over double the negative reviews of its predecessor and was rapidly approaching triple the amount.

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🕸️ Why the Widow Fight Matters
The Widow is the perpetrator behind Bellhart’s current hauntings. Her attacks are thematic, built around bells and Silk, and they force Hornet to stay mobile without relying on raw damage. Because the first nail upgrade is not available before this fight, the player cannot simply rush her health down. Instead, survival depends on cautious play, smart tool usage, and learning a compact set of attack patterns. It is a marathon, not a sprint—and that is exactly what makes the victory feel earned.
⚔️ Best Equipment for Fighting Widow

Widow’s moveset involves staying still while pulling rocks or crawling along the ground for extended periods. That makes placeable traps unusually strong. Throwing Sting Shards directly over Widow or laying Tacks along her path can deal excessive amounts of damage. Quick-throwing weapons like the Straight Pin and Threefold Pins are also reliable options for additional damage between attacks.

Tool or Accessory
Type
Why It Helps

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Show Healthbar — See Boss Progress

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The Big Day: June 13, 2026
Mark your calendars, fellow Rovers. Lucilla’s banner goes live on June 13, 2026, but here’s the kicker: because her banner is a mid-version release, it won’t drop simultaneously for everyone. Each server has its own release time, so you’ll need to check your local schedule. No sweat, though—I’ve got you covered.
For the America server, the banner unlocks at 11:00 AM ET (UTC-4). That translates to 10:00 AM CT (UTC-5) for those in the central time zone. Over in Europe, it’s 10:00 AM CET (UTC+1), and for my friends in Asia, it’s 10:00 AM SGT (UTC+8). It’s a piece of cake to remember, right? Just don’t get your knickers in a twist if you’re a few hours off—double-check your time zone.
Here’s a quick overview for different servers:

Server
Release Time

America
11:00 AM ET (UTC-4) / 10:00 AM CT (UTC-5)

Europe
10:00 AM CET (UTC+1)

Asia
10:00 AM SGT (UTC+8)

Who’s on the Banner?
Lucilla isn’t coming alone. Her banner will run alongside a stacked lineup of featured characters. We’re talking about:

• 
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Why Mornye Is Worth Building
Let’s be real: is Mornye the strongest universal support in the game right now? Not quite. She still struggles to outshine Verina and Shorekeeper in raw comfort. But in her niche teams? That’s where she genuinely shines as a healer and buffer.
Here’s what she actually brings:

• 💥 25% All DMG Amplification on her Outro Skill
• 🎯 +40% DMG taken by enemies she marks
• 🌀 Increased Off-Tune Buildup Rate for the whole team
• ❤️ Team-wide healing and HP reset when allies re-enter the field
• 🔍 Access to Wide Field Observation Mode for faster buff setup

So where does she fit best? Two comps stand out for me.
Team 1: The Tune Squad — Mornye + Lynae + Iuno

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Now it is 2026, and the numbers are still ridiculous. According to The Alinea Insight Newsletter, Silksong passed 5 million players across platforms after launch. Over 3 million of those were Steam sales in the first three days alone. That translated to more than $50 million from Steam in that tiny window. I contributed one copy, several sleepless nights, and a growing suspicion that Hornet is faster than my reaction time and my life choices.
Here is the part where my brain makes the Windows error noise. More than a million players came through Xbox Game Pass on console. The game was wishlisted by around 5 million Steam users before launch, which means a small country’s worth of people were refreshing store pages like it was a medical emergency. Most Steam sales came from the US and China, with Russia, Japan, and Brazil as other major markets. Suddenly my lonely little obsession had a global support group.

Metric
Number
My reaction

Total players across platforms
5+ million
😵 That is a lot of broken benches

Steam sales in first 3 days
3+ million
💸 Team Cherry can afford more bells

Steam revenue in that period
$50+ million
🫠 I chose the wrong career

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If everything stays on schedule, the servers open at 11:00 PM ET (UTC-4) on June 7, 2026. That’s right—depending on where you live, you might be playing on June 8 instead. I’ve seen the countdown widget on the official site, and it’s been ticking down like a bomb. A beautiful, gacha-shaped bomb.
Here’s a quick reference table for Rovers around the world:

Time Zone
Release Time

ET (UTC-4)
June 7, 11:00 PM

PT (UTC-7)
June 7, 8:00 PM

UTC
June 8, 3:00 AM

CEST (UTC+2)
June 8, 5:00 AM

JST (UTC+9)
June 8, 12:00 PM

I’m in ET, so I get it first. Sorry, Europe. Actually, no, I’m not sorry. I’ve been waiting for this for weeks. 😅
Now, let’s talk about the main event: the new Resonators. Version 3.4 brings three of them: Lucy, Rebecca, and Lucilla. If you’ve been living under a rock, Lucy and Rebecca are from the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners collab. And Lucilla? She’s the original WuWa character that everyone’s been hyped about. I mean, have you seen her design? She’s got that mysterious elegant vibe that just screams “I will ruin your Asterite savings.”

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📅 A March Announcement, A July Arrival
Revealed during the Xbox showcase on March 26, 2026, the port is scheduled to land on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox for PC, and Xbox Cloud simultaneously in July 2026. Kuro Games has additionally dangled exclusive goodies for Game Pass subscribers, though the precise nature and format of those rewards remain undisclosed.
Moving a game of this scale onto a new console family resembles transplanting a living coral reef into unfamiliar water: the structure can be lifted intact, but every polyp of optimization has to survive the crossing. That metaphor carries weight here, because the studio’s previous platform expansion was not entirely smooth.
🎮 Platforms and Timing at a Glance

Platform
Status
Window

PlayStation 5
Live since January 2025
Mixed reception on optimization

Xbox Series X/S
Confirmed
July 2026

Xbox for PC
Confirmed
July 2026

Xbox Cloud
Confirmed
July 2026

Game Pass perks
Teased
Details pending

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Release Date and Maintenance Schedule
Wuthering Waves 3.1 will launch on February 4, 2026, at 10:00 PM ET (UTC-5). Because of time zone differences, only players in the American time zone will see the maintenance end on February 4. The rest of the world will have to wait until February 5, 2026. The typical seven-hour maintenance is scheduled, but as always, it could end earlier or later depending on unforeseen issues.

Region
Maintenance Ends (Local Time)

ET (UTC-5)
Feb 4, 10:00 PM

UTC
Feb 5, 3:00 AM

CET (UTC+1)
Feb 5, 4:00 AM

JST (UTC+9)
Feb 5, 12:00 PM

AEST (UTC+10)
Feb 5, 1:00 PM

Note: Times are approximate and subject to change.
Why does this matter? For eager players, every minute counts when a new banner drops. Aemeath, the highly anticipated five-star, will be available alongside reruns of Chisa and Lupa in Phase 1. The following four-star Resonators will also have increased drop rates: Mortefi (Fusion-Pistols), Taoqi (Havoc-Broadblade), and Aalto (Aero-Pistols).
Aemeath and Luuk Herssen: The New Five-Stars

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Quick Overview

Team
Core Members
Main Focus
Key Strength

Premium Team
Aemeath + Lynae + Mornye
Tune Rupture and Liberation damage
Universal buffs, healing, Crit DMG, Off-Tune buildup

Mono-Fusion Team
Aemeath + Lupa + Mornye
Fusion damage amplification
Lupa’s Fusion support, Mornye’s sustain

Brant Variant
Aemeath + Lupa + Brant
Triple Fusion pressure
One main DPS, two sub-DPS

Universal Support Variant
Aemeath + Lupa + Shorekeeper/Verina
Flexible support
Lower DPS but reliable

The table above shows how flexible Aemeath can be. She is not locked into a single archetype. Instead, she can adjust to teams that focus on Tune Rupture, Fusion DMG, or general support. That flexibility is one reason she remains a top-tier main DPS in Wuthering Waves.
Aemeath Premium Team: Aemeath + Lynae + Mornye

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Here’s the funny part: because 11:00 PM ET is basically midnight’s grumpy cousin, most of the planet actually gets the update on April 30, 2026. So while I’m sitting there at 11 PM sharp with snacks and a prayer, half the world is peacefully asleep and will wake up to a finished download. Must be nice.
When Exactly Does 3.3 Kick the Door Open?
Let me lay it out, because time zones are a personal nemesis of mine.

Region
Local Time

ET (UTC-4)
April 29, 2026, 11:00 PM

UTC
April 30, 2026, 3:00 AM

CET (UTC+2)
April 30, 2026, 5:00 AM

JST (UTC+9)
April 30, 2026, 12:00 PM

Maintenance itself runs for seven hours, which is plenty of time for the servers to stretch, yawn, spill coffee on themselves, and eventually stumble back online. If math isn’t your thing — and honestly, same — there’s always the good old countdown timer doing the heavy lifting for you.
Hiyuki First, Denia Second
Phase one belongs to Hiyuki
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A Foundation Built on Combat, Companions, and Momentum
At its core, the experience rests on three pillars. The first is combat that leans heavily on the genre-defining Resonator system, a structure that rewards players for switching between characters, chaining abilities, and timing dodges with precision. The second is a narrative that unfolds gradually rather than dumping its mysteries all at once, giving the story genuine forward momentum and a steady supply of memorable set pieces. The third is an open world dense with exploration, from hidden puzzles to vertical traversal challenges.

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And I get it. I really do. When the crossover first dropped, a lot of us started whispering about whether this could be canon. More specifically, there was this one scene — a reunion between Lucy and David — that people hoped was a secret new ending for the characters. Something that would undo the tragedy of Edgerunners. It sounded too good to be true, and, well, it was.
Bartosz Sztybor Sets the Record Straight
Edgerunners writer Bartosz Sztybor recently replied to a post claiming that he had canonized Lucy and David’s reunion in Wuthering Waves. His response was short and blunt: ‘Nope,’ he says. ‘Never confirmed that.’
Ouch. But also, fair enough. Now, some fans are taking that as a half-denial, pointing out that he isn’t exactly unconfirming it either. Maybe it’s not even up to him, considering how many writers have a hand in the Cyberpunk series. That’s a valid point, I suppose. But here’s the thing: we shouldn’t take his posts about the event as confirmation that any of this is canon to the wider Cyberpunk universe. In this instance, it really looks like he’s just appreciating the event for what it is — a fun crossover, not a story that rewrites the main timeline.

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The journey to Xbox has been a long time coming. Initially launched in May 2024 for PC and mobile, Wuthering Waves quickly expanded to PlayStation 5 and MacOS. Earlier this year, in March, Kuro Games teased an Xbox release for July 2026, but kept the exact date under wraps. Now, the wait is nearly over. Players can already add the game to their Xbox wishlists, and the community is buzzing with anticipation. Wuthering Waves has carved out a dedicated following thanks to its fluid combat, striking visuals, and regular content updates. The Xbox release marks another milestone for Kuro Games as it continues to expand its reach.
For Game Pass holders, the rewards are quite generous. First up is an exclusive Sigil titled ‘Paths and Possibilities,’ a one-time cosmetic that can be redeemed once per UID. Additionally, a Game Pass Gift Pack will be available once per version, containing:

Item
Quantity

Morphable Echo
x2

Premium Tuner
x10

Shell Credit
x30,000

To claim these goodies, players must reach Union Level 2 and unlock the mail feature. Once that’s done, simply log in and the items are added permanently to your account. That’s a pretty sweet deal for anyone jumping into the fray on Xbox.

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The Premium Duo: Lucy and Rebecca
At the heart of Lucy’s most powerful compositions lies the Lucy-Rebecca pairing. Their relationship is not merely synergistic; it is symbiotic, like two gears in a precision timepiece, each tooth meshing perfectly to drive the mechanism forward. Both characters function as Sub-DPS units, and the core strategy involves rapid rotation between them. Lucy’s kit explicitly buffs Rebecca’s damage, Hack damage, and Basic Attack damage—boosts that Rebecca eagerly consumes upon entering the field. In turn, when Rebecca’s rotation concludes, she leaves behind a suite of buffs for Lucy, including a substantial Heavy Attack damage bonus.

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Now, let’s talk about the downtime. Kuro Games has a seven-hour expected maintenance, though sometimes the servers wake up early like an overachieving barista who just wants to go home. If you’re in the Eastern Time zone, that means servers go down around 4:00 PM ET and should be back by 11:00 PM ET. But, you know the drill—don’t schedule any important raids for that evening. Here’s a quick reference table:

Region
Maintenance Start (approx.)
Maintenance End (approx.)

ET (UTC-4)
4:00 PM, July 9
11:00 PM, July 9

PT (UTC-7)
1:00 PM, July 9
8:00 PM, July 9

UTC
8:00 PM, July 9
3:00 AM, July 10

CET (UTC+2)
10:00 PM, July 9
5:00 AM, July 10

JST (UTC+9)
5:00 AM, July 10
12:00 PM, July 10

And if you want a countdown to stare at, here you go:

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