It finally happened. After years of "clown" memes and enough "Silksanity" to fuel a decade of therapy, Hollow Knight Silksong launched on September 4, 2025. It wasn't just a release; it was a cultural shift in the indie world. I remember the literal silence on social media for about forty-eight hours because everyone was too busy dying to the first boss in Pharloom.
But here’s the thing. Team Cherry isn't slowing down.
Just when we thought we could breathe, they dropped the news about the Sea of Sorrow expansion. It's slated for 2026. Oh, and it's free. Honestly, after the way the base game sold over seven million copies in three months, they probably could have charged thirty bucks and we all would have paid it without a second thought. But that’s Team Cherry for you. They’re basically the masters of the "one more thing" reveal.
What Sea of Sorrow Actually Means for Pharloom
If you’ve played through the base game, you know Pharloom is a vertical climb. It's bright, it's brutal, and it's full of silk. But Sea of Sorrow is taking us in the opposite direction. Nautical theme? Check. Shipwrecks? Likely. Salt-stricken seas? Definitely.
The teaser trailer was short—just Hornet standing on a jagged rock while waves absolutely pounded the background—but it confirmed a few things. We’re going beneath the waves. This isn't just a tiny patch with a new boss; it’s a full-on expansion with new tools and areas.
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Why the nautical theme is a big deal
- Movement Mechanics: Hornet is fast. Like, really fast. Her needle and thread mechanics are designed for zip-lining and acrobatic combat. How does that translate to water?
- Environmental Hazards: If Pharloom was about the heights, Sea of Sorrow is about the depths. Expect different gravity or buoyancy mechanics that mess with your muscle memory.
- The "Vessel" Connection: Fans are already theorizing about what lies in the salt-water. In the original Hollow Knight, water usually meant Blue Lake or the Abyss. Here? It feels more hostile.
The developers, Ari Gibson and William Pellen, mentioned in their holiday blog post that they’ve got "ambitious plans." That’s usually dev-speak for "we added so much stuff we basically made another mini-game."
The Switch 2 Upgrade and the "Refreshed" Original
Look, I love my original Switch, but it's starting to show its age. Seeing the difference between Silksong on the Switch 2 versus the old hardware was... eye-opening. The high frame-rate modes make the combat feel buttery smooth.
Team Cherry is bringing that same energy back to the first game. In 2026, the original Hollow Knight is getting a Switch 2 Edition.
If you already own the game on the old Switch, you get the upgrade for free. It’s a 2026 release that includes higher resolutions and all those fancy graphical effects we saw in Silksong. They’re even updating the PC and current-gen console versions with bug fixes and some "new features" that they're keeping quiet about for now. Basically, 2026 is becoming the "Year of the Bug" all over again.
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Why Silksong is harder (and better) than the first game
A lot of people complained about the difficulty when it first dropped. I get it. The Knight in the first game was a tiny, slow-moving tank. Hornet is a glass cannon.
The enemies in Pharloom are smarter. They deal more damage because Team Cherry wants you "snapping" between being at full health and being one hit away from death. It makes the Rosaries—the new currency—feel way more precious. You lose them, you feel it.
The tool system is also way more complex than the old Charms. You’re not just slotting in a passive buff; you’re crafting traps and mechanisms. Mastering the Volt Filament or the Curveclaw is the difference between clearing a room in ten seconds or spending twenty minutes retrying.
Misconceptions about the development
People used to say Silksong took forever because it was in "development hell." That’s just not true. It was "controlled scope creep."
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The game was originally just going to be a DLC where you played as Hornet in Hallownest. But Hornet is taller than the Knight. She’s faster. She didn't fit in the old hallways. So they built a new kingdom. Then they added 150+ enemies. Then they added quests. The "hell" wasn't a lack of progress; it was too much of it.
How to prepare for the 2026 updates
If you’re still working through the base game or looking forward to the expansion, here’s how to spend your time wisely before Sea of Sorrow drops:
- Finish the Silk Soul Mode: It’s the ultimate test. If you can’t handle the base game’s permadeath-lite challenge, the expansion bosses will probably eat you alive.
- Master the Crafting: Don't just rely on your needle. Learn which tools work against armored enemies versus flying ones.
- Hold onto your Switch 1 saves: Make sure they're backed up to the cloud. When that Switch 2 update for the original game hits, you’ll want to jump straight into Godhome with those better frame rates.
We’re likely looking at a late 2026 window for Sea of Sorrow, given Team Cherry's history of "it's done when it's done." In the meantime, there's a mountain of content in the base game to 100%—or 112%, or whatever absurd number they’ve hidden in the code this time.
Keep an eye on the beta branches on Steam and GOG; that's where the technical updates for the original Hollow Knight are already starting to pop up. Experiment with the ultrawide support if you're on PC—it makes the environments feel massive.
Next, you can check your current save file to see if you've triggered the hidden dialogue clues that point toward the "salt-stricken seas," as some players have already started finding lore crumbs in the Citadel.