I’m as capable at 2D platforming and combat as I am at actual jumping and feats of arms: There’s a lot of flailing involved and it’s unpleasant for anyone watching. So while I expected Silksong to kick my ass, the Hollow Knight sequel has proven itself surprisingly brutal even for those who’ve beaten Team Cherry’s previous work.
Thankfully, those of us playing on PC have the tools at hand to redraw the line between “challenging” and “excruciating” in a more comfortable position. If Silksong’s expecting more from you than you want to give, here’s a pair of mods that can soften some of the sharpest pain points.
Quick disclaimer: Both mods require version 5.4.23.3 of the BepInEx plugin framework. To install it, grab the x64 .zip from the Github repo and extract to Silksong’s installation directory. You’ll need to run the game once to generate necessary config files. Then, to install either of the mods below, just place their associated .dll file in the /BepInEx/plugins folder in your Silksong directory.
First target on the modding list is the corpse run, a common feature of the current Silksong difficulty discourse. It’s less a problem of challenge and more a problem of wasted time: When a boss fight could demand a dozen or more attempts, all those sprints back to the arena compound in a growing pile of frustration.
Enter the Stakes of Marika – Rebirth Anywhere mod, inspired by the Elden Ring respawn mechanic that proved even FromSoft has started distancing itself from corpse runs over the years that Silksong was in development. If you die while the mod is active, rather than respawning at a bench you’ll spawn at the entrance to the current area. If you’d like, you can also manually set a respawn point within that area.
While the mod could save entire hours of playtime—particularly if you play anything like I do—it’s important to note that this mod can interfere with some narrative events in Silksong that expect you’ll be running back from benches after dying. Luckily, pressing F9 will toggle the mod off and on. As a result, I’d recommend playing with the mod toggled off until you’re confident you’ll be repeatedly enduring the same corpse run.
Next, we’re dealing with double damage. In Hollow Knight, hits that knocked off more than one of your health masks were a relative rarity. In Silksong, you’ll be confronted with double damage hits in the opening hours of the game, sometimes just for making contact with a stunned enemy. And you don’t get to enjoy a post-hit recovery window; if you eat a boss attack and bump into them in the aftermath, that could be more than half of your health gone in a moment.
The No More 2 Damage Plus mod solves those problems. First, it’ll keep you from ever taking more than one mask of damage from a hit; you still have to dodge, but the penalty for getting hit isn’t quite as steep. Second, it adjusts invulnerability frames so rapid hits don’t melt a chunk of your health bar.
Personally, I’d prefer a damage-modifying mod that specifically tones down contact damage; I’m fine with taking double damage from a heavy boss attack, but Silksong’s tough enough without accidentally brushing a guy’s hip being a lethal hazard. We’ll have to see if a mod offering more granular damage tweaks materializes—assuming Team Cherry doesn’t provide some difficulty tuning settings of its own, of course.
