Silksong Patch Notes Tracker — Latest Balance Changes 2026

How to check your Silksong build version

Open Silksong from the main menu — the version number displays in the bottom-right corner of the title screen as 'v1.X.Y' followed by the build date. PC builds auto-update on Steam, GOG, and Epic launch. Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox builds require manual update through their respective storefronts (push-notification on update available).

If you're on an older build and want to keep the patch you have (e.g., 1.1.0 because the Reaper meta was better then), disable auto-updates in your storefront settings. Steam: right-click Silksong → Properties → Updates → Only update when launched. This is useful for speedrunners targeting specific patch versions for leaderboard runs.

Patches are NOT save-game compatible across major versions (1.X.Y → 1.Y.Z requires a save-game migration on first load post-update). Backup your save before each major patch. The .savedat files are at %APPDATA%\Hollow Knight Silksong\saves on PC; on Switch 2 / consoles, use the cloud save backup feature.

Patch summary timeline

v1.0.4 — Parry forgiveness patch (2026-02-05)

Two weeks after launch, Team Cherry shipped the first balance patch. The headline change: parry active window expanded from 7 frames to 8 frames (one extra frame of forgiveness). This change came after community feedback that the launch parry timing was 'too tight' on hard bosses like Pinstress and Crowned.

Carmelita's HP was reduced by 6% (8,500 → 8,000) in response to data showing she was the highest-mortality boss in the early-launch sample. No build was nerfed; this was a pure quality-of-life patch.

Impact: minor tier-list shifts. Hunter Crest gained 1-2% advantage on parry-only bosses; Witch Crest builds (which avoid parry) lost no ground but also gained none. Overall a positive-direction patch with no losers.

v1.1.0 — Crest rebalance (2026-03-12)

The first major balance patch shipped 7 weeks after launch. The Crest tier list was overhauled. Reaper Crest's sweep arc was reduced from 160° to 140° — this was the biggest single nerf in any Team Cherry patch ever. The justification: Reaper was clearing crowd-density rooms 35% faster than Hunter at high skill, breaking the Crest balance design.

Witch Crest received a 25% silk cost reduction on Volt Filament and Silken Bow casts. This made Witch builds genuinely competitive with Hunter on bosses for the first time. Pinstress in particular became a 'Witch Crest victory lap' fight where ranged play trivialised the four-pin telegraph.

Wanderer Crest got a small move-speed buff (1.18x → 1.22x). This was a quality-of-life tweak but had real impact on traversal-heavy fights like the Cogwork Dancers (where positioning matters).

Tier list impact: Reaper fell from S to A on most major bosses; Witch rose from B to S on bosses with adds. Hunter held firm at S. Wanderer rose from C to B. Shaman was untouched.

v1.2.0 — Tool tier overhaul (2026-04-28)

The second major balance patch reshuffled the Tool tier list. Plasmium Phial's DoT damage was buffed by 20% per tick (1 → 1.2 damage), making it competitive with Silken Bow as the best blue-slot Tool. Throwing Cinder's AoE damage was reduced by 15% (2.0 → 1.7 base damage), which was the biggest single Tool nerf since launch.

Witherspit's silk cost was reduced from 14 to 12, making it more accessible mid-fight. Volt Filament was unchanged but its stun duration was extended by 0.3 seconds, making it more reliable as a counter-attack interrupter.

Tier list impact: Plasmium Phial rose from B to S on long fights. Throwing Cinder fell from A to B. Witherspit held its S rank but became more attractive in earlier fights where 12 silk is reachable. The 'best Tool loadout' guide had to be rewritten for v1.2.0.

Crest tier list across patches

Verdict: Current meta (v1.2.0): Hunter and Witch are co-S tier; Reaper is best-in-slot for farming runs but A tier on bosses; Shaman is solid for attrition fights; Wanderer is the traversal-utility pick.

Biggest meta-impacting changes (ranked)

1. v1.1.0 Reaper sweep arc 160° → 140°: dropped Reaper from S to A on Crowned and other multi-add bosses.
2. v1.1.0 Witch Crest silk cost -25%: rose Witch from B to S on Pinstress and Widow.
3. v1.2.0 Plasmium Phial +20% damage: rose Plasmium from B to S, displacing Silken Bow on long fights.
4. v1.0.4 Parry active frames 7 → 8: minor across-the-board boost for all parry-heavy builds.
5. v1.2.0 Witherspit silk cost 14 → 12: opened Witherspit as a mid-fight Tool option for Hunter builds.
6. v1.1.1 Crust King regen rate -15%: made Crust King attrition fight ~20% faster for Shaman builds.

Recommended patch-aware behaviour

• Casual players: always run latest patch. Auto-update enabled. Each patch is on average net-positive.
• Speedrunners: pin to specific patch versions via Steam beta branches. v1.0.4 is the current any% record build; v1.1.0 is the current 100% record build.
• Build-curious players: re-check the Crest tier list and Tool tier list after every major (v1.X.0) patch. Minor patches (v1.X.Y) rarely shift meta.
• Modders: Silksong has limited mod support compared to HK1 — Team Cherry has not released a public modding API. Wait for the rumoured Q3 2026 update.
• Achievement hunters: patches are achievement-safe. All accessibility options remain achievement-eligible across all patch versions.