If you’re struggling to make your way through some of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s most gruelling boss fights, a rather handy hidden item will likely make your playthrough much, much easier (although it will take some getting used to, once you hunt it down).
I don’t know if the near-decade-long wait has just cooked my reaction times, but I am finding Hollow Knight: Silksong to be much harder than its predecessor.
Where To Find The Reaper Crest
Image via: Team Cherry
The Reaper Crest can be obtained by beating the combat trial located in Greymoor’s Reaper Chapel. The combat trial is relatively straightforward and shouldn’t be too much of a struggle (regardless of how good you are at the game), but the reward is very much worth it.
What The Reaper Crest Does
Image via: Team Cherry
This item has good and bad effects:
- It makes your damage greater, so attacks hit with more power.
- At the same time, it slows down your attacks, including strikes downwards. Due to that, pogo hits become less reliable and more difficult.
This makes the crest double-edged; it is powerful but dangerous in some areas.
The Reaper Crest is a bit of an odd crest, as while it does increase your damage, it also makes your attacks noticeably slower. This included your downward strikes, which means that pogo attacks are going to be noticeably harder to time.
The Real Benefit – Silk Regeneration
Even if the slow attack feels annoying, the most critical benefit of the Reaper Crest is Silk regeneration speed. With Silk regenerating more, you can heal and perform special moves more frequently in combat. Sustain is more important than speed in most fights in many battles.
Many players believe that the regeneration is worth the slower pace, as it allows for longer survival in fights where errors are costly.
When To Use The Crest
The crest is most effective when survival and healing are greater than attacking swiftly. It is valuable for:
- Long boss battles that offer little opportunity to heal.
- Crowded enemy zones require endurance.
However, it is best to remove it during platforming sections or battles where pogo attacks are necessary, as the slow strike may lead to mistakes.
So, why bother picking it up at all if it’s going to make the game harder?
That’s because the Reaper Crest has another, pretty huge bonus: you generate more Silk when it’s equipped.
Personally, the trade-off is more than worth it. While the slower attacks take some getting used to, being able to spam your heals and abilities more often makes some boss fights an absolute breeze (and it also makes traversing certain areas that have a lot of enemies way easier too).
