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In this guide, we’ll take a look at the Steel Soul mode in Hollow Knight Silksong, including what it is and how you can unlock it.
The Steel Soul mode in Hollow Knight Silksong aims to take things a step further when compared to the Steel Soul mode of the original Hollow Knight. If you’ve played the earlier entry in the series, you’ll know that Steel Soul mode featured permadeath. So, it was meant for players who had absolutely mastered the gameplay mechanics.
If you began a run in that mode, you needed to get through the entire game without dying once. The Steel Soul mode is similar in this aspect but takes things up a notch. Let’s understand what this particular mode involves.
How To Unlock Steel Soul Mode in Hollow Knight Silksong
There are two ways to unlock Steel Soul mode in Hollow Knight Silksong:
- Complete one run of the entire game.
- Input a specific sequence on your controller to unlock it early.
Here is a more detailed explanation:
Complete One Run of Hollow Knight Silksong
Normally, you would need to complete the entire game once before the Steel Soul mode becomes available. As such, the first time you launch the game, you won’t see an option to begin playing in this mode. However, once you have finished one run to get any of the endings, you can start your next Silksong playthrough in the Steel Soul mode. The option will automatically be available when you start a new game.
This is the recommended way to play Hollow Knight Silksong in Steel Soul mode, since you would have already familiarized yourself with the map and the enemies. You would have honed your skills enough to challenge this brutal mode where you need to finish the entire game without dying even once. Keep in mind that Silksong is purportedly harder than the original Hollow Knight, so this is bound to be a prominent challenge.
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Input A Specific Sequence On Your Controller To Unlock Steel Soul Mode
You can also press the D-pad in this specific sequence to unlock Steel Soul mode instantly in Hollow Knight Silksong, without completing the game at all. Follow these steps to do this easily:
- Open Hollow Knight Silksong and head to the Extras option.
- Input the following sequence on your D-Pad:
- Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right
If done correctly, your screen will flash once after the last input. This is a visual cue that you have entered the right sequence, and that Steel Soul mode has now been unlocked. When you try to start a new game after this, you will see the Steel Soul mode as a difficulty modifier.
What Is Steel Soul Mode in Hollow Knight Silksong?
The Steel Soul mode in Hollow Knight Silksong introduces Permadeath (or permanent death) to the game. If you die even once, your entire run is over, and you will then need to restart from the very beginning at Moss Grotto. You will have to kill all enemies and bosses once again, and progress naturally. This special mode was confirmed by Team Cherry in 2019, when Silksong was teased.
According to the developer, when you start up a run in this mode, you can also expect additional tweaks to enemies and difficulty. While it’s unknown for now what gameplay tweaks the mode includes, we can assume that all of it will tune up the overall difficulty. Players have to master every aspect of the game, including every skill, the moveset of every enemy, and more to get through the Steel Soul mode.
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![Silksong Logo [Source: Team Cherry]](https://static.deltiasgaming.com/2025/09/header.jpg)
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