PSA: One of Hollow Knight: Silksong's hardest early-game skill checks is an enemy cosplaying a boss that's destroying everyone too stubborn to come back later

You know, I thought I was handling Hollow Knight: Silksong really well at first. Sure, some enemies could be tough, and the new diagonal pogo jumping took some adjusting to, but nothing felt insurmountable. That was until I ran into a certain mini-boss – but I'm somewhat relieved to see that it wasn't just me getting destroyed by it, and there's a good reason why.

Before we get into it, this particular miniboss is found in The Marrow, so you encounter it early into the game. However, if you don't want any spoilers, consider this your final spoiler warning.

This big lad's name is Skarrgard – a name you might not recognise since it's not one that actually displays on screen. That's right, this is a fight so trivial, according to Team Cherry, that he doesn't even get a proper introduction. Just a regular, run-of-the-mill bug, right? Wrong.

This burly, skull-faced foe who wields an enormous bone like a giant hammer might not display as a boss, but he sure fights like one, dealing two masks of damage per hit, leaving you with little room for error – especially when he has so much range on his swings, which can be very difficult to dodge early on in the game.

The pain of the fight has even inspired art, and it's generally agreed that when it comes to Silksong's early hours, "that boss and the segment after it were the biggest skill check so far."

Confidence Shattered (Comic by Me) from r/Silksong

"I really need help with this fight," one struggling player on Reddit writes, adding: "Two damage is brutal, I can't seem to jump over him, I can't seem to dash away from his hits fast enough. Where are his punishable moments?"

Although it certainly is possible to beat Skarrgard the moment you encounter him with enough patience and some skillful pogoing, that may not be what Team Cherry actually intended, as things become significantly easier if you acquire your first movement ability from the following area, Deep Docks, before attempting the fight. Mercifully, you don't need to beat him to move on; you can just ignore the fact that he exists and continue onward for the upgrade.

"Did you already get dash/sprint? It's pretty much required for this fight. You said you can't seem to dash away from him, but as soon as I got dash this dude was nothing," one Redditor comments. "It's hard without movement abilities," another agrees, as another adds: "You should unlock ability. After that the boss is very easy."

So, if you're still stuck on the fight, consider this your warning – there's no need to continue throwing yourself into danger over and over again when there's a much safer way to fight the foe right around the corner. I only wish I knew that before my many attempts without any upgrades at all.

Dread it, run from it, Hollow Knight: Silksong gets hit by the difficulty discourse as players can't decide if they should "git gud" or acknowledge "legitimate issues" Team Cherry has with the Metroidvania.