What to know

  • Players report that many enemies and bosses consistently deal 2 masks of damage, even from minor attacks.
  • Healing in Silksong restores 3 masks at once, but interruptions during heal animations can result in severe health loss.
  • Some bosses—like the Bell Beast—are especially punishing, turning basic encounters into three-hit deaths.
  • Opinions are sharply divided: some find this adds challenging depth, while others call it frustratingly excessive.

Early grief on Steam

On the official Steam forums, one player complained:

“...absolutely EVERYTHING deals 2 masks of damage!!!!!!!!! … I should not be getting killed in three hits by half the enemies and basically all of the bosses…”

Another responded more optimistically:

“You gain 3 masks per heal to counter that… It makes the combat riskier and more rewarding, imo.”

GameFAQs: difficulty ramp-up

On GameFAQs discussions, players note:

“Its not only double damage hits, but also attack combos, which a good number of regular enemies have. Some bosses also have somewhat randomized spawns, some which also come with double-hit combos.”
“I feel the extra damage is easily mitigated by the much faster healing.”

These posts highlight how the doubled damage combined with complex attacks makes the difficulty scale quickly—especially for players expecting a more gradual ramp from the original Hollow Knight.

Reddit: exploding health drops and staging frustration

On r/Silksong, players overwhelmingly echo irritation with the damage system:

“There is too much double damage. You start taking double damage very early on while you still have 5 hearts…”

More pointed remarks include:

“It’s brutal losing 4 health in what seems like an instant.”
“He still takes 4 hearts from 5 in an instant.” … “Not everything should be ... I shouldn’t lose 40% of my health to something the game just told me was unconscious.”

Several users compare Silksong to its predecessor and point out the tight balancing acts:

“If you get hit twice and heal, you're still only two hits away from death.” … “Healing offers more in this game and is more flexible in one area but inflexible in others…”
“In HK (Hollow Knight), you can keep topping yourself off—not so in Silksong.”

Still, not all criticism is negative. One player countered:

“I like that healing is more committal and has to happen more often… the release of getting enough and getting a heal off is sooo good… overall feels more swingy.”

Summing it up

Feature Effect in gameplay
Double-damage norm Most hits, even minor ones, deal 2 masks of damage—leading to three-hit deaths in many encounters.
Healing mechanics Restores 3 masks but is interruptible; getting hit mid-heal is costly.
Design intent Likely intended to balance Hornet’s faster movement and healing by raising stakes.
Player reactions Polarized—some enjoy the high stakes; others call it excessive, especially early on.
Particularly punishing fights Bosses like Bell Beast exemplify difficulty spikes tied to double damage mechanics.

Tip to deal with double damage in Silksong

If you’re struggling with the punishing two-mask hits, here are some strategies players recommend to stay afloat:

  • Prioritize health upgrades early
    Expanding your mask count quickly gives you extra buffer against double-damage enemies. Explore thoroughly for mask shards.
  • Use healing windows wisely
    Hornet’s heal is faster but riskier. Wait for clear, predictable enemy downtime instead of trying to sneak heals mid-combat.
  • Rely on mobility
    Hornet’s dash and wall-cling are excellent for avoiding damage. Many players note that Silksong seems designed to reward evasive play rather than tanking hits.
  • Experiment with charms
    Look for charms that boost survivability—like ones that extend invincibility frames or increase Soul gain to fuel more healing. (Expect charm builds to be more defensive than in Hollow Knight.)
  • Learn boss patterns carefully
    With double-damage bosses like the Bell Beast, one mistake is catastrophic. Treat early bosses as tests of patience and pattern memorization.
  • Consider a safer approach to exploration
    Some players recommend clearing enemies cautiously rather than rushing through areas, since stray hits now carry a much heavier penalty.

These tactics won’t eliminate the sting of Silksong’s double damage, but they can shift the odds in your favor and make early progression feel less punishing.

Deciding if it’s right for you

Players universally note that “double damage” is real and early, transforming routine foes into high-stakes threats and making healing choices critical. Some welcome the added risk, saying it intensifies the experience and rewards mastery. Others feel it’s a jarring shift from the original game’s pacing—making early gameplay feel unfair or artificially inflated in difficulty.

With careful play and defensive strategies, though, the system can be managed—making each victory feel even more earned.