Silksong Gets Its First Free DLC Next Year, And We Already Have A Huge Clue To Where It's Set
Let’s hope this spider can swim.
The wait from Hollow Knight to Silksong may have been a long eight years, but the next gap before we see more from Team Cherry looks like it will be much easier to handle. The developer has just an expansion for Silksong called Sea of Sorrow, and if all goes according to plan, it will be available next year.
The trailer gives almost nothing away, likely because Team Cherry knows it doesn’t have to do much to get people interested in its DLC. It’s a mood-setter, with the only real hints of what to expect coming from a shot of Hornet standing above crashing waves. The DLC is a “nautically themed expansion,” as Team Cherry explains in an accompanying blog post, which also provides the slightest of details for what to expect.
“New areas, bosses, tools, and more,” Team Cherry writes, giving no indication of what they might be. A new Crest for Hornet will likely be part of the deal as well, along with all manner of horrible enemies to battle on your way to the bosses.
But it’s the new areas that make the teaser so intriguing. It’s possible that Team Cherry created them from scratch, but there’s already a region cut from Silksong that fits the nautical bill. Originally, the game was meant to contain a place called Pharloom Bay, which can be glimpsed in an early trailer for Silksong, and in its museum exhibit at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. NPC Alchemist Zylotol refers to Pharloom Bay being the birthplace of Lifeblood, the glowing blue substance that grants temporary health and causes other mutations in both Hollow Knight games.
Because of its importance to the game’s story, and the fact that it was already partially developed, Pharloom Bay seems like a likely candidate for the DLC’s setting. And this being Silksong, it will almost certainly be packed to the brim with all sorts of nasty nautical bugs to make Hornet’s life miserable.
It’s possible that Sea of Sorrow will revisit a seaside area cut from Silksong.
Team Cherry says it will reveal more information about Sea of Sorrow shortly before its launch, but we do have a few more concrete details already. The big one is that the DLC will be free for all players. That makes sense, given that the reveal comes alongside the announcement that the base game has sold seven million copies since its early September launch. The developer also says that Sea of Sorrow is due out in 2026, although we all know how well Team Cherry has done at sticking to its release schedule in the past.
One final detail in the announcement is worth mentioning, as Team Cherry refers to Sea of Sorrow as Silksong’s “first big expansion.” That could mean nothing, or it could mean that the team already has plans for Silksong beyond this DLC. Given the game’s success so far, the idea doesn’t seem too far-fetched.
The announcement of Sea of Sorrow comes after Silksong hit seven million sales.
While Silksong may be the game of the moment, Team Cherry also squeezed in a small announcement for the original Hollow Knight. The game that shot the developer to fame is getting a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, which is also planned for a 2026 release and will be free to existing owners. The new edition will focus on adding a higher frame rate and resolution, along with new graphical effects, so don’t expect any new content for Hollow Knight on Switch 2.
Team Cherry doesn’t have a great record of getting expansions out on time, but when its first long-delayed DLC turned into a game as expansive as Silksong, it’s hard to fault it. Still, fans who’ve already fought their way through the brutal kingdom of Pharloom are clearly hungry for more, and if all goes according to plan, it could be arriving within a few months of Silksong’s release.
