Hollow Knight: Silksong reshapes Hornet entirely around the Crest you equip and the Silk Skills you slot into it, so your build choices matter more than ever. This is our ranking of the Crests and Silk Skills that carry general play, plus how hard each boss hits when you reach it.
Prefer to click straight through to the wiki? Browse the interactive Silksong tier list.
Crest Tier List
Your Crest defines Hornet's whole moveset and tool slots, swapped at any bench.
S Tier: The Reaper Crest reaps bonus Silk off heavy slashes to fuel constant healing, and the Hunter Crest stays elite all game once Eva upgrades it with shared tool slots.
A Tier: The Beast Crest trades defense for a life-stealing Bind and savage damage, while the Architect Crest turns your Tools into the main weapon.
Specialists: The Witch Crest is a durable control build, the Wanderer Crest shines early, and the late-game Shaman Crest is a pure Silk caster.
Silk Skill Tier List
Silk Skills cost Silk, the same resource you heal with, so each one has to earn its slot.
Cross Stitch is the standout, a deflect-and-counter that punishes aggressive bosses, while Silkspear is a cheap, early ranged poke that never falls off. Pale Nails adds homing chip damage but only arrives deep in Act 3.
Boss Difficulty
Ranked by how hard each fight hits at the point you meet it.
The brutal tier holds the First Sinner, the Act 1 wall that is the Last Judge, and the elegant duelist Lace. Mid-game fights like Widow and Groal the Great test positioning, while the Bell Beast is a forgiving early win that unlocks the Bellway network.
Final Thoughts
Silksong is about pairing the right Crest with the right Silk Skills and Tools, then learning each boss's tells. Use the interactive tier list to jump to any entry, and dive into the full Silksong wiki for the complete database of Pharloom.
