By 2026, Hollow Knight: Silksong has settled into a peculiar reputation: a sequel that expands nearly every dimension of its predecessor while preserving the sharp, unforgiving edge that made the original memorable. Its map is larger, its base game content more expansive, and its nonlinear structure ensures that two players can spend the same handful of hours moving in opposite directions—one stumbling into a hidden boss, another grinding through a platforming gauntlet, and a third simply trying to remember which Bellway leads back to safety. That divergence is part of the appeal.

Yet certain facets of Silksong have produced something close to consensus. Most players do not loudly celebrate taking two masks of damage from common enemies. Many complain about the same wearisome platforming sequences and tedious boss encounters, including Hunter’s March and Savage Beastfly. The most resonant shared grievance, however, is the rosary bead economy. In Pharloom, rosaries are fleeting, and the feeling of being grossly indebted is nearly constant.

The scarcity is not for lack of effort. Rosary beads appear in the environment—sometimes on strings that must be cut, sometimes in sparse chests—but they are few and far between. Retrieving them often requires long traversal, and the reward can be disappointing: a Shard Bundle for players who do not prioritize tools, or a Memory Locket that becomes superfluous once all Crest slots for a preferred Crest have been expanded. During the early-game hours, rosaries are absurdly difficult to earn and even harder to keep, because so much of the sequel demands that players either inadvertently jeopardize them or deliberately spend them.

Death is the great eraser. Silksong embraces the same loose Soulslike inspirations as its predecessor, having players lose Silk and rosaries upon defeat. For anyone prone to being baited by miscreant flying enemies such as Driznits, Reeds, Skarrwings, Squatcraws, or Winged Pilgrim Bellbearers, death becomes a close acquaintance. The loss is not merely a number on a counter; it is an hour of careful exploration and several tough biomes erased in a moment. This is where Silkeaters enter the conversation.

A helpful NPC in the treacherous Sinner’s Road produces Silkeaters, consumable items that retrieve a cocoon after falling in battle. Players who hoard them do so with a specific dread in mind: the possibility of carrying 500 or more rosaries and being unable to afford the run back to break a cocoon. In practice, many expect to gorge on Silkeaters sooner rather than later, especially when luck turns sour between Bellways and Ventricas and the route to progression is unclear. Some players deliberately avoid guides in hopes of an earnest, blind playthrough; the rosary economy punishes that choice with particular cruelty.

Vendors make the pressure worse. Nearly every item sold by NPCs is egregiously expensive, and two of the game’s ridiculously rare simple keys cost 500 rosaries in Bone Bottom and 650 rosaries in Songclave. That is before considering the exorbitant number of rosaries required to experiment with various tools. A wishwall donation can also drain a purse in one generous gesture. The result is a loop that feels inescapable: a player amasses roughly 200 rosaries with ambitions to buy something special in Bellhart, then watches the currency vanish through vital Bellways, benches, and other necessities. Backtracking becomes a risk rather than a convenience.

The Underworks deserve special mention. It is a nightmarish region, and entering it without a single bead to one’s name—thanks to Blasted Steps and other obligatory purchases—can leave a player unable to afford even a bench costing a mere 15 rosaries. That tiny price becomes a wall. The scene captures Silksong’s economy in miniature: the numbers are small, the consequences are large, and the player’s options narrow with every mistake.

There is, of course, a practical counterargument. A half-decent farming section exists. The stretch of Silksong’s Choral Chambers between the Cogwork Dancers and Songclave, featuring a few Grand Reeds, would do nicely. But farming requires patience, and not every player wants to trade exploration for repetition. Without that patience, the harsh reality remains: not many rosaries accumulate leisurely. The game’s environmental beads are sparse, its chests are stingy, and its vendors are hungry.

The deeper issue is how the economy shapes exploration. In a Metroidvania, curiosity is the engine. Players are supposed to wander, test routes, and take risks. When death strips away both Silk and rosaries, wandering becomes a calculated gamble. The Blasphemous games offer a useful comparison: they are plentifully formidable on their own without also making players lose money that may have taken an hour and several tough biomes to acquire. Silksong’s decision to retain that punitive loop can feel misguided, because it discourages the very behavior the genre rewards. Players may avoid exploring unless they have no rosaries to lose—a deeply upsetting dynamic in a game built around discovery.

By 2026, the conversation has not disappeared. Community members still trade farming routes, debate whether the rosary economy is intentionally oppressive, and warn newcomers about the simple keys. Some praise the tension; others argue that the sequel’s larger map makes the loss of currency more painful than ever. Either way, the rosary bead economy has become one of Silksong’s defining features. It is not merely a currency. It is a measure of how much risk a player is willing to accept, how much exploration they can afford, and how long they can remain in debt to Pharloom.

For players weighing whether Silksong’s demanding economy is worth the commitment, it helps to know what the game costs outside Pharloom. DealNest gathers current offers across storefronts, letting you check game prices before diving into the rosary grind.

That same practical mindset applies to the broader genre: comparing deals on similar Metroidvanias can soften the sting of any in-game economy, no matter how many beads or keys stand between you and the next bench.