This One Hollow Knight Silksong DLC Clue Suggests Sea of Sorrow Will Feel Like a Brand-New Game
Hollow Knight: Silksong was probably the most hyped game this year by a mile, and we can confidently say that it delivered on all fronts. And as the game closes out its first year on the market, developer Team Cherry has revealed that the game’s first DLC, Sea of Sorrow, is already well into development and will arrive free for all players in 2026.
The official blurb doesn’t have a ton of info on exactly what’s coming, but the main detail is this. It will be a fully nautical-themed expansion. This is a direction the Hollow Knight series has never explored before, and that single shift in theme could be enough to make the Silksong DLC feel like a completely new game.
A Nautical Theme Is New Territory for Silksong
Both the original Hollow Knight and Silksong have taken us to ruined kingdoms with a focus on vertical traversal worlds shaped by decay and industrial rot. What they have not done is take us to sea. Team Cherry has explicitly described Sea of Sorrow as a nautical-themed expansion, and that alone sets it apart from anything previously seen in the series.
The implications that come with a theme are more than just about how the world will look. If we’re going to be exploring seas, coastlines, and potentially submerged areas, we could very well have different forms of movement and new environmental challenges while exploring a level. And of course, that would then affect how the game is paced.
Hollow Knight: Silksong – Sea of Sorrow Info:
— GermanStrands (@GermanStrands) December 16, 2025
"Voyage across and beneath the salt-stricken seas in this thrilling expansion, free for all players."
-New areas
-New bosses
-New tools
-Nautically themed expansion
-Free for all players
-Coming 2026
-More info coming closer to… pic.twitter.com/KWKX92lvna
Even if we don’t get full underwater gameplay, the presence of ships, tides, storms, or areas with some level of depth would naturally change the way exploration works. Team Cherry knows how to design levels that change how we approach exploration and combat. The DLC’s introduction of a sea-focused region gives them an entirely new set of tools to work with.
This is especially notable because Silksong already expanded on Hollow Knight’s ideas by giving Hornet more mobility, aggression, and expressive combat options. With a new setting like this, we can’t imagine how the DLC would simply reuse that same idea without giving it a twist.
Water-Based Movement and Combat Would Change the Game
The most interesting part of the Silksong DLC is how it could change combat. Team Cherry has already confirmed that the Sea of Sorrows DLC will come with new tools and weapons. The theme of the DLC almost demands mechanics that interact differently with enemies and environments.
Hollow Knight: Silksong has sold over 7 million copies.
— KAMI (@Okami13_) December 16, 2025
• Millions more have played via Game Pass
• First free expansion 'Sea of Sorrow' releasing 2026
• Original Hollow Knight gets a free Switch 2 and next gen update in 2026
• Free update out now on PC adding 16:10 and 21:9… pic.twitter.com/eFgCgK95U0
The new environments could include natural modifiers affected by things like water and wind that could open the door to new attack chains or abilities that don’t exist in the base game. Silksong’s combat is already more aggressive and acrobatic than the original, and it surprised even us to think that we could get even more evolution on top of that.
If Sea of Sorrow leans into these ideas, it won’t just be “more Silksong.” If we get changes to movement and combat, that, combined with the possibility of sea-themed enemies, could mean that players have to relearn parts of the game for the DLC. While that might not sound pleasing to everyone, we think it’s interesting, to say the least.
The Sea of Sorrow DLC will be released in 2026 on all platforms, and it will be free for all players. What are your expectations? Let us know in the comments!
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
