Speedrun Guide - Under 5 Hours Route

Speedrunner Achievement Overview

The Speedrunner achievement requires completing Hollow Knight: Silksong in under 5 hours of in-game time. This is measured by the save file timer, which only counts active gameplay — pause menus and loading screens don't count.

5 hours is a generous time limit compared to the competitive any% speedrun (currently under 1 hour), so you don't need frame-perfect techniques. However, you do need a clear route and the discipline to skip all optional content.

Prerequisites

• Complete the game at least once normally — You need to know boss patterns, area layouts, and the general flow
• Practice required bosses — Dying wastes significant time. You should be able to defeat each required boss in 1-3 attempts
• Memorize the route — Hesitation and wrong turns add up quickly

What Counts Toward the Timer

• All gameplay including cutscenes
• Death animations and respawn time
• Bench sitting animations

What Doesn't Count

• Pause menu time
• Loading screens
• The save/quit menu

Pro Tip: If you're struggling with a boss, pause the game to collect yourself. The timer stops while paused.

Required Bosses (10)

You must defeat these bosses to complete the main story. Practice each one until you can beat them consistently:

Total boss time: ~30-45 minutes if you don't die.

Optimized Route

Segment 1: Moss Grotto → Mosshome (Target: 0:00 - 0:25)

1. Skip all dialogue — Mash through every conversation
2. Clear the opening tutorial section quickly
3. Defeat Moss Mother — Use aggressive attacks, don't play safe
4. Grab Wall Cling ability
5. Head directly to Mosshome — skip all side paths and items
6. Pass through Mosshome Village — talk to the Elder (required)

Key skip: Don't explore any optional Moss Grotto rooms. Head straight for the boss.

Segment 2: Bone Bottom → The Marrow (Target: 0:25 - 1:00)

7. Descend to Bone Bottom
8. Buy only the Compass Pin (60 Rosaries) — skip everything else
9. Unlock the Bellway system (free)
10. Head to The Marrow
11. Defeat the Bell Beast to unlock fast travel
12. Continue to the Bellway station

Key decision: Whether to buy the Magnetite Brooch (200 Rosaries). Skipping it saves time now but you'll have less currency later. For a comfortable 5-hour run, skip it. For tighter times, it can help.

Segment 3: Greymoor → First Bell (Target: 1:00 - 1:30)

13. Travel to Greymoor via Bellway
14. Navigate directly to the Greymoor Guardian boss
15. Defeat the Guardian and ring the First Great Bell
16. Head to Lace's Domain

Route note: Take the most direct path through Greymoor. The area is large but you only need to reach the bell.

Segment 4: Lace's Domain → Wormways (Target: 1:30 - 2:00)

17. Navigate Lace's Domain to the boss arena
18. Defeat Lace (1st encounter) — Her patterns are fast but predictable. Dash cancel is essential.
19. Grab the Silk ability reward
20. Head to Wormways (shortcut from Bone Bottom elevator)
21. Navigate through Wormways toward the Citadel

Boss tip: Lace's second phase adds spin attacks. Stay above her with pogos and strike during her landing recovery.

Segment 5: Citadel → Second Bell (Target: 2:00 - 2:45)

22. Reach the Citadel of Bells
23. Navigate to the Citadel Warden boss
24. Defeat the Warden and ring the Second Great Bell
25. Return to The Marrow for the Gilded Hunter fight
26. Defeat the Gilded Hunter

This is the hardest segment. The Gilded Hunter is a significant difficulty spike. If you can beat him in 1-2 attempts, you're on pace.

Segment 6: Deep Docks → Blasted Steps (Target: 2:45 - 3:30)

27. Head to Deep Docks (quick route from Citadel)
28. Navigate through — no required boss here, just passage
29. Enter the Blasted Steps
30. Defeat the Blasted Steps Sentinel
31. Continue upward

Speed tip: The Blasted Steps have treacherous platforming. Don't rush jumps — falling costs more time than careful navigation.

Segment 7: High Halls → Lace 2 (Target: 3:30 - 4:15)

32. Enter High Halls
33. Navigate the Grand Corridor
34. Defeat Lace (2nd encounter) — Significantly harder than the first. She has new moves and higher damage.
35. Defeat the High Halls Guardian
36. Continue upward to The Cradle

Lace 2 strategy: This is the run-killer for most players. Her second form has a devastating combo attack. Learn the dodge timing: jump over low sweep → dash through thrust → pogo over slam.

Segment 8: The Cradle → Final Boss (Target: 4:15 - 4:50)

37. Navigate The Cradle to the top
38. Defeat Grand Mother Silk — the final boss

Final boss strategy: Grand Mother Silk has three phases. Phase 1 is similar to tutorial pacing. Phase 2 introduces silk projectiles — stay mobile. Phase 3 is the most aggressive — save your Silk for Bind healing and be patient.

Time budget: You should have 45+ minutes remaining at this point. Even with a few deaths, the achievement is achievable.

Time-Saving Techniques

Essential Skips

• Dialogue skip — Mash through all NPC text. Required conversations are short.
• Cutscene skip — Most cutscenes can be skipped with a button press after a few seconds.
• Shop skip — Only buy Compass Pin. Skip Magnetite Brooch, maps, and all other tools.
• Bellway optimization — Only activate Bellways on your direct path (4-5 total instead of all 12).

Movement Optimization

• Always dash when moving horizontally — Free speed boost
• Pogo off enemies instead of fighting them — Skip most regular enemies entirely
• Wall jump chains — Faster than climbing in many vertical sections
• Dive through gaps — The Dive ability moves faster than falling naturally

Death Prevention

Deaths cost 1-3 minutes each (death animation + respawn + travel back). Preventing deaths is the single biggest time-saver:

• Don't get greedy on bosses — Safe, consistent hits over risky combos
• Save Silk for healing — In a speedrun, Bind healing is more valuable than Silk Skills
• Memorize hazard locations — Spikes, pits, and environmental damage kill more speedruns than bosses

Pacing Guide

If you're ahead of these times, you have comfortable margin. If behind by more than 15 minutes at any checkpoint, you may need to play more aggressively.

Steel Soul + Speedrunner Combo

For experienced players, it's possible to earn both the Steel Soul (permadeath) and Speedrunner achievements in a single run. This is high-risk but saves an entire playthrough:

• The 5-hour time limit is more than enough for a focused run
• Permadeath means you can't afford any boss deaths
• Practice extensively on a normal save before attempting this
• The shorter the run, the less time you're exposed to permadeath risk