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Steel Heart (Unlock Steel Soul)
"Jump straight into Silksong's one-life challenge without beating the game first."
How do I install Steel Heart (Unlock Steel Soul)?
Download the free ProjectMods desktop app, then install Steel Heart (Unlock Steel Soul) for Hollow Knight: Silksong in one click.
</>What does Steel Heart (Unlock Steel Soul) do?
Steel Soul is Silksong's hardcore challenge: Hornet gets one life, and if she falls, that save is gone for good. It is the ultimate test of nerve and skill, but normally it stays locked away until you have beaten the game. Steel Heart flips that switch early. Press the button once and Steel Soul becomes a choice on the new-save menu. Start a fresh file, pick Steel Soul, and every step through Pharloom suddenly carries real weight. Prefer to ease in? Just start a normal save instead, nothing is forced on you. Only brand-new saves are affected. This never turns one of your current adventures into permadeath, so there is zero risk to the runs you already have going. Perfect for veterans chasing bragging rights or anyone who wants the tension cranked all the way up.
</>What is Steel Heart (Unlock Steel Soul)?
Steel Heart makes Silksong's Steel Soul mode selectable from the very start, so you can begin a hardcore one-life permadeath run without beating the game first. Press it once and Steel Soul appears on the new-save menu; your existing adventures are never turned into permadeath, so there's zero risk to runs you already have going. A free mod from ProjectMods.
</>Common questions about Steel Heart (Unlock Steel Soul)
What does Steel Heart do in Hollow Knight: Silksong?
Steel Heart makes Steel Soul mode selectable from the start in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Steel Soul is the game's hardcore challenge: Hornet gets one life, and if she falls, that save is gone for good. Normally it stays locked until you've beaten the game, but this ProjectMods mod flips that switch early. Press the button once and Steel Soul becomes a choice on the new-save menu. Start a fresh file, pick it, and every step through Pharloom suddenly carries real weight. Prefer to ease in? Just start a normal save instead — nothing is forced on you. It's built for veterans chasing bragging rights or anyone who wants the tension cranked all the way up from day one.
Does Steel Heart change how Steel Soul mode itself plays?
No. Steel Heart only unlocks access to Steel Soul early in Hollow Knight: Silksong — it doesn't alter the mode's rules. When you start a Steel Soul file, you get the exact hardcore experience the game intends: one life for Hornet, and if she dies, that save ends permanently. There's no softening, no extra safety net, and no changes to enemies or difficulty. All the mod does is put that choice on the new-save menu before you'd normally earn it by completing the game. So you're getting the genuine permadeath challenge, just without the prerequisite. If you want it to be harder or easier, that would be down to other mods; Steel Heart keeps Steel Soul pure.
Will Steel Heart turn my existing saves into permadeath?
No — and this is the important part. Steel Heart only affects brand-new saves in Hollow Knight: Silksong. It never converts one of your current adventures into permadeath, so there's zero risk to the runs you already have going. When you press the button, all it does is add Steel Soul as an option on the new-save menu; your existing files keep playing exactly as they always have, with their normal death rules intact. To actually enter permadeath, you have to deliberately start a fresh file and choose Steel Soul. That deliberate step is your safeguard: nothing about the mod reaches back and puts your established progress at stake.
How do I start a Steel Soul run with Steel Heart?
With Steel Heart enabled, press its button once and Steel Soul appears as a choice on the new-save menu in Hollow Knight: Silksong. From there, start a fresh file and select Steel Soul to begin your one-life run; select a normal save instead if you'd rather ease in. That's the whole flow — the mod's job is simply making the option available where it's normally locked. Because entering permadeath requires you to consciously pick it on a new file, you're always in control of whether a given run carries that weight. There are no other settings to configure; it's a straightforward unlock that hands you the choice and lets you decide.
Why would I use Steel Heart?
Steel Heart is for players who want Silksong's ultimate tension without grinding to unlock it first. Veterans use it to jump straight into a one-life permadeath run for bragging rights, treating the whole game as a single high-stakes gauntlet from the opening moments. Newer players who love pressure use it to make every encounter matter, since a single death ends the file. It's also handy for content creators building a hardcore challenge series who don't want to burn hours beating the game just to reach the mode. Because it only touches new saves and leaves your existing runs completely safe, there's no downside to enabling it — the risk lives entirely in the Steel Soul file you choose to start.
What options does Steel Heart (Unlock Steel Soul) include?
Unlock Steel Soul Mode
Makes Steel Soul (permadeath) selectable when you start a new save. Press it once; your existing saves are never affected.
Steel Heart is a ProjectMods mod for Hollow Knight: Silksong that makes Steel Soul permadeath mode selectable from the start, so you can begin a hardcore one-life run without finishing the game first, leaving existing saves untouched.
System Requirements
What features does Steel Heart (Unlock Steel Soul) include?
- Makes Steel Soul mode a choice on the new-save menu without beating the game first
- One life, one mistake, and that save is gone — the tension is cranked all the way up
- Only brand-new saves are affected, so your current runs are completely safe
- Nothing's forced — start a normal save any time you'd rather ease in
- Turns every step through Pharloom into a real risk from the very first room
Best For
- Veterans who've already beaten the game and want the ultimate permadeath bragging rights
- Players craving high-stakes tension who don't want to grind a full clear to earn the mode
- Streamers running a one-life challenge for chat right out of the gate
- Anyone who loves souls-like pressure and wants Silksong to hit as hard as possible
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Menu Maestro (All Menu Styles)
Instantly unlock every title-screen menu style, including the ones normally earned only by finishing the game or clearing special conditions.
The Full Weave (Unlock Everything)
The ultimate unlock: grants every Tool and Crest, switches on all of Hornet's movement and silk abilities, and tops up the collectables your save is tracking, all in one press.
One-Hit Hornet (Instant Kills)
Turn Hornet's nail into a one-hit finisher. Any enemy you land a real hit on goes down instantly. Flip it off anytime to go back to a fair fight.
