Despite claims made by its own marketing campaign, Hollow Knight: Silksong does not appear to be coming any time soon. Unless Team Cherry just wants to surprise their fans out of the blue, the most that Hollow Knight fans can do at the moment is to continue playing in Hallownest. To be fair, however, it's not as if the world of the first Hollow Knight is exactly boring.
Following and expanding on its Metroidvania roots, Hollow Knight has ensured that each individual area of its world is filled with massive amounts of detail and activities; and for many, there are few places that are as fun to get lost in as the City of Tears. The land of endless rain is the heart of Hallownest and a decaying monument to a kingdom soon to disappear. Taking the time to explore this level will reveal some unique level design, eccentric characters, and essential tools.
Sit On A Bench And Listen To The Theme
As tough as the Soul Master or Watcher Knights might be, it's hard to imagine anything hitting the players quite as hard as Hollow Knight composer Christopher Larkin's soundtrack, and few tracks have been as impactful as the theme to the City of Tears. Much like the city's rain, the track for the City of Tears can immediately wash over the player as soon as they take their first steps.
Team Cherry even situates a bench overlooking a watery window at the entrance just so the player can take some time to take in the city's atmosphere and let the music speak for this new world. Before the player can even see the city, "City of Tears" does so much to set its tone, and its reason enough for a lot of players to keep returning to that first bench. That plus some aesthetic screenshots.
Find The Pleasure House
The Pleasure House is located in the section between the Watcher's Spire and the King's Station and is found at the top of the platforms guarded by the Husk Sentries, and it is easily one of the best places to unlock with a Simple Key. From a pure exploration standpoint, it's just fun to look into every corner of the Pleasure House to get a taste for the kingdom's better days as well as a sense of the kind of luxury and excess that may have eaten away at it.
On top of that (literally), the Pleasure House also has one of the game's rare Hot Spring locations, where The Knight can rest and heal up before entering some of the game's harder portions.
Listen To Marissa's Concert
If the player has acquired the Dream Nail, they can return to the Pleasure House and find a lone ghost within its lounge. This would be Marissa, a famous singer within the capital who has remained on stage to sing in silence. While the player can enjoy her sweet tones in the background, they can also talk to her, hear her backstory, and take a seat for her first concert in a long time.
This is one of the most peaceful moments of the entire game as well as an opportunity to witness Marissa fulfill her dream once again. It's such a tender scene that one almost wishes that Dream Nailing wasn't an option.
Kick Around Millibelle
One of the most infamous side quests in the game relates to the master thief and worst banker in Hallownest, Millibelle. Initially found around the ground floor of the Fungal Wastes, Millibelle will pose as a gentle banker giving the player some security with their geo. Unfortunately for them, if they leave Millibelle with 2550 Geo or more and take a rest, they will find that the banker has absconded with their hard earned currency and that the "bank" itself was just a cardboard cut out.
However, the player will find Millibelle once again in the Pleasure House's Hot Spring and can hit her around to get back more Geo than what they left her. It's also just fun to go back every now and then and just continue kicking around Millibelle.
Talk With Eternal Emilitia
Behind the door far below the Pleasure House is Eternal Emilitia. Emilitia was once a well-known noble who, for some unknown reason, was cast aside by the other royals and was locked up within the cell that the player finds her in. While her contemporaries appear to have lost themselves in the Infection, Emilitia is one of the few who still appears to be herself (as far as the player can tell).
She currently basks in her seeming victory over those who exiled her and seems to enjoy The Knight's company. She's one of the few NPC's within the City of Tears and easily the most eccentric and fun to talk to.
Find The Tower Of Love
Hiding in the lower corridor between King's Station and the Kingdom's Edge, the Tower of Love is both a base and prison for one of the game's strangest bosses, The Collector.
For those wanting to find all of the cutest collectibles in gaming, the Grubs, defeating The Collector grants The Collector's Map, a must-have item that reveals all of their locations. Besides fighting The Collector, exploring the Tower of Love will also give some insight as to how the Grubs got captured in the first place as well as a secret room that spells more questions than answers as to why they were captured in the first place.
Kill Gorgeous Husk
The nobility of Hallownest are weak, wear posh clothing, and tend to drop more Geo than the average enemy. While farming them is fun enough, a curious gamer will be able to find the god of all greedy husks, the Gorgeous Husk.
Found next to the Pleasure House behind a secret room, the Gorgeous Husk is an old noble encased in metal who has continued to collect Geo well into its infection. The Gorgeous Husk will drop the most Geo out of any enemy in the game, though there is unfortunately only one in the game and they don't respawn.
Kill Enemies With The Elevators
Elevators are one of the unique, level design traits that separate the City of Tears from the rest of the game. While The Knight is able to hop between platforms for most of the game, the City of Tears will separate a few sections of its level with elevators. As limiting as this might seem, the elevators don't take an atrocious amount of time to use, and they even hide a devilish, secondary purpose: killing enemies.
As impractical as setting this up might be, it's fun to lure enemies into the elevator's destructive path, either hitting them with its spikey head or crushing them down below.
Sell Items To "Relic Seeker" Lemm
Having once been a central trading hub, the City of Tears houses a couple of the game's best merchants, with one of them being "Relic Seeker" Lemm. This grouchy old man is a deep-pocketed historian looking to buy and collect some of the land's best relics.
Finding him will allow the player to trade Wanderer's Journals, Hallownest Seals, King's Idols, and Arcane Eggs for handsome amounts of Geo in addition to some interesting lore. Lemm is also a knowledgeable NPC whose character interactions throughout the City of Tears give a better insight into the world's history.
Strengthen Nail At The Nailsmith
Out of all the things to do in the City of Tears, the most essential is finding the Nailsmith at the city's far west. While Hollow Knight is certainly a difficult game, many players have been making the game much harder than it needs to be by never looking for or finding the Nailsmith.
In exchange for some Geo and Pale Ore, the Nailsmith will be able to increasingly strengthen The Knight's nail, making the game far easier after every visit. And while confident players may try to hold back from going to him, it should also be noted that reinforcing one's nail does continue a sidequest with the Nailsmith.