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What players rated highest
The poll author reported these overall scores, along with category scores for Hunter. They are respondent averages as reported in the 2025 Reddit poll, not population-wide ratings.
| Crest | Overall score |
|---|---|
| Hunter | 8.08 |
| Wanderer | 7.09 |
| Witch | 6.91 |
| Architect | 6.66 |
| Reaper | 6.58 |
| Shaman | 6.41 |
| Beast | 5.75 |
Reddit r/Silksong poll author, 2025 (376 respondents), also reported Hunter scores of 7.91 for moveset, 7.19 for gimmick, and 8.13 for tool-slot distribution. The author noted a possible margin of error and a possible scoring issue with Shaman’s gimmick score, so treat the precise ranking as an indication of those respondents’ preferences rather than a definitive verdict.
Qualitative comments point to different reasons players favor particular Crests: Reaper for silk generation and safety, Hunter for linked attacks, Wanderer for familiarity and speed, and Beast for damage potential despite its risks and platforming trade-offs. These are recurring themes in player comments, not another measured popularity ranking.
#1 Best Overall
![Hollow Knight: Silksong Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mOgOC8xEL._SL160_.jpg)
- Discover the fallen insect kingdom of Pharloom! Explore mossy grottos, gilded cities and misted moors as you ascend to the shining citadel at the top of the world.
- Engage in lethal acrobatic action! Wield a huge suite of deadly moves as you dance between foes in swift, beautiful combat.
- Craft powerful tools! Master an ever-expanding arsenal of weapons, traps, and mechanisms to vanquish your enemies and explore new heights.
- Solve shocking quests! Hunt down rare beasts and solve ancient mysteries to grant the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom’s hope.
- Face over 200 ferocious foes! Beasts and hunters, monsters and knights. Defeat them all with bravery and skill!
Choose by how you like to fight
Crests substantially change Hornet’s attacks and abilities, so a useful comparison is broader than basic attack damage. Consider attack speed and style, reach and aerial or pogo utility, how the bind affects healing, tool-slot distribution, and the setup or risks required to get the Crest’s benefits.
Hunter: a flexible starting point
Hunter is the poll’s top-rated Crest and a reasonable first choice if you want a versatile moveset. Its evolved version builds focus through successive strikes, but taking a hit loses that focus. That rewards sustained offense while making the benefit conditional on avoiding damage. Nintendo Life’s Crest guide describes the Crest’s effects; the poll’s rating remains the opinion of its respondents.
Rank #2
- Hollow Knight: Silksong is the epic sequel to Hollow Knight, the award winning action-adventure.
- Journey to all-new lands, discover new powers, battle vast hordes of bugs and beasts and uncover secrets tied to your nature and your past.
Wanderer: quick attacks and a familiar feel
Wanderer may suit players who prefer fast attacks and a moveset reminiscent of Hollow Knight. A PC Gamer guide presents it as a plausible high-DPS choice, but tool-slot trade-offs can change how useful it feels in a particular build. Familiarity and speed are strengths only if its layout works for you.
Reaper: reach, silk, and aerial options
Reaper appeals to players who value silk generation, reach, and aerial or pogo utility. Its slower basic attacks can make it look weaker in a straight-attack comparison, even though those other functions may matter more in traversal or a fight that rewards positioning.
Rank #3
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Explore a vast interconnected world of forgotten highways, overgrown wilds and ruined cities.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!.Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favourites and make your journey unique!.An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation..
Beast: damage with a risk attached
Beast has substantial damage potential with its temporary buff, but that conditional peak is not the same as its unbuffed output. Its lifesteal bind is also a risk-oriented choice; its damage potential and the risks and platforming trade-offs it brings help explain why player reactions are divided.
Witch: turn the bind into an aggressive heal
Witch’s bind attacks enemies to leech life. That can make healing more offensive, but it also means pursuing the heal involves engaging enemies; it is not simply a safe recovery button. PC Gamer’s guide covers it among its Crest recommendations.
Rank #4
![Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nXCF+sf5L._SL160_.jpg)
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!
- Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favorites and make your journey unique!
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
Architect: consider tools and charged attacks
Architect’s tool-focused identity and charged attack may matter more to your build than the damage of ordinary strikes. It is worth considering if you want the Crest to support tool use rather than judging it mainly by basic attack speed.
Shaman: keep enemies at range and use Silk Skills
Shaman favors ranged attacks and stronger Silk Skills, making it a natural candidate for players who would rather fight at a distance or lean heavily on those abilities. That playstyle may suit you even though Shaman ranked below Hunter in the poll.
What damage tests can—and cannot—tell you
PC Gamer reported two player analyses that independently tested straight nail-attack damage per second using a damage-display mod. At maximum upgrades, the article gave these results:
| Crest and condition | Reported DPS |
|---|---|
| Beast, with temporary buff | 78.9 |
| Hunter, with maximum no-hit bonus | 69.4 |
| Wanderer | 68.3 |
| Beast, without buff | 52.4 |
| Hunter, without bonus | 50.9 |
| Architect | 50.2 |
| Witch | 45.7 |
| Reaper | 41.6 |
| Shaman | 41.5 |
These are player-test results reported by PC Gamer on September 21, 2025, not official developer measurements. The buffed Beast and no-hit Hunter entries have different conditions from their unbuffed or no-bonus counterparts. Straight-attack DPS does not account for feel, platforming utility, charged attacks, or combinations with tools and Silk Skills; it is one comparison, not a full measure of a Crest’s value.
How to find your own best Crest
Try more than one Crest and judge it in the situations that matter to you. A practical comparison is to keep the encounter and build as consistent as possible, then notice not only how quickly you land ordinary attacks but also whether you can reach targets, use your preferred tools, manage healing, and respond comfortably to a boss’s patterns. A ranking can suggest what to try; your comfort and the encounter should decide what to keep using.
Patch context
Team Cherry’s Patch 5 notes identify version 1.0.30000 and were published March 16, 2026. They list fixes for unintended clearing of Hunter focus during fast travel and a Border Caves bounce-pod issue affecting certain Crests; they do not describe a broad Crest balance overhaul. The announcement said the patch was live on PC and coming soon to consoles at that time, which is a dated rollout statement, not a current platform-availability update. Older guides and the 2025 player tests are useful context, but their dates matter when considering later bug fixes or interactions.
Quick Recap
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