If you’ve spent any amount of time in action-platformers like Hollow Knight, you know how intense things can get when enemies start piling up. Silksong, the long-awaited sequel, promises even faster combat, trickier foes, and a fresh set of mechanics to master. For players who crave a little extra clarity during those high-octane battles, the Show Health Bar mod has quickly become a favorite. It does exactly what its name suggests, displays enemy health bars so you know exactly how close you are to victory.
But let’s unpack why this seemingly small addition can make such a big difference in gameplay.
Why Health Bars Matter
In base Silksong, like in Hollow Knight, enemies don’t typically display how much health they have left. You swing, dodge, heal, and repeat until they finally drop. For some players, that unpredictability is part of the charm, it forces you to stay sharp and never assume the fight is almost over.
That said, there’s also something deeply satisfying about seeing your progress in real time. Watching a boss’s health bar shrink tick by tick gives you feedback that every nail strike, spell, or parry is paying off. It can help you pace your attacks, conserve resources, and make smarter decisions in long encounters.
For newcomers to the world of Silksong, health bars also act as a teaching tool. They show which attacks deal the most damage, how effective your new charms are, and when you’re getting close to the finish line.
How the Mod Works
The “Show Health Bar” mod is refreshingly simple. Once installed, enemy health bars appear just above the target (or in some cases near the top of the screen for bosses). Bars are clean, minimal, and unobtrusive, so they don’t clutter the beautifully hand-drawn world of Silksong.
As you whittle down enemies, the bar decreases smoothly, changing color as it nears empty. For bosses with multiple phases, the bar can reset or extend depending on how the mod creator configured it. The design feels natural, almost as if it were part of the game from the beginning.