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Hollow Knight: Silksong has been handing out humble pie by the plateful since launch, and players are still reeling from its punishing platforming, savage early-game bosses, and the general sense that Pharloom wakes up every morning looking for new ways to ruin your day. But the community has now discovered a betrayal so petty, so perfectly cruel, that it has become the stuff of instant legend: a bench that is rigged to damage Hornet the moment she sits down. In Hunter's March, one of the most irritating areas in the game, this so-called safe haven deals two masks of damage — often finishing off players who thought they had finally caught a break. It is, by any reasonable measure, an act of pure evil on Team Cherry's part, and players are absolutely gobsmacked.

A Bench That Bites Back

Benches in Hollow Knight games have always been sacred ground. They are where you rest, heal, swap charms, and steel yourself for the next stretch of suffering. Silksong spent its long development cycle teaching players that Pharloom is hostile, but even veterans assumed that benches were untouchable. Team Cherry apparently took that assumption personally. The trap bench in Hunter's March looks like every other bench until Hornet plants herself on it, at which point it delivers a nasty two-mask wallop that can send you straight back to your last save point. The move is especially diabolical because Hunter's March is already a gauntlet of annoying enemies, tight platforming, and environmental hazards. Reaching a bench there feels like a lifeline; discovering that the lifeline is a bear trap is enough to make anyone rage quit.

Players Are Taking It Personally

The reaction online has been a mix of fury, disbelief, and self-inflicted comedy. On the Hollow Knight subreddit, user Such_Food4915 described the bench trap as 'the most anger I have ever felt for any game ever' — a sentiment that thousands of players clearly share. The thread quickly filled with other traumatized fans, including Nomansland008, who admitted to sitting on the bench a second time after triggering it once, assuming the trap was spent and the bench was now safe. It was not. Then there is XiaoRCT, who confessed to sitting on it a third time. If that is not the definition of optimism in the face of overwhelming evidence, nothing is.

Clips of the betrayal have also been making the rounds on Twitter, including one from user Dazr who recorded the exact moment they were flattened by Team Cherry's cruelty. After scrambling through Hunter's March with a single mask left, Dazr thought they had found salvation. Instead, they found a masterclass in trolling. It seems we now know why Silksong took so long to make: Team Cherry had to take the time to dream up every conceivable way to screw players over, and this bench might just be their magnum opus.

Why It Hurts So Much

Benches are not just mechanical checkpoints; they are psychological anchors. In a game as demanding as Silksong, the sight of a bench triggers a sigh of relief, a loosening of the shoulders, and a brief belief that everything is going to be okay. The trap bench in Hunter's March weaponizes that trust. It is the gaming equivalent of a friend offering you a chair and then pulling it away at the last second — except the chair also hits you for two masks. Team Cherry has always had a mischievous streak, but this is a new level of sneakiness. The bench does not just damage Hornet; it damages the player's ability to ever feel safe again. Every future bench in Pharloom will now be approached with suspicion, which is probably exactly what the developers wanted.

The Pharloom Survival Guide

For anyone still brave enough to keep playing, the community has a few hard-earned tips:

• Do not trust benches in Hunter's March. If a bench looks too convenient, it probably is. 🪤

• Heal before sitting down. If you are already low on masks, the trap can finish you off before you even realize what happened.

• Remember the trap is one-time. The bench stops damaging you after it triggers, but that knowledge does not erase the humiliation.

• Laugh or cry. Both are valid responses. Preferably not at the same time.

Silksong is a game that thrives on challenging its players, but the trap bench is a reminder that Team Cherry also enjoys a good old-fashioned prank. It is mean, it is unfair, and it is absolutely unforgettable. In a game full of brutal bosses and punishing platforming, a simple bench has somehow become the most memorable villain of all. Players will be talking about this one for years — and sitting down very, very carefully.

If reading about Hornet's latest misadventure has you itching to explore Pharloom yourself—or if you simply want to add another challenging title to your backlog—it pays to keep an eye on your budget. Surviving Silksong's traps is hard enough without paying full price for the privilege.

That's where DealNest comes in. The site rounds up current offers and price drops across a range of platforms, making it a handy stop when you're figuring out where to buy cheap games. Whether you're chasing a copy of Silksong or looking for something less treacherous to play between sessions, it's worth a look before you commit.