Noah Sinclair
The Nail in Hollow Knight is the primary weapon used by the Knight, the game's protagonist, to deal damage in combat. The Nailsmith in the City of Tears can upgrade the Knight's Nail up to four times in exchange for Geo and Pale Ore, which increases the damage of Nail strikes. The Nailsmith is a merchant and a craftsman who survived the fall of Hallownest and is obsessed with his craft. The Knight can also learn powerful techniques known as Nail Arts from Nailmasters, which offer different ways to approach battles.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Description | The Nail is a bladed weapon used by the Knight, the game's protagonist, as the primary means of dealing damage in combat. |
| Usage | The Nail can be used to traverse hazardous sections of the environment such as long stretches of thorns or spike pits. |
| Upgrades | The Nail can be upgraded a total of 4 times by locating the Nailsmith in the City of Tears. |
| Nailsmith Location | The Nailsmith can be found in his hut in the City of Tears, which can be accessed after exploring the game's early zones. |
| Upgrade Requirements | The first upgrade requires Geo only, while subsequent upgrades require both Geo and Pale Ore. |
| Nail Arts | Powerful techniques known as Nail Arts can be learned from Nailmasters, experts in Nail combat, offering different ways to approach battles. |
| Longnail Charm | A Charm that increases the range of the Nail by 15%. It is useful for keeping distance from dangerous enemies and performing safer Nail-bounces. |
| Nail-Bouncing | A move where the Knight jumps and slashes down with the Nail on environmental objects, spikes, or enemies, allowing them to bounce. This move is useful for fighting enemies and accessing new areas. |
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Finding the Nailsmith
To find the Nailsmith in Hollow Knight, players must first defeat the False Knight in the Forgotten Crossroads to obtain the City Crest. After obtaining the City Crest, players will enter Hollow Knight's Fungal Wastes and encounter the Mantis Tribe. Explore their village to find the Mantis Claw, which will allow players to cling to walls and access the nearby gate to the City of Tears.
Once in the City of Tears, players must ride the elevator to the bottom and head left to find the Nailsmith's hut. The Nailsmith is a bug NPC who can strengthen the Knight's Nail in exchange for Geo and Pale Ore. He is obsessed with forging the "perfect" nail, and once he has created the Pure Nail, he will ask the player to kill him with it. Players can choose to fulfil his wish or spare his life.
If players choose to kill the Nailsmith with the Pure Nail, they will receive the "'Purity' achievement," and the Nailsmith's body can be found in the Junk Pit. Sparing the Nailsmith allows him to find happiness in his life, and he will move to Greenpath to live with Sheo, the Nailmaster. This path will grant players the "Happy Couple" achievement.
In addition to Geo, each upgrade the Nailsmith offers requires a resource called Pale Ore, which is challenging to find. The final upgrade to the Pure Nail requires three Pale Ores and 4,000 Geo.
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Upgrading the Nail
To find the Nailsmith, players must first explore the game's early zones and defeat the False Knight in the Forgotten Crossroads to obtain the City Crest. After obtaining the City Crest, players will enter the Fungal Wastes and encounter the Mantis Tribe. By exploring their village, players can find the Mantis Claw, which allows them to access the gate to the City of Tears. Once inside, players should ride the elevator to the bottom and head left to find the Nailsmith's hut.
The Nailsmith offers several upgrades for the Nail:
- Sharpened Nail: This upgrade costs 250 Geo and offers 9 points of damage, a significant improvement from the Old Nail's 5 points of damage.
- Channeled Nail: The second upgrade requires 800 Geo and one Pale Ore. This upgrade further increases the damage output of the Nail.
- Coiled Nail: To obtain this upgrade, players need two Pale Ores, found in Crystal Peak and the Resting Grounds. The Mantis Claw and Monarch Wings are useful for reaching the top of Crystal Peak to claim the ore.
- Pure Nail: The final upgrade requires the last Pale Ore, which can be obtained from the Grubfather in the Forgotten Crossroads after rescuing 31 of his Grub children. The Pure Nail is a powerful blade that deals 21 points of damage.
In addition to the Nailsmith upgrades, players can further enhance their Nail's performance with Charms such as Fragile Strength, Unbreakable Strength, and Fury of the Fallen Charms. The Longnail Charm increases the range of the Nail by 15%, allowing players to maintain a safer distance from dangerous enemies and perform Nail-bouncing more effectively.
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Nailmaster locations
To upgrade the nail in Hollow Knight, players must find the Nailsmith in the City of Tears. To reach the City of Tears, players must first defeat the False Knight in the Forgotten Crossroads to obtain the City Crest. After obtaining the City Crest, players must enter Hollow Knight's Fungal Wastes and find the Mantis Claw, which allows players to access the gate to the City of Tears. Once in the City of Tears, players must ride the elevator to the bottom and head left to find the Nailsmith's hut.
The Nailsmith can upgrade the Knight's nail up to four times using Geo and Pale Ore, increasing the damage of nail strikes. The last Pale Ore is a gift from the Grubfather, an NPC found in the Forgotten Crossroads. The Grubfather will only reward the Knight with the Pale Ore after 31 of his Grub children have been rescued from glass containers located throughout Hallownest.
To obtain all three Nail Arts in Hollow Knight, players must find and interact with three NPCs hidden throughout Hallownest. Each Nailmaster will teach a different technique with its own advantages and damage scaling.
Nailmaster Mato can be found in the Howling Cliffs by traveling to the left and heading down until a spike pit is reached, with a narrow passage leading to the right. Nailmaster Oro, who resides in the far southeast of Kingdom's Edge, will teach the Dash Slash technique for 800 Geo. Nailmaster Sheo, found in Greenpath, southwest of the Greenpath Stagway Station, teaches the Great Slash Nail Art. To reach Sheo's hut, players must head down the shaft and into the area below the Stagway Station, then head left using the Crystal Heart, Mothwing Cloak, and Mantis Claw.
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Nail-bouncing
In Hollow Knight, the term "Nail" refers to the bladed weapons wielded by enemies, NPCs, and bosses, including the Knight. The Knight's Nail can be upgraded up to four times by the Nailsmith in the City of Tears, increasing the damage of Nail strikes. Upgrading the Nail also makes it easier to perform the move known as "Nail-bouncing", "pogo-jumping", or "pogo-ing". This move involves jumping and slashing down with the Nail on environmental objects, spikes, or enemies, allowing the Knight to bounce.
To perform a basic nail jump or pogo, the player must input the following sequence: jump -> (while in mid-air just above something to strike) down + nail attack. The moment the nail hits something, the Knight will automatically bounce upward without needing to press the jump button again. The key to mastering this technique is timing the downward nail strike accurately. Once players get a feel for the timing, they can add dashes and other moves to their pogo-ing.
Practicing on the purple mushrooms in the early game is recommended, as they don't hurt the player if they miss the timing. Players can also practice on the bouncy fruit in the White Palace, which doesn't bounce the player high but is a good way to get a feel for the timing of the pogo jump. Additionally, some challenges in the later stages of the game may require players to perform pogos to navigate puzzles, so it's a useful technique to master.
Upgrading the Nail with charms like Longnail or Mark of Pride can also make Nail-bouncing easier, as they increase the range of the Nail, giving players more leeway in their timing.
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Nail Arts
The Nail in Hollow Knight is a bladed weapon used by the Knight, the game's protagonist, as the primary means of dealing damage in combat. The Knight's Nail can be upgraded a number of times, increasing damage output. These upgrades can be obtained by locating the Nailsmith in the City of Tears and providing him with the necessary resources. The Nailsmith is a merchant in Hollow Knight who provides a service to strengthen the Knight's Nail for Geo and Pale Ore. The Nailsmith will only accept Geo for the first upgrade, requiring both Geo and Pale Ore for all subsequent upgrades.
In addition to these upgrades, players can also learn powerful techniques known as Nail Arts from Nailmasters, experts in Nail combat. These Nail Arts offer different ways to approach battles. One such Nail Art is the Dash Slash technique, which can be learned from Nailmaster Oro for 800 Geo. Oro is located in Greenpath, southwest of the Greenpath Stagway Station. Another Nail Art is the Great Slash, which can be learned from Nailmaster Sheo, who is located in a hut in Greenpath.
The Knight can also use the Nail to perform more advanced techniques pertaining to combat and exploration. One such technique is Nail-bouncing, which involves jumping and slashing down with the Nail on environmental objects, spikes, or enemies, allowing the Knight to bounce. This move is useful for fighting enemies and platforming, as it can be used to access areas that would otherwise be inaccessible. The Knight can also use the Nail to slash while in the air, performing an upward slash to hit opponents above them.
Another useful item is the Longnail Charm, which increases the range of the Nail by 15%. This charm can be purchased from Salubra in the Forgotten Crossroads for 300. The Longnail Charm is useful for keeping distance from more dangerous enemies and for performing safer Nail-bounces.
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Frequently asked questions
It depends on how long the player takes to explore the game's early zones and defeat the False Knight in the Forgotten Crossroads to obtain the City Crest. After this, the player must enter Hollow Knight's Fungal Wastes and find the Mantis Claw to access the City of Tears.
Upgrading the Nail takes time depending on the player's ability to gather Geo and Pale Ore. The Nailsmith in the City of Tears can upgrade the Knight's Nail up to four times. The first upgrade requires Geo only, but each upgrade after requires more Geo and Pale Ore.
Obtaining the Pure Nail depends on the player's ability to gather Pale Ore. The player must collect all available Pale Ore to return to the Nailsmith and trade for the Pure Nail.
The Longnail Charm can be purchased from Salubra in the Forgotten Crossroads for 300. The time it takes to get the Longnail Charm depends on the player's progression and ability to gather Geo.
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