Achieve the Strongest Nail in Hollow Knight: A Complete Guide to Upgrading and Enhancing

Sharpen Your Stick: A Knight’s Guide to Nail Domination in Hollow Knight

You roam Hallownest, feeling weak? Your nail, though reliable, resembles a butter knife against a grumpy Armored Mawlek. Don’t worry, knight. We will explore nail upgrades and damage boosts, transforming you into a Hallownest hero swiftly.

Nail Upgrades: From Dull to Dazzling

Starting with a basic nail feels like facing Mantis Lords with a toothpick. Thankfully, a skilled insect blacksmith is ready to assist.

Finding the Nailsmith

For a nail upgrade, visit the Nailsmith. He resides in the lower City of Tears. As CBR suggests, descend in the elevator, head left, and you’ll find his place. Look for the one spot not drowning you in despair.

Upgrade Costs: Geo and Shiny Rocks

Upgrading your nail costs money. The Nailsmith runs a business. You will need Geo (local currency) and Pale Ore (rare rocks). You can upgrade your nail four times. Think of it as upgrading from rusty tack to a void-infused masterpiece. Here’s the cost breakdown:

• First Upgrade: 250 Geo
• Second Upgrade: 800 Geo and 1 Pale Ore
• Third Upgrade: 2000 Geo and 2 Pale Ore

For the ultimate nail evolution…

• Coiled Nail: 2000 Geo and 2 Pale Ore.
• Pure Nail: 4000 Geo and 3 Pale Ore.

Pale Ore: Shiny Rock Roundup

Pale Ore is rare. Explore Hallownest to gather enough. One easy piece is in the Ancient Basin. Be prepared to defeat a few guards for it. Consider it their donation to your weapon improvement. For more information, wikiHow has details.

Charms: Nail Enhancement Edition

Nail upgrades are just the start. Charms offer more ways to improve your nail’s power, transforming it into a damage-dealer. Let’s discuss some useful charms for your nail.

Unbreakable Strength: Hit Harder, Feel Better (Maybe)

Want to strike hard? Unbreakable Strength is your charm. It boosts your nail damage significantly. You pay a steep 15,000 Geo for the unbreakable version after giving Divine the Fragile Strength charm. Yes, 15,000 Geo. Save carefully, knight.

Mark of Pride: Reach Out and Touch Someone (From Further Away)

Sometimes, reach matters. Mark of Pride extends your nail’s range by 25%. It requires three charm notches, but keeping distance from a rabid Lancer is crucial.

Longnail: A Little Extra Reach Goes a Long Way

For a budget-friendly reach boost, try Longnail. It only requires two charm notches and adds a 15% increase in range. That small addition can improve combat spacing considerably.

Stacking for Maximum Reach: Longnail + Mark of Pride

Want even more reach? Good news! Longnail and Mark of Pride stack. Equip both for a total 40% increase in nail range. Suddenly, pesky flying enemies feel vulnerable.

Nail Arts: Unleash Your Inner Swordsman (or… Bug-sman?)

Nail Arts are unique charged attacks adding depth to combat. They’re not just about damage; they’re also about style (and more power).

Finding Nailmaster Sheo (and Great Slash)

To learn your first Nail Art, Great Slash, find Nailmaster Sheo. He stays in Greenpath, southwest of the Greenpath Stag Station. IGN’s guide to Nail Arts provides more info. Sheo will teach you Great Slash.

Great Slash: The OG Nail Art

Great Slash is powerful. Charge it by holding the attack button. Release for a wide, sweeping slash dealing 2.5 times nail damage. Perfect for crowd control or offending annoying enemies.

Nailmaster’s Glory: Speedy Nail Arts for the Impatient Knight

After finding all three Nailmasters and mastering all Nail Arts, return to Sly in Dirtmouth. He will reward you with the Nailmaster’s Glory charm. This charm drastically reduces charge time for Nail Arts. It’s essential for smoother combat with Nail Arts.

Strength in Arts: Unbreakable Strength and Nail Arts

Does Unbreakable Strength boost Nail Arts? Yes! Any charm rising nail damage also boosts Nail Art damage. More damage is beneficial.

Related Abilities and Damage: Beyond the Nail

While the nail serves as your main weapon, Hollow Knight offers other ways to deal damage. Let’s summarize a few.

Dream Nail: Soul Food, Not Damage

The Dream Nail aids exploration and lore but does not inflict damage. It “does not do any damage,” but it “massively restores your soul.” Think of it as a soul smoothie for revealing secrets and gathering Essence.

Void Heart: Purely… Voidy

The Void Heart appears late-game in a special area called Alepsis-Taura. It focuses more on story completion than damage boosts, but it’s cool.

Spells: Dive and Shriek Your Way to Victory

Spells offer another damage choice. Desolate Dive inflicts 15 damage from the dive and another 20 with a shockwave. Abyss Shriek, the upgraded version of Howling Wraiths, can strike for 80 damage (120 with Shaman Stone). For a quick ranged option, Vengeful Spirit (and its upgrade, Shade Soul) deal decent damage. Vengeful Spirit yields 15 base damage, while Shade Soul gives 30.

The Nailsmith: To Spare or Not to Spare? That is the Question.

We’ve covered finding the Nailsmith, but his story has more layers. After upgrading your nail to its peak, he presents a surprising request. He asks you to “cut him down” with the Pure Nail.

Purity or Partnership? Achievements Await.

If you fulfill his wish and strike him down, you earn the “Purity” achievement. Dark, isn’t it? However, if you are merciful and refrain from striking, a different fate awaits him. You may later find him in Greenpath, happily residing with Sheo. Observing their joy grants you the “Happy Couple” achievement. Your choice impacts not just his fate; it also affects achievements!

Other Damage Boosts: Abyssal Bloom

Lastly, a nod to another damage-boosting charm: Abyssal Bloom. It appears in the Pale Court and operates like Fury of the Fallen, increasing damage (9.37%) when low on health. It’s niche but can be worthwhile if you embrace risk. So now you know what you need to transform your nail from a toothpick into a legendary weapon of Hallownest. Go forth, upgrade, charm up, and show those infected bugs who’s boss!