Like other Metroidvanias, Hollow Knight's gameplay is built around exploration, discovery and (of course) combat. The game is set in Hallownest, a vast underground kingdom brimming with bugs to fight. Many of these enemies are far stronger than the player's Knight at the beginning of its journey, but in true Metroidvania fashion, there are upgrades scattered throughout the subterranean world of Hollow Knight that will provide an edge in combat. Some of these upgrades will even augment the Knight's trusty main weapon: the Nail.

Where humans use swords, the bugs of Hollow Knight use Nails. These tiny blades are the traditional weapons of Hallownest, and players will encounter several enemies who wield them. Just like swords in other games that can be upgraded by a blacksmith, Hollow Knight's Nails can be refined by the Nailsmith. This old bug, once found, will allow the Knight to improve its blunt Old Nail into the ultimate weapon.

Updated on February 23, 2024, by John Dodge: This article has been updated to CBR's current style guide with additional information to help players figure out how to upgrade Hollow Knight's Nail.

Locating the Nailsmith is the First Step to Upgrading Hollow Knight's Nail

The Knight won't get any fancy damage upgrades without finding the Nailsmith first. He is located in the City of Tears, which can only be accessed after exploring the game's early zones. Players have to first defeat the False Knight in the Forgotten Crossroads to obtain the City Crest. Soon after, the Knight will enter the Fungal Wastes and encounter the deadly 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. Use the City Crest to open the gate and enter Hallownest's capital.

Once players are in the city, ride the elevator to the bottom and head left to find the Nailsmith's hut. Enter and speak to the Nailsmith, who will improve the Nail in exchange for 250 Geo. He has plenty more upgrades to offer, but each requires a resource called Pale Ore. For now, the Knight will have to make do with the Sharpened Nail which, though hardly the strongest weapon in the game, still offers 9 points of damage over the Old Nail's 5.

Upgrading to Hollow Knight's Channeled Nail Requires a Hard-to-Find Ingredient

Obtaining the Channeled Nail only requires 800 Geo, yet, unlike the game's first upgrade from the Old Nail to the Sharpened Nail, it also requires Pale Ore. The Geo is easy enough to come by as players explore the world and defeat the numerous enemies it has to offer, but the ore is much more difficult to find. Luckily, this particular upgrade only costs a single Pale Ore in addition to the requisite Geo.

The first piece of Pale Ore that most Hollow Knight players will come across is in the Ancient Basin. From the zone's main entrance at the tram station, head left. The Knight will be attacked by the two acid-spitting Lesser Mawleks who are guarding a piece of Pale Ore. Once the pair of enemies are defeated, players can acquire the Pale Ore necessary to raise their Nail's damage output to 13.

Hollow Knight's Coiled Nail Requires Farming a New Kind of Resource

The Coiled Nail upgrade calls for two Pale Ores, which are hidden away in Crystal Peak and the Resting Grounds. Using the Mantis Claw in combination with the Monarch Wings, acquired in the Mantis Village and previously explored Ancient Basin respectively, will allow the Knight to scale to the top of Crystal Peak and claim the ore there. The Resting Grounds Pale Ore is given by an NPC called the Seer in exchange for 300 Essence. This strange energy is collected with the Dream Nail, a "weapon" that allows the Knight to enter dreams.

Players can collect Essence quickly by striking Whispering Roots with the Dream Nail and gathering the orbs they release. Another option is to defeat the Dream Bosses scattered throughout Hallownest. Once players acquire enough Essence, return to the Seer and receive the second Pale Ore needed for the Coiled Nail. With both Pale Ore and 2,000 Geo, the Nailsmith's next upgrade raises the weapon's damage another four points to 17 while also adding a deep, coiled trench along the surface of the Nail itself.

Hollow Knight's Pure Nail is the Most Powerful Version of the Weapon Available

The final forging of Hollow Knight's Nail, which upgrades the Knight's weapon into the ornately detailed Pure Nail, requires a whopping three Pale Ores and 4,000 Geo. The next ore is located in Deepnest and is held by one of Hollow Knight's creepiest bosses, the Nosk. This monstrous enemy is found to the left of the hot spring behind a breakable wall. The Nosk puts up a powerful fight from within its lair, which is littered with the bodies of its previous victims. Upon defeating the Nosk, the players can head to Kingdom's Edge. There they will ascend upwards to the Colosseum of Fools to complete the Trial of the Conqueror, which awards another Pale Ore.

The last Pale Ore is a gift from the Grubfather, an NPC that can be found in the Forgotten Crossroads. He will only reward the Knight with a Pale Ore after 31 of his Grub children have been rescued from the glass containers located throughout Hallownest. If players are having trouble locating the Grubs, consider heading to the Tower of Love to take on the Collector. Beating it will mark the locations of the Grubs on the map.

With the last of the Pale Ore gathered, players can return to the Nailsmith one final time and trade their prizes for Hollow Knight's Pure Nail, a blade with no equal and a staggering 21 points of damage. Forging such a weapon is noted as having been the Nailsmith's life's work and, now that it's complete, the helpful NPC's final wish is to feel the bite of his masterpiece. Regardless of whether players choose to fulfill this tragic request, they will be equipped to continue their journey with the strongest possible version of Hollow Knight's iconic weapon at their side.