How Much Damage Does The Pure Nail Do And How To Upgrade It
Mastering melee combat in Hollow Knight requires a deep understanding of your primary weapon, the nail. As you venture through the treacherous, interconnected ruins of Hallownest, upgrading your offensive capabilities becomes essential for survival against late-game bosses and Pantheon challenges. Securing the final upgrade tier transforms your basic tool into a legendary blade capable of devastating damage.
The Damage Profile of the Pure Nail
The Pure Nail stands as the absolute pinnacle of weapon refinement, dealing a base damage value of 21 per standard strike. This is a massive leap from the Old Nail, which begins your journey at a meager 5 damage points. Every individual tier upgrade added by the blacksmith increases your output by a flat four points, drastically changing how many hits are needed to clear standard encounters.
Furthermore, this base damage serves as the foundational calculation for more advanced offensive maneuvers like Nail Arts. When executing a Great Slash or Dash Slash, the game applies a multiplier to this base value, resulting in a staggering 52 damage points per hit. Utilizing these specialized techniques allows players to safely burst down tougher flying enemies or heavily armored guards from a distance.
How to Find the Nailsmith and Complete Upgrades
To begin the forging process, you must track down the dedicated Nailsmith located in his isolated hut at the lower-left section of the City of Tears. Upgrading your weapon is a strict, linear process that cannot be bypassed, meaning you must purchase each consecutive tier in order. The initial refinement costs a flat 250 Geo, but subsequent tiers quickly demand a mixture of currency and rare materials.
Reaching the final tier requires a significant resource investment consisting of 4,000 Geo and three pieces of Pale Ore for that specific step alone. Across the entire four-stage upgrade cycle, you will ultimately spend a total of 7,050 Geo and six pieces of Pale Ore to maximize your blade. Earning this ultimate weapon rewards thorough exploration, as the necessary materials are scattered across vastly different regions of the map.
Locating All Six Pieces of Pale Ore
Acquiring the required upgrade materials requires checking several milestones throughout Hallownest. One piece rests on a fallen knight's corpse deep within the Ancient Basin, directly below the Broken Vessel arena. Two other pieces are hidden around Crystal Peak, with one located at the peak of Hallownest's Crown and another waiting at the end of the frustrating Crystal Peak Dark Room jumping puzzle.
The remaining three pieces of ore are tied directly to combat trials and collection achievements throughout your save file. You can claim a piece by conquering the grueling Trial of the Conqueror inside the Colosseum of Fools. Additionally, the Seer hands over a piece once you collect 300 Essence, while the Grubfather rewards your rescue efforts after finding 31 missing Grubs.
Maximizing Output with Charm Synergy
While the base weapon value is incredibly powerful on its own, equipping specific charms can amplify your damage output to absurd heights. The Unbreakable Strength charm applies a permanent fifty percent boost to your strikes, raising your standard damage value from 21 to 32 points. Combining this setup with other modifiers allows you to easily shred through the inflated health pools of endgame bosses.
For players comfortable with high-risk strategies, combining Strength charms with Fury of the Fallen creates the ultimate damage build. When your health drops to a single mask, these effects stack multiplicatively to deal 55 damage per standard swing. This optimal setup transforms your knight into a glass cannon capable of shortening difficult encounters within seconds.