Nail Arts | Hollow Knight Wiki

Nail Arts in Hollow Knight are special techniques that can be learned by The Knight, the game's protagonist. Nail Arts are powerful combat moves that can be unleashed with the Nail to deal more damage to Enemies and Bosses. They can be woven into your standard attacks with the and Spells in order to supplement your ability to defeat opponents. There are three Nail Arts to learn and each one is useful in varying situations, allowing the Knight to hit multiple opponents when surrounded, strike while dashing or perform a single devastating slash that can take out smaller opponents instantly while dealing heavy damage to stronger ones.

• See the Nail page for an overview of combat mechanics pertaining to the weapon.

All Nail Arts in Hollow Knight

Nail Arts in Hollow Knight are techniques that can be learned from the three Nailmasters found in various locations throughout Hallownest. The Nailmasters are the disciples of Sly, the former Great Nailsage who gave up this role in favor of a quiet life as a merchant. Each Nailmaster has perfected one Nail Art and will teach them to the Knight once they are found.

• Nail Arts typically deal more damage than your basic attacks but require charging by holding the attack button before they can be unleashed. Unlike Spells, they do not require any special resources to use.
• The damage dealt by these techniques is affected by your Nail's upgrade level.
• The Nailmaster's Glory charm can be equipped to reduce the charging time of all Nail Arts, allowing them to be unleashed faster.

Cyclone Slash The signature Nail Art of Nailmaster Mato. A spinning attack that rapidly strikes foes on all sides.
Acquisition:	Learned from Nailmaster Mato.
Location:	Howling Cliffs
Old Nail:	21-49 Damage
Sharpened Nail:	36-84 Damage
Channelled Nail:	51-119 Damage
Coiled Nail:	66-154 Damage
Pure Nail:	81-189 Damage

 

Dash Slash The signature Nail Art of Nailmaster Oro. Strike ahead quickly after dashing forward.
Acquisition:	Learned from Nailmaster Oro for 800.
Location:	Kingdom's Edge
Old Nail:	12.5 Damage
Sharpened Nail:	22.5 Damage
Channelled Nail:	32.5 Damage
Coiled Nail:	42.5 Damage
Pure Nail:	52.5 Damage

 

Great Slash The signature Nail Art of Nailmaster Sheo. Unleashes a huge slash directly in front of you which deals extra damage to foes.
Acquisition:	Learned from Nailmaster Sheo.
Location:	Greenpath
Old Nail:	12.5 Damage
Sharpened Nail:	22.5 Damage
Channelled Nail:	32.5 Damage
Coiled Nail:	42.5 Damage
Pure Nail:	52.5 Damage