Old Nail | Hollow Knight Wiki

Old Nail in Hollow Knight is the base form of the Nail, which is the weapon used by The Knight. The Nail is the primary means of dealing damage to Enemies and Bosses, and can be upgraded a total of 4 times. The Old Nail is the weakest form of the weapon, requiring multiple hits to take down all but the most basic opponents.

• See the Nail page for an overview of combat mechanics and moves pertaining to the Old Nail.

A traditional weapon of Hallownest. Its blade is blunt with age and wear.

Hollow Knight Old Nail Information

The Old Nail has a base damage value of 5 which is used in the calculation for total damage dealt for attacks and effects that take Nail Damage into account.

Nail Damage is affected by the following charms:

• Fragile Strength / Unbreakable Strength
• Fury of the Fallen

Nail Damage also affects the damage dealt by Nail Arts.

How to get the Old Nail in Hollow Knight

The Old Nail is the default form of the Nail and is equipped by The Knight from the very beginning. 

How to Upgrade the Old Nail in Hollow Knight

The Old Nail can be upgraded into the Sharpened Nail by finding the Nailsmith in his hut in the lower left-most section of the City of Tears map.

Upgrading to the Sharpened Nail requires 250 and increases its base damage to 9.

Hollow Knight Old Nail Notes & Tips

• Nails are bladed weapons akin to swords and are used in a similar fashion, with slashing strikes forming the basis of their attacks. Nails are prevalent in Hallownest and are used by its guards, soldiers and other warriors. Nails can be seen wielded by various Enemies, Bosses and NPCs that The Knight encounters. The denizens of Hallownest also wield other weapons that appear to be variations of the Nail such as the Mantis Lords' spears and Hornet's Needle.
• The Old Nail appears to have large cracks in its blade and handle in the equipment menu, indicating its disuse and lack of care given. While Nail appearances change in the menu as you upgrade them, these changes are not visible on The Knight's sprite when wielding the weapon.