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The Pure Nail is the Knight’s final Nail upgrade in Hollow Knight, dealing 21 damage. The Nailsmith in the City of Tears makes it for 4,000 Geo and three Pale Ore. Starting from the Old Nail, the complete upgrade path requires six Pale Ore and 7,050 Geo in total.
What the Pure Nail is
Pure Nail is the fifth and final form of the Knight’s Nail, after Old Nail, Sharpened Nail, Channelled Nail, and Coiled Nail. Its listed damage is 21, compared with 5 for the starting Old Nail. The damage and upgrade values below are listed by the Hollow Knight Wiki’s Nail page (retrieved 2026).
All Nail upgrades, costs, and damage
| Nail form | Damage | Geo cost | Pale Ore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Nail | 5 | Starting item | 0 |
| Sharpened Nail | 9 | 250 Geo | 0 |
| Channelled Nail | 13 | 800 Geo | 1 |
| Coiled Nail | 17 | 2,000 Geo | 2 |
| Pure Nail | 21 | 4,000 Geo | 3 |
The Geo total for all four refinements is 7,050: 250 + 800 + 2,000 + 4,000. That total includes only the listed upgrade costs, not other spending during a playthrough.
How much Pale Ore the full path needs
The first refinement, from Old Nail to Sharpened Nail, costs no Pale Ore. The later refinements require one Pale Ore for Channelled Nail, two for Coiled Nail, and three for Pure Nail, for six Pale Ore overall. The Hollow Knight Wiki’s Pale Ore page confirms the requirements and total (retrieved 2026).
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Where to get the Pure Nail
Bring the required Geo and Pale Ore to the Nailsmith in the City of Tears. He performs the refinements; the final one turns the Coiled Nail into the Pure Nail. The Nailsmith is identified as the upgrade NPC by the Hollow Knight Wiki’s Nailsmith page (retrieved 2026).
To plan the final refinement specifically, have 4,000 Geo and three Pale Ore available. The six-Pale-Ore figure applies only if you are counting materials needed for every upgrade from the starting Old Nail.
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Can you get the Pure Nail on a first run?
The documented requirements do not specify a required number of playthroughs. They establish that the Pure Nail is obtained through the Nailsmith’s final refinement and that the refinement costs 4,000 Geo and three Pale Ore. Whether you can afford and gather those materials in a particular run depends on your progress; the available source information does not establish a guaranteed route or a location-by-location Pale Ore guide.
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