Nailsmith

"I'm not much for talk, but if it's a nail that needs repair then you've come to the right bug."

- The Nailsmith

The Nailsmith is a Merchant in Hollow Knight. He provides a service to strengthen the Knight's Nail for Geo and Pale Ore. He will provide the first nail refinement for Geo only, after which he will require Pale Ore and Geo to upgrade further (see Nail for prices).

Lore The Nailsmith is one of the few bugs that lived through the fall of Hallownest. Driven by his craft and working in seclusion, he barely noticed the world changing around him. Even before that, he hardly paid attention to the Kingdom's Five Great Knights. He spends his time honing his craft, hoping to forge one day a Pure Nail, the apex of his work. He discards the nails that didn't meet this dream around his smithy.

He achieves his life goal after forging a Pure Nail for the Knight. His final work done, the Nailsmith will step outside and ask to be cut down to feel the Pure Nail's strength. Obliging him sends him plummeting down into the waters below, his body to be washed into the city's sewer and ending up in the Junk Pit.

If the Knight leaves without attacking, he abandons his craft and heads out into the world. He eventually finds his way to Sheo's Hut in Greenpath. There, the Nailmaster and the Nailsmith form a close ties and possibly a relationship, as the achievement 'Happy Couple' implies. The two can be encountered working on art projects: painting and modelling.

In-game events The Nailsmith can be found at his smithy in the outskirts of City of Tears, in an isolated hut. He first can provide the Old Nail to Sharpened Nail refinement for a small amount of Geo. After that, he will require both Pale Ore and Geo to upgrade it further, with the price and the amount of Pale Ore increasing per each succeeding upgrade.

After having him forge the Pure Nail, the Nailsmith will step outside and asks the Knight to cut him down. Obliging him sends him plummeting down to the waters below. His corpse can be randomly found in Junk Pit.

This will award the 'Purity' achievement. When not granting his request to "cut him down" and leaving the area, he will be found with Nailmaster Sheo in his hut in Greenpath and will award the 'Happy Couple' achievement after talking to him.

He will then remain in Sheo's hut for the rest of the game, engaging in modelling for Sheo and making wooden figurines together.

Location
The Nailsmith is initially located in the west part of the City of Tears. Later on, he moves to Sheo's hut in Greenpath if he is spared.

Trivia

 * The Nailsmith's quest to forge the perfect nail was a Kickstarter stretch goals at $44,000 was the addition of four new quests to the game:
 * The Nailsmith was first revealed in a Kickstarter update, although that information is no longer canonical:
 * "Follow a twisting path from the outskirts of the drowning city. Cross a broken bridge and you'll hear it close, the ring of metal and the roar of flame. A craftsman obsessed.
 * Within his forge the Nailsmith is searching, on an endless quest to create a flawless nail.
 * Past failures pile outside his door, exposed to the rains and left to rust. He spares no thought for imperfect things. Nor does he pause to take notice of the countless beings that take their pick of his refuse.
 * But his neglect has impact. His discarded nails have spread wide through Hallownest, clutched tight in the hands of creatures possessed.
 * Only in the Hollow Knight's broken nail does he at last see true potential. Distant and difficult to achieve, but it is in there, waiting - a blade to be honed beyond all others, to be forged into a form so brilliant it transcends its metal and becomes myth."


 * Promotional art of the Nailsmith featured in the official Hollow Knight Press Kit shows him with an additional pair of legs, and a hammer larger than the one he is seen using in the final release of the game.


 * It is possible to kill the Nailsmith with any attack when he asks, including Spells. Whether this is intentional is unknown.
 * Similarly to the Nailsmith's Corpse's Dream Nail dialogue of "Pure...", "...Pure..." is also the Dream Nail dialogue of the corpse of the Ancient Nailsmith found in Kingdom's Edge.
 * Upgrading the nail will respawn enemies that normally only respawn after sitting on a bench.

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