Hollow Knight: All Pale Ore Locations & Spell Upgrade Guide
To upgrade your nail to Pure Nail in Hollow Knight, deliver 6 total Pale Ore to the Nailsmith in City of Tears along with 14,000 total Geo. Upgrade spells to their Shade versions in Soul Sanctuary, Crystallised Mound, and the Abyss to increase damage and gain invincibility frames.
Upgrading your weapon and spell arsenal is mandatory for surviving late-game biomes and defeating pantheon bosses. Nail upgrades scale your physical attack damage from 5 up to 21 per hit, while spell upgrades add invincibility windows and massive damage multipliers.
Where are all 6 Pale Ore locations?
You need 6 Pale Ore pieces in total to upgrade from the Old Nail to the Pure Nail. Total upgrade costs across all tiers sum to 7,050 Geo and 6 Pale Ore.
| Pale Ore # | Region / Location | Requirement / How to Obtain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Basin | Found at the far left of Ancient Basin after defeating two Lesser Mawleks. |
| 2 | Crystal Peak | Located at the top of Hallownest's Crown above Crystal Peak (requires Monarch Wings). |
| 3 | Deepnest | Found in the secret den behind a breakable wall after defeating Nosk. |
| 4 | Resting Grounds | Reward from Seer after collecting 300 Essence with the Dream Nail. |
| 5 | Colosseum of Fools | Awarded for completing the Trial of the Conqueror (Trial 2). |
| 6 | Forgotten Crossroads | Reward from Grubfather after rescuing 31 Grubs across Hallownest. |
How do Nailsmith upgrades scale your damage?
The Nailsmith works in his hut on the far left edge of the City of Tears. Each upgrade tier requires Geo and an increasing number of Pale Ore pieces.
- Old Nail: 5 base damage (Default starting nail).
- Sharpened Nail: 9 damage (Costs 250 Geo, 0 Pale Ore).
- Channelled Nail: 13 damage (Costs 800 Geo, 1 Pale Ore).
- Coiled Nail: 17 damage (Costs 2,000 Geo, 2 Pale Ore).
- Pure Nail: 21 damage (Costs 4,000 Geo, 3 Pale Ore).
Upgrading your nail increases enemy health pools in certain dream boss fights, but makes standard enemies die in significantly fewer hits. Prioritize getting Channelled Nail early to simplify exploration in Deepnest and Kingdom's Edge.
How do you find and upgrade all spells?
Every base spell in Hollow Knight has an upgraded dark variant that deals higher damage and grants special combat properties.
Fireball: Vengeful Spirit -> Shade Soul
Vengeful Spirit is granted by the Ancestral Mound Shaman in Crossroads.
To upgrade to Shade Soul, buy the Elegant Key from Sly in Dirtmouth for 800 Geo. Open the locked door in Soul Sanctuary (City of Tears) and defeat the Soul Warrior mini-boss inside. Shade Soul increases projectile damage from 30 to 40 with Shaman Stone equipped and pierces multiple targets.
Dive: Desolate Dive -> Descending Dark
Desolate Dive drops from the Soul Master boss in Soul Sanctuary.
To upgrade to Descending Dark, head to the Crystallised Mound in Crystal Peak. Break the crystal structure holding the Shaman inside. Descending Dark increases impact damage from 35 to 60 and grants 0.4 seconds of complete invincibility (i-frames) initiating immediately upon cast input. Casting mid-air skips the grounded leap animation, but chaining casts too rapidly cancels prior i-frame windows.
Scream: Howling Wraiths -> Abyss Shriek
Howling Wraiths rests in the upper left section of Overgrown Mound in Fog Canyon.
To upgrade to Abyss Shriek, travel to the bottom left chamber of The Abyss. Stand on the stone pedestal and cast Howling Wraiths upwards. The pedestal absorbs the spell and grants Abyss Shriek. This spell hits four times for a total of 80 base damage (120 damage with Shaman Stone equipped), making it the highest DPS spell in the game against airborne targets.
How does Relic Trading work with Relic Seeker Lemm?
Relic Seeker Lemm buys collectibles in the City of Tears, acting as a shade-proof bank. Unlike raw Geo, relics remain in your inventory upon death. Keep relics stored safely in your inventory until you need to fund expensive purchases.
Lemm's street-level door unlocks after acquiring the King's Brand. Selling all world relics yields a maximum total of 21,650 Geo:
| Relic Name | Quantity Available | Individual Price | Total Geo Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wanderer's Journal | 14 | 200 Geo | 2,800 Geo |
| Hallownest Seal | 17 | 450 Geo | 7,650 Geo |
| King's Idol | 8 | 800 Geo | 6,400 Geo |
| Arcane Egg | 4 | 1,200 Geo | 4,800 Geo |
Should I kill the Nailsmith after acquiring Pure Nail?
If you spare him, he walks to Sheo's hut in Greenpath where both characters find happiness painting together. Sparing him unlocks the Happy Couple achievement without losing rewards.
Do Nail Arts scale with nail upgrades?
Yes. Great Slash deals 2.5 times your nail damage, Dash Slash deals 2.5 times your nail damage, and Cyclone Slash hits up to 6 times for 1.25 times nail damage per spin.
Does Descending Dark i-frame protect against acid and spikes?
Descending Dark i-frames shield you from all enemy damage and hazards during the landing animation, but touching spikes after the animation ends will still reset you.