Learn how to find Nailmaster Mato’s in Hollow Knight!
Team Cherry’s Metroidvania action-adventure game, Hollow Knight, follows the journey of a nameless warrior called the Knight as he travels through Hallownest, now a kingdom ruined by a supernatural disease. As the Knight journeys through Hallownest, he can unlock new abilities, spells, charms, and different people to help him traverse other areas of Hallownest and defeat enemies.
In the game, there are masters of Nail Arts in Hollownest, called Nailmasters, who will pass their learnings to new pupils. One of these Nailmasters is Nailmaster Mato.
According to in-game lore, Nailmaster Mato and his brothers Oro and Sheo were taught Nail Arts by the Great Nailsage Sly. Mato’s signature Nail Art is the Cyclone Slash Nail Art. Mato had a passion for teaching and wanted to pass on the education that the Nailsage taught him to new pupils who would become the next generation of Nailmasters.
In this guide, we’ll learn how to find Nailmaster Mato!
Location
The Knight can find Nailmaster Mato inside his hut at the top of Howling Cliffs.
In Howling Cliffs, the Knight will encounter different kinds of enemies. However, the Knight will encounter these enemies on the way to Nailmaster Mato: Crawlids, Tiktiks, and Vengeflies.
Before the Knight can head to Howling Cliffs and find Nailmaster Mato, it is recommended that the Knight must first have the Mantis Claw ability, which allows the Knight to cling to walls and jump off of them, and the Mothwing Cloak ability, which allows the Knight to perform a horizontal dash forward, or the Monarch Wings ability, which allows the Knight to perform a secondary jump in mid-air.
The Knight must also purchase the Lumafly Lantern from Sly in Dirtmouth to light up very dark rooms. With this item and these abilities, reaching the Howling Cliffs area and finding Nailmaster Mato will be no challenge.
To find Nailmaster Mato in Howling Cliffs, this is what the Knight must do (this is assuming that this is the player’s first time heading to Howling Cliffs):
- From the Bench in the middle of Dirtmouth, head to the left, then, upon reaching the wall, jump and climb up the wall using the Mantis Claw ability. At the top of the wall, use the Mothwing Cloak ability to dash towards the platform or the Monarch Wings ability to perform a secondary jump towards the next platform, then take the entrance on the left.
- Upon entering the room, the Knight is back in the King’s Pass area, the first area in the game. Head to the left, drop down on the next gap, head to the right, drop down to the gap, continue dropping down to the platforms below the left, and head to the bottom on the right side of the spikes.
- Next, continue to the right of what looks like a wall, and the Knight will be in a hidden part of the area. Continue to the right, jump over the spikes with the help of the Monarch Wings ability to double jump or the Mothwing Cloak ability to dash forwards in mid-air, and drop down on the gap where the Knight will start using the Lumafly Lantern to light up the area, and head to the left where you will find a Geo Chest which, after hitting it, will give off the Fury of the Fallen charm and not Geos.
- After that, head to the left, then drop on the narrow gap, continue to the left where the Knight will encounter a Crawlid, continue to head and jump on the platform on the left where the Knight will encounter another Crawlid, jump across the gap, and head to the left until the Knight reaches a large area.
- Next, continue to the left of what looks like the end of the path, and the Knight will be in a hidden part of the area with a Geo Deposit. Head up the narrow shaft using the Mantis Claw ability (watch out for the spikes!), then take the exit at the top.
- Then, head to the next platform above using the Mantis Claw ability to cling to the wall on the right and jump up, then continue to the left, where you will find a wooden structure holding up a wall on the other side. Strike the wooden structure several times to destroy it and open the path.
- After that, continue to the left and up the platforms, where the Knight will encounter another Crawlid. The Knight has now arrived in Howling Cliffs! Continue to the left, where the Knight will encounter another Crawlid, drop down on the gap, and head to the bottom of this area.
- At the bottom, a narrow path leads to the right on the right side of the spikes. Head to the right, and you will see an entrance to a house. Enter the house, and you will see a Bench (this is also the only Bench in Howling Cliffs). Sit on the Bench to heal and save your progress.
- After that, head to the right, and, finally, after a narrow corridor, you will find Nailmaster Mato!
After finding Nailmaster Mato, the Knight can now talk to him and learn the Cyclone Slash Nail Art, allowing the Knight to unleash a spin attack that looks like a cyclone and continuously attacks enemies in the Knight’s surroundings!
