Learn how to upgrade the Dream Nail in Hollow Knight!
Hollow Knight depicts an unnamed hero, the Knight, on their journey throughout Hallownest. This kingdom has been ravaged because of a dreadful Infection. In this hauntingly beautiful world, the Dream Nail ability is a mysterious and useful tool.
As the Knight delves deeper into the eerie depths of the kingdom of Hallownest, the Dream Nail becomes an essential companion, allowing them to access new areas, gather essential essence, and confront powerful foes. This guide will discuss upgrading the Knight’s Dream Nail ability in Hollow Knight.
This will enable the player to uncover dormant secrets within this hauntingly captivating indie masterpiece. So, prepare to embark on a journey of discovery as we unravel the steps to enhance the Knight’s Dream Nail ability and uncover the depths of Hollow Knight’s rich and enigmatic story!
The Dream Nail in Hollow Knight
Despite its name being confused with a weapon, the Dream Nail is one of the Knight’s abilities. This ability mainly allows the Knight to collect Essence and enter the Dream Realm. In the game, Essence is the luminous fragments that makeup dreams. Dreams can also take the form of those who have died. When Essence gets gathered, dreams and memories attach to the Dream Nail.
Another useful feature of the Dream Nail ability is the power to transport the user from one location to another through dreams. The user warps by picturing a massive gate to a destination connected to them. This is assuming that the area has a strong link to dreams. The Knight, however, can only unlock this power after collecting a specific amount of Essence.
According to in-game lore, the Dream Nail is a revered weapon capable of separating the waking and dream worlds. The Moth Tribe seems to have created this ability. The Dream Nail enables the Knight to not only hear a being’s or even a lifeless object’s thoughts.
Also, this ability allows the user to enter certain regions of the Dream Realm. The Dream Nail had dulled over before the Knight acquired it. Because of this, the Knight must use enough Essence to reawaken it.
The Knight, who uses the Dream Nail, is called the “Wielder.” This is an entity whose coming the Moth Tribe had been anticipating. The Wielder’s mission is to gather Essence and seek memories throughout Hallownest. Once the Knight collects 2400 Essence, the Seer will proclaim the Knight as the Wielder her people have long awaited.
The Dream Nail is obtained by inspecting the Dreamers Memorial in the Resting Grounds. This takes the Knight into a dream, where a Moth gives them the Dream Nail.
Dream Nail Uses in Hollow Knight
Unlike the Knight’s other abilities, the Knight can use the Dream Nail in a variety of ways:
- The Dream Nail ability allows the Knight to hear the thoughts of various NPCs, enemies, a few statues, and dead bugs.
- The Knight can use the Dream Nail ability to collect Essence from Spirits. These are the visible forms of dead bugs.
- The Knight can utilize the Dream Nail to activate Whispering Roots. These are roots that contain Essence. The Knight can find these across the Kingdom of Hallownest.
- The Knight can gather 33 Souls from live enemies with the Dream Nail ability.
- The Knight can start a battle against the Warrior Dreams by hitting them with the Dream Nail ability. Warrior Dreams are the enduring remains of exceptionally powerful bugs.
- Using this ability, the Knight can kill the Shade and Siblings with one Dream Nail hit.
- In Howling Cliffs, the Knight can find a dead bug and hit it with the Dream Nail. Doing so will help the Knight find the Nightmare Lantern. Lighting the Nightmare Lantern up will summon The Grimm Troupe.
- If unlocked, the Knight can use the Dream Nail ability to set or teleport to a Dreamgate.
- The Knight can use the Dream Nail ability to access the Dream Realm. This is where the Knight can battle Dream Bosses, find the Shrine of Believers, access the Dreamer’s minds, find the White Palace, access the Godhome, acquire the Void Heart Charm, and battle the Radiance.
- Lastly, the Knight can use the Dream Nail ability to change the forms of bosses in the Hall of Gods.
The Awoken Dream Nail
The Awoken Dream Nail is the upgrade of the Dream Nail. This improved version enables the Knight to access previously buried dreams and memories.
The Knight can use the Awoken Dream Nail on the Kingsmould’s corpse in the Palace Grounds. This enables the Knight to access the White Palace. Located in the Dream Realm, this area used to be the Pale King’s palace.
In addition, the Knight can also use the Awoken Dream Nail to view the Shade Cloak creature’s Dream Nail dialogue in the Abyss. Depending on whether or not Void Heart Charm has been obtained, this being has a different Dream Nail speech.
How to Upgrade the Dream Nail in Hollow Knight
The Knight must collect a specific number of Essence to upgrade the Dream Nail to the Awoken Dream Nail. To do that, the Knight must use the Dream Nail ability to collect 1800 Essence. After that, the Knight must head back to the Seer.
1. Acquire 1800 Essence
To complete this requirement, the Knight can collect Essence from the following sources:
A. Spirits
As mentioned above, the Knight can use the Dream Nail ability to get Essence from Spirits. All around Hallownest, the Knight will sometimes find the entities of dead bugs made of dreams. The Knight can use the Dream Nail ability on each spirit, except for the Traitors’ Child, to get one Essence. Because of that, the Knight can get 26 Essence from all the Spirits across Hallownest.
B. Whispering Roots
Also, around Hallownest, the Knight will find roots with an Essence called Whispering Roots. To activate them, the Knight must hit it once with the Dream Nail ability. Doing so will result in floating Essence appearing around the room where the Whispering Root is located.
The root grows substantially larger after gathering all of the Essence in the room. Utilizing the Dream Nail on it again will show some dream dialogue with clues about the area’s history.
After obtaining the Dream Nail, the Knight can pay Iselda 150 Geo for a Whispering Root Pin. The locations of all discovered Whispering Roots will be marked on any purchased Maps. The Knight can find Iselda up in Dirtmouth.
Whispering Root Locations
The Knight can gather 482 Essence from all 15 Whispering Roots over Hallownest. To find them, the Knight can go to the following locations:
| Area | Location in the Area | Total Essence Given |
|---|---|---|
| Forgotten Crossroads | Inside the Ancestral Mound | 42 |
| Forgotten Crossroads | Inside a hidden room in the northwest of the map. This is before the entrance to the room with the Grub Colony. | 29 |
| Greenpath | Near the end of the room in the south of the map. This is near the exit that leads to the Queen’s Gardens area. | 44 |
| City of Tears | Inside the large room in the southeasternmost part of The Hive. | 28 |
| Crystal Peak | Inside a room filled with damaging crystals. This is on the way to the northwest of the area. | 21 |
| Deepnest | In the southwest side near the middle of the map. | 45 |
| Fungal Wastes | Inside a room in the north of the map. This is the room that leads to the eastern side of Fog Canyon. | 20 |
| Fungal Wastes | Inside a room directly above the first room of a Mantis Village. | 18 |
| Kingdom’s Edge | In the middle of the room outside where the Seer is located. | 20 |
| Kingdom’s Edge | Inside a large room in the middle of the map. This is slightly near the initial path to the Tower of Love. | 51 |
| Howling Cliffs | Inside the very large room in the southwesternmost part of the map. | 46 |
| Queen’s Gardens | Inside a room near the southeasternmost part of the map. | 29 |
| Royal Waterways | Inside a hidden part of the room on the right of the broken lift. This is near the southeasternmost part of the map. | 35 |
| Resting Grounds | In the middle of the room outside the room where the Seer is located. | 20 |
| Resting Grounds | Inside a hidden room in the Spirits’ Glade. This is in the northeasternmost part of the room. | 34 |
C. Warrior Dream
In the game, the Knight will find entities similar to Spirits called Warrior Dreams. Unlike Spirits, regular NPCs, the Warrior Dreams are Dream entities of strong bugs in Hallownest. The Knight can only find and fight them after the Knight has obtained the Dream Nail ability. Once the Knight uses the Dream Nail ability on the Warrior Dreams, the Knight will face them in a battle. After defeating them, the Knight will get a lot of Essence.
Using the Dream Nail ability on a Warrior Dream begins the battle. Using the Dream Nail ability on them after beating them gathers the Essence without any dialogue. The Dream Nail ability does not affect the Warrior Dreams during battle.
After obtaining the Dream Nail, the Knight can also pay Iselda 180 Geo for the Warrior’s Grave Pin. This will show the location of all found Warrior Dreams on any Maps that have been purchased.
Warrior Dream Locations
From Warrior Dreams, the Knight may get a total of 1600 Essence. The following are the Warrior Dreams that the Knight may face, their locations, and the amount of Essence the Knight will get for defeating them:
| Warrior Dream | Area | Location | Essence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elder Hu | Fungal Wastes | On the left side near the middle of the map. | 100 |
| Gorb | Howling Cliffs | In the north of the map. This is northwest of the northeast Bench in the area. | 100 |
| Xero | Resting Grounds | In the left side near the middle of the map. | 100 |
| Marmu | Queen’s Gardens | In the left half of the map. This is west of the area’s Stag Station. | 150 |
| Galien | Deepnest | In the middle of Deepnest. This is south of the Failed Tramway. | 200 |
| No Eyes | Greenpath | Inside the Stone Sanctuary in the southeasternmost part of the map. | 200 |
| Markoth | Kingdom’s Edge | In the eastern part of the map. The Shade Cloak ability is required to pass through a Shade Gate and reach the room. | 250 |
D. Dream Boss
In Hollow Knight, the Knight may face different versions of bosses that are harder than the original. The Knight can use the Dream Nail ability on some of these bosses to fight them. These are called Dream Bosses. The battle happens within the Dream Realm. Defeat them, and the Knight can get Essence.
Suppose the Knight is defeated while in the Dream Realm. The Knight will not die. Instead, the Knight will only wake up in the location where the Dream Boss was found. This means that if the Knight dies in battle, the Knight will not leave a Shade behind, will not lose any Geo, will not lose part of the Soul Meter, and will not break Fragile Charms.
Dream Boss Locations
The Knight can get 1600 Essence from eliminating all the Dream Bosses. These are the Dream Bosses that the Knight can find, their locations, and the amount of Essence they can get:
| Dream Boss | Area | Location | Essence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed Champion | Forgotten Crossroads | In the room right of the Ancestral Mound. This Dream Boss’ body is behind a breakable wall above the arena where the Knight fought the False Knight. | 300 |
| Grey Prince Zote | Dirtmouth | Strike the statue in Bretta’s basement using the Dream Nail ability. To fight this Boss, the Knight must first save Bretta and Zote, and defeat Zote in the Colosseum of Fools. | 300 |
| White Defender | Royal Waterways | Through a breakable floor at the right end of the room where the Knight fought the Dung Defender. To fight this Dream Boss, the Knight must first defeat the Dung Defender and all three Dreamers. | 300 |
| Soul Tyrant | City of Tears | In the arena where the Knight fought the Soul Master. This is at the top of Soul Sanctum. | 300 |
| Lost Kin | Ancient Basin | In the room where the Knight fought the Broken Vessel. This is in the western part of the map before where the Monarch Wings ability was obtained. | 400 |
E. Regular Enemies
Aside from these special opponents and items above, the Knight can also get Essence from normal enemies. Getting Essence from them, however, is based entirely on luck. The following are the odds of getting Essence from regular enemies:
| Conditions | Odds |
|---|---|
| Fewer Essence was used on transporting to a Dreamgate compared to getting Essence from enemies. | 0.33% or 1/300 |
| More Essence was used on transporting to a Dreamgate compared to randomly acquiring Essence from Enemies. | 1.67% or 1/60 |
| If the Dream Wielder Charm is equipped and fewer Essence was used on transporting to a Dreamgate compared to randomly collecting Essence from Enemies. | 0.5% or 1/200 |
| If the Dream Wielder Charm is equipped and greater Essence was used on transporting to a Dreamgate compared to randomly collecting Essence from Enemies. | 2.5% or 1/40 |
2. Finding the Seer
Once the Knight has accumulated 1800 Essence, the Knight can now upgrade the Dream Nail! All that the Knight needs to do now is talk to the Seer. The Knight can find the Seer in the northeastern part of the Resting Grounds. To find the Seer, the Knight must do the following:
- Begin at the Resting Grounds Stag Station’s Bench. To leave the room, go to the left.
- Using the platforms in the middle, make your way up this room. At the top, take the first exit on the left.
- Afterward, proceed to the left, and the Knight will finally find the Seer!
Talk to the Seer, and she will call the Knight the “Wielder” and take a look at the Dream Nail. She then says the time has come to awaken the Wielder and the Dream Nail. Because of all the Essence the Knight has collected, the Seer will upgrade the Knight’s Dream Nail to the Awoken Dream Nail! The Seer will then say that no dream can hide from the Knight!
Other Rewards
Aside from upgrading the Dream Nail, the Knight will also receive different rewards for collecting Essence. The following are the rewards the Knight will receive for a specific amount of collected Essence:
| Reward | Essence Requirement |
|---|---|
| A Hallownest Seal | 100 |
| The Spirits’ Glade is opened | 200 |
| A Pale Ore | 300 |
| The Dream Wielder Charm | 500 |
| A Vessel Fragment | 700 |
| The Dreamgate ability | 900 |
| An Arcane Egg | 1200 |
| A Mask Shard | 1500 |
| The Awoken Dream Nail and the “Awakening” Achievement | 1800 |
| The “Ascension” Achievement | 2400 |
Conclusion
Upgrading the Dream Nail in Hollow Knight is essential for any adventurer seeking to fully immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of Hallownest’s lore. With this, the Dream Nail evolves into a more powerful tool, allowing the Knight to delve deeper into the hidden recesses of the game’s world and know more about the game’s story.
As you venture forth on your quest to enhance the Dream Nail, you’ll gain access to previously unreachable secrets and deepen your understanding of the game’s profound narrative. So, sharpen your skills, gather the necessary resources, and embark on this enchanting journey of discovery. With this journey, players will find the true essence of Hollow Knight’s hauntingly captivating universe.
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