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Silksong Wiki

Pale Nails

Pale Nails is a powerful, late-game Silk Skill in Hollow Knight: Silksong. When activated, Hornet consumes Silk to summon three homing nails of thread that automatically seek out and strike the nearest enemy.

This skill is an incredibly effective tool for dealing with distant, flying, or otherwise hard-to-reach enemies, as the nails attack independently of which way Hornet is facing.

Silk Skill
Pale Nails icon

Pale Nails

"Technique taken from the primal source of Silk. Spin talons from thread that seek out enemies."

Location: The Cradle (Top)

How to Get Pale Nails

Section titled “How to Get Pale Nails”

Pale Nails is one of the last Silk Skills you can find and requires significant story progression. You must reach Act 3 and have unlocked the Silk Soar ability from the Abyss.

  1. Reach Act 3 & Unlock Silk Soar You must progress the main story to Act 3 and acquire the Silk Soar (Super Jump) ability.

  2. Return to The Cradle Retrace your steps to The Cradle, the area where you previously fought the boss, Grand Mother Silk.

  3. Ascend to the Upper Section Using your Silk Soar ability, navigate to the upper platforms of the boss arena where you will find the Grand Mother Silk’s hand resting on a platform.

  4. Bind with the Arm Approach and interact with the arm to “Bind” it, which will grant you the Pale Nails skill.

How to Use Pale Nails

Section titled “How to Use Pale Nails”

Once acquired, Pale Nails must be equipped to a skill slot on your current Crest to be used. The ability summons three homing nails for a cost of 4 Silk (can be reduced to 3 with the Egg of Flealia).

Controls

Section titled “Controls”

Press the assigned tool or skill key to summon the Pale Nails.

PC: F PlayStation: R1 Xbox: RB Switch: R

Strategic Notes

Section titled “Strategic Notes”
  • Fire and Forget: When you activate the skill, Hornet briefly leaps and summons the nails. These nails will then automatically track and attack the nearest enemy, allowing you to focus on dodging or repositioning.
  • Excellent for Airborne Foes: This is the ideal skill for dealing with pesky flying enemies that are often difficult to hit with standard needle attacks.
  • 360° Targeting: The nails do not depend on the direction Hornet is facing. This is useful for hitting enemies behind you or above you while you are moving away from them.