A 3-notch charm that speeds nail strikes by 54%, the single most efficient combat charm in the game. Hidden beneath Nailmaster Oro's hut in Kingdom's Edge.
Quick Slash is the most efficient combat charm in Hollow Knight because the 54% nail-speed boost stacks with every other damage charm. Per the wiki, the charm is more effective than Fragile or Unbreakable Strength in most situations because it not only raises nail damage per second, it also speeds SOUL gain at the same rate, which feeds Focus heals and spell casts.
According to the wiki, Quick Slash sits in a secret room beneath Nailmaster Oro's hut in lower Kingdom's Edge. Access requires Desolate Dive on a breakable floor in the room one screen east of Oro's hut; once the floor breaks, a short drop lands the Knight in a chamber with the charm pedestal.
The wiki specifies the 3-notch cost makes Quick Slash the cleanest stack point for the canonical nail-build trio (Quick Slash + Mark of Pride + Unbreakable Strength = 9 notches). The remaining 2 notches usually go to Grubsong (1 notch) plus a 1-notch utility like Steady Body or a partial Soul Catcher overcharm.
This guide covers the 54% nail-speed mechanic, the Kingdom's Edge Desolate Dive route, the four canonical synergies (Strength, Mark of Pride, Longnail, Grubberfly's Elegy), the Pantheon-of-Hallownest build picks, and the spell-build edge case where Quick Slash still earns its slot.
Speeds nail strikes by 54% for faster damage and SOUL gain.
Beneath Nailmaster Oro's hut in Kingdom's Edge via Desolate Dive on a breakable floor.
Unbreakable Strength + Mark of Pride for the canonical 9-notch nail core trio.
Pure Flukenest spell builds; nail speed does not affect spell cast rate.Quick Slash raises the rate of nail attacks by 54%. Per the wiki, the underlying mechanic is a reduction in the swing cooldown between consecutive attacks; without Quick Slash the Knight swings at roughly 2.4 hits per second, with Quick Slash the rate climbs to roughly 3.7 hits per second.
According to the wiki, the speed boost affects every nail action: forward slash, up-slash, down-slash (pogo), and any nail-derived projectile like Grubberfly's Elegy beams. Spells (Vengeful Spirit, Howling Wraiths, Desolate Dive) and their upgrades are not affected; nail-art charging (Cyclone Slash, Great Slash, Dash Slash) is also unaffected because the boost targets swing speed, not nail-art channel time.
The wiki specifies the SOUL gain knock-on. Each nail hit on an enemy generates SOUL; faster swings mean faster SOUL accumulation. Builds that lean on Shade Soul spam (with Shaman Stone + Spell Twister) get a hidden uplift from Quick Slash because the nail SOUL economy fuels the spell cast count, even though the spell cast itself does not benefit directly.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Notch cost | 3 |
| Effect | Faster nail strikes |
| Speed boost | ~54% (2.4 to 3.7 hits/sec) |
| Affects | All nail swings and projectiles |
| Does not affect | Spell casts, Nail Art channels |
| Source | Kingdom's Edge (below Oro's hut) |
| Cost | Free pickup |
| Required ability | Desolate Dive |
| DLC | Base game |
Per the wiki, the 3-notch cost puts Quick Slash at the same tier as Mark of Pride, Unbreakable Strength, and Shaman Stone. The free pickup makes it the cheapest S-tier charm by Geo (Mark of Pride is also free but gated behind the Mantis Lords fight; Quick Slash is gated behind Desolate Dive only).
Quick Slash sits in a secret room beneath Nailmaster Oro's hut in lower Kingdom's Edge. Per the wiki, the route runs from the King's Station Stag stop east into Kingdom's Edge, then south past Hornet Sentinel to Oro's hut on the lower cliff.
According to the wiki, the access trick is the breakable floor. From Oro's hut, exit one room east into a small chamber with a few enemies; the floor there is breakable via Desolate Dive (Desolate Dive is the Soul Sanctum spell). Diving onto the floor cracks it open; dropping through lands the Knight in a hidden tunnel that leads to the Quick Slash chamber.
The wiki notes the required abilities: Desolate Dive (from Soul Sanctum boss fight against Soul Master), Mantis Claw for the Kingdom's Edge climbs, and either Monarch Wings or Crystal Heart for the upper routes if approaching from the north. Most players grab Quick Slash on their first Kingdom's Edge visit after collecting the Hornet Sentinel King's Brand item.
Per the wiki, the breakable floor leading to Quick Slash is easy to miss because the room looks identical to other Kingdom's Edge corridors. The tell is a small visual crack on the floor texture; Desolate-Diving on a normal floor does nothing, so try the dive on every floor in the room one screen east of Oro's hut.
Quick Slash stacks with four other charms in meaningful ways. Per the wiki, the strongest pairings are with Unbreakable Strength (damage multiplier), Mark of Pride (reach), Longnail (reach, cheaper alternative), and Grubberfly's Elegy (projectile speed).
Unbreakable Strength pairingAccording to the wiki, Quick Slash + Fragile or Unbreakable Strength is the canonical damage stack. The 54% speed and 50% damage multipliers stack multiplicatively, giving roughly 2.3x effective nail DPS against most enemy hitboxes. Notch cost: 6 (3 + 3); add Mark of Pride for the full nail core trio at 9 notches.
Mark of Pride pairingPer the wiki, Mark of Pride extends nail reach by 25%. The pairing with Quick Slash creates a longer, faster swing that closes gaps against mobile bosses like Markoth and Nightmare King Grimm. Mark of Pride drops from the Mantis Lords fight; Quick Slash and Mark of Pride together cost 6 notches.
Longnail pairingThe wiki specifies Longnail (3 notches, 15% reach) as a Mark of Pride alternative when the Mantis Lords have not been cleared. Stacking Quick Slash with Longnail gives the faster, longer-reach effect at 6 notches without requiring the Mantis Lords kill. Most players swap Longnail for Mark of Pride post-Mantis-Lords.
Grubberfly's Elegy pairingAccording to the wiki, Grubberfly's Elegy turns nail strikes into projectile beams when the Knight is at full HP. Quick Slash speeds the projectile firing rate alongside the nail rate, doubling the effective ranged damage. Notch cost: 6 (3 + 3); the catch is the full-HP requirement, which punishes any single hit taken.
The canonical Quick Slash build is the nail core trio plus a sustain layer. Per the wiki, the 11-notch budget fits Quick Slash, Mark of Pride, Unbreakable Strength, and Grubsong cleanly at 10 notches; the 11th notch usually goes to Steady Body or a 1-notch Soul Catcher overcharm.
Quick Slash (3 notches; +54% nail speed) Mark of Pride (3 notches; +25% reach) Unbreakable Strength (3 notches; +50% nail damage)
Grubsong (1 notch; SOUL on damage taken)
Steady Body (1 notch; no nail recoil for tighter combos)According to the wiki, this 11-notch loadout is the consensus first-clear Pantheon build. In actual play, the damage profile is roughly 2.5x baseline nail DPS with full SOUL economy uptime via Grubsong's damage-taken trigger. The Steady Body slot can be swapped for Fury of the Fallen on Pantheon runs that expect low-HP windows.
Wiki note: Quick Slash is more effective than Strength in most situations. Per the wiki, the reason is that Quick Slash raises BOTH damage per second AND SOUL accumulation rate; Strength raises only damage. When the SOUL economy matters (Focus heals, spell casts), Quick Slash wins per notch.
According to the wiki, the math: Strength gives +50% damage at 3 notches; Quick Slash gives +54% speed at 3 notches. Damage per second is similar (roughly 1.5x for Strength, 1.54x for Quick Slash), but Quick Slash also speeds SOUL accumulation by 54%, which Strength does not affect at all.
The wiki effects block notes the exceptions. Against high-armour enemies (Soul Master, the Collector's minions, Watcher Knights), Strength's flat damage bump matters more because each hit overcomes a higher damage floor. Against fast-moving bosses (Markoth, Nightmare King Grimm), Quick Slash's tighter hit windows score more strikes per dodge cycle.
Quick Slash anchors most combat builds and pairs into the broader nail-damage charm stack. These spokes pick up the threads.
Game data and screenshots adapted from hollowknight.fandom.com, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Original content remains the property of the wiki contributors and Team Cherry.