Three charged-nail techniques taught by the Nailmasters. Cyclone Slash hits multiple targets, Great Slash doubles base damage, Dash Slash multiplies it 2.5x mid-dash.
Three Nail Arts, three Nailmasters, one shared charge mechanic. According to the wiki, holding the ATTACK button for ~1.3 seconds charges the Nail Art; releasing the button fires the technique in the direction the Knight is facing. The Nailmaster’s Glory charm cuts the charge time roughly in half.
Per the wiki, each Nail Art has a distinct damage profile. Great Slash hits for 2.5x base nail damage in a single wide arc; Dash Slash fires forward at 2.5x base nail damage during the dash window; Cyclone Slash spins the Knight in place for 1.25x base nail damage per hit across 3 to 7 hits depending on enemy hitbox duration.
The wiki notes a quiet rule that catches most players: Nail Arts do NOT scale with Fragile or Unbreakable Strength. Strength charms boost standard nail strikes by +50%; Nail Arts use base nail tier damage only. Fury of the Fallen also has no effect unless Nailmaster’s Glory is also equipped, which is the only documented way to multiply Nail Art damage with a charm.
This guide covers all 3 Nail Arts, their Nailmaster pickup locations, the damage formulas at every nail tier, the Nailmaster’s Glory charge-time discount, the missing Strength-charm scaling, and the Brothers Oro and Mato fan-art ending tied to all 3 picked up.
3 Nail Arts from 3 Nailmasters; charge ATTACK and release.
1.25x per hit (3-7 hits) from Mato in Howling Cliffs.
Nailmaster’s Glory cuts charge time roughly in half.
Strength charms do NOT scale Nail Arts; only base nail tier matters.Hold the ATTACK button until the Knight glows white, release to fire the Nail Art in the direction faced. Per the wiki, the base charge time is ~1.3 seconds; the Nailmaster’s Glory charm reduces this to ~0.7 seconds, which makes spammable Cyclone Slash combos viable.
According to the wiki, all 3 Nail Arts use BASE nail tier damage, ignoring every Strength multiplier in the game. A Pure Nail (21 base damage) Great Slash deals 2.5 x 21 = 52 damage; equipping Fragile Strength does NOT raise this to 78. The wiki specifies Fury of the Fallen also has zero effect unless Nailmaster’s Glory is also equipped; that pairing is the only documented Nail Art damage multiplier.
The wiki notes Nail Arts can interrupt enemy attacks via hitbox priority. The charge animation is vulnerable, but the release fires through enemy windups cleanly; standard nail strikes ricochet off shielded enemies (Husk Guards, False Knight first phase) while Nail Arts pass through and deal full damage.
Per the wiki, picking up all 3 Nail Arts plus visiting Nailmaster Sheo afterwards triggers the Brothers Oro and Mato cinematic where Sheo paints Oro and Mato as his estranged siblings. The cinematic is a one-shot lore beat most players miss because they don’t return to Greenpath after the third pickup.
Per the wiki, the 3 Nail Arts cover three distinct combat use cases: multi-target sweep (Cyclone), single-target burst (Great), and mid-dash extension (Dash). Damage at Pure Nail (21 base) is shown for reference.
| Art | Multiplier | Pure Nail damage | Nailmaster | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyclone Slash | 1.25x per hit | ~26 per hit (3-7 hits = 78-184) | Mato | Howling Cliffs |
| Great Slash | 2.5x | ~52 (single hit) | Sheo | Greenpath (the artist hut) |
| Dash Slash | 2.5x | ~52 (single hit, during dash) | Oro | Kingdom’s Edge |
According to the wiki, Cyclone Slash is the highest theoretical damage of the three but only against enemies that stay in the spinning hitbox for the full duration. Bosses that dodge or phase mid-cyclone take 1-2 hits, not the 7-hit maximum; against stationary tank bosses (Soul Tyrant, Hollow Knight Phase 1) Cyclone wins, against mobile bosses Great Slash wins.
Per the wiki, Oro charges 800 Geo for Dash Slash; Mato and Sheo teach Cyclone and Great Slash for free. Saves on tight Geo budgets can defer Dash Slash until after Mantis Lords and the first nail upgrade pass; the other 2 arts are accessible immediately after each Nailmaster meeting.
Great Slash is the canonical single-target Nail Art. Per the wiki, the technique fires a wide overhead arc that covers roughly 4 tiles forward and 2 tiles vertically; 2.5x base nail damage lands as a single hit on every enemy in the arc.
According to the wiki, Sheo lives in an isolated hut in upper Greenpath past a series of Moss Knight encounters. The route requires Mothwing Cloak and access to the Greenpath Stag Station; Mantis Claw speeds the climb but is not required.
The wiki specifies Sheo teaches Great Slash for free with no Geo cost. The pickup conversation also opens lore on Sheo’s artistic retirement from the Nailmaster lineage; visiting Sheo after picking up both Cyclone and Dash Slash triggers the Brothers cinematic that reveals Oro and Mato as Sheo’s siblings.
Dash Slash extends a Mothwing Cloak dash with a 2.5x nail damage strike. Per the wiki, the technique fires forward during the dash animation, covering the full dash distance with a continuous hitbox that deals damage on enemy contact.
According to the wiki, Oro lives in a hut on the east side of Kingdom’s Edge past a wind-corridor sequence. The pickup requires 800 Geo (the only Nail Art with a Geo cost) and Monarch Wings to clear the corridor; the Primal Aspid nail-bounce skip is the only no-wings alternative.
The wiki notes Dash Slash pairs naturally with Dashmaster (faster dash cooldown) and Sharp Shadow (extra dash damage on shadow-dash). The 5-notch Dashmaster + Sharp Shadow + Nailmaster’s Glory build is the canonical aerial speedrun loadout.
Cyclone Slash spins the Knight in place for a multi-hit area attack. Per the wiki, the technique fires when the Knight charges ATTACK then releases while holding UP or DOWN without dashing; repeatedly tapping ATTACK extends the spin duration up to ~3 seconds.
According to the wiki, Mato lives in a hut in Howling Cliffs past a Lifeseed corridor north of Dirtmouth. The route requires Vengeful Spirit (for the breakable wall), Mantis Claw, and the Lumafly Lantern from Sly; the pickup is free with no Geo cost.
The wiki specifies Cyclone Slash deals 1.25x base nail damage per hit across 3 to 7 hits depending on enemy hitbox time inside the spin. Stationary tank bosses absorb the full 7-hit cap (184 damage on Pure Nail saves); mobile bosses dodge mid-spin and take 1-3 hits. Hidden Dreams Hollow Knight Phase 1 is the canonical Cyclone Slash farm target.
Per the wiki, Nailmaster’s Glory is the single most-impactful charm for Nail Art builds. The 1-notch charm cuts charge time roughly in half (1.3s to ~0.7s) AND unlocks Fury of the Fallen as a Nail Art damage multiplier; without Glory, no charm scales Nail Art damage.
Nailmaster’s Glory (1 notch; ~0.7s charge time, unlocks Fury scaling)
Quick Slash (3 notches; +54% standard nail attack speed; does NOT speed Nail Art charge)
Dashmaster (2 notches; faster Mothwing dash, matters for Dash Slash chains)
Mark of Pride (3 notches; extends nail range, also extends Cyclone Slash hitbox)
Fury of the Fallen (2 notches; +75% Nail Art damage at 1 Mask, ONLY with Glory equipped)According to the wiki, the canonical 11-notch Nail Art build is Nailmaster’s Glory (1) + Mark of Pride (3) + Dashmaster (2) + Fury of the Fallen (2) + Stalwart Shell (2). The build sacrifices Strength charm slots for reach and panic-mode damage. In actual play, the Pure Nail Cyclone Slash at 1 Mask deals 184 x 1.75 = 322 damage over a full spin against a stationary tank boss.
Nail Arts tie to the Nailmaster’s Glory charge-time charm, the nail-upgrade damage tiers, the Dashmaster dash speed-up, and the Fury panic multiplier. 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.