Hollow Knight: How To Find Pale Ore

Players need to master a lot of skills to survive in "Hollow Knight," including honing their exploration instincts and deciphering the game's Charm system. However, while this Metroidvania isn't quite as focused on hardcore combat as similar titles like "Dead Cells," to make any real progress, gamers will also need to learn how to wield their primary weapon, the Nail, with deadly effectiveness. Thankfully, the Nail is a reasonably straightforward weapon, and even new players should be able to get the hang of it pretty quick. 

However, "Hollow Knight" takes some time to beat, and as the game progresses, the enemies get more aggressive. To keep pace with the increasing difficulty, players can visit the Nailsmith in the City of Tears. While the Nailsmith will allow the Knight to pay for their first upgrade with Geo only, later boosts to weapon damage will require one particular rare resource: Pale Ore.

Throughout the entire fallen kingdom of Hallownest, there are only six pieces of Pale Ore waiting for players. A few pieces require some focused exploration, and all require specific conditions to be met. Here is how to find all of the Pale Ore in "Hollow Knight."

When players are ready to start upgrading the Nail and finding the elusive Pale Ore they need, the easiest way to start is by simply visiting the Nailsmith. To do that, players will need to unlock the Queen's Station, which will open up the pathway to the City of Tears, where they will then locate the Nailsmith.

Upon meeting the Nailsmith, he will offer to upgrade the player's Nail for just 250 Geo before informing the Knight that further upgrades will require Pale Ore. There are three more upgrades to the nail possible, with each boost costing one more Pale Ore than the last. This means that players will have to find all six Pale Ore pieces in "Hollow Knight" to reach the fourth and final upgrade, the Pure Nail.

In addition, each nail upgrade also requires a substantial amount of Geo, with the Pure Nail requiring that players bring three Pale Ores to the Nailsmith and also pay 4,000 Geo. As such, players need to ensure that they are saving as much of the underground world's currency as possible while they hunt down the Pale Ore.

One of the easiest pieces of Pale Ore to acquire is in the Ancient Basin. When entering from the Royal Waterways, players simply need to head to the left until they find a nest of two Lesser Mawleks. Once both are defeated, a Pale Ore will reveal itself at the back of the lair.

Another Pale Ore can be found in Deepnest by breaking through a secret door to the west of Hot Springs. After players have made their way through that barrier, they need to follow a suspicious Knight double, who will eventually reveal himself as the deadly Nosk. After a lengthy and challenging fight, the real Knight will find a Pale Ore.

The third Pale Ore that can be found through exploration alone is the one that sits in Crystal Peak, although due to this section's vertical nature, players will need the Mantis Claw. The Mantis Claw allows the Knight to grab onto walls and then jump higher, making it a necessary tool when climbing to the Pale Ore's location. Essentially, players just need to head to the top of Crystal Peak to find their prize, although they'll need to master mechanics like striking crystal spikes to jump off them to get there.

The other three Pale Ore pieces require that players complete specific challenges, either making their fundamental difficulty a bit higher or requiring that players complete large chunks of the game.

The Grubfather in the Forgotten Crossroads has a Pale Ore he will happily reward the player with, but only once they have found 31 Grubs for him. While not the most complicated task to complete in "Hollow Knight," it will take a good bit of time. However, it will become much easier if players use the Collector's Map, which reveals the locations of trapped Grubs.

Players can collect yet another Pale Ore from The Seer, who resides in the Resting Grounds. The Seer requires that the Knight bring him 300 essences collected from enemies that fall into the Dream Warrior category, such as Ghosts or Dream Bosses.

The final Pale Ore is found in Kingdom's Edge and is acquired as a reward for completing the second challenge of the Colosseum of Fools, the Trial of the Conquerer. Finding those trials is a journey all its own, and players will need to make their way to the very top of Kingdom's Edge to get the sixth and final Pale Ore for the Nailsmith. Doing so will allow players to forge the Pure Nail, the most powerful weapon in the game.