Dream Nail

The Dream Nail is an Ability in Hollow Knight. It can collect Essence and enter dreams.

Lore
The Dream Nail is a sacred weapon and talisman, which can cut the veil that separates the waking world from dreams. It appears to have been made by the Moth Tribe. The Dream Nail allows its user to not only read the thoughts of an entity, or even inanimate objects, but also enter specific sections of the Dream Realm.

Before the Knight acquires it, the blade dulled over time, making it necessary to fill it with enough Essence to awaken it. Essence are the fragments of light that dreams are composed of. Dreams can also take the shape of those who have passed away. Dreams and memories cling onto the Dream Nail when Essence is collected.

Another one of the Dream Nail's abilities is to teleport the user from one place to another through dreams. The user warps by imagining a great gate to a location connected to them, provided the location has a strong connection to dreams.

The user of the Dream Nail is referred to as the "Wielder", an entity whose arrival the Moth Tribe had awaited. The Wielder's purpose is to collect Essence and hunt memories all across Hallownest. Once 2400 or more Essence has been acquired, the Seer declares the Knight to be the Wielder her tribe had long dreamed of.

Function
Hold down DREAM NAIL to charge and swing the Dream Nail. This can perform several functions:
 * Extract Essence from Spirits
 * Activate Whispering Roots
 * Collect SOUL from living enemies (33 SOUL)
 * Challenge Warrior Dreams
 * Read the minds of NPCs, enemies (excluding Warrior Dreams), and some statues and corpses
 * Instantly kill both the Shade and Siblings
 * Summon The Grimm Troupe
 * Use to set or travel to a Dreamgate (Requires 900 Essence)
 * Enter the Dream Realm
 * Challenge Dream Bosses
 * Access the Shrine of Believers
 * Enter the minds of Dreamers
 * Access the White Palace (Awoken Dream Nail, requires 1800 Essence)
 * Access Godhome
 * Obtain Void Heart
 * Challenge the Radiance
 * Switch boss forms in the Hall of Gods

The Dream Wielder Charm, granted by the Seer after collecting 500 Essence, greatly reduces the charge time of the Dream Nail and doubles the SOUL gained from hitting living enemies (from 33 to 66).

How to Acquire
The Dream Nail is acquired in the Resting Grounds by inspecting the Dreamers Memorial. Doing so sends the Knight into a dream where they receive the Dream Nail from a Moth.

Awoken Dream Nail
After collecting 1800 Essence, the Dream Nail can be awoken. This allows access to dreams and memories that were previously hidden. The Awoken Dream Nail can be used on the corpse of the Kingsmould in the Palace Grounds. This grants entry to the White Palace.

Furthermore, the Awoken Dream Nail can be used to view the Dream Nail dialogue of the Shade Cloak creature in the Abyss. This creature has different Dream Nail dialogue depending on whether Void Heart has been obtained.

Essence
Essence is the energy gained from multiple sources after obtaining the Dream Nail. After obtaining certain amounts of Essence, the Knight can return to the Seer for rewards. A total of 2400 is needed for all in-game rewards and achievements, though up to 3208 essence is available from exploration and bosses. Warping using the Dreamgate uses 1 Essence each time.

Essence Sources

 * Using Dream Nail on a Spirit (26 total)
 * Collecting Essence spawned by a Whispering Root (482 total)
 * Defeating a Warrior Dream (1100 total)
 * Elder Hu (100)
 * Galien (200)
 * Gorb (100)
 * Markoth (250)
 * Marmu (150)
 * No Eyes (200)
 * Xero (100)
 * Defeating a Dream Boss (1600 total)
 * Failed Champion (300)
 * Grey Prince Zote (300)
 * Lost Kin (400)
 * White Defender (300)
 * Soul Tyrant (300)
 * Regular enemies have a chance to drop Essence:
 * If less Essence was spent on warping to a Dreamgate than getting randomly from Enemies: 0.33% (1/300)
 * If more Essence was spent on warping to a Dreamgate than getting randomly from Enemies: 1.67% (1/60)
 * If Dream Wielder is equipped and less Essence was spent on warping to a Dreamgate than getting randomly from Enemies: 0.5% (1/200)
 * If Dream Wielder is equipped and more Essence was spent on warping to a Dreamgate than getting randomly from Enemies: 2.5% (1/40)

Essence rewards from the Seer

 * 100 Essence - Hallownest Seal
 * 200 Essence - Spirits' Glade opens
 * 300 Essence - Pale Ore
 * 500 Essence - Dream Wielder Charm
 * 700 Essence - Vessel Fragment
 * 900 Essence - Dreamgate
 * 1200 Essence - Arcane Egg
 * 1500 Essence - Mask Shard
 * 1800 Essence - Awaken the Dream Nail and unlock the Awakening Achievement
 * 2400 Essence - The Ascension Achievement

Trivia

 * The Dream Nail can be used to push back most enemies.
 * The amount of Essence that can be stored is capped by the 32-bit signed integer limit, which is 2,147,483,647 (over 2 billion).
 * Even though the Fluke Larvae near Flukemarm and in the Junk Pit are not considered actual enemies in-game, they still have a chance to give 1 Essence after being defeated.
 * Certain NPCs can sense their mind being read, namely the White Lady, Snail Shaman, Bardoon, Seer and Midwife.
 * The backboard for Dream Nail dialogue is different for the Pale King's dialogue shown during the Birthplace memory. While all other Dream Nail dialogue uses a backboard with pink Essence, the backboard for dialogue during this scene has white Essence.

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