You’re staring at 15,000 Geo. It’s a staggering amount of money. In the world of Hallownest, that’s enough to buy out basically every shopkeeper in Dirtmouth twice over. And yet, there’s this weird bug woman named Divine sitting in a tent, offering to eat your most prized possession for a price that feels like a total scam.
Is Unbreakable Strength actually worth the headache? Or are you just throwing your hard-earned Geo into a bottomless pit?
Most players stumble into the Grimm Troupe DLC and see the price tag for the first time. They panic. They think they need to farm for six hours straight. Honestly, the reality is a bit more nuanced. If you’re playing the game "normally," you might not even need the unbreakable version at all. But if you're hitting a wall with endgame bosses, this charm becomes the difference between a victory lap and a broken controller.
The Raw Math of the Damage
Let's get the facts straight. Unbreakable Strength gives you a flat 50% increase to your Nail damage.
That is massive.
If you have the Pure Nail, your base damage is 21. With this charm equipped, you’re hitting for roughly 31 or 32 damage per swing. It’s the single most powerful offensive buff in the game that doesn't rely on you being one hit away from death.
Where the confusion starts
A lot of people think this charm buffs everything. It doesn't.
- Nail Arts? Nope. Great Slash and Cyclone Slash don't care about this charm.
- Spells? Not a chance. You’ll need Shaman Stone for that.
- Vengeful Spirit? Forget about it.
This charm is strictly for the "mash the attack button" crowd. If you play a hybrid build or a spell-heavy build, you might find those three notches better spent elsewhere. But for most of us? It’s the gold standard.
How to Get It (Without Losing Your Mind)
To even start this process, you have to summon the Grimm Troupe.
Go to the Howling Cliffs. Find the large bug corpse behind two breakable walls. Dream Nail it. Light the torch.
Suddenly, two tents appear in Dirtmouth. One has the master of the troupe, and the other—the smaller, smellier one—belongs to Divine.
- Buy Fragile Strength: If you haven't already, go to Leg Eater in the Fungal Wastes. It’s 600 Geo (less if you're wearing Defender's Crest).
- Equip it: You must be wearing the charm to give it to her.
- Talk to Divine: She’ll "smell" it. She’ll ask for it. She will literally eat it.
- The Payoff: You now have to pay her 15,000 Geo to get the Unbreakable version back.
Warning: Do not banish the Grimm Troupe while she has your charm. If you do, she leaves, and you’ll find your breakable version just sitting on the ground. You'll be locked out of the upgrade for that save file. Forever.
The Secret "Dream" Loophole
Here is the part most guides won't tell you: You might not need to pay the 15k right away.
Fragile charms do not break in the Dream world.
If you’re fighting Lost Kin, Failed Champion, or Soul Tyrant, you can wear the regular Fragile Strength and it will stay perfectly intact even if you die twenty times. The same goes for the entire Godhome DLC. Since Godhome is a dream, the "Fragile" tag is basically a lie there.
So, if you’re a Godhome completionist, Unbreakable Strength is just a luxury. You can use the breakable one for the entire Pantheon of Hallownest without a single repair.
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Where it does matter is the "real" world. The Trial of the Fool in the Colosseum of Fools is real. The Radiance is real. White Palace is real. If you die there, the charm shatters, and you have to trek back to Leg Eater like a peasant.
Best Ways to Farm 15,000 Geo
If you’ve decided you need it, don't just kill Husks in the Crossroads. That's a waste of time.
- Trial of the Conqueror: The second trial in the Colosseum. It gives about 2,000 Geo per run and is way faster than the third trial.
- Failed Tramway: The little "hoppers" in Deepnest and Kingdom's Edge drop a decent amount of cash and respawn quickly.
- Sell your Junk: Go see Lemm in the City of Tears. If you've been exploring, you probably have a dozen Hallownest Seals and King's Idols. Sell them. They have no other purpose.
Final Verdict: Is it Worth It?
Basically, yes.
While it’s true that it doesn't count towards a higher completion percentage than the fragile version, the quality of life improvement is huge. It takes away the fear of death.
In a game as stressful as Hollow Knight, knowing you don't have to navigate back through the Fungal Wastes every time a boss squashes you is worth every penny. It allows you to play more aggressively, take more risks, and ultimately, get better at the game.
If you’re sitting on 10k Geo and wondering if you should spend it on the Fountain or the Charm, pick the charm. Every single time.
Next Steps:
If you're ready to grind, equip Fragile Greed and Gathering Swarm immediately. Head to the Colosseum and run the Trial of the Conqueror seven or eight times. You'll have that 15k before you even realize it, and once you hand it over to Divine, you'll never have to worry about your damage output again.