A nail (sometimes called anchor or joint) is the item that can link other objects together. Nailed items may be spawned within the map at the start or can be spawned and attached to items by the shaman in order to build a structure to assist mice in getting the cheese and going back to the hole.
There are five different types of nails available for use. Newer shamans usually have a tough time with nails, due to their difference and lack of forced in-game instructions. The only way to create nails as a shaman is through the C, V, B, J or N keys. Pressing a key multiple times will move the nail from the center to either side of the object, except in the case of the red nail, which may only be attached by the middle. In the case of balloons, pressing any nail hotkeys will allow the shaman to connect the balloon to another object with a string.
Useful for providing a base for other attachments.
Can be attached to the air "through" another item, allowing it to turn in the air, or locking it there if it cannot turn (nailed, or touches the ground etc.).
Automatically creates a string between a balloon making the balloon lift the item.
Used for making airships or stabilizing and elevating bridges.
The key used makes no difference.
To connect a balloon to a mouse, the circle that is the nail must be on the body of the mouse.
Arrow nailing
It is possible to nail an arrow (or spirit), and this can be used to add a nail to overlapping things (e.g. two anvil edges that overlap) or two objects that are within range of a nail (e.g. touching planks). This is very useful if used correctly.
However, shamans are limited to 10 arrow nails in divine mode. This is because this "trick" makes divine mode much simpler than it is meant to be. If you connect two objects that are already connected with a green nail with another green nail in a slightly different spot where they both connect (via green arrow nail), the two items will behave like they are connected with a yellow nail.
Trivia
Despite the blue/green nail's color being blue, the game refers to it as green in the Map Editor.
On 22 March 2016 (V1.296b), new buttons (evocation interface) were added for shamans. The new buttons can be found above the chatbox and can be disabled in the options.
For the Valentine's Day 2021 event, the nail shape was changed from a circle to a heart.
From 17 March 2022 (V1.691) to 10 June 2022 (V1.706), nail arrows were disabled in no-skill mode. They were enabled following a vote on Discord by Matza, where 82% voted in favor of adding nails.[1]
Shaman skill Recycling can remove nails.
