Plague of Shadows (boss)

Plague of Shadows
Sprite(s)
Portrait
Attributes
Type(s)	Penultimate boss
Weapon(s)	Bombs
Hit points
Game Information
Appears in	Plague of Shadows
Stage(s)	Tower of Fate: ????
Music Track(s)	The Vital Vitriol

The Plague of Shadows is the penultimate boss of the eponymous campaign. It is fought directly after The Enchantress.

Appearance

The Plague of Shadows appears similar to Plague Knight's boss form from the other campaigns, only it is completely black.

Story

Plague of Shadows

The Plague of Shadows appears after Plague Knight has defeated The Enchantress and completed the Ultimate Potion with her Essence. It is first revealed as the knight's shadowy outline cast on the stained-glass window. Lightning strikes and the shadow is separated from Plague Knight and projected behind him. It then starts moving on its own to fight Plague Knight.

Once defeated, the Plague of Shadows transforms into the Corrupted Essence.

Strategy

The Plague of Shadows fights akin to Plague Knight in Shovel of Hope, except that the arena is made entirely of rising destructible blocks. Another important note is that Plague Knight's bombs can destroy the vats, which Shovel Knight could not do.

Alternatively, the Plague of Shadows can be defeated by remaining still for about 30-40 seconds, after which, it speaks its line, ending the fight.

Dialogue

Click to expand

Plague of Shadows After standing still during its fight "????: You are steadfast in your resolve... maybe there's hope for us yet..."

Trivia

• When the Plague of Shadows takes damage, the color cycling reveals the detail on its cloak and mask normally invisible due to its all black palette.
• This boss was possibly based off of a suggestion by Twitter user Fireork recommending something similar to the X Potion from the Candy Box 2.
  • This may be supported by the alternate method for defeating the boss, as defeating the player character using the X Potion from the Candy Box 2 gives them the Boots of Introspection, which cause the player character (who normally continually moves to the right) to not move at all.
• Although not outright stated, this battle takes place in Plague Knight's mind. It can be interpreted as a mental test of his resolve by making him fight against himself.
  • This would also fit considering this fight might have also been based off of the infamous Dark Link battle in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link due to the very close resemblance to the battle and how it also was a test.