The Shovel Blade is Shovel Knight's signature and ever-trusting weapon; it is a solid and versatile tool used for digging as well as attacking, and is the only gear that Shovel Knight doesn't need to equip. Those who wield such a weapon follow a honorable moral code known as the Code of Shovelry.
In a similar fashion, his rival Black Knight also uses a Shovel Blade, while the bulky Polar Knight wields a specialized Snow Shovel, and it is implied he also followed the Code of Shovelry before he began serving The Enchantress, as referred by his relationship with Shovel Knight and Black Knight.
According to the Shovel Smith, an expert blacksmith, not all shovels are fit to be used as Shovel Blades; on the contrary, most shovels are too brittle, and they can only be useful to dig up dirt, such as the decrepit Grave Digger's Shovel.
Fighting Styles and Notable Users[]
The two primary attacks that can be performed with the Shovel Blade are called the Dig Slash, which is a standard forward strike, and the Shovel Drop, a downwards bouncing attack, but the versatile and flexible nature of the weapon has lead its various users to adapt the basics to their own distinguishable fighting styles; any Shovel Blade is inherently capable to deflect and redirect projectiles.
Shovel Knight[]
Both of the above techniques have been completely mastered by Shovel Knight but, being an honorable warrior reluctant to start needless conflicts, he usually prefers to use them to excavate treasure rather than fighting, concealing his true martial prowess to the public eye. Due to his prolonged partnership with Shield Knight, the both of them have learned to synchronize their blows together, with Shovel Knight taking advantage of her Shield Rush as a base for a mid-air Shovel Drop.
Unlike other Shovel Blade users, Shovel Knight is also an eclectic fighter, and he has learned to spruce up his base Shovel Blade fighting style with the use of numerous magical weapons, such as the Relics, with Shovel Knight being quickly able to find an effective combat use for these objects; however he is not infallible, and when dealing with some of the more complex ones, such as the Mobile Gear or the Phase Locket, indirectly pilfered from their legitimate owners, being unable to fully understand them, not to mention being ignorant of their full potential, Shovel Knight is forced to stick to their most basic use.
There are also three additional Shovel Blade Upgrades in Shovel of Hope that Shovel Knight can purchase for the Shovel Blade from the Shovel Smith at the Armor Outpost in order to increase his moveset:
- The Drop Spark, which makes Dig Slashes generate rolling sparks while Shovel Knight is on full health.
- The Trench Blade, which lets the Shovel Blade dig up Dig Piles with just one Dig Slash instead of five.
- The Charge Handle, which lets Shovel Knight charge up the Shovel Blade to perform stronger and wider Dig Slashes.
While the Dynamo Mail or the Ballistic Armor compliments Shovel Knight's natural fighting style, his base Shovel Blade techniques of Dig Slashes and Shovel Drops, are completely altered in certain way whenever he is equipped with certain specialized suits of Armor, like the Armor of Chaos or the Toad Gear.
Black Knight[]
Black Knight is an aggressive fighter also able to perform vicious Dig Slashes with his Shovel Blade, as well as a modified Shovel Drop called Shovel Dive and conjure seemingly dark-magic based projectiles called Dark Waves, not to mention launch the Stone Strike, excavated stones charged with similar power that can be combined together with the Dark Waves to create more powerful blows. Black Knight has also shown to be able to use his Shovel Blade techniques in perfect conjunction with his loyal shelled steed, Terrorpin. While temporarily overloaded with The Enchantress' wicked dark magic, Black Knight was able to perform extremely powered up versions of his Shovel Blade techniques, including the summoning and shattering of massive meteors.
Black Knight biggest flaw in his fighting style and his own worst enemy is himself, as he cannot help but taunt his adversaries during combat; while he usually mean to use these taunts to take his opponents by surprise with a swift strike, more than usual they instead result in him taking unnecessary damage, which many times has lead to his defeat.
Polar Knight[]
The colossal Polar Knight on the other hand primarily uses his equally massive blade to dig up snow, hence his fighting style focuses on it alongside his enormous brute strength, with his base attack being known as a Snow Slash; he also modified the Shovel Drop in his personal Shovel Slam, and he commonly rushes his enemies shovel-first with a powerful charge known as a Polar Plow, usually combined with the giant snowballs he created with his Avalanche Kick. An expert on ice and the bitter cold like few, Polar Knight is capable to use his Snow Shovel to masterfully shape these elements to his full advantage, such as creating ice pillars or Snow Spikes out of it; he is fully aware of the strength and weaknesses of the Shovel Drop technique, him being able to easily counter it if necessary. Lastly he is also a surprisingly good animal handler, being perfectly capable to fight alongside a fierce pack of wild Spinwulves.
For reasons unknown Polar Knight has become obsessed with the concept of overwhelming power, and due to this he only focuses on raw strength and little more, looking down upon more creative and less brutal fighting styles such as Plague Knight's, an attitude that more than once has costed him the victory and yet he refuses to change.
Other Users[]
A rather cordial wandering traveler that eerily resemble Shovel Knight, the piscine Fish Head, rarely appears at the Armor Outpost, and he is also equipped with a Shovel Blade. It is utterly unclear what the connection between the genuine Shovel Knight and this bizarre individual actually is or what his use of the Shovel Blade entail.
Shovel Knight's artificial gelatinous doppelgänger, the Slimulacras, also possess gooey copies of his Shovel Blade, although these goop-based foes just merely mindlessly parrot his techniques in an effort to defeat him.
Master Argus, first met in Shovel Knight Dig, is an undead warrior who in life had mastered the Shovel Blade and the Code of Shovelry. Meeting Shovel Knight during Drill Knight's digging operation with The Well, and seeing in him a worthy successor, he began teaching him new Shovel Blade Techniques for a fee of gold, dusting off a new one each time one of his challenges, written on his own tombstone back at the Surface, were cleared.
Trivia[]
- In the Shovel Smith's shop, it is possible to spot a green Shovel Blade next to a helmet of the same color, both resting on a table in the shop.
- Multiple Shovel Blades can be seen inside the glimpse of The Burrow, seen through the Drifting Glass.
Gallery[]
