| “ | Once popular for demolition excavation, their use declined after gaining a reputation for exploding near miners. | ” |
— Compendium entry, Shovel Knight Dig | ||
Sploders are minor enemies in Shovel Knight Dig. They are mollusk-looking mining droids packed with explosives that became unpopular after their tendency to self-destruction. They appear in the Smeltworks in specific stage layouts.
Sploders, in their two variants of either + or x patterns, reappear in the Paradox Pack DLC for Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, where they act as Items.
Behavior and Tactics[]
Sploders set themselves to explode in a line up to 3 blocks long whenever Shovel Knight approaches them. The line ( - or | ) is determined by the configuration displayed on their soft shell. They are however weak to attacks, having only 
(1) health point, and give enough time to quickly strike them before they detonate. However, they have a chance of not breaking down at a strike and instead self-destruct, giving out no gems.
Sploders inflict 
1 damage point per direct contact. Their explosions deal 2 damage points.
Variant[]
Armored Sploder[]
| “ | This automaton bomb is encased by an armored shell that it ejects shortly before detonating. | ” |
— Compendium entry, Shovel Knight Dig | ||
Armored Sploders are red Sploders with a hard shell that can block any attack and hide their explosion configuration. When approaching them or when Shovel Dropping them, they loose their shell, revealing either a -, |, + or x line configuration. They also have a longer reach than the blue variant, making them a more serious threat.
Armored Sploders are more common than their unarmored counterparts. They however have the same stats and behavior.
Trivia[]
- Sploders are named "splodroid" in the game's files.