Shovel Knight Treasure Trove: Main Characters | Order of No Quarter | Townsfolk and Other NPCs | Wandering Travelers and Guest Characters | Enemies and Other Bosses
Shovel Knight Dig: Drill Knight & The Hexcavators
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon: Puzzle Knight and Other Characters
Tropes regarding the various enemies fought in Shovel Knight. Currently Under Construction.
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Final Bosses (Major Spoilers)
In General
- Attack Its Weak Point: Each have specific places that have to be hit to damage them. It's the head for the Remnant of Fate, Nightmare Reize, and the Grand Triumvirate, it's the eye for the Mirror of Fate, and it's the orb inside its mouth for the Corrupted Essence.
- Final Boss: Of their respective campaigns.
- One-Winged Angel: They're all varying degrees of horrifying giant monster that double as super forms for other characters.
- Silent Antagonist: None of them are seen speaking, except the Plague of Shadows, if you Sheathe Your Sword.
- Walking Spoiler: All for varying reasons. The Remnant of Fate spoils that the Enchantress is not human, the Plague of Shadows and the Corrupted Essence spoil Plague Knight's true motivations, Reize being a final boss at all and the Enchantress forcing the Joustus Judges to combine are all spoilers.
Shovel of Hope Final Boss
The Remnant of Fate
"Here's a tiny taste of the power you spurned."
The final boss of Shovel of Hope, the Remnant of Fate is the true form of The Enchantress that Shovel Knight and Shield Knight face together.- Horned Humanoid: She has two giant purple goat-like horns on her head.
- Humanoid Abomination: She retains a few human-like qualities, but is still an Eldritch Abomination.
- Leitmotif: The Betrayer
, a fast-paced and upbeat reprise of The Possessor. - Nightmare Face: She occasionally alters her visage to display a vicious-looking, howling fanged maw.
Plague of Shadows Final Boss
The Plague of Shadows and Corrupted Essence
"You are steadfast in your resolve... Maybe there's hope for us yet..."
"The Essences are reacting unpredictably! Watch out!!" —Mona
The final bosses of Plague of Shadows, the titular Plague of Shadows and the Corrupted Essence are dark reflections of Plague Knight that he must face alone.- Antagonist Title: The Plague of Shadows is the title of Plague Knight's campaign and his final boss.
- Battle in the Center of the Mind: It's heavily implied that the entire final battle takes place inside Plague Knight's mind.
- Dark Is Not Evil: The Plague of Shadows, though its a bit ambiguous. He does fight Plague Knight at first, but, as seen in Sheathe Your Sword, he backs down quickly and peacefully if Plague Knight decides to not fight, and he seems to view Plague's lack of fighting as a good thing.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: The Plague of Shadows gives Plague Knight a taste of his own medicine by hopping around just as much as he did during his fight in Shovel of Hope.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: They seem to be a representation Plague Knight's.
- Leitmotif: The Vital Vitriol, Plague Knight's boss theme, is reused for the Plague of Shadows' fight. The Corrupted Essence has The Battle Within.
- Mirror Boss: The Plague of Shadows is quite literally Plague Knight's boss battle from Shovel of Hope.
- Shadow Archetype: They're both manifestations of the insecurities Plague Knight has about his strength that he must overcome, or accept, to earn his happy ending.
- Sheathe Your Sword: An alternative method of defeating the Plague of Shadows. If Plague Knight doesn't move or do anything during the battle, the shadow will never harm him, and after 40 seconds, the fight will end early and he'll compliment Plague for his resolve.
- Skippable Boss: The Plague of Shadows can be skipped by simply refusing to attack them for 40 seconds after the fight begins, netting dialogue from them and going directly into the second phase of the final boss fight.
Specter of Torment Final Boss
Nightmare Reize
"I'd give anything to serve you! Do with me what you will!!"
The final boss of Specter of Torment, Nightmare Reize is the Enchantress' supercharged version of Dark Reize.- Beat the Curse Out of Him: Specter Knight tries to do this to save Reize, but it sadly doesn't work, and he's forced to use his locket to do it instead.
- Bullfight Boss: One of his two attacks is just charging at Specter Knight.
- Clipped-Wing Angel: He's weaker than normal Dark Reize by a mile. He spends his whole boss running away from the player, only using small projectiles and rushing the player as attacks. The look on his face implies that he isn't enjoying his new form, a far cry from Dark Reize who loved his newfound power.
- Evil Is Burning Hot: His head is engulfed in green flames that only go out when he's defeated.
- "Get Back Here!" Boss: He spends the entire fight flying away from Specter while he tries to catch up by grinding on rails.
- Leitmotif: Know Thy True Self
King of Cards Final Boss
The Grand Triumvirate
"Let's twist these false monarchs into something more useful, hm? Long Live The Kings!" —The Enchantress
Phase 2
The final boss of King of Cards, the Grand Triumvirate is the three Joustus Judge Kings fused into one and turned into an opulent golem by the Enchantress.
- All Your Powers Combined: Its first phase uses elements from the Pridemoor, Troupple, and Birder fights.
- Butt-Monkey: When it has Pridemoor's spiked balls rain down, it will hit its head.
- Clipped-Wing Angel: After the first phase, its crown and most of its face is broken, it loses its body, its hands can't attack you (in fact, they can only be used as platforms for you to reach his weak spot), and the only attacks it can use are the occasional laser and fireball from its first phase.
- Energy Weapon: One attack involves firing blue lasers from its eyes. It's one of the few attacks carried over to its second phase.
- Evil Laugh: Lets out a deep, rumbling laugh if you die to its first phase.
- Facial Horror: Its second phase looks like someone took a peeler to its face, leaving behind mostly a skull, some skin, and its eyes intact.
- Giant Hands of Doom: It uses them to slam down and attack King Knight, while also breaking the floor. You can use them as platforms to hit its weak point.
- Light Is Not Good: A massive golden golem that looks like a king. It's a weapon used by the Enchantress to crush King Knight.
- Not Quite Dead: After beating it the first time, its body will fall apart, leaving only its hand and exposed head for its second phase.
Showdown Final Boss
The Mirror of Fate
But something went terribly wrong...
The final boss of Showdown, the Mirror of Fate is the large magical mirror suddenly gained sentience after an attempt at trapping the Enchantress inside Goes Horribly Wrong.
- Flunky Boss: It's capable of summoning enemy fighters in order to impede your progress, either by attacking you are picking gems before you can.
- Go for the Eye: Its huge eye during the second phase is the weak point.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: It was inadvertently created when Specter Knight's allies tried to trap the Enchantress inside it. Technically, it did do what it was created to do, it just happened to trap its creators and several other people inside it as well.
- Leitmotif: Averted. Its first phase reuses Know Thy True Self from Specter of Torment, while its second phase reuses The Betrayer from Shovel of Hope.
- Mirror Monster: The most literal interpretation of this trope.
- Projectile Pocketing: During the Treasure Clash phase, it will collect any gems that its projectiles hit while also transforming said gems into Siege Bombs.
- Sequential Boss: Fought in two phases. The first is a Treasure Clash where the player must collect 15 gems before the mirror and its allies can. The second is a more traditional boss fight, where the mirror goes all One-Winged Angel and the player must deplete its health by attacking its exposed weak point.
- Time-Limit Boss: The first phase sets the round timer to four minutes, while its second phase gives you five minutes.
Other Bosses
The Big Creep
"How thoughtless of me, not telling you the place was haunted! Then again, that's the risk you run, paying for something in advance before you know the details!"
A giant ghost creature made up of multiple Invisishade that is fought in the Hall of Champions in Shovel of Hope. It also appears as a boss in King of Cards.—The Ticketer
- Achilles' Heel: Light Orbs are the only thing that can hurt it.
- Flunky Boss: During one of its attacks, it summons multiple Invisishades that surround it and act as a shield. It will also drop flashing green skulls during the fight as well.
- Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: It comes completely out of nowhere and is notably the only non-Order boss fight that isn't a Guest Fighter of some kind.
- King Mook: It's just a giant, more imposing Invisishade.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: Like the Invisishades that encompass it, it's only damaged by Light Orbs.
- Weakened by the Light: Hitting it with the shine of a Light Orb is the only way to hurt it.
Terrorpin
"Come, Terrorpin, my shelled steed!"
—Black Knight
Black Knight's armored steed introduced in Specter of Torment. He assists Black Knight during his boss fights.
- Evil Laugh: Has one that's very similar to his master.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: He's a cross between a rhino and a turtle.
- Punny Name: His name is a cross on "Terror" and "Terrapin", which is a type of turtle.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: To players familiar with Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, he and Black Knight are meant to show the Specter of Torment players that bosses aren't going to be the same this time around.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: He's completely absent from Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows, with his last chronological appearance being Specter of Torment's credits, which show him to be in Polar Knight's care.
- Black Knight's intro in Showdown implies that Terrorpin died from their last battle with Specter Knight, but it's possible he's just not aware of Polar Knight nursing Terrorpin back to health.
Teethalon
A giant Anglerfish that lives in the Iron Whale. It's fought in all four campaigns.
- Advancing Boss of Doom: The first stage of its boss fight has it chase the player over a short platforming section before the actual fight begins.
- Attack Its Weak Point: In its second stage, the orb in the fake chest is the only spot on it that can be damaged.
- Bullfight Boss: During its second stage, its only attack is rushing toward the player.
- Chest Monster: The lure it uses to draw the player close is one of Chester's relic chests. It actually is the stage's relic chest, it just can't be opened until the boss is dead. King of Cards reveals that this wasn't always the case, as it initially had a goal ring as its lure. It was only after Treasure Knight caught the creature that it became one of these.
- Flunky Boss: During its first stage, it sends small eel-like fish at the player to disrupt their platforming.
- Mini-Boss: Of the Iron Whale.
- Sequential Boss: First, it's an Advancing Boss of Doom that player must run from until they reach the boss arena. There, the Teethalon's weak-point is exposed and the actual fight begins.
The Alchemeister
An elderly alchemist that uses potions to turn himself into a giant yeti-like monster. He resides in the Explodatorium, and is fought in Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, and Specter of Torment.
- Alchemy Is Magic: Like Plague Knight, his alchemy is more like magic, allowing him to completely transform himself.
- Bigfoot, Sasquatch, and Yeti: His monster form his very yeti-like in design.
- Expy: Of Dr. Nitrus Brio. His boss fight style consists of throwing potions and then drinking them to turn himself into a monster, just like Brio did in the first Crash Bandicoot game.
- Gender Bender: When he drinks his potion during the credits of Shovel of Hope, instead of turning into his monster form, he turns into a copy of the Magicist.
- Mad Bomber: He casually tosses explosive potions behind him while he's looking for the on he actually wants. His portrait definitely makes him look unhinged.
- Mad Scientist: He's an alchemist who uses science to transform into a giant monster. There really isn't a better way to describe him.
- Robe and Wizard Hat: Sports both of these, though his hat isn't of the pointy variety.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Through the use of his potions, he can transform into a giant monster.
- Wizard Beard: Sports a standard one when in his default form, adding to his wizard look.
The Dinghy Dropper
A small flying ship piloted by three Hoverhafts. They can be fought in the Flying Machine in Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, and Specter of Torment.
- Death from Above: They enter the battle from the top of the screen and their main attack is a Ground Pound and dropping bombs.
- Ground Pound: Their main method of attack. If the player is touching the ground when they slam into it, the player will get temporarily stunned, leaving them open to the bombs the boss fires out.
- Hamster-Wheel Power: The ship they pilot is powered by the three of them peddling to turn the propeller.
- Those Magnificent Flying Machines: The ship manages to gain lift off despite it being powered by Hamster-Wheel Power.
Hurlsvelgr
A giant crystal-like bird that shoots a rainbow-colored substance form its mouth. It can be found in the Stranded Ship exclusively in Specter of Torment.
- Feathered Fiend: A giant bird that attacks Specter Knight for no real reason.
- Meaningful Name: His name is a portmanteau of "Hurl" (Which is his main attack) and "Hræsvelgr", a giant eagle from Norse Mythology who sits on the northern edge of the heavens.
- Waterfall Puke: When it's hit, it does this. Said vomit creates a solid bit of ground that Specter Knight can use to get a few more hits in.
Stage Enemies
Goldarmor
"Glory to the Goldarmor! I'm not to be underestimated!"
Click here to see the Goldarmor's portrait
Click here to see the Flailarmor's portrait
Click here to see the Sumoarmor's portrait
Common enemies that can be found in almost every level in the game. They have different abilities depending on the color of their armor, and one is a playable character in Shovel Knight Showdown.
- Anchors Away: The purple variants make use of the Throwing Anchor.
- Breakout Mook Character: From a common enemy to a fully playable character in Shovel Knight Showdown.
- Composite Character: The playable Goldarmor in Shovel Knight Showdown borrows its attacks from other variants, such as being able to throw anchors like the purple Goldarmors in the Iron Whale.
- Elite Mooks: The Goldarmors, in general, can be very tricky to deal with, as they not only have five hitpoints but are able to block attacks with their shield. The silver variant, in particular, is easily the strongest of the normal Goldarmors, having the widest range of attacks.
- Epic Flail: The Flailarmors introduced in Specter of Torment carry these to disrupt Specter Knight.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: For the normal variant at least; they wear gold armor, hence the name.
- Kung Fu-Proof Mook: What makes them so infuriatingly difficult to fight is the fact they can easily block frontal strikes and attacks from above. You have to know how to time your moves or else you'll just flail wildly while they will most likely get a few hits in before they go down.
- Lightning Bruiser: Don't be mistaken by their plate armors, some of the Goldarmor variants, like the Green and Silver can jump to deliver a Sword Plant move with some serious agility. The Sumoarmors are no slouch either having all that fat put to good use using deceptively fast tackle attacks.
- Nonindicative Name: The case for all of the Palette Swaps. They're all called Goldarmors, even though they aren't actually wearing gold armor.
- Palette Swap: They all have identical armors of different colors, which denotes what abilities they can use.
- Promoted to Playable: A generic Goldarmor is a fully playable character in Shovel Knight Showdown.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Their loyalty lies with the guy who pays them, whether that's King Pridemoor or King Knight.
- The Rival: One serves as this for Mr. Hat's story in Showdown, who was trying to arrest him after he was reported to steal various hats.
- Shield-Bearing Mook: All the normal variants carry a shield that protects them from direct attacks.
- Sumo Wrestling: The aptly named Sumoarmors introduced in King of Cards use this to combat King Knight's shoulder bashes.
- Sword Plant: The green and silver variants do this, jumping into the air and then trying to skewer their foes on landing.
- Underground Monkey: Goldarmors have the most different variants out of any other enemy in the game.
- The generic Goldarmor uses its shield to block the player's attacks and counters by thrusting their sword forward. The Purple Goldarmors changes things up by making use of the Throwing Anchor to catch the player off-guard. The Green Goldarmor can jump into the air and attack with a flying Sword Plant. The Red Goldarmor attacking quickly and follow up their first thrust with an immediate second. Silver Goldarmors, the last and strongest variant of the generic Goldarmor, is a combination of the Red and Green ones, making use of the jumping sword plant and the double thrust.
- A new variant is introduced in Specter of Torment, The Flailarmors, carry around {flails to disrupt the player's movement. They can be both gold or silver, though there isn't a difference between the two.
- The Sumoarmors introduced in King of Cards also have multiple variants. The vanilla Sumoarmors simply jump at or body slam King Knight to damage him, while the Red Sumoarmor do the same, but do so much faster, and they also body slam in midair and generate harmful sparks when they land. The Purple Sumoarmor, meanwhile, can float in the air before smashing back down to the ground.
Liquid Samurai
"You needn't offer congratulations. I serve the Enchantress with a pure and burning focus."
Click here to see the Archer's portrait
Click here to see the Swordsman's portrait
Click here to see the Reaver's portrait
Formless creatures that act as the Enchantress' eternal servants. They can be found exclusively in the Tower of Fate in all campaigns.
- Breakout Mook Character: They're merely stage enemies, yet they're playable in Showdown. This likely because they were designed as part of the "Directors for a Day" Kickstarter reward, like the Wandering Travelers.
- Composite Character: As a playable character in Showdown, it can use the red variants sword, the green variants bow & arrow, and the blue variants claws interchangeably, something that the normal enemy variant fought in the main campaigns can't do.
- Elite Mooks: They are among the most aggressive types of enemy and while not as durable as Goldarmors they can deal a lot of damage to the player.
- Glass Cannon: They're nowhere as resilient as Goldarmors, having only two hitpoints instead of five, but are much faster and are usually stationed in positions where they can deal a lot of damage to careless players or simply push them into a pit or lava.
- Go-Karting with Bowser: They support the Enchantress and her plot to take over the Valley, and will ruthlessly defend her against anybody who tries to stop her. They are also happy to play a game of Joustus against King Knight.
- Hive Mind: What one Liquid Samurai knows, all Liquid Samurai will know. This way, if one of them is captured or killed, its brethren will know something is up and act accordingly.
- Irony: The Liquid Samurai's main goal in its Showdown story is to alert the Enchantress to Plague Knight's plans of betrayal. Plague Knight and Mona's Story Modes reveal that their research into essences began after they captured and experimented on a Liquid Samurai, meaning that the Liquid Samurai unwittingly helped push Plague Knight's betrayal into action.
- Promoted to Playable: They're a fully playable character in Shovel Knight Showdown.
- The Rival: One serves as this for Mona's story in Showdown, where she tries to harvest it for alchemy.
- Samurai: It's in their name, after all.
- Small Role, Big Impact: They're just stage enemies, Elite Mooks at most, but Plague Knight and Mona's Story Modes establish that the one they captured and experimented on fueled their research into essences, which means the Liquid Samurais are the reason Plague of Shadows happened at all.
- Undying Loyalty: They are completely loyal to the Enchantress; in Showdown, the playable Liquid Samurai's Story Mode shows it trying to reunite with its master and put a stop to Plague Knight's insubordination, and three of its win quotes mention their loyalty to the Enchantress to some degree.
- The Unfought: The blue variants were this until King of Cards finally added them as normal stage enemies. Before that, they appeared during "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue of the first three campaigns and could be seen walking around the Tower of Fate in Specter of Torment, but could never be fought properly.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: The Liquid Samurai are formless creatures that can shift between a standard human-like appearance and their true blob form at will. They can use katanas when red, bows when green, or Wolverine Claws when blue.
- We Have Reserves: They can always make more of themselves if needed. Therefore, they consider themselves expendable.
- You Will Not Evade Me: The sword-wielding red variants are very swift and will chase the player relentlessly dashing and jumping around. The same goes for the claw wielding blue variants.
Hoverhaft
"You can attack quite quickly, my fleet friend. Being aggressive must be in your favor!"
Click here to see the Hoverhaft's portrait
Sky pirates part of Propeller Knight's crew that are encountered solely in the Flying Machine.
- Helicopter Pack: They have a propeller on their back that allows them to hover in the air.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: They're effectively the Goldarmors of the Flying Machine, being humanoid enemies who wield conventional weapons and take multiple hits to be downed. Adding to this, the Flying Machine has several statues of Hoverhaft similar to the Goldarmor Statues in Pridemoor Keep and the Tower of Fate.
