Headscratchers / Shovel Knight

• Why doesn't the Black Knight just tell Shovel Knight that the Enchantress is a possessed Shield Knight?
  • He blames Shovel Knight for what happened to her, and doesn't want him to know because then Shovel Knight will try harder to save her, which Black Knight thinks he can't do. Maybe.
  • He says repeatedly that he won't let anyone harm the Enchantress. It's implied that he is in love with Shield Knight, so is looking for a non-violent way to bring her back. This seems to be mostly to keep her safe, but also may be so the he can save her and finally win her heart.
• Why did the Enchantress spare Plague Knight under pretenses that she wouldn't want to waste his alchemical talents, since he's already turned on her? Does she have some sort of long-con going on, possibly a Sequel Hook for a Shovel Knight 2?
  • Maybe She was lying as to not have the Amulet broken.
  • She said she would "make use of him" because she was trying to possess him/turn him evil. The final boss of Plague Knight's story was the result of her essence attempting to corrupt his.
• Plague Knight's final boss fight occurs earlier than Shovel Knight's fight with the Enchantress and at the end of it he uses his potion to blow up the Tower of Fate. How does the timing work for that since the tower doesn't collapse until after the Enchantress is defeated? Especially since both fights take place in the same room.
  • I don't think they are actually in the same room, it just looks the same to save on assets. In theory Shovel Knight is fighting the Enchantress while Plague Knight if Fighting his final boss.
• If Mona and Plague Knight can make gold from sawdust and mouse skulls, why do they need money? Can't they just make a bunch of gold?
  • Mona said it was easy to make gold, not that it was fast. With all of the Potionarium's resources going into the Dynamo Decanter and Bomb Research, they might not have the time for gold synthesis.
  • Cypher Coins aren't gold, and are also the main method of paying for upgrades in Plague of Shadows. So the coins could simply be made of something they don't know how to transmute.
  • Alternatively, it's possible that they don't truly need the gold and were only taking it to spite Treasure Knight.
• The ending of Specter of Torment shows The Enchantress and her cronies attacking Armor Outpost... But how is that place still standing or at very least not conquered by the time Shovel Knight visits it?
  • Remember, we don't see the outpost getting captured during the credits, it is merely attacked. Considering the fact that this is the armor outpost, it would likely be much better equipped to hold off against The Enchantress' forces. Not to mention, the attack could have merely been a distraction to stop reinforcements from contesting The Order, or the outpost could have been recaptured after The Enchantress left.
• How did Specter Knight's locket end up with the phasing power? Specter Knight himself can't use it that way.
  • Presumably, it's what's left of of the Locket's power after its magical properties were used up on Reize.
• What IS the relationship between Polar Knight and the main trio? He's, relatively speaking, friendly towards Shovel Knight and in one of the endings is saw with Black Knight with another gently nursing the wounded Terrorpin back to health and there's the theory that he may or may not be related to Shield Knight as well.
  • All that is known is that Shovel Knight, Black Knight, and Polar Knight were once part of the same group. Shovel Knight mentions how Polar has "forgotten his oath" meaning they were once part of the same order serving the code of Shovelry. Possibly even serving under the same master.
• What is the official timeline regarding the four campaigns? One place I hear they all take place at the same time while another says 2 happen at the same time while 1 is a prequel while the last happens after the first two. What's the truth?
  • Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows happen at the same time, with any discrepancies being chalked up to the differences in Shovel Knight's and Plague Knight's perspectives. Specter of Torment is a prequel to both of them, and Kings of Cards is a prequel that takes place even further in the past. In short, the timeline is: King of Cards=>Specter of Torment=>Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows. Meanwhile, Showdown happens near the end of Specter of Torment.
• Where exactly do the loyalties of Goldarmors lie? They serve as the soldiers serving both the Order and the Enchantress as well as King Pridemoor. And Showdown(specifically Mr. Hat's campaign) implies they also act as a form of Law enforcement for the valley. So which is it?
  • Goldarmor's story in Showdown implies that Goldarmor's loyalties lie with the crown. When Pridemoor was king, it was him, after King Knight came to power, it was him. Since the Enchantress is King Knight's boss, they probably answer to her as well. Plus, them being law enforcement isn't too farfetched if they work under the orders of the crown.
• Mr. Hat is obsessed with collecting hats, and freaks out whenever somebody buys a hat from his shop. If he hates losing his hats so much, why does he even sell them?
• Black Knight's superpowers don't seem to go away when Shovel Knight defeats him, because he still has them when fighting Plague Knight. Does this mean that his new powers are permanent?
• How does Black Knight know that Donovan died in the Tower of Fate? The only people who witnessed it are either dead (Luan), possessed (Shield Knight), or haven't met Black Knight yet (the Enchantress), so nobody could have told him about it. Also, how can he know about Donovan's death, but not know what happened to Shield Knight?
  • He thought Donovan and Shield Knight were both dead, simply because they never came back from the Tower. The moment he meets Specter Knight is when he realizes Shield Knight might still be alive and begins searching for her.
• The Troupple Acolyte didn't become the Dark Acolyte until the ending of King of Cards, and Dark Reize didn't come into existence until halfway through Specter of Torment. How can there be Joustus cards based on them?