Knightmares

Knightmares are a game mode in Shovel Knight Dig.

Game information

Knightmares are unlocked upon completing the game once and can be played upon talking to Black Knight.

Knightmares

Each subsequent Knightmare level includes all content from all previous levels, with one exception: after completing Knightmare level I, the possibility that platters will not have food will no longer occur. This does not prevent food from being replaced by a larva in The Grub Pit.

Knightmare	Description	Information
I: Hunting for Scraps	Dark forces have corrupted food inside The Well. Food will be harder to come by.	Food under platters will either not be present (does not occur after this Knightmare level is completed), be replaced by a larva in The Grub Pit, or be replaced by an Apple Core. The following instances where food appears are exempt from this: Food dropped by Scrap Knight. True Ending: Spoiler Altius bringing in food during the possessed Drill Knight boss battle. The Drill Capsule's food option is replaced by a Chewed Chicken Leg, which heals 2½ HP. If 2 Cogs are collected, the capsule will throw out an Apple Core, and if no Cogs are collected no food is thrown out. If Brittle Beetle Barbecue is possessed, the bones option of the Drill Capsule will only heal 8 shields. Gastronomole's shop can either be encountered normal or burning. When normal, grey smoke will rise from his stall and he will behave normally, but when burning he will only use 1 of 3 possible food categories. Gastronomole's shop is rarely ever encountered not burning, which results in max HP increasing food and magic level-increasing items being very rare. When Gastronomole's shop is burning, he uses one of the following food categories: Burnt food: Burnt Toast, Sad Burnt Toast, Blackened Turkey Leftovers: Bony Chicken, Chewed Chicken Leg, Apple Core Charred food (Smeltworks only)
II: Magic Mishaps	Magic resources will be scarce.	Relics have half their amount of uses.
III: Ferocious Foes	Enemies will strike for more damage.	Rarely, enemies will appear flashing red and touching these enemies will instantly kill Shovel Knight. Red enemies can appear during Relic Challenges and when fighting impostors.
IV: Robust Rogues	Enemies have been bewitched with increased vitality.	Enemies have more health, some enemy attacks inflict more damage, and boss health is greatly increased. See the section below for increases in health and damage. As a result of this, Blitzsteeds cannot usually be killed without the use of Relics or Shovel Blade techniques. Charflounder, Page Snapper, and Sine Dagger health is unaffected. Tinker Knight's first stage health is unaffected by the increased boss health. During Drill Knight's True Ending boss battle, the first segment prior to the conveyor dirt is longer.
V: Unending Endurance	The Well beneath has expanded. Each stage will be longer.	Stages are longer.
VI: Deadly Dilemma	The two paths at the end of a well will be more treacherous than before.	Adds a laughing Black Knight helmet on top of some signs at the end of a stage. Increases the amount of ambush rooms encountered, which results in less merchants encountered.
VII: Omega Omen	A dark magic has enchanted the Omega Saw. This mechanical menace will pose an even bigger threat.	The amount of time before the Omega Saw appears is lessened, the amount of distance ahead of the saw Shovel Knight has to travel in a level for the saw to stop chasing him before it has appeared in lengthened, and the Omega Saw moves faster. The enhanced Omega Saw also appears in the Drill Knight boss battle.
VIII: Hard Times	Shop prices will be staggering as gems will be harder to come by.	The price of items from Chester, Gastronomole, and Master Argus are increased and Tombola's fee is doubled from 250 gems to 500. In levels, some gems found floating in the air are swapped for lower valued gems, enemies drops less gems, and the following objects give less gems: chests, gems from the Drill Capsule, and gems dropped by enemies during the dream sequences after boss fights. The gems dropped by enemies during the dream sequences at the end of worlds are also lessened. Gems given by NPCs like Lamp Lighter are unaffected by the reduction in gems. Using Final Guard armor does not appear to further reduce the amount of gems encountered and the Lucky U-Shaped Charm accessory appears to increase the amount of gems received to the same amount as outside this Knightmare. True Ending spoilers: Spoiler During the first step of the True Ending, in Mushroom Mines Altius will still drop a pink gem when attacked on top of a yellow chest.
IX: Cursed Goods	Follow items will now pose a threat.	Introduces Knightmare Eggs and Knightmare Keys. Fairy pets have 3 HP instead of 5 and Troupples can only heal two times instead of three. Being damaged will cause all follow items to be dropped and any Eggs to take damage.
X: All Is Lost		Relics have less uses. Shop prices are increased. Tombola's fee is increased from 500 gems to 625. Entering the first level of any world after Mushroom Mines will cause Shovel Knight to lose one of his accessories or Shovel Blade Upgrades. This also applies in Crystal Core. A used Fenix Feather is still considered an accessory and can be removed. Kisses from Troupples heal 1 HP instead of 2. Knightmare X spoilers: Spoiler Black Knight is fought after defeating Drill Knight in the normal ending or possessed Drill Knight in the True Ending. True Ending: Spoiler Spiky rocks will appear during the Possessed Drill Knight boss battle and possessed Drill Knight has a unique attack where he can shoot a vertical drill tentacle.

Knightmare IV health and damage

The following enemy health and enemy and boss damage is increased in Knightmare IV. 1 enemy HP is deducted by one Shovel Slash or Shovel Drop.

• While Sploders without their metal cap have 2 HP instead of 1, the health of their metal cap (1 HP) is unaffected, which allows for it to be destroyed with a single Shovel Drop as before.
• The health of the following entities is unaffected: Charflounders, Page Snappers, Sine Daggers.
• While the health of Shrinking Spores is increased, they will still die on contact with Shovel Knight.

Health	Enemies
1 → 2 HP	Fuzz Flies, Beetos, Propeller Rats (all types), Shrinking Spores, Stream Scalers, Floatsomes, Blitzsteeds, Sploders, Groobs, Floorbs, Stingores, Rolling Beetos, Drill Stacks
2 → 3	Normal Boneclangs, Boneclang Bombardier, Normal Blorbs, Flak Cap, Divedrakes, Blazorbs, Pyroporters, Torpeetos, Wizzems (all types)
3 → 5	Durablorbs, Tadvolts

• Boss health:
  • Spore Knight: 14 HP → 22 (7 → 11 bubbles)
  • Mole Knight: 18 → 28 (9 → 14 bubbles)
  • Tinker Knight second stage: 16 → 24 (8 → 12)
    • Tinker Knight's first stage health is unaffected.
  • Hive Knight: 24 → 36 (12 → 18)
  • Scrap Knight: 20 → 30 (10 → 15)
  • Drill Knight: 36 → 54 (18 → 27)
  • Possessed Drill Knight: 32 → 48 (16 → 24)

The following enemy and boss attacks have their damage increased. Unlike enemy health, not all enemy and boss attacks are affected. Damage is measured in how much HP is deducted.

Damage	Enemies
1 → 1½ HP	Normal Boneclangs (contact, sword slash), Bouncecaps (contact), Mine Munchers (bite attack), Sploders (horizontal/vertical/cross explosions), Clawng (claw attack)