This guide covers Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, the complete Shovel Knight collection developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Treasure Trove is not just one campaign: it includes Shovel of Hope, Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, King of Cards, and the local platform fighter Shovel Knight Showdown.
This is a spoiler-light beginner guide. It explains which campaign does what, how the major systems differ, and what to check on each platform. It avoids exact secret walls, collectible routes, Joustus card routes, boss patterns, achievement routes, and Showdown unlock specifics.
Essential Tips
1. Treat Treasure Trove as Five Games
The title screen matters.
Shovel of Hope is the original adventure, Plague of Shadows remixes the formula around bombs, Specter of Torment is a movement-heavy prequel, King of Cards adds Joustus and a larger map structure, and Showdown is a separate local fighting game. Do not assume one campaign’s habits carry cleanly into the next.
2. Start With Shovel of Hope if You Are New
It teaches the shared language first.
Shovel of Hope establishes the map, side-scrolling stage flow, treasure economy, boss rhythm, Relics, health upgrades, and the basic idea of searching for secrets. The later campaigns are easier to understand once you know what they are changing.
3. Learn Each Character’s Main Verb
Every campaign has a different center of gravity.
Shovel Knight is about Shovel Drop and Relics. Plague Knight is about bomb arcs, Bomb Burst, and air control. Specter Knight is about Dash Slash targets and wall movement. King Knight is about Shoulder Bash into Spin. Trying to play all four like normal jump-and-attack platformers makes them harder than they need to be.
4. Spend Currency on Survival Before Style
Treasure is useful only if it becomes power.
Across the campaigns, gold and special currencies feed upgrades, tools, and survivability. Buy practical upgrades early, then worry about completion, challenge clears, or stylish options once the basic movement feels stable.
5. Use Special Tools Instead of Saving Them Forever
Relics, Arcana, Curios, and Heirlooms are problem solvers.
If a room feels too dangerous with only the default attack, check your equipped special tool. Many hard-looking sections are safer when you spend magic, energy, Darkness, or Vigor instead of forcing perfect movement.
6. Respect the Gold-Loss Loop
Recovering money bags is optional risk.
When a campaign drops lost gold after a defeat, decide whether the recovery path is worth another death. Sometimes the right call is to keep going, rebuild with easier treasure, and come back later with better tools.
7. Search, But Do Not Over-Search
Secrets are part of the game, not the whole game.
Suspicious walls, ground, alternate paths, hidden chests, and side rooms are worth checking. Still, a first clear goes better when you move forward after a reasonable look instead of turning every screen into a full collectible audit.
8. Return to Hubs Often
The hub characters are upgrade pipelines.
Villages, the Potionarium, the Tower of Fate, and the Glidewing are not just story rooms. They connect to upgrades, new tools, currency turn-ins, practice opportunities, and useful system checks.
9. Keep Challenge Mode Separate From Learning
Challenges are for mastery, not orientation.
Treasure Trove has a lot of challenge content, feats, rematches, and New Game+ options. Save those for after you understand the campaign’s movement and resource economy.
10. Check Your Platform Before Planning Completion
Legacy versions have real differences.
Showdown is not available on 3DS, Vita, or Amazon FireTV, and Shovel of Hope co-op is not available on 3DS or Vita. If you are using an older build or a legacy handheld version, confirm what your version actually includes before planning a full completion route.
Pick the Right Starting Point
| Mode | Best First Use | What to Learn |
|---|---|---|
| Shovel of Hope | First-time Treasure Trove players | Shovel Drop, Relics, map flow, upgrades, checkpoint discipline, secret awareness |
| Plague of Shadows | Players who want technical movement | Bomb Burst, double jump timing, bomb air-braking, custom loadouts, Potionarium upgrades |
| Specter of Torment | Players who like fast movement | Dash Slash direction, wall climbs, Curios, Darkness, Red Skull turn-ins |
| King of Cards | Players who want platforming plus card strategy | Shoulder Bash, Spin chains, Heirlooms, Vigor, Merit Medals, Joustus deck building |
| Showdown | Local versus or quick story/practice sessions | Equal-health combat, hazards, hit flash, Parry timing, character matchups |
For a first full pass, play Shovel of Hope before the more specialized campaigns. For a replay or returning player, pick the movement style that sounds most interesting and treat it as a fresh ruleset.
Standalone and Platform Notes
Treasure Trove includes the full set in one package. On Steam, the current standalone bundle lists Shovel of Hope, Specter of Torment, Showdown, and King of Cards as separate purchases, while Treasure Trove owners do not need to buy those standalone entries again. Plague of Shadows is sourced as part of Treasure Trove and as a free expansion, but it is not listed in that Steam standalone bundle.
Version also matters. In Treasure Trove version 4.0 or above, King of Cards is available from the start on a new profile and Showdown is available from the title screen. In version 3.0 or above, Specter of Torment and Plague of Shadows are available from the start on a new profile. Older versions can have different unlock behavior.
Platform caveats to keep in mind:
| Platform Area | Practical Note |
|---|---|
| 3DS / Vita | No Showdown; Shovel of Hope co-op is not available |
| Amazon FireTV | No Showdown according to Yacht Club’s update guide |
| Switch | Official notes mention docked 1080p output after the relevant update |
| PlayStation | Store copy mentions PS4/PS3/Vita Cross-Buy, but Showdown’s Vita absence still matters |
| PC storefronts | Steam standalone SKUs and Treasure Trove package ownership are separate purchase paths |
Campaign Habits
Shovel of Hope
Use Shovel Drop until it becomes automatic. Bouncing off enemies and objects is both offense and traversal, so practice lining up jumps before rushing into moving hazards.
Spend early treasure on practical upgrades, especially options that make mistakes less punishing. Relics use Magic, but that resource exists to solve rooms; do not hold every Relic for a perfect moment that never comes.
If a room goes badly, leave and re-enter when possible to reset enemies or hazards. If a whole stage has gone badly and you lost too much, returning to the map can be better than grinding forward in a tilted state.
Plague of Shadows
Plague Knight is slippery by design. Build muscle memory around jump, Bomb Burst, then a follow-up jump, because that sequence gives you distance and recovery control.
Bombs are not only attacks. Tossing bombs in the air can slow Plague Knight down, which helps when a Bomb Burst would otherwise overshoot a ledge. Practice this in low-risk rooms before using it over pits.
Keep visiting the Potionarium. Bomb parts, Arcana, magic upgrades, and tonics change how flexible Plague Knight feels, and Cipher Coins are worth collecting because they feed that upgrade path.
Specter of Torment
Watch the Dash Slash marker before pressing attack. The marker tells you the direction Specter Knight will move, and ignoring it is the fastest way to launch yourself into a bad landing.
When you slip near a wall, recover with wall movement instead of attacking wildly. Specter Knight has strong movement tools, but they require you to stay aware of nearby surfaces and targets.
Use Curios when the default scythe is not solving a room cleanly. Darkness is a resource, and enemies or jars can help refill it as you keep moving.
King of Cards
King Knight wants collisions. Shoulder Bash into enemies, walls, and objects to trigger Spin, then think about where the bounce will put you next.
Do not bash just because the button is ready. A good bash starts with a landing plan; a bad bash sends you past the platform or into the next hazard.
For Joustus, use the deck screens. A 16-card deck needs arrow coverage and readable card roles more than it needs every rare-looking card you just found. Check card info after wins so you know what actually improved your options.
Showdown Basics
Showdown is not balanced like the platform campaigns. Fighters have equal health, normal player attacks deal equal damage, and pits or lava can end a stock immediately.
Hit flash is not just visual feedback. It gives a short defensive window, but attacking during it removes that protection. If you just got hit, decide whether you need to escape before swinging back.
Parry is powerful, but it is defensive. It knocks back and clears nearby threats, but it does not deal damage. Use it to create space or deny a predictable attack, not as your default approach button.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Do not play every campaign like Shovel of Hope - Plague, Specter, and King all punish default platforming habits in different ways.
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Do not hoard every special-tool resource - Magic, energy, Darkness, and Vigor are meant to make dangerous rooms safer.
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Do not chase every dropped money bag immediately - Recovering gold is useful only when the recovery route is safer than the loss.
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Do not ignore hub visits - Upgrades and currency turn-ins can solve problems that raw execution cannot.
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Do not Bomb Burst without a recovery plan - Plague Knight’s strongest movement tool can also overshoot safe ground.
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Do not Dash Slash before reading the marker - Specter Knight’s target marker tells you where the attack will carry you.
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Do not Shoulder Bash without checking the landing - King Knight’s bounce chain is strong when planned and messy when mashed.
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Do not fill a Joustus deck by rarity alone - A deck needs usable arrows and roles, not just impressive cards.
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Do not attack out of hit flash automatically in Showdown - Swinging back removes your brief invulnerability and can make the next hit easier for your opponent.
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Do not turn the first playthrough into a collectible sweep - Learn the campaign first, then route secrets with a dedicated checklist later.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Package | Treasure Trove is five included games, not one campaign |
| First Campaign | Start with Shovel of Hope if you are new to the series |
| Upgrades | Convert treasure and special currencies into survivability early |
| Plague | Practice Jump/Burst/Jump and bomb air-braking before hard rooms |
| Specter | Watch the Dash Slash marker and recover with walls |
| King | Bash with a landing plan and use deck info for Joustus |
| Showdown | Use hit flash and Parry defensively; hazards are decisive |
| Platform Caveats | Check 3DS/Vita/Amazon FireTV and old-version differences before completion planning |
| Follow-up | Save exact collectibles, routes, bosses, achievements, and unlocks for dedicated checklists |
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8 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove.
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