Armor Templates are hidden armor sets you can unlock in Shovel Knight Dig — but you’ll need an acute eye for secrets to find them all. Each armor, once unlocked, gives you special bonuses and changes the color of Shovel Knight himself. They’re pretty cool! Some armor sets make the game much easier by making you take less damage, while others totally change the style of the game. One armor set removes side-rooms and gold cogs, giving you a selectable accessory guaranteed after completing each level. Not bad, right?
If you want to find all the Armor Templates, you’ll need to rescue the Armorer and talk to him. Learn how to save the Armorer NPC in the guide linked below, then talk to him on the surface. He’ll give you clues to the blueprint locations. Those clues aren’t enough for some of us, so here’s a little more explanation to help you uncover these valuable sets of armor. Some really do completely change the game.
More Shovel Knight Dig guides:
Beginner’s Guide | How To Make The Game Easier | How To Get A Wyvern Companion | How To Save The Armorer | How To Unlock Crystal Core | True Ending Guide
All Armor Template Locations
Armor Templates are blueprints that will only spawn in very specific secret locations — these secret locations won’t always appear, so you may need to complete multiple runs for one of these instances to spawn. Keep your eyes open for these particular details during your runs!
- Armor Template #1: Mushroom Mines – Look for a wall covered in moss and small mushrooms on the left side. (This always spawned on the left side for me but may appear on the right.) Attack the mushroom to reveal a very small passage. Touch one of the floating puffs to shrink and enter. The armor template is at the end of the path.
- Armor Template #2: Secret Fountain – Randomly at the end of a level, you may encounter one of the exits has been boarded up and closed. Sometimes these exits also have dirt behind the boards. Dig down past the dirt to find a hidden template.
- Armor Template #3: Smeltworks – Only acquired through the Roulette Minigame Mole in the Smeltworks. This one is especially tricky because it will only land on the armor template randomly. To increase your chances, you can smash the roulette barrel with your shovel to immediately stop it.
- Armor Template #4: Grub Pit – A tricky one. While exploring the Grub Pit, you’ll sometimes be attacking by bees that circle you then attack. As you’re travelling through the hive, you may encounter an area where the bees circle a specific spot on the level instead of you.
- Dig that specific spot to find the template. Very tricky!
- Armor Template #5: Magic Landfill – On the walls of this level you’ll encounter old metal shields that can be slapped off with your shovel. Search behind every single shield you encounter. The template is randomly hidden behind one of these shields.
- Armor Template #6: Drill Knight’s Castle – Located by breaking a piece of the giant saw. Very tricky. You need to reach the metal box above the actual giant saw that kills you in a single hit. Attack the metal box until it breaks and drops the armor template.
- This is extremely difficult. You’ll need to wait for the giant saw to appear, then navigate around it so you can actually hit the metal box.
- Take a hit from an enemy / hazard to give yourself a moment of invincibility frames. You can use the brief invincibility to jump through the spinning saw and attack the gadgetry.
That’s how to get all the templates. Templates are extremely fun to play around with, and some totally change the game. Goodluck getting them all!
