Question about the Spade/Shovel

[WhoPurrsWins]

Hey all!

I have some time ago obtained the magnificent Shovel/Spade, and I adore it. Two-hitting most things (as long as I get the timing right) is now a great hobby of mine, and I can honestly say that my nights have become a lot less terrifying with a trusty shovel by my side.

But it began to dawn on me that there are more weapons still waiting for me, like the sickle, axe and pitchfork, so I wanted to ask a quick question.

Does the Spade/Shovel eventually become obsolete/other weapons I unlock or find will be better, or can I remain with the Shovel until the end of the game because it's damage/durability will still be decent?

[Charisma]

i used shovel for most of the game and i think you can do the whole game with it since damage is nice
however im pretty sure axe is much better
im not sure if shovel deals more damage but axe for sure has some nice attack speed
later tho you may be just using firearms

[Stirling]

You should definetly try out some more weapons.
The Nail Board, Staff and Pitchfork are all worse than the Shovel, but
the Axe when upgraded can one-hit huge dogs and is a hibt faster, and
the Sickle has two unique attacks that make you do a dash or backstep, and is a lot easier to use when you're trying not to get damaged, even though it can't be upgraded.

Personally, I always use the Sickle when I'm going out into the Swamp. Not only is it cheaper to make and maintain, it's also not a big deal when you lose it.

[breakn2stuff]

Axe is nice too, but i got really used to that range and sort of stuck with the shovel. Though defending the hideout in chapter 2 is made a little easier with the axe since the enemies are going to be up in your face often.

Protip, since you can't fully upgrade the shovel until chapter 2 make your upgrades count early and do the "sturdy edge" upgrade to it asap. The one where you need another shovel edge. It will makes your shovel last way longer. I personally like to do that one and the improved damage and roll with that until i can add more.

[Swe Kiwi]

Originally posted by breakn2stuff:

Axe is nice too, but i got really used to that range and sort of stuck with the shovel. Though defending the hideout in chapter 2 is made a little easier with the axe since the enemies are going to be up in your face often.

Protip, since you can't fully upgrade the shovel until chapter 2 make your upgrades count early and do the "sturdy edge" upgrade to it asap. The one where you need another shovel edge. It will makes your shovel last way longer. I personally like to do that one and the improved damage and roll with that until i can add more.

I'm in The Silent Forest, but my Workbench says "There is no more room for upgrades", although I have all the needed parts to upgrade it to "Sturdy Edge". What's wrong?

[MazyRun]

Originally posted by Swe Kiwi:

I'm in The Silent Forest, but my Workbench says "There is no more room for upgrades", although I have all the needed parts to upgrade it to "Sturdy Edge". What's wrong?

You probably have the bench upgraded to a certain level where you can only have a limited amount of upgrades per weapon. When you get the next bench upgrade you will open up another upgrade slot.

[RopeDrink]

Personally hate the Shovel as a weapon and greatly favour the Axe, Pitchfork, or even a basic Staff. I still make Shovels seeing as digging is a thing, but you won't find me using it as a weapon very often.

Pitchfork is a personal favourite. It doesn't hit nearly as hard as a Sho/Axe, but the range is delicious and has a very fast close-range interrupt to stun-lock various enemies. You can acquire two or three very early in the game and they're perfect to use before transitioning to the Axe or Shovel later. By then, you'll also be on your way to making/using a Pistol at the very least, so shooting problematic enemies from safety and finishing them with a little close-range love-tap from [insert any weapon here] is a perfectly fine tactic.

For short-range weapons, you'd do well to practice dodging, sush as side-stepping charging chompers or circling dogs so you can slap them upside the head with the axe while they recover (rather than trying to hit them head-on as they charge you), whereas a Pitchfork doesn't require any finesse at all thanks to the range. You can just slap a Chomper mid-charge and back off all day long. It uses more stamina than most weapons, but you also need to run/dodge far less by using it, so it's a somewhat fair trade.