Shovel Knight Dig: A Comprehensive Achievement Guide

A guide for fellow adventurers who aim to collect all the achievements of Shovel Knight Dig.

Introduction

Greetings, achievement-hunters! This guide contains descriptions of all achievements, as well as conditions and tips for completing them.

Overall, getting a 'platinum' in SK Dig isn't too hard, but as some achievements are heavily RNG-based, you'll need some luck for those. And time, of course!

Note: you won't be able to unlock achievements (other than unlocking everything) if you changed any of the Accessibility options. You'll have to reset those to default in order to unlock achievements.

So, prepare thy shovel!

Progression Related

You'll unlock these as you progress and beat the game.

Student of Shovelry
Complete the tutroial.
The first achievement you unlock! Just complete the first area on your first run.

First Purchase
Buy your first item.
Purchase your first item from Chester in one of your runs.

Mycophile
Dig through the Mushroom Mines.
Pretty straight forward, isn't it.

Victory!
Finish the game.
Just finish your run by beating Drill Knight.

True Shovelry
Beat the game without using any relics.
Don't use the relics you get throughout the levels and finish the game.

Penny Pincher
Finish the game without spending any gems.
Easier done with Streamline Mail, which disables all the siderooms and gives you an item per level instead. Although you can try it however you want.

Hurry Up
Beat the game within 25 minutes.
Streamline Mail is extremely useful for this feat, as you don't get distracted by the siderooms. Do not rush too much, as 25 minutes is more than enough to finish the game at a relaxed pace.

Next two achievements are part of a True Ending run. If you often talk to the travelers near the campfire, you'll notice some of them are giving direct hints as to how you can get this ending. You can find a thorough explanation on it in the following guide:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2868795833

Omega Ouster
Disable the Omega Saw.
Obtain an Omega Drive and throw it to the Omega Saw. Can be done throughout the level, though it would prevent you from getting the True Ending.

Thorough Victory
Finish the game having seen every world in one run.
Beat True Ending's final boss and celebrate!

Relic Related

A whole lot of the achievements are based around performing certain feats with particular relics. In the game, there are 7 relics that are not accessible from the start: you'll have to unlock them by finding relic doors at the end of the level. Buy a Relic Key from Hoofman's shop and delve into search!

Note: Relic-based achievements can't be unlocked during their tutorial level.

Tip: Try using the Streamline Mail! Every red chest is guaranteed to have a relic, and you will easily get the relic you need within a few tries maximum.


Relic Rookie
Wield 5 relics.
Hold 5 different relics across all your runs.

Relic Roundtable
Defeat an enemy using 5 different relics.
This is a bit misleading, as you just have to use 5 different relics to defeat enemies in one run.

Wash Up
Clean off a Mud-Encrusted Relic without using it.
Hold your dirty relic until you reach the Secret Fountain, where it will wash off whenever you step into the water.

Flameo Wander
Defeat an enemy with the Flameo Wand from more than 8 blocks away.
That one's really easy, just launch a fireball when you see an enemy afar.

Weeding
Deflect a Throwing Trowel to defeat 3 enemies.
Find some narrow space with a lot of enemies and launch a Throwing Trowel on them.

Money Grabber
Retrieve a money bag using the Reverse Exa.
Find a bag with money from your previous run and hit it with the Reverse Exa.

Boom!
Defeat 5 foes at once using the War Horn.
Look for an area with a lot of small enemies grouped together. Try to get them into a small space and use your War Horn to defeat 5 of them in a single strike.

Rising Feat
Defeat 3 enemies using the Rising Dagger without hitting the ground.
Easiest to do with one-shot enemies (like the jellyfishes), but you can try it on any enemy you want.

Wind Trap
Use the Gusteo Wand to push an enemy into a hazard.
Look for an area where an enemy is at the edge of a platform over a spike pit or some other hazard. Hit it with the wand to knock it off the platform and into the hazard!

Lancemorpher
Defeat a boss with a level 5 Morph Lance.
Once your Morph Lance is at level 5, save it until a boss is weak and use it to finish the boss off.

Clearing A Path
Run over 5 enemies using the Mobile Gear Drill in one go.
Look for an area that has 5 grounded enemies near each other (e.g. slimes in Mushroom Mines). Use the drill to ride along the platform to take them out.

Coffer Hoppin'
Descend 50 blocks in a Coffer of Safekeeping.
This one is actually pretty easy unless you have to get out of the Coffer of Safekeeping to dig through a block. Just get in the Coffer and jump down an opening in the floor. Keep going down as quickly as you can and you should unlock this achievement in no time. Try to avoid getting hit by anything as it'll bounce you around a lot, losing control and wasting time before you're forced out of the Coffer.

Dual Haunting
Defeat 2 enemies with one cast of the Shadow Locket.
I'd recommend to do this with one-shot enemies. When they are close, dive out of the telepotring state to kill them.

Bubble Blocker
Absorb 3 hits using the Bubble Frog.
Look for an area with a lot of enemies. Just activate it and hope you get hit three times before the bubble pops!

Location Related

These achievements can be unlocked only in certain locations.

Mushroom Mines:

Pocket Power
Defeat an enemy as Tiny Shovel Knight.
The large mushrooms that float diagonally in Mushroom Mines will shrink you if they touch you. Don't worry, you won't take damage from them when shrinking! Simply defeat an enemy while shrunk to unlock this.

Hide Owl Seek
Help Altius in three locations in the Mushroom Mines.
Altius is the owl that sits on the sign to the right of the hole on the surface. Hit Atlius until it's over the hole and then jump on it, forcing it down into the hole. Look for Atlius in one of the secret side rooms in Mushroom Mines. Hit him and open the chest he's sitting on. You'll have to do this three times. Note that you can find Altius only once per run!

Hat Trick
Finish off Spore Knight with her own hat.
In the Spore Knight fight, just finish the boss off by hitting the hat back at her.

Secret Fountain:

Cold As Ice
Freeze Dozedrake with the Blizzeo Wand.
This one requires some luck! Dozedrake, a large sleeping dragon that spawns floating bubbles, doesn't spawn too often, so make sure you have Blizzeo Wand with you when traversing through the Secret Fountain.

Shocking
Electrocute 3 enemies at once.
In this location, there's a frog that can elecrtrify water. Try to pick an area where there are lots of small waterfalls and water running everywhere with heavy fish spawns (for that, look out for fish-related stages). Lure one of the electric frogs into the center and have it try to shock you. This way, it will even shock fish off-screen!

The Grub Pit:

Bug Lover
Defeat Hive Knight without hitting Fleck.
Fleck is the small bug that flies around with Hive Knight. This is difficult but straight forward. Just make sure not to risk attacking if you think it might hit Fleck as you focus on Hive Knight. Also, be careful jumping around Fleck so you don't accidentally jump on its head!

Shovel Blade Techniques

As I haven't seen a guide explaining those, I'll put them in a separate category.

Master Argus is a character you'll run into randomly in secret rooms throughout the runs. He can teach you the Shovel Blade techniques. At first, you'll have access to 3 different techniques, but you can complete Master Argus' challenges to unlock 5 more of them. Mastering all the techniques grants you a "Scholar of Shovelry" achievement.

So, how's to unlock them? At first, you need to find Master Argus in any of your runs. Then, head to the far left side of the surface and climb to the upper left platform (you can see it on a screenshot below). Keep attacking with your shovel to unbury this hidden tomb!



Now, if you read the tombstone, you’ll reveal five of Master Argus' challenges. Completing each challenge unlocks a new Shovel Blade technique.

Here’s every Shovel Blade technique you can aquire by completing the challenges:

Whip Slash
Shovel Drop 5 enemies without touching the ground.
This one is quite easy, as there are a lot of flying enemies in all locations.

Glide Cloud Drop
Complete a stage without jumping.
Shovel Drop doesn't count as a jump, so don't worry about that.

Charge Boomerang
Complete a stage without Shovel Dropping an enemy.
Just be attentive and avoid jumping on the enemies. The stages are short, so it won't be a problem for you.

Cyclone Slash
Dig 100 times in a row without stopping.
This may sound tricky, but very easy on practice. Head to the Drill Knight's Castle and find a sideroom with a dirt conveyor. As there's no Omega Saw chasing you, you can take your time and complete the challenge without any hassle.

Spiral Air Slash
Challenge the Omega Saw to a 60-second standoff.
The hardest of Master Argus' challenges. Still, it's quite managable if you know the mechanics. The point is, you have to keep the Omega Saw on the screen for 1 minute straight: if you run away or go to another room, the timer will restart over. The easiest way I found for myself was to wait for the Omega Saw in a room with enough space, and jump over it to the opposite side of the room again and again.



Note: Be careful, because if you hit the blade, you'll instantly die.

By shovel-dropping the upper part of the Saw for 6 times, you can break it for a few seconds – when that happens, proceed through the stage carefully so you don't run away from the Saw. Be patient and you'll complete this challenge in no-time!

By proving you are a true Shovel Blade Master, you shall be bestowed upon an achievement:

Scholar of Shovelry
Earn every Shovel Blade technique from Master Argus.
Congratulations!

Miscellaneous

The rest of the achievements is related to various challenges that don't make up a whole category.

Stage & World Challenges:

Tip: The challenging ones are easiest to achieve in the Mushroom Mines, the first location of the game.

Detector Mettle
Find all the secrets in one world.
Secrets are the cracks in the walls you run into. Simply open and enter all of them in a single world to unlock this.

On A Diet
Finish a world without eating any food.
Make sure to avoid all food you run into and complete the world without ever healing.

Dirt Poor
Don't collect any gems in one stage.
The best way to go for this is to get the unique drill stage in Mushroom Mines. Take your time through it and let the drills break all the gems ahead of you. Dig down where there are no gems until you reach the bottom. Beware of the enemies and the Drill Capsule at the end of the stage, as they'll also drop gems! The achievement will pop up while you proceed to the next level.

No Damage!
Finish any stage without taking damage.
This one is especially easy on the first stages.

Shovel Economy
Finish a level and swing the Shovel Blade fewer than 3 times, including digging.
Easiest to do with the Ballistic Armor, as it can tunnel through dirt in any direction and you can reach the bottom with 0 swings at all. Dirtwrecker Curse and Super Shovel Drop also work out nicely.

Order of Hoarders
Have 20000 gems on hand.
This isn't about what you accumulate on the surface, you have to hold 20000 all in a single run. This will be best done when going for the True Ending as the game lasts longer, just try to spend as little money as possible.

Room Sleuth
Discover 20 secret rooms along the well's sides.
The cracks in the side walls of each stage will reveal a hidden room. Hit them to discover the secrets. Simply find 20 across your runs to unlock this.

Risk Taker
Choose 5 risky paths at the bottom of the well.
At the end of each level, you'll get a choice of the next stage. If the sign has skull on it, it'll be a more challenging stage. Choose those stages 5 times, and the achievement is yours!

Precious Cargo
Use a glass key acquired from a previous world in a new world.
This can be tricky. If you get hit a single time with a glass key, it will drop and break. You'll have to try to collect one near the end of stage 3 of a world, defeat the boss without losing it, then look for a spot to use the key before you take damage in the next world.

Cogs Collecting:

Cog Catcher
Collect all 9 cogs in a world.
Each world gets more difficult as you progress so just complete this in Mushroom Mines.

Cog Clogger
Open the Drill Capsule 10 times.
The Drill Capsule is what you find at the end of each stage that the golden cogs get placed into. You'll need all three cogs from a stage to open it up.

Pets Related:

Oologist
Hatch 5 creatures from eggs.
Simply hatch 5 eggs across all your runs.

King of the Beasts
Have two different follow pets at one time!
You can get Pets by bringing eggs to nests. The nest type is what determines the pet, not the egg! Simply have two different types of pets at the same time to unlock this.

Technique Related:

Shovel Drop Streak
Defeat 12 enemies in a row using the Shovel Drop without touching the ground.
This one requires a bit of luck but isn't too difficult. Simply kill 12 enemies before your feet touch the ground. You can unlock this if you keep bouncing on sand blocks between your attacks. As long as your shovel is always below you, the counter will keep going.

Untouched
Emerge unscathed from a battle with any Hexcavator.
You should get this fairly easily as you play more and learn the boss patterns.

Shopping Related:

Outfitted
Acquire a new set of armor.
Simply purchase any Armor.

Hey Big Spender
Spend a combined total of 20000 gems in the shops at the surface.
You'll unlock this just as you play enough.

Relic Decked Out
Purchase or unlock all relics, armors, and accessories.
Relics are unlocked in special relic rooms in the cave, while accessories can be bought from Chester on the surface. For the armor template locations, please refer to Mike's guide below:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2868222266

And...

Board Leader
Post a score on the Leaderboard.
The leaderboard can be found to the left on the surface. Speak with the man next to the board and select the daily run option. Drop into the mine and you'll unlock this upon returning to the surface.

Unawares
Hit Master Argus with a surprise attack.
You'll need to get lucky and find Master Argus in a room with a rock nearby. Hit Argus with it and, before he regains composure, strike him with your shovel!

Conclusion

If you liked the guide, don't hesitate to put a like, or even add it to your favourites! Also, I'm always open for some suggestions, so feel free to comment below :)

Special Thanks to Da Hui's guide[www.neoseeker.com], where I got some descriptions, and to the Reddit user taven990's post, where I found some important feat tips!

[matheusbergq]

sup yall,i would like a little help with the game,my game is zoomed the fuck out and i cant fix it

[Starchu ✪]

I did it again on a fresh profile and still nothing. Sigh, its annoying because I should be have been full completion by now. Guess I'll just return to it when there's another update.

[velegry]

All that is really weird, because I'm sure I got the achievement on the drill level. If you look at the forums, other people tell the same thing. Maybe they broke something in the latest patch? Regarding the first level, it may have Shrinking Spores, and it's a bit easier not to collect gems on those stages.

[Starchu ✪]

The drill part always comes on the third stage. Never encountered it as a first level ever

[velegry]

The achievement should've popped up while you were traversing to the next stage / world, if it haven't, then I don't think that finishing the run matters. But you can try anyway. I remember this achievement being a bit bugged, so I'd recommend doing it on the first stage of the Mushroom Mines, so that you finish the stage with precisely 0 gems.

[Starchu ✪]

I did beat spore knight. DO I need to finish the run?

[velegry]

Just continue onwards. If I remember correctly, the achievement should pop up after beating Spore Knight and proceeding to the next level.

[Starchu ✪]

Dirt Poor isn't unlocking for me. The gem count remains the same as I progressed toward Shroom knight

[Primpy]

The description on how to get Unawares is incomplete. You need to hit him with a rock and, before he regains composure, strike him with your shovel.

[Obeisantbread84]

no, I didn't know it was one run, thank you