Broken Shovel

Activated Collectible

(B)(r)(o)(k)(e)(n)   (S)(h)(o)(v)(e)(l)

Item Icon

(Item icon)

Pickup Quote

"It feels cursed"

Entity ID

5.100.550

Recharge Time

(4 rooms) 4 rooms

Item Pool

None

Quality

4 (Item quality full.png)(Item quality full.png)(Item quality full.png)(Item quality full.png)

Item Tags

(Available to Tainted Lost)(Not available as a starting item for Eden/Tainted Eden)(Shared between Tainted Lazarus and Dead Tainted Lazarus)(Progression item (can't be re-rolled, etc))

Collection Grid

(Removed in Repentance)(page 5, column 5, row 4)(Added in Repentance)(page 5, column 6, row 4)

(Added in Afterbirth †) The first piece of the Broken Shovel is an activated item. It is acquired by defeating the first floor boss in under a minute (both bosses if (Curse of the Labyrinth.png) Curse of the Labyrinth is in effect), navigating back to the starting room, and bombing the floor. (The Lamb) The Lamb must have been defeated at least once with any character for the bomb explosion to reveal Broken Shovel. After having defeated the boss below the 1 minute cutoff, using the (Sacrifice Room) Sacrifice Room for the first time on that floor while having no (Bomb) Bombs will always reward Isaac with one rather than its normal payout.

It is the first part required to create Mom's Shovel.

Effects

• While held, 1–2 Mom's feet will stomp randomly every few seconds (in a similar fashion to (II - The High Priestess) II - The High Priestess), targeting Isaac. They will try to stomp Isaac's current position, so they will always miss if he is constantly moving. Each stomp deals a full Heart of damage.
  • (Added in Repentance) The stomps will no longer blow up Machines or kill Beggars. They will still destroy Shopkeepers, open (Bomb Chest) Bomb Chests, break Obstacles, and open doors.
• Upon activation, stomps will pause until entering another room.
  • If used during the (Boss Rush) Boss Rush or in a (Challenge Room) Challenge Room / (Boss Challenge Room) Boss Challenge Room, stomping will be paused for that wave of enemies only.
• The item's stomps cease while battling (Mom) Mom.
• While held, removes the twenty-minute time limit on the Boss Rush door; the entrance to the next floor will be sealed until Boss Rush is completed (including those created by We Need to Go Deeper! and other methods).
  • If the Boss Rush is left prematurely through any means after starting it, entering it again will immediately restart Boss Rush, even without picking up another item.
• Prevents The Polaroid from appearing after defeating Mom. Only The Negative will appear after the boss fight. After completing Boss Rush, Isaac is likewise forced to travel down to (Sheol) Sheol.

Notes

• Mom's foot will still target Isaac even if he has the Punching Bag.
• It is impossible to obtain Broken Shovel during a RERUN.
• (Added in Repentance) Though it is possible to obtain The Broken Shovel during a Victory Lap, one cannot unlock (The Forgotten) The Forgotten during a Victory Lap.
• (Added in Repentance) While either of (Jacob and Esau) Jacob and Esau holds this item, the feet will only target the brother who is holding it. The feet will still damage both of them.
• (Added in Repentance) Regardless of which character holds the item, feet will target both (Tainted Lazarus) Tainted Lazarus' forms.
• The Broken Shovel will disappear if left behind in a room. Leaving and re-entering a room with it left on a pedestal will cause it to disappear.
• (Added in Repentance) Mama Mega!'s explosion will knock the Broken Shovel down.

Synergies

• (Added in Repentance) Book of Virtues: Creates a tiny ghost wisp on the middle ring, which resembles The Soul. These wisps' tears have a 10% chance of invoking (II - The High Priestess) II - The High Priestess on enemies. This wisp is also created when Mom's Shovel is used, alongside its unique wisp.
• Car Battery: Prevents all stomping from occurring for two waves of a (Boss Rush) Boss Rush or (Challenge Room) Challenge Room / (Boss Challenge Room) Boss Challenge Room. As each wave of Boss Rush restores 2 charges, this allows Isaac to be free from stomping for its entire duration.
  • If used in a normal room, the effect does not carry over to the next room.
• Moving Box: Can be used to pick up the Broken Shovel without causing Mom's Foot to stomp down at all.

Tips for Obtaining

• Characters with good starting stats such as (Cain) Cain, (Judas) Judas, or (Azazel) Azazel are excellent for blazing through the first floor with time to spare.
• (Added in Repentance) (Tainted Magdalene) Tainted Magdalene ability to rapidly regenerate health in almost any circumstance makes this challenge much easier.
• Avoid wasting time for pickups, items, or any unnecessary rooms while progressing to the Boss Room. They can be returned to after clearing the rest of the floor and killing the boss.
• There is no time limit on claiming the shovel, as long as the floor boss was killed within the time limit. Obtaining it can wait until Isaac is ready to move on to the next floor.
• (Removed in Repentance) Look for items such as Host Hat to negate the stomp damage, or for damage/tear-increasing items to kill enemies quicker; conversely, when running into a mini-boss, getting (Curse of the Maze.png) Curse of the Maze or (Curse of the Labyrinth.png) Curse of the Labyrinth, or encountering poor floor generation such as multiple large rooms and dead ends, restarting may be a better choice.
  • (Added in Repentance) Stomp damage can no longer be negated.
• If the criteria Broken Shovel to appear are not met and there is ambiguity as to whether it is obtainable, look for a large, faint shadow of the shovel covering the starting room; if it is not there, the Shovel cannot be obtained.

Passive Collectible

(B)(r)(o)(k)(e)(n)   (S)(h)(o)(v)(e)(l)

Item Icon

(Item icon)

Pickup Quote

"It feels cursed"

Entity ID

5.100.551

Item Pool

None

Quality

4 (Item quality full.png)(Item quality full.png)(Item quality full.png)(Item quality full.png)

Item Tags

(Available to Tainted Lost)(Not available as a starting item for Eden/Tainted Eden)(Shared between Tainted Lazarus and Dead Tainted Lazarus)(Progression item (can't be re-rolled, etc))

Collection Grid

(Removed in Repentance)(page 5, column 6, row 4)(Added in Repentance)(page 5, column 7, row 4)

(Added in Afterbirth †) The second Broken Shovel piece can be acquired by completing (Boss Rush) Boss Rush while holding the first half of Broken Shovel.

Effects

• Replaces the Broken Shovel active item with Mom's Shovel, ceasing the stomps from Mom's feet.

Notes

• (Added in Repentance) If either of (Jacob and Esau) Jacob and Esau holds the first Broken Shovel piece, that same brother must pick up the second piece in order to obtain Mom's Shovel. If the other brother picks it up, it will simply be added to his passive items.

Tips for Obtaining

• Make sure to keep moving; stopping for even a few seconds will increase the chance a foot hits Isaac.
• Items that give flight are even more helpful than usual as Isaac will not need to worry about navigating around obstacles to avoid a stomp. Any means of temporary (or even permanent) invulnerability has obvious merit as well.
• If an active item is offered in Boss Rush, it can be held for the duration of the fight; however, the Broken Shovel must be picked up before the last wave ends for the second half of Broken Shovel appear.
• If There's Options is held and Boss Rush is completed, an additional pedestal item will appear. Be careful not to pick up this other item, as doing so will cause Broken Shovel to disappear.