Caretaker's Spade
| Caretaker's Spade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Melee Weapon |
| Weapon | Hammer |
| Tier | Iconic |
| Armor Pen | 25% |
| Attack Speed | 1.2 |
| Weight | 6.8 |
| Location | Corpo Plaza |
The Caretaker's Spade is a heavy hammer hidden inside Arasaka Tower during Rogue's ending. Its unique effect heals V during a fight, so it is a tough melee weapon that keeps V alive. It hits hard and pierces armor well. It is found past the point of no return, but it can be carried back into free roam after the credits. The Caretaker's Spade is an endgame find in the main job Knockin' on Heaven's Door, on the jungle floor of Arasaka Tower.
Combat
The spade is a slow, heavy blunt weapon. Each swing costs a little more Stamina than usual, but it hits with real force and good armor penetration. Its Iconic effect gives Health back during combat, so the spade rewards staying in the fight.
Like other blunt weapons, the spade leaves its targets alive. Blocks, counters and the Body ground slam keep crowds back while each swing lands.
How to Get Caretaker's Spade Guide
- Choose Rogue's ending path and reach the main job Knockin' on Heaven's Door.
- Reach the jungle-themed floor of Arasaka Tower.
- From the large conference table, hop over the barrier next to the computer.
- Take the Caretaker's Spade, which leans against some rocks.
Caretaker's Spade Map Location and Quest Guide
- Finish Rogue's side jobs Chippin' In and Blistering Love, or her path to the ending stays closed.
- In the main job Nocturne Op55N1, choose to ask Rogue for help when talking to Johnny on the rooftop.
- Play For Whom the Bell Tolls at the Afterlife and fly to Arasaka Tower with Rogue.
- Start Knockin' on Heaven's Door on the jungle floor of Arasaka Tower and follow Rogue.
- Go to the platform with the large conference table.
- Take the Caretaker's Spade, which leans against some rocks near the table.
Caretaker's Spade map location:
Map credit by Map Genie.
Upgrades
Like every Iconic weapon, the Caretaker's Spade can be raised through the tiers in the Upgrades section of the crafting menu with crafting components.
The table shows what each tier step of Caretaker's Spade costs.
| Upgrade | Components | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 to Tier 1+ | 75 Tier 1 components | - |
| Tier 1+ to Tier 2 | 40 components | - |
| Tier 2 to Tier 2+ | 75 Tier 2 components | - |
| Tier 2+ to Tier 3 | 40 components | - |
| Tier 3 to Tier 3+ | 75 Tier 3 components | - |
| Tier 3+ to Tier 4 | 40 components | - |
| Tier 4 to Tier 4+ | 75 Tier 4 components | - |
| Tier 4+ to Tier 5 | 40 components | - |
| Tier 5 to Tier 5+ | 75 Tier 5 components | - |
| Tier 5+ to Tier 5++ | 200 Tier 5 components | Phantom Liberty |
Character Builds
The spade works best in a Body build with the blunt perks. Wrecking Ball cuts the Stamina cost of blunt attacks, which matters for a weapon this heavy. Quake adds attack speed and a ground slam that staggers enemies around V. Ripple Effect restores Health for each enemy hit by Quake, which adds to the spade's own healing. Epicenter makes a Quake from the air stronger the farther V falls. Finisher: Savage Sling adds a blunt finisher that restores Health.
For cyberware, the Militech Berserk makes V immune to damage while it is active and speeds up melee attacks. Microrotors raise melee attack speed. The Adrenaline Booster restores Stamina after melee kills.
Lore
The Caretaker's Spade is an Iconic two-handed hammer. It turns up in an unlikely place: leaning against rocks on the jungle-themed floor of Arasaka Tower. V only reaches that floor in Knockin' on Heaven's Door, the final assault on the tower alongside Rogue.
Notes
- The spade stays available after the game returns to the point of no return, as long as it was picked up before finishing.
Weapon Categories
All Melee Weapons
Every melee weapon is listed below. The Iconic weapons come first, then the standard ones.
Iconic Melee Weapons
| Name | Image | Weapon | Headshot | Armor Pen | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agaou | 
|
Axe | +125% | 25% | Dogtown |
| BFC 9000 | 
|
One-Handed Club | Rancho Coronado | ||
| Baby Boomer | 
|
Two-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Baseball Bat x-MOD2 | 
|
Two-Handed Club | Dogtown | ||
| Black Unicorn | 
|
Katana | 25% | ||
| Blue Fang | 
|
Knife | +150% | Badlands South | |
| Butcher's Cleaver | 
|
Knife | 25% | Coastview | |
| Byakko | 
|
Katana | 25% | Little China | |
| Caretaker's Spade | 
|
Hammer | 25% | Corpo Plaza | |
| Claw x-MOD2 | 
|
Axe | |||
| Cocktail Stick | 
|
Katana | 25% | Japantown | |
| Cottonmouth | 
|
One-Handed Club | 25% | Japantown | |
| Crowbar | 
|
One-Handed Club | |||
| Cut-o-Matic x-MOD2 | 
|
Chainsword | Dogtown | ||
| Errata | 
|
Katana | 25% | Arroyo | |
| Fang | 
|
Knife | +50% | ||
| Gold-Plated Baseball Bat | 
|
Two-Handed Club | 25% | North Oak | |
| Gwynbleidd | 
|
Sword | |||
| Headhunter | 
|
Knife | +150% | West Wind Estate | |
| Jinchu-Maru | 
|
Katana | 25% | Japantown | |
| Murphy's Law | 
|
One-handed Club | 50% | Dogtown | |
| Nehan | 
|
Knife | +150% | Arasaka Waterfront | |
| Sasquatch's Hammer | 
|
Hammer | 75% | Coastview | |
| Satori | 
|
Katana | 25% | Arasaka Waterfront | |
| Scalpel | 
|
Katana | 25% | Northside | |
| Sir John Phallustiff | 
|
Blunt | 25% | Kabuki | |
| Stinger | 
|
Knife | +150% | Badlands East | |
| Tinker Bell | 
|
One-Handed Club | 50% | Badlands East | |
| Tsumetogi | 
|
Katana | 25% | Japantown | |
| Volkodav | 
|
Machete | 25% | Dogtown |
Standard Melee Weapons
| Name | Image | Weapon | Headshot | Armor Pen | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Bat | 
|
Two-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Chef's Knife | 
|
Knife | +150% | ||
| Claw | 
|
Axe | +125% | 25% | |
| Cut-O-Matic | 
|
Chainsword | 50% | ||
| Electric Baton Alpha | 
|
One-Handed Club | Rancho Coronado | ||
| Electric Baton Beta | 
|
One-Handed Club | 50% | ||
| Electric Baton Gamma | 
|
One-Handed Club | 50% | ||
| Hammer | 
|
Hammer | 25% | ||
| Kaiken | 
|
Knife | +150% | ||
| Kanabo | 
|
Two-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Katana | 
|
Katana | 25% | ||
| Knife | 
|
Knife | +200% | ||
| Kukri | 
|
Machete | 25% | ||
| Machete | 
|
Machete | 25% | ||
| Neurotoxin Knife | 
|
Knife | +150% | ||
| Punknife | 
|
Knife | +150% | ||
| Razor | 
|
Machete | 25% | ||
| Steel Pipe | 
|
One-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Tire Iron | 
|
One-Handed Club | 25% | ||
| Tomahawk | 
|
Axe | +125% | 25% |