Pikemead's Bulwark

Pikemead's Bulwark

Even in death, the queen unites those who seek protection behind her shield.
Type	Shield
Level	1 to 50
Damage	-
Speed	-
Defence	17 parry
Gem Slot	Always has 1 gem slot
Location	Mistbury Catacombs

Pikemead's Bulwark is a shield built for long trips into the Shroud. It lowers Shroud damage and cutting damage, and its enhancements pile up three levels each of Purification, Shroud Mitigation and Survival Instinct. Purification is the standout: every Shroud-touched foe slain with a melee weapon gives back some Shroud time. A fighter who clears infested caves can therefore stay below far longer before the timer runs out. Any class can carry it. It once belonged to Queen Pikemead, the late ruler of the Revelwood and mother of the boss Lord Vorgoth. The original rests in her stone sarcophagus deep in the Mistbury Catacombs of the Springlands, an early find for a careful explorer. After that first find, the Blacksmith can make stronger copies as the Flame grows.

Perks

Each upgrade at the craftsperson unlocks the next perk in this order. Rarity sets how many upgrades a copy takes: one for common, up to five for legendary.

Order	Perk	Effect
1	Inner Fires	Increases the skill level of Inner Fires
2	Cutting Armor	Reduces incoming Cutting damage
3	Purification	Increases the skill level of Purification
4	Shroud Armor	Reduces incoming Shroud damage
5	Shroud Resistance	Increases the skill level of Shroud Resistance

Skills

These skills make shields stronger or add new moves to them.

Skill	Tree	Cost	Effect
Merciless Attack	Survivor	2	Perform a Merciless Attack by pressing [E] to deal massive damage to an enemy you've empowered. Overpower To overpower an enemy, fill their stun bar by attacking while they block or by parrying their attacks.
Bash	Warrior	5	Your parry bashes the enemy for 20 blunt damage. The damage is increased by your strength attribute.
Breach	Warrior	3	An overpowered enemy suffers 100% more melee damage for 3 seconds. Overpower To overpower an enemy, fill their stun bar by attacking while they block or by parrying their attacks.
Crash Down Attack	Warrior	3	When equipped with a Melee weapon, you can perform a jump attack during the descent of your jump. Crash Down deals 50% more weapon damage in a small blast radius and costs Stamina according to the weapon's weight. Cost: 35-60 Stamina Block Breaker This special attack fills a blocking enemy's Stun Bar twice as much when hit.
Heavy Handed	Warrior	2	An enemy's stun bar is increased by an additional 20% when attacking into their block with a melee weapon.
Shockwave	Warrior	3	Trigger a shockwave when you parry an attack or overpower an enemy. The shockwave pushes back nearby enemies. It also increases their stun bar, scaling with your strength attribute. Overpower To overpower an enemy, fill their stun bar by attacking while they block or by parrying their attacks.
Vigorous Deflection	Warrior	2	You gain 30 stamina when you parry an enemy's attack.
Kick	Ranger	3	When equipped with a Melee weapon you can perform a Kick by attacking while blocking. Kick deals little damage but hits the target with massive force to fill up the enemies Stun Bar and pushes them back. Stun Bar increase scales with Dexterity. Stun time depends on the enemy's size. Overpower Attacking blocking enemies or parrying their attacks fills their Stun Bar until they become overpowered. Overpowered enemies are open for Merciless Attacks.

How to Get Pikemead's Bulwark Guide

The Blacksmith forges it in a sheltered spot from Shroud Radiance, Steel Bars, Moonstone Dust and Celestium Bars.

The map shows where it lies.

Pikemead's Bulwark map location:

Map credit by Map Genie.

Crafting Stations

The Blacksmith crafts the Pikemead's Bulwark. The Blacksmith is a craftsperson who works at the base once rescued.

Name	Image	Type
Blacksmith		Craftsperson

Lore

The shield belonged to Queen Pikemead, the late ruler of the ⟦Revelwood⟧. Queen Pikemead was the mother of ⟦Queen Jezmina⟧, ⟦King Gormander⟧ and ⟦the boss Lord Vorgoth⟧. Even in death, the Queen still gathers those who look for shelter behind her shield.

Everything named above, at a glance:

Name	Image	Type
Revelwood		-
Vorgoth, Champion of the Shroud		Fell

Notes

Once the shield is found, the ⟦Blacksmith⟧ can craft stronger copies of it.
Each copy tier needs Shroud materials and metal, and the cheaper tiers also take Nails.
Purification gives back Shroud time each time a Shroud-touched foe falls to a melee weapon.
Its enhancements also add Shroud Mitigation and Survival Instinct, three levels of each.
Lower Shroud damage and extra Shroud time make it a shield for long dives into infested ground.