You’re playing Castle Crashers. You’ve beaten the Barbarian Boss, dodged the giant catfish, and maybe even suffered through the desert level more times than you’d like to admit. Then you see him. The Castle Crashers purple knight. He isn’t like the others. While the Red Knight is shocking people and the Blue Knight is freezing them solid, this guy is just… there. Carrying a blacksmith hammer and trailing purple sparks. He’s the Blacksmith, but everyone knows him as the purple knight, and honestly, his inclusion in the game is one of the most interesting "wait, what?" moments in Behemoth’s history.
The DLC Identity Crisis
Most people forget that for a long time, the Castle Crashers purple knight didn't even exist in the base game. He was a late addition. He showed up in the "Pink Knight Pack" and the "Blacksmith Pack" back in the Xbox 360 days. If you were an early adopter playing on a CRT TV in 2008, you didn't have him. He was a bonus. A treat. A purple, hammer-wielding enigma.
He’s officially the Blacksmith. You see him at the beginning of the game, hammering away in the background while the King gives his speech. He’s the guy who keeps the army running, yet he’s also a playable hero. That’s kinda cool, right? But here is the kicker: his magic is a weird, messy mix of things that shouldn't work together but somehow do.
Sentence length varies because that's how we talk. Fast. Slow. Whatever.
The Castle Crashers purple knight uses "Technomancy." At least, that's what the community calls it. In reality, it’s just him summoning smithy equipment from thin air. He drops an anvil on your head. He shoots a flaming hammer. He’s basically the blue-collar worker of the magical world.
Why His Magic Is Actually Top-Tier (Sorta)
Look, if you want to win a duel against a high-level player, you usually go for the Red Knight’s splash damage or the Blue Knight’s infinite freeze. The Castle Crashers purple knight is different. His splash attack—the Flaming Hammer—is actually surprisingly good for crowd control. It hits hard. It has decent range. It feels heavy.
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- Splash Attack: He summons a giant glowing hammer that slams the ground.
- Projectile: An anvil. Yes, a literal anvil. It’s heavy, it’s slow, and it’s hilarious when it connects.
- Air Magic: He fires a burst of purple energy downwards. It's not the best in the game, but it gets the job done when you're trying to stay airborne to avoid the Industrial Machine's saw blades.
The thing about the purple knight is that he’s a "reskin" but with a soul. For years, rumors swirled that he was actually the same character as the Grey Knight but with a fancy coat of paint. That's not true. His magic stats and hitboxes are distinct. He moves with a certain clunkiness that feels intentional. He’s a smith. He’s not a graceful wizard. He’s a guy who hits things until they break.
The Secret Evolution of the Purple Knight
When Castle Crashers Remastered dropped, everyone expected the tier lists to change. They didn't. Not really. The Castle Crashers purple knight stayed firmly in the "B-Tier for power, S-Tier for style" category.
I remember talking to players on the old Behemoth forums—back when those were the center of the universe—and the debate was always about his starting weapon. He starts with the Blacksmith Hammer. It gives you a +2 Strength and +2 Agility boost, but it lowers your Defense. It’s a glass cannon build for a character that looks like a tank. It’s a weird design choice. But that’s why we love this game. It doesn't always have to make perfect sense.
Unlocking the Blacksmith
If you’re playing the modern versions (Steam, Switch, PS4), you don't have to pay extra for him. Usually. In the Remastered version, he’s just there. But if you’re playing the old-school way, you had to buy the Blacksmith Pack. It was a couple of bucks.
To actually play him effectively, you need to lean into the Strength build. Since his magic is physical-based (hammers and anvils), it feels more natural to just buff his melee stats. You’re the Blacksmith. Act like it. Hit things. Hard.
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The Mystery of the Purple Color
Why purple? Every other knight has a clear elemental theme.
Red = Lightning.
Blue = Ice.
Orange = Fire.
Green = Poison.
Pink = Love/Rainbows.
Purple = ...Steel?
In color theory, purple often represents mystery or royalty, but for the Castle Crashers purple knight, it seems more like a leftover choice. Dan Paladin, the legendary artist behind the game's iconic look, has a way of making colors pop. The purple shade used for the Blacksmith is deep, almost like glowing embers or tempered steel. It stands out in the chaos of a four-player local co-op session. You never lose track of where you are when you're the purple one.
How to Win With the Purple Knight
Honestly, if you're taking the Castle Crashers purple knight into Insane Mode, you better have your juggles down. Juggling is the lifeblood of Castle Crashers. If you can't keep an enemy in the air for thirty seconds straight, you're going to have a bad time in the Marsh level.
The purple knight's anvil projectile has a weird property. It has high "knockback." This is both a blessing and a curse. It’s great for getting enemies off you when you’re cornered, but it’s terrible if you’re trying to set up a combo. You have to be precise.
- Focus on Strength first. You need that base damage.
- Don't ignore Agility. The Blacksmith is slow by default; you need the speed to close the gap.
- Use the hammer splash attack for groups, but stick to the "XYY" (Light, Heavy, Heavy) combo for single targets.
It’s not just about the stats, though. It’s about the vibe. Playing as the Blacksmith feels like you’re playing the game’s "hidden" protagonist. He’s the one who makes the swords everyone else uses. There’s a poetic justice in taking him all the way to the Final Boss and shoving a flaming hammer in the Wizard's face.
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The Behemoth Legacy
The Castle Crashers purple knight isn't just a character; he’s a symbol of how Behemoth treats their games. They didn't have to add him. They could have left the game with the core four. But they kept tinkering. They added the Pink Knight for charity, and they added the Blacksmith because he was a fan favorite from the background art.
This kind of developer-to-fan connection is rare now. Everything is a "battle pass" or a "seasonal skin." Back then, a new knight was an event. It changed the meta, even if only slightly.
Common Misconceptions
People think the Blacksmith is just a reskin of the Barbarian. He's not. The Barbarian uses axes and projectiles that have different arcs. The Castle Crashers purple knight has a completely unique magic tree. Another myth is that he’s the "best" character for beginners. I’d argue he isn't. His magic requires better timing than the Red Knight’s "hold the button to win" lightning. He’s for the player who has beaten the game once and wants a fresh challenge.
The purple knight is a mid-tier hero with top-tier aesthetics. He represents the grit of the game. He isn't a prince; he's a worker.
Next Steps for Purple Knight Players
If you want to actually master the Castle Crashers purple knight, stop relying on his magic for damage. Use his magic for utility. The anvil is a defensive tool to reset the battlefield. Focus your points into the Strength and Defense categories first to survive the brutal damage spikes of Insane Mode. Swap his starting hammer for the Manly Mantis or the Glowing Red Sword once you hit level 20 to maximize your crit chance. Finally, practice your lightweight juggling on the Barbarians in the first level until it becomes muscle memory; the purple knight's heavy hits make him excellent at maintaining "infinite" loops if your timing is frame-perfect.