How to get the Ankh Shield, and when to skip it
The Ankh Shield blocks projectiles and makes you immune to knockback, which sounds like a minor upgrade. It is not. If your plan for Hardmode involves the Destroyer or Skeletron Prime, this accessory removes an entire category of avoidable deaths — and it costs one desert trip and ten bars of iron.
The short version
- Find a Pyramid in the Desert. Only the bottom chest can hold the Tabula Fatua.
- Craft 10 Chains from Iron Bars at an Anvil.
- Combine both at a Loom.
Total cost: one pyramid run, ten iron bars, and a Loom. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes once you have a pickaxe.
Step 1 — Find the pyramid
Pyramids generate on the surface of the Desert biome, and the spawn rate scales with world size. On a small world they are noticeably rarer, so if you have walked the desert twice with nothing, that is normal rather than a bug.
Two practical notes:
- The pyramid is visible from a distance — look for the triangular silhouette on the horizon before you waste time walking the sand.
- Do not use a Grappling Hook to jump down the shaft. The spikes at the bottom of a pyramid chamber are one of the more reliable ways to die early.
Step 2 — The chest that matters
Only the lowest chamber of the pyramid contains a chest that can hold the Tabula Fatua. It is not guaranteed — if the chest gives you something else, the pyramid is spent and you need another one. Because of that, it is worth checking the chest before you commit to the trip, and worth remembering where the last pyramid was.
Step 3 — Crafting the Chains
Chains are crafted at an Anvil from Iron Bars. Ten bars make ten Chains. If you have not built an Anvil yet, that is the only prerequisite this guide assumes.
When to skip it
This accessory is genuinely optional in two situations, and spending an hour in the desert on a world where it does not matter is the most common early-game detour.
- You are not facing projectile bosses. The Ankh Shield shines against the Destroyer and Skeletron Prime. If your route avoids them, its value drops sharply.
- You already have a wide melee weapon. If you play with a broad sweep weapon and good armour, knockback immunity matters less than raw defence.