Have you finished Spcter of Torment before? If not, there's a pretty interesting moment after the credits that tie it to Plague of Shadows and Shovel of Hope in a small but cool way.

yeah i finished it. now i'm just hunting up the last few skulls. that ending was crazy. also. welcome back!

Cameo by Luan's Ghost in the picture.

yeah... as you can see. i made the mistake of slash dashing the picture. ... can a ghost haunt another ghost? i'm unclear on the protocol for intespectral hauntings.

You may have noticed that Plague Knight found the relics, gave them to Chester in exchange for an item, and Chester then sold them to Shovel Knight. Pay attention to this room's layout. It's the same as the room Plague Knight finds the Phase Locket, just in ruins.

...so the phase locket... ...and the memory locket... woah.

I think the Phase Locket is the Memory Locket, it explains why Specter Knight was so angry about losing it at the end of Plague of Shadows. I believe the ability to phase in and out of reality is just something Shovel Knight could do with the little remaining power in the locket after most of it was used to save Reize.

it makes sense. the locket was what the enchantress used to make specter...well. a specter. but since it was almost drained dry shovel only stays a phantom for a few moments.

I don't think Specter Knight technically is alive or dead, I believe he is trapped somewhere in between.

don't quote me on this. but i think that's what a lich is. something between the living and undead. but i'm not 100% certain.