Ballpeen Hammer

Ballpeen Hammer is a relic that grants Ballwark (armor) whenever a Shield Peg is created. It triggers each time a peg with the shield status (peg_shielded) is spawned, converting those Shield Peg spawns into defensive value for the player rather than relying solely on the pegs themselves. Ballpeen Hammer was introduced in v0.9.01 and its Ballwark amount was adjusted in v0.9.25 to add 4 Ballwark per Shield Peg (previously 5).

Ballpeen Hammer is especially useful in runs that generate many Shield Pegs or face enemies that spawn them repeatedly. It has strong synergy with orbs and relics that actively create Shield Pegs: for example, Forbification produces Shield Pegs while providing its own Ballwark, so the two stack well to produce large bursts of armor. The relic is particularly effective against the Shield Mage, which creates Shield Pegs after every attack; Ballpeen Hammer converts each of those spawns into consistent armor gain. Pairing Ballpeen Hammer with Essential Oil increases the Ballwark benefit further.

Because Ballpeen Hammer rewards the creation of Shield Pegs rather than the removal of them, complementary items that both generate and clear Shield Pegs can create high-value cycles. Having an Infernorb is recommended alongside Ballpeen Hammer when you also possess tools like Fiery Furnace: Infernorb makes it easy to remove Shield Pegs after they are created, letting you convert repeated spawns into repeated Ballwark gains without leaving too many shields on the board.

Practical notes:

• Triggers on every creation of peg_shielded; track interactions that spawn shielded pegs to maximize value.
• Best used with Shield Peg–generating effects (orbs, relics, enemies) rather than sole defensive strategies that do not produce shielded pegs.
• Synergizes with Forbification and Essential Oil for larger Ballwark per spawn.
• Combine with Infernorb and Fiery Furnace if you need to clear Shield Pegs while continuing to gain Ballwark.