Skull Cavern
- Thread starter presj
- Start date
HaleyRocks
Farmer
Forget it exists, until you get the Galaxy Sword. Stack up on lots of (gold star quality) cheese instead of potions, foods with useful buffs and visit only during (very) lucky days. Ideally, post unlocking Trinkets, as well!
Wolf Haley
Planter
I just duplicated rock hard candies which makes it a breeze
MogBeoulve
Farmer
You need something stronger than the insect head and lots of food to heal with. I agree with waiting until you get the galaxy sword. Personally, I wait until I unlock the forge at the volcano so that I can combine rings. I also stack defense, and consider bringing the slime charmer ring.
Yvi
Sodbuster
I am one of those crazy people who loves skull cavern enough to go in massively underpowered just because I enjoy it. That said, it took me a long time to get there. Bring a lot of food, that's essential. Gold cheese isn't the only thing that works for that, but something that gives a decent chunk of hp at once is important because otherwise the hits taken between eating can kill you faster than you can heal.
Rings aren't entirely necessary but are very nice.
Galaxy sword isn't necessary but I'd highly suggest buying the nicest weapon available in the adventurer's guild which I think is the lava katana. A weaker weapon will take so many hits to kill monsters it's very frustrating.
Staircases are also not necessary but will make the loot nicer. Loot gets substantially better the deeper you go, so skipping the first few levels will make the trip more worth it. Plus, it's nice to be able to leave if a level gets too overwhelming.
Food (and/or drink) with a speed buff is very nice. I'd rather have a speed buff than anything else in skull cavern. There are a bunch of other helpful buffs as well - search skull cavern in the forums and you'll get plenty of recommendations.
A fully upgraded pickaxe is, once again, not strictly necessary but extremely helpful. I'd suggest at least gold pickaxe.
Bombs are great if you can afford them, as is explosive ammo for a slingshot. It makes it possible to kill mummies, and makes mining go faster.
Finally, skull cavern at all is not strictly necessary. It's the best source of iridium but not the only source. My first save I went into skull cavern once, nope'd my way right back out, and got all my iridium from the statue Grandpa gives you third year. It's a game, if you're not having fun then don't do it.
Finally - I'm curious about ending up in skull cavern when doing regular mines. I think there is a bug that does this sometimes - can someone else speak to that? Or maybe you're running into the skulls from the quarry mine? Once doing the quarry mine once, they'll occasionally show up in the regular mines. They're super annoying imo, I normally just staircase away to skip that level unless I need a specific thing they drop.
Rings aren't entirely necessary but are very nice.
Galaxy sword isn't necessary but I'd highly suggest buying the nicest weapon available in the adventurer's guild which I think is the lava katana. A weaker weapon will take so many hits to kill monsters it's very frustrating.
Staircases are also not necessary but will make the loot nicer. Loot gets substantially better the deeper you go, so skipping the first few levels will make the trip more worth it. Plus, it's nice to be able to leave if a level gets too overwhelming.
Food (and/or drink) with a speed buff is very nice. I'd rather have a speed buff than anything else in skull cavern. There are a bunch of other helpful buffs as well - search skull cavern in the forums and you'll get plenty of recommendations.
A fully upgraded pickaxe is, once again, not strictly necessary but extremely helpful. I'd suggest at least gold pickaxe.
Bombs are great if you can afford them, as is explosive ammo for a slingshot. It makes it possible to kill mummies, and makes mining go faster.
Finally, skull cavern at all is not strictly necessary. It's the best source of iridium but not the only source. My first save I went into skull cavern once, nope'd my way right back out, and got all my iridium from the statue Grandpa gives you third year. It's a game, if you're not having fun then don't do it.
Finally - I'm curious about ending up in skull cavern when doing regular mines. I think there is a bug that does this sometimes - can someone else speak to that? Or maybe you're running into the skulls from the quarry mine? Once doing the quarry mine once, they'll occasionally show up in the regular mines. They're super annoying imo, I normally just staircase away to skip that level unless I need a specific thing they drop.
Jianadaren1
Tiller
presj
Greenhorn
how do i get the galaxy sword? i just started playing this year so i am still kind of figuring stuff out.
Lew Zealand
Helper
What are you heading into Skull Cavern for? There are some great goodies in there but the strategy may be different depending on what you want. And focusing on ONE THING per run may help to keep you focused on success. In general, these are always good:
High Luck day
Staircases
Galaxy Sword (or the Lava Katana if you don't have the Prismatic Shard @Yvi mentioned yet)
Good healing food (I use
Cheese but Salads and others are also good)
Space Boots or better
Slime Charmer Ring (very useful for ignoring slimes & staying focused on other things)
and always your Pickaxe and if you prefer, a way home (Farm Totem, Return Scepter). It's also OK just to pass out there at 2am and pay the 1000g.
My strategies for certain items.
Auto Petter/other Treasures:
Take
Lucky Lunch for that big Luck Buff and
Coffee for speed if needed. Just slap down Staircases because all you're looking for is Treasure Rooms. Rarely you will be trapped by rocks where you can't put down Staircases, so have your Pickaxe ready to clear a spot.
Iridium/Gems/Radioactive Ore:
Take
Bombs and
Lucky Lunch/Coffee or
Spicy Eel/Ginger Ale as you'll be fighting more monsters and maybe getting Spicy Eel drops from Flying Serpents. In reality I plan to Staircase down to Level ~100 and then start evaluating. Lotsa monsters (especially Serpents)? Staircase down one more Level and have another look. Calmer with some decent ore concentrations? Bombs awayyyy! Always keep an eye on your Health. If you even get close to half Health, eat a Cheez/Salad/etc. Your Health is most important, full stop.
Monster Hunter goals:
Take
Spicy Eel and
Coffee for Speed and a little Luck. Staircase down to Levels with your favorite monster that are fairly clear of stone/ores (or a Prehistoric Floor) and take care to position yourself with everyone only on one side of you as you can outrun everyone. Then hack, slash, and EAT FOOD to heal.
High Luck day
Staircases
Galaxy Sword (or the Lava Katana if you don't have the Prismatic Shard @Yvi mentioned yet)
Good healing food (I use
Cheese but Salads and others are also good)Space Boots or better
Slime Charmer Ring (very useful for ignoring slimes & staying focused on other things)
and always your Pickaxe and if you prefer, a way home (Farm Totem, Return Scepter). It's also OK just to pass out there at 2am and pay the 1000g.
My strategies for certain items.
Auto Petter/other Treasures:
Take
Iridium/Gems/Radioactive Ore:
Take
Monster Hunter goals:
Take
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PoppyForPenny
Farmer
If you haven't found a prismatic shard yet, I usually find one trying the level 25 skull cavern quest. You can buy the lava katana from the Adventurers Guild. Each weapon has numbers that show how powerful it is- you might have a better sword already? You usually would get several going all the way through the mines. Also, wear your space boots and drink coffee.