Multiple Spots to go Deeper in the Mine

[qaija]

I notice that sometimes when I kill a mob, or maybe even (not sure) when I mine a node that a new grid will appear even though there is one available already to go to the next lower level. I have had this happen as many as three or four, maybe even five times. Does it make any difference which grid you choose to go deeper? What is the purpose for having more than one?

Thank you for your help!

qaija

 

[Hill Myna]

Hello qaija!

I've explained this in somewhat basic terms, if you're interested in the exact details I'd recommend checking out this section of the Wiki's Mines page.

There are four ways of opening a way down to the next floor:

Staircases – Once you've reached Level 2 in the Mining skill, you'll be able to craft Staircases for 99 Stone each. These place a Ladder ("grid") right in front of your farmer, allowing rapid, predictable and safe descent. With the downside, of course, that they cost 99 Stone per!

Breakin' Rocks – It is guaranteed that if you break all the rocks/nodes on a floor, you'll get a Ladder. Often you'll get it much sooner then that (as I'm sure you've noticed by now), but as soon as you get one, rocks will no longer have that chance.

On Generation – When the game loads a floor, it will occasionally spawn a Ladder out in the open for you. So if you find it, great! That's lots of time saved. But since the game's already generated a ladder for you, rocks won't drop them, meaning that if you don't spot that ladder, you'll be wasting time mining rocks when they can't even help you.

From Monsters – Every monster you defeat will have a 15% chance of "dropping" a ladder on the ground. These ladders don't stop rocks – or other monsters – from dropping ladders, though, so even if you get one (or multiple) from this way, you could still get more from rocks and/or monsters. And even if you've already uncovered a ladder through any of the 3 above methods, monsters can still drop them. So they're pretty much a different system, which is why confusion can arise, as it has here. :D

–––––

And to answer your actual question, no, there is zero difference between all these ladders, they all take you down exactly one floor, 100% of the time.

Hope this helps!

 

[Lew Zealand]

What is the purpose for having more than one?

That's the game slowly and insidiously needling your brain by spewing out luxurious numbers of staircases on floors lightly peppered with Green Slimes and lazy Bugs. All the while manipulating the rng so when you're on those twirly levels being chased by Red Sludge, Lava Bats, Shadow Shamans, and Metal Heads, you get nothing, nothing at all until you're almost dead, pounding down Iridium Cheese in a vain attempt to save your sorry butt as the inevitable cloak of slimy darkness descends upon your sorry Farmer self.

Multi-ladder floors are the most subtle of Medieval torture devices.

 

[Elenna101]

And to answer your actual question, no, there is zero difference between all these ladders, they all take you down exactly one floor, 100% of the time.

Hope this helps!

In addition:

• In the regular mines, the layout of the next floor (i.e. what shape it is) is always the same, depending only on floor number. E.g. if you go to floor 12 on any save file at any time it will always be the long floor with a minecart and a free ladder at the end.
• The places where rocks, monsters, etc spawn on the floor, and the floor layout in Skull Caverns, change depending on which frame you enter the next floor on. Nothing to do with which ladder you take.

Also in Skull Caverns, if you get multiple drop shafts on one floor, it doesn't matter which one you take, they all drop you the same number of floors.

 

[imnvs]

In the Mines you can get multiple stairs. There is no difference between them.

In the Skull Cavern you can get multiple drop shafts, but as soon as you find stairs you can not get any more drop shafts or stairs. That's it.

 

[Elenna101]

In the Mines you can get multiple stairs. There is no difference between them.

In the Skull Cavern you can get multiple drop shafts, but as soon as you find stairs you can not get any more drop shafts or stairs. That's it.

To clarify - as Hill Myna said, you can't get any more stairs from rocks after you find one. Drop shafts do not count as stairs for this. However you can always get more stairs from monsters. This is true in both the regular mines and Skull Caverns.

EDIT: Blade made a nice video about how ladders spawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKNQu4OKITk

 

[imnvs]

To clarify - as Hill Myna said, you can't get any more stairs from rocks after you find one. Drop shafts do not count as stairs for this. However you can always get more stairs from monsters. This is true in both the regular mines and Skull Caverns.

EDIT: Blade made a nice video about how ladders spawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKNQu4OKITk

...and drop shafts replace stairs, yes.

 

[Hill Myna]

...and drop shafts replace stairs, yes.

...except they can't replace the ladders from "guaranteed" generation (eg. in Treasure Rooms), or the ladders dropped from Monsters, or the ladders that come from Staircases. They can only replace ladders that come from rocks and "random" generation.

Also, does anyone know if Staircases (as in, from the item) prevent ladders from spawning under rocks? Not very relevant, but I'd be curious to know.

 

[SurprisedPikachuBob3]

...except they can't replace the ladders from "guaranteed" generation (eg. in Treasure Rooms), or the ladders dropped from Monsters, or the ladders that come from Staircases. They can only replace ladders that come from rocks and "random" generation.

Also, does anyone know if Staircases (as in, from the item) prevent ladders from spawning under rocks? Not very relevant, but I'd be curious to know.

I would not think so as a rock will have a random chance to spawn a ladder which would not be infulnced by anything else