Upgrade tools first, or fix the boat?

[Edmund Greyfox]

I came back to check out the new stuff after not having played in at least a year or two. I started a new game and i'm to the point where all that's left to fix the boat is the iridium ingots.

I upgraded my pick, but do i really need to upgrade anything else before i sail off to the island? And is it easier to get iridium there then in the skull mines? I'd forgotten how big a pain the skull mines are and how much time/cash you end up burning through just to get deep enough to find the things you need.

[tikiman572]

You CAN find Iridium in the Volcano, but it doesn't show up as often as it does deep in the Skull Caverns. So Skull Caverns are still your best bet. Make sure to go on Super Lucky Days alongside food buffs and what have you. To speed your trip along, make sure ya got totems for quick transport to and from the desert.

[FafnirChaos]

The next area does have iridium, however it depends on the day(randomized) also get your watering can up to gold

Edit: Going to the island maybe a little bit tougher at the beginning, However if your up for the challenge you can make enough money faster there(Early on/lower level) then getting everything done/maxed before going. I make roughly 300k a week just selling pineapple wine.

the next areas mushrooms fully heal your energy/health, and getting them is very easy, just bring them and you won't have to worry too much, you won't have buffs though, also unlocking a few areas after completing the boat is pretty much required, if you want to run that.

[BCD]

It's possible to 'beat' the skull cavern without dumping a lot of cash in it. Some, yes, and a pretty large number of other resources, but you can have it not eat through your wallet.
I honestly don't remember finding iridium in the volcano at all. Looks like I might have found some, but definitely not as much as I'd get from the skull cavern. It's a fairly tough area too, maybe the most dangerous in the game.

Publicado originalmente por tikiman572:

Make sure to go on Super Lucky Days alongside food buffs and what have you. To speed your trip along, make sure ya got totems for quick transport to and from the desert.

I personally favor the spicy eel + triple shot espresso combo, both of which you can trade for in the desert with rubies and diamonds. You can also buy staircases with jade on sundays, desert totems with 3 omni geodes each (which you'll have tons of if you go down the skull cavern) and buy farm totems for 500 Qi funbucks. Then I descend running really fast spamming bombs and megabombs which you can craft plenty of yourself, if you prepare for it.
I think I only went two times to the skull cavern in my current game, once to get to level 25 and do something of a cerimonial first foray, once to meet Mr. Qi in level 100. I got as far down as 125, I think, and went back with iridium in the triple digits.

[Edmund Greyfox]

Thanks for the responses. I'm close enough to getting the statue of perfection that I'm tempted to just wait on that and ignore the skull caverns. Only problem is that i think there are a few things that i have to go there for if i want a decent chance of getting them. Why oh why couldn't ape have put in elevator for every 25 levels? I don't mind the monsters so much, it's starting at floor 1 every time i go that starts getting annoying.

[BCD]

Not gonna deny that it is an investment. I think it's an accessible investment by the point you can afford to unlock the desert at all, but stick to the statue of perfection if you so desire and worry about the boat. The island doesn't really have 'tool requirements', I guess it'd just be nice to have at least a steel axe so you can cut down some hardwood logs.

[Edmund Greyfox]

I've got gold on everything but the pick that i upgraded to iridium. I just figured with it being a new area that there might be things that you had to have iridium tools for.

I thought you had to go to the skull caverns for dino eggs, prismatic shards and a couple of other things? I know that they can be found other places, but i thought the drop rate was so low that going to the caverns for them was pretty much required. Is that no longer true?

[tikiman572]

Statue of Perfection is nice but it's just around... 2 to 7 or so pieces of Iridium a day. So you WILL be getting Iridium, but it'll be at a snail's pace.

I typically run the Skull Caverns with Pumpkin Soup + Triple Shot Espresso. I can manage without the extra speed point just fine. Though with all the Prismatic Stones I have now if I ever need to do another Skull Caverns run for any reason, I can probably invest in a Prismatic Rock Candy for some extra oomph.

Also, even if you AREN'T interested in gathering Iridium from there, if you're going to go for the ultimate challenge the game has to offer you (at least thus far) you WILL need to enter the Skull Caverns to complete the monster slaying challenges in there for Serpents, Mummies, and Pepper Rexes.

[Edmund Greyfox]

I've already been going, i'm just getting tired of it already. I go on lucky days, and still don't seem to get much below level 30 before i run out of time, but that's because I haven't had a ton of stairs built and was relying on blowing things up to find the ladder/hole to the next level. I also hadn't thought about using desert totems to get there early.

I've gotten some iridium, but nothing else that was worth the time and materials I've used up. That's why i was hoping i could just skip over it and move on to other things i actually enjoy.

[tikiman572]

Your typical Skull Cavern speedruns should involve getting there ASAP. You'll want Mega Bombs for the biggest spread possible in terms of taking out rocks, so have Gold Ore, Void Essence, and Solar Essence on hand to make more as you delve down. If a way down shows up, take it ASAP. Combat is NOT the priority here.

Usage of crafted stairways should be reserved for monster-infested floors and bad map layouts, like the spiral floor. Otherwise, stick to bombing and healing yourself up as necessary as more often than not you WILL be caught in the blast radius.

And remember, even though it'll hurt, always use holes over ladders if the choice presents itself. That'll have you zoom on down to the more lucrative floors much quicker.

[BCD]

Publicado originalmente por Edmund Greyfox:

I thought you had to go to the skull caverns for dino eggs, prismatic shards and a couple of other things? I know that they can be found other places, but i thought the drop rate was so low that going to the caverns for them was pretty much required. Is that no longer true?

Yeah, that's pretty much true. Mostly iridium. Until you have the statue of perfection there is no other reliable source of iridium ore. The skull cavern also has a decent chance to give you dino eggs, via the prehistoric levels, and better (though still low) odds of giving you a prismatic shard.

Publicado originalmente por tikiman572:

Your typical Skull Cavern speedruns should involve getting there ASAP. You'll want Mega Bombs for the biggest spread possible in terms of taking out rocks, so have Gold Ore, Void Essence, and Solar Essence on hand to make more as you delve down. If a way down shows up, take it ASAP. Combat is NOT the priority here.

Usage of crafted stairways should be reserved for monster-infested floors and bad map layouts, like the spiral floor. Otherwise, stick to bombing and healing yourself up as necessary as more often than not you WILL be caught in the blast radius.

And remember, even though it'll hurt, always use holes over ladders if the choice presents itself. That'll have you zoom on down to the more lucrative floors much quicker.

This is good advice. Spam bombs until you find a way down, then go to the next level. Don't bother clearing out the floor you're currently on. Remember that the lowest you go the more iridium you get. And don't forget food buffs, getting extra speed is bloody amazing.
Also ♥♥♥♥ the spiral floor. It gets an instant staircase.

[Uncoelacanth]

Publicado originalmente por Edmund Greyfox:

Tmonsters so much, it's starting at floor 1 every time i go that starts getting annoying.

For what it's worth, there's a mod for that, and it's called "Skull Cavern Elevator." Admittedly trivializes a few quests linked to Skull Cavern.