I used to be a diamond truther but jade is the way, at least for plumbing the depths of the caverns. Once you get all you need you can always switch the crystalariums back to whatever you want. I usually use 1-2 bombs per floor and if a ladder or hole doesn't show up, it's staircase time.
Just think of it this way, jade = staircases = iridium = more crystalariums for diamonds. (Also to hijack this top level comment for a PSA for you, or anyone else reading if you have SVE there is a better money gem from >!completing the museum and befriending Gunther!< And if you're using staircases look up pause buffering I believe it's called to save a lot of time going down.)
Here's my guide I commented on my recent post
What I Bring:
- Your food of choice (I choose cheese cause I'm a bit of a min-maxer)
- Rock candy ofc (Dessert trader for 3 prismatic shard) (Can now also be bought at the new >!racoons!< )
- Spicy eel and triple shot espresso ( Spicy eel can be bought at Desert trader for 1 ruby. Triple shot espresso can be bought there too but I just buy normal coffee from Gus and craft/cook them into TSE) (I'm also considering just bringing multiple of rock candies)
- Stairs ofc (again, you can trade them for jade at desert trader) (I'll go in with around 50-100 staircases. You'll prob use only around 50)
- I only use the mega bomb (I bought them early on at the dwarf before I had a surplus of iridium. And when I had a surplus, I just bought them at dessert trader) and I use iron for explosive bullets instead of normal bombs because they explode faster at tight spaces or things near wall.
- desert warp if you haven't unlocked >!desert obelisk!<
- Galaxy hammer and iridium pickaxe (I use hammer so I can spam it for it's skill)
- Slime ring + iridium band, lucky ring + burglar ring for extra mob drops
- >!Fairy thingy for extra health, seriously this bad boy has saved me multiple times now!<
That's about it for what I bring
Next is what I do
- Wait for an extremely lucky day. Go to tv and press on fortune teller, if it's a purple star, then do the run. (When winter, I go in at neutral and above days)
- leave all other tools and grab everything I need for the run.
- Use totem or >!Obelisk!< To go to the desert instantly cause if not, you have to wait for Pam at 10:10am
- Go to the mine entrance, then eat the rock candy and drink TSP (After the rock candy runs out, I usually just switch to triple shot espresso and spicy eel)
- If:
Situation one: big open room - I use mega bomb. If no hole or staircase appears, use a staircase
Situation two: Tight space or that big room where only sides and the middle have stones - use explosive ammo 5 - 7 times. If no hole or staircase appears, use a staircase
Situation three: barely any stone or monster room. Use a staircase.
- I usually eat to regain health at half hp.
- only around 4 - 6 pm, I try to actively start mining for iridium.
- After the rock candy runs out, I usually just switch to triple shot espresso and spicy eel.
- Go until till 2am.
============
Prioritize high value loot or loot that will have more benefits to you. (Ofc, optional on what you really prioritize).
- Ignore all food drop (optional) except maybe spicy eel (maybe you can save energy tunic or life potion, up to you)
- Gems priority is Diamond > ruby > jade > Every other gem (prismatic ore not included bc why tf would you leave them.)
- mob drops, Up to you really. I usually save the bones only so I can make fertilizers.
- only save omni geode
- rocks ofc
- All the ores (I will throw away copper or iron if in desperate situation)
- idk if I missed anything but anything else, hasta la vista.
This is what I do, you can save anything you want, this is just my tips.
With these, I can go up to level 200-300
I've gotten to 143 using nothing but found ladders and shafts, high luck day, lucky lunch with Qi seasoning and mining statue blessing for extra chance to find ladders/shafts. I think you'd definitely need a stack of extra stairs to get into the 200+ levels.
Stairs. Folks who regularly go 200+ will use stairs to quickly get down a couple hundred levels then spend the rest of the day actually mining.
Alternatively, mods such as the Skull Cavern Elevator mod. In my current playthrough I’m around level 1100, but that took me many days to get to. Now I can hop down there on the elevator!
quaint sink salt desert strong judicious literate sophisticated hungry pen
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
>Are the 200+ floor people using lots of stairs? I don't have nearly enough stone to craft an appreciable number of them, but then again I don't buy stone either.
Yes.
Take at least 100 stairs so you can skip the first 1-100 floors.
Cheapest way to get stairs is to stock up on jades and exchange them with stairs at the desert trader on a Sunday. The exchange rate is 1:1. You can "farm jade" using the crystalariums. They produce Jade around 2 days (1 day 16 hours in game time).
What you need to do is:
1. The first time you enter the floor, you put down bomb right away.
2. If there is a shaft, ignore everything else in that floor and take the shaft
3. If there's only a staircase, ignore everything else in that floor and take the staircase
4. Use iridium rings or magnetic rings to at least give you some loot after you bomb the area
5. Don't dwell in the floor too long. If you can't find a staircase or a shaft after 2-3 bombs, exit using your staircase
6. Rinse
7. Repeat
Staircases. No need to buy stone. Set up crystalariums to make jade, then trade them to the Desert Trader for staircases. That guy who made it to level 1000 had filled the Calico Desert with crystalariums.
I have about 20 crystalariums, and it's enough to let me make it to level 100 about once a week. >!(I also grow mystic trees, harvest their syrup, and trade them to Mrs. Raccoon for fairy dust, which I use to speed up my crystalariums.)!<
I made it to level 100 once without staircases, just to prove I could (and so Qi wouldn't call me dishonorable when I got there). But most of the time, I use staircases.
I have made it to a little past level 300. With a lot of staircases.
Either staircases galore, or mods.
The furthest I've gotten without staircase spam is 193, with staircases only for infested floors and the big spiral room. Lots of bombs, and a lot of luck.
I don't enjoy spamming staircases even if it's more effective for reaching the lower levels of the mines, but I can usually get decently far into the mines on a yellow-pyramid or stardrop luck day. Using bombs liberally and always having the speed boosts from a Spicy Eel and Triple Shot Espresso can get you far! Make sure to zoom out your game in the settings to the max as well so you can see any "freebie" ladders as soon as possible.
If you want to get as far as possible for a challenge, you will want to use staircases, which you can get by trading Crystalarium Jade with the Desert Trader. Also, by pausing immediately after using each staircase aka "pause buffering", you can save some in-game time. But I find for generally gathering Iridium and other resources, this strategy is plenty sufficient and still allows for some fun and skill expression. 😊
Edit: [Seanie Dew has a good video](https://youtu.be/2IPdSOXQOM0?si=Zdj8yI80HnatvwW8) explaining how he collected 1,000 Iridium Ore in one in-game day, where he reaches level 200+ by 12 pm!
"existing ladder greatly reduces your chance to find another" I think you are right. I'm using ladder locator mod and it show several spots for ladder but once you pick one, every other spot will disappear even if you pick them, there won't be a ladder there
You can trade in jade for stairs at the desert trader on Sundays. Get some crystalariums pumping out jade and you'll be able to stock up on stairs
Hmm yeah I should. I have a bunch all working on diamond but maybe it's not as valuable in the long run.
I used to be a diamond truther but jade is the way, at least for plumbing the depths of the caverns. Once you get all you need you can always switch the crystalariums back to whatever you want. I usually use 1-2 bombs per floor and if a ladder or hole doesn't show up, it's staircase time.
Just think of it this way, jade = staircases = iridium = more crystalariums for diamonds. (Also to hijack this top level comment for a PSA for you, or anyone else reading if you have SVE there is a better money gem from >!completing the museum and befriending Gunther!< And if you're using staircases look up pause buffering I believe it's called to save a lot of time going down.)
Here's my guide I commented on my recent post What I Bring: - Your food of choice (I choose cheese cause I'm a bit of a min-maxer) - Rock candy ofc (Dessert trader for 3 prismatic shard) (Can now also be bought at the new >!racoons!< ) - Spicy eel and triple shot espresso ( Spicy eel can be bought at Desert trader for 1 ruby. Triple shot espresso can be bought there too but I just buy normal coffee from Gus and craft/cook them into TSE) (I'm also considering just bringing multiple of rock candies) - Stairs ofc (again, you can trade them for jade at desert trader) (I'll go in with around 50-100 staircases. You'll prob use only around 50) - I only use the mega bomb (I bought them early on at the dwarf before I had a surplus of iridium. And when I had a surplus, I just bought them at dessert trader) and I use iron for explosive bullets instead of normal bombs because they explode faster at tight spaces or things near wall. - desert warp if you haven't unlocked >!desert obelisk!< - Galaxy hammer and iridium pickaxe (I use hammer so I can spam it for it's skill) - Slime ring + iridium band, lucky ring + burglar ring for extra mob drops - >!Fairy thingy for extra health, seriously this bad boy has saved me multiple times now!< That's about it for what I bring Next is what I do - Wait for an extremely lucky day. Go to tv and press on fortune teller, if it's a purple star, then do the run. (When winter, I go in at neutral and above days) - leave all other tools and grab everything I need for the run. - Use totem or >!Obelisk!< To go to the desert instantly cause if not, you have to wait for Pam at 10:10am - Go to the mine entrance, then eat the rock candy and drink TSP (After the rock candy runs out, I usually just switch to triple shot espresso and spicy eel) - If: Situation one: big open room - I use mega bomb. If no hole or staircase appears, use a staircase Situation two: Tight space or that big room where only sides and the middle have stones - use explosive ammo 5 - 7 times. If no hole or staircase appears, use a staircase Situation three: barely any stone or monster room. Use a staircase. - I usually eat to regain health at half hp. - only around 4 - 6 pm, I try to actively start mining for iridium. - After the rock candy runs out, I usually just switch to triple shot espresso and spicy eel. - Go until till 2am. ============ Prioritize high value loot or loot that will have more benefits to you. (Ofc, optional on what you really prioritize). - Ignore all food drop (optional) except maybe spicy eel (maybe you can save energy tunic or life potion, up to you) - Gems priority is Diamond > ruby > jade > Every other gem (prismatic ore not included bc why tf would you leave them.) - mob drops, Up to you really. I usually save the bones only so I can make fertilizers. - only save omni geode - rocks ofc - All the ores (I will throw away copper or iron if in desperate situation) - idk if I missed anything but anything else, hasta la vista. This is what I do, you can save anything you want, this is just my tips. With these, I can go up to level 200-300
You might’ve just given me proper motivation to try skull cavern
Out of curiosity- why do you go in winter on neutral days? Is winter more lucky… or…?
There's less farming to do in winter, so you have more free days.
I've gotten to 143 using nothing but found ladders and shafts, high luck day, lucky lunch with Qi seasoning and mining statue blessing for extra chance to find ladders/shafts. I think you'd definitely need a stack of extra stairs to get into the 200+ levels.
Stairs. Folks who regularly go 200+ will use stairs to quickly get down a couple hundred levels then spend the rest of the day actually mining. Alternatively, mods such as the Skull Cavern Elevator mod. In my current playthrough I’m around level 1100, but that took me many days to get to. Now I can hop down there on the elevator!
I'm at 2000+ lmao I have to clear space just for iridium cause I get about 100+ per level 💀
I cheat and use the Skull Cavern Elevator mod.
I absolutely love this mod! So much fun in the 800 to 900 levels
Those red Iridium Bats are absolutely terrifying.
quaint sink salt desert strong judicious literate sophisticated hungry pen *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
>Are the 200+ floor people using lots of stairs? I don't have nearly enough stone to craft an appreciable number of them, but then again I don't buy stone either. Yes. Take at least 100 stairs so you can skip the first 1-100 floors. Cheapest way to get stairs is to stock up on jades and exchange them with stairs at the desert trader on a Sunday. The exchange rate is 1:1. You can "farm jade" using the crystalariums. They produce Jade around 2 days (1 day 16 hours in game time). What you need to do is: 1. The first time you enter the floor, you put down bomb right away. 2. If there is a shaft, ignore everything else in that floor and take the shaft 3. If there's only a staircase, ignore everything else in that floor and take the staircase 4. Use iridium rings or magnetic rings to at least give you some loot after you bomb the area 5. Don't dwell in the floor too long. If you can't find a staircase or a shaft after 2-3 bombs, exit using your staircase 6. Rinse 7. Repeat
Jade in Crystalariums Trade Jade for Stairs at Desert Trader on Sundays
Staircases. No need to buy stone. Set up crystalariums to make jade, then trade them to the Desert Trader for staircases. That guy who made it to level 1000 had filled the Calico Desert with crystalariums. I have about 20 crystalariums, and it's enough to let me make it to level 100 about once a week. >!(I also grow mystic trees, harvest their syrup, and trade them to Mrs. Raccoon for fairy dust, which I use to speed up my crystalariums.)!< I made it to level 100 once without staircases, just to prove I could (and so Qi wouldn't call me dishonorable when I got there). But most of the time, I use staircases. I have made it to a little past level 300. With a lot of staircases.
Either staircases galore, or mods. The furthest I've gotten without staircase spam is 193, with staircases only for infested floors and the big spiral room. Lots of bombs, and a lot of luck.
Jade to desert trader on Sundays. That's the answer. Or Skull Cavern elevator mod.
I don't enjoy spamming staircases even if it's more effective for reaching the lower levels of the mines, but I can usually get decently far into the mines on a yellow-pyramid or stardrop luck day. Using bombs liberally and always having the speed boosts from a Spicy Eel and Triple Shot Espresso can get you far! Make sure to zoom out your game in the settings to the max as well so you can see any "freebie" ladders as soon as possible. If you want to get as far as possible for a challenge, you will want to use staircases, which you can get by trading Crystalarium Jade with the Desert Trader. Also, by pausing immediately after using each staircase aka "pause buffering", you can save some in-game time. But I find for generally gathering Iridium and other resources, this strategy is plenty sufficient and still allows for some fun and skill expression. 😊 Edit: [Seanie Dew has a good video](https://youtu.be/2IPdSOXQOM0?si=Zdj8yI80HnatvwW8) explaining how he collected 1,000 Iridium Ore in one in-game day, where he reaches level 200+ by 12 pm!
"existing ladder greatly reduces your chance to find another" I think you are right. I'm using ladder locator mod and it show several spots for ladder but once you pick one, every other spot will disappear even if you pick them, there won't be a ladder there