Dark Caves

The Dark Caves is the first Area of the game.

Although the enemies present in this area are generally easily disposed of, the level contains many traps (such as boulders or spikes) than can kill the player instantly. Consequently using a scroll of magic mapping can be useful to know what parts of the area are especially dangerous, but players will still have to pay attention to their surroundings if they want to survive. Wearing boulder and spike protection gear is also strongly recommended if it is available.

Rainbow Slime
The Rainbow Slime is the boss of the Slime Cave.

It has 100HP.

Behavior

It will chase a player similar to a regular green slime however it is much faster.

Attacks

Its attacks animations are very similar to a green slime, except it will turn into a spiky ball much more often. Unlike green slimes, they can hurt you by from below if they jump up at you.

Strategy

Rainbow slimes only take one point of damage from spike traps.

Spikes


Touching this trap from above deals instant death to the player or creature, with some exceptions.

Countermeasures

Simply walking through spikes causes no harm whatsoever.

Spike Protection gear will permanently destroy wooden spikes when the player would otherwise be impaled on them.

The Featherfall status effect will let you fall through spikes harmlessly unless you are pressing Down to fall faster. It can be obtained from drinking a Potion of Featherfall, wearing Featherfall gear, or holding on to a Chicken.

Slowly sliding down walls using the Rogue's Acrobatics skill or Climb Walls gear will let you fall through spikes harmlessly.

Bad ideas

Some things do not offer spike protection, even though it seems like they might: Special interactions
 * Climbing down a ledge and into Spikes, a strategy commonly employed in Spelunky.
 * The Wildling's Bear Stomp ability.

The Goblin King destroys spikes as if he wore Spike Protection gear. Other bosses except for the Rainbow Slime are entirely immune. Fox Thieves are also immune.

Arrow Traps
Pictured: A loaded arrow trap above, and a deactivated arrow trap below.

Found in The Caves and The Forest. When an object moves within an Arrow Traps range (about six blocks right or left of the trap), it launches a single arrow and deactivates. The arrow is not affected by gravity, deals about 12 damage and applies significant knockback.

Countermeasures

It is possible to trigger an arrow trap using nearly any physical entity in the game, including creatures, dropped items, boulders, projectiles, coins, props, etc. Blood, wooden splinters and other cosmetic effects do not count.

Reflects Projectiles gear can protect the player from arrow traps.

Boulder Traps
Found in The Caves and The Forest. This trap consists of a grey pressure plate on the ground and a hidden boulder on the ceiling straight above, held by green vines. Touching the pressure plate drops the boulder. A falling boulder deals instant death to any creature underneath, with some exceptions.

Boulders can be pushed off ledges to crush other creatures, or used as platforms. In some rooms, this occasionally necessary to reach a chest.

Countermeasures

Pressure plates can be triggered by creatures, dropped items and props, but not coins or projectiles.

With good reflexes, the player can jump before being hit by the falling boulder. Instead of instant death, the boulder will deal about 33 damage and break.

Boulder Protection gear can protect the player from falling boulders, causing them to only deal 1 damage.

Light Feet gear lets the player walk across pressure plates without triggering them.

Special interactions

Bosses only take 20 damage from falling boulders. A golem will take about 20 damage and break the boulder.