Crystal Lizards
crystal lizard
a dead one that has lost its shine

General Information

A Crystal Lizard is a small lizard which glows with a cool white light when alive. They are not hostile, but only run away when they notice you, and after running some distance they "burrow"/fade away and disappear. The reason you want to hunt them down is they always drop a nice selection of weapon upgrade stones (the specific type varies with each Lizard). If you are a new player who wants to get good custom upgraded weapons, then this is your notice that you really need to pay attention to the Lizards, since hunting them for their loot is the best way to maximize your upgrade stones without a lot of extra farming.

Loot

  • In Pure White World Tendency, you get the worst drop rate but the Lizards are easier to kill
  • In Pure Black World Tendency, you get the best drop rate but the Lizards are harder to kill
  • Like other enemies, they get harder to kill and better drops the deeper into each world. Lizards in worlds *-1 are easier to kill, but only drop a few or smaller stones. Lizards in *-3 take more hits to kill and drop more or better stones. The later spawns of each Lizard (the 3rd or 4th kill of each, for example) seem more likely to drop larger stones.
  • If you have killed a Lizard, you should prioritize grabbing its loot over killing other enemies or even above saving your own life if you have a choice! Remember you keep all the items you have collected if you die. Souls can be farmed anywhere, but the loot from Lizards can be gotten only a few times per playthrough and if you don't collect it before you die, it is lost forever.

Tips for hunting Crystal Lizards

  • The Crystal Lizard makes a jingling sound. You have to be near it to hear, but the sound is not stopped by walls
    • For example, at the end of 1-2 where you defeat the 2 Blue Eye Knights, you can hear both the one upstairs, and the one in the dungeon.

stealth

  • Take off items that might reduce stealth
  • Wear the Thief Ring and/or cast Cloak. Approach from their back if possible
  • You make less noise while in Soul Form, which helps sneaking up closer
  • Crystal Lizards don't respond to rolling. Rolling is a great way to get close to them
  • If you are wearing a Thief's Ring, after you shoot an arrow which doesn't kill one but it starts to run away, move away and the Crystal Lizard may stop and waddle back to it's original position slowly. This doesn't always work, but it seems to help if you move out of its line of sight.
  • With a Thief's Ring on, you can equip a Catalyst in your left hand and a good weapon in your right. Get to max range that you can target the lizard from, cast Soul Arrow. This should knock it down, then you can rush it with your weapon.

melee

  • If you have a problem Lizard that likes to run off a nearby cliff when you are trying to attack it, try to run in front of its path. Once you are in front of the Lizard, it will be unable to continue running forward or turn aside to avoid you, allowing you to kill it at your leisure.
  • Lizards are slow to turn around before they run. So if you need more time to get close, you can try a sprinting approach to it's face, and try to close the distance before it turns and starts to run.
  • Because they are small and low to the ground, many weapons' swings have a hard time hitting them. Try different weapons and practice the right distance with thrusts from spears and straight swords, and be aware you will move forward as you attack. Especially if you chase one into a corner, you will often find your weapon striking the walls and never hitting the Lizard at floor level. Use the strong attack [R2] with some close-range weapons like a Falchion, since it will register a hit into a lower area than the normal attack.
  • When they take a big damage hit, they will be flipped over on their back, so there will be a few moments when they turn back upright when you can attack again. You can time your attacks this way so you hit them again just as they turn back upright, and flip them right back over, so they can't run off.
  • You need to do a lot of damage in a hurry to prevent their escape:

using a Bow

  • If you miss with your arrow, and the Lizard starts burrowing into a nearby wall, don't give up if it disappears. Pay attention to where it "burrowed in" and immediately fire another arrow at that spot. If you're quick enough, you can still kill it because it's still "close" to the surface.
  • Crystal Lizards don't respond to sound of arrow hits or dying enemies around them. So take down all surrounding enemies with arrows before you approach.

Stonefang Lizard Nest

In 2-2, there is a pit with about 10 lizards, all of which drop large shards of Hardstone and Sharpstone as well as Chunks, there are also some Clearstone drops.

God's Wrath

The God's Wrath Miracle is especially useful in the Crystal Lizard nest in 2-2. Just make sure you can bring back all the loot. Take your Ring of Herculean Strength to increase your carrying weight, and you can reload and kill them all a couple of times and still carry all the stones.

Hyper range/miracle combo Strategy

Equip the Thief's Ring and Clever Rat's Ring. Equip the Morion Blade in the left hand and the Talisman of God and White Bow +4 in the right hand.

Crystal Lizard spawning rules:

  • Each Crystal Lizard keeps their own counter.
  • At the start of game, set all Crystal Lizards' counter to 1.
  • If the crystal lizard is killed, decrease count by 1.
  • If the crystal lizard escapes and dies (by falling off a ledge, for instance), decrease count by 1.
  • If the crystal lizard escapes by burrowing, decrease count by 1.
  • If a Boss in that world is killed, increase each Crystal Lizard count in that world by 1. For example, in World 2. If you kill all 3 Bosses. Each Crystal Lizard count = 4.
  • If a particular Crystal Lizard counter is 0, it doesn't re-spawn.

respawn notes

  • Don't forget after you kill the very last boss in each world, you are not finished with that world. Killing the last boss gives one more Lizard spawn for each, so you can go back and farm all that world's Lizards again.
  • Loading the game (use the menu to Load the character you are playing now) revives all Crystal Lizards (and uses up +respawn count) but other enemies stay dead. This is a key strategy for catching Lizards in places where they are hard to approach without scaring them off (like 4-2), or if they are among other enemies. Get to it's location once and kill off any hostile locals, load the game and quickly kill the Lizard and loot, repeat until all the spawns are used up. Be aware this strategy does not work in the last boss level of each world, since loading the game in these places always starts you back at the boss level entrance, not where you reloaded!

Availability

1-1

  • Take the side passage left of the starting Archstone. You can see the Lizard clearly from the stone walkway. If you want to approach for melee, note the 'beaming in' of the the 3 Black Phantoms (Dreglings) before you reach it. (Reaching this area requires Pure White or Black World Tendency).
    • loot: Shard of Hardstone, Large Hardstone Shard, Shard of Sharpstone, Large Sharpstone Shard

1-2

  • Just before you reach the Tower Knight there is a flight of stairs on the right. A Crystal Lizard is found in the room upstairs.
    • loot: Large Hardstone Shard, Chunk of Hardstone, Large Sharpstone Shard, Chunk of Sharpstone.
      • strategy: If you have multiple count for this Lizard, try the following. The first Lizard is likely to get away unless you attack it fast enough. After entering the building, go up the stairs and position yourself at the base of the next flight of stairs. Get ready your Bow, Load the game and then shoot the Lizard that respawns. Collect loot, reposition yourself. Repeat until there is no more Lizards for this location.
      • alternate Strategy: Have a bow/arrows ready, rush up, auto-lock on the Lizard and keep firing. Lava bow's knockdown works great.
      • alternate Strategy: If you have the miracle God's Wrath you can walk through the arch tunnel until you hear the jingling of the Gecko in the room above you. Cast in the right location and you will kill the gecko through the ceiling.
  • At Point 11, in the dungeon where you go to rescue Biorr, of the Twin Fangs, you'll find a Crystal Lizard down the tunnel that heads away from Biorr's cell (Point 12) beyond the latticed double-doorway. To access this part of the level, you must have defeated the Tower Knight boss and gone through 1-3 far enought to obtain the Iron Ring of Keys.
    • loot: Large Hardstone Shard, Chunk of Hardstone.
      • strategy: Of course, take out the Fat Official that's down there. You should now have no trouble seeing the Lizard down the hallway. It's about halfway down, by the opening in the wall on the left, before you get to the Tower Shield treasure.

1-3

  • At the start there is place where a Fat Official sends a rolling fire boulder down the stairs. There are 3 Axe soldiers guarding the portcullis area, and just where you enter the narrow corridor go around the long path of the level, there is a patio on the right. A Crystal Lizard spawns here.
    • loot: Chunk of Hardstone, Pure Hardstone, Chunk of Sharpstone, Pure Sharpstone.
      • strategy: Use the Thief Ring and a bow to take out the 3 soldiers first or lure them away, or they will attack you while you try to kill this Lizard.
      • strategy:The first time you encounter this Lizard do as the first strategy says with the guards. Then approach the Lizard with the Lava Bow because it's knockdown works great. You have to be quick or it will get away. For the second encounter and the rest thereafter it's easiest to come from the 1-4 arch stone and backtrack to this Lizard. Come through the gate where the Fat Official killed his own man and locked you out. You will have a straight shot with your bow. Rinse and repeat.
      • strategy: To kill this Lizard without fear of spooking it, take out the soldier's according to the first strategy, and then use God's Wrath from the stairway below the Lizard.

1-4

  • At the starting area you find 3 crossbowmen. There is a Crystal Lizard close behind them. (Beware the 3 black phantoms close behind during your first play through the zone)
    • loot: Chunk of Hardstone, Pure Hardstone, Chunk of Sharpstone, Pure Sharpstone.
  • Halfway down the right alleyway, there is another Crystal Lizard behind the planks. He will run down the alley towards the tower with the Red-eye Knight.
    • loot: Chunk of Hardstone, Pure Hardstone, Chunk of Sharpstone, Pure Sharpstone.
  • At the walkway where the Blue Dragon attacks and there are 2 Fat Officials, there is a Crystal Lizard behind the Officials before the next doorway.
    • loot: Chunk of Hardstone, Pure Hardstone, Chunk of Sharpstone, Pure Sharpstone.
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