Crystal Lizard

Introduction to Crystal Lizards

Based on your character tendency and your luck skill, these Crystal Lizards (which are also referred by some as "geckos") will drop various items, including a range of valued stones ranging from shards to pure stones. The tricky part about these little critters is their ability to elude once you're approaching within a certain distance. Your stealth does aid a minor bit, so if you're equipped with a Thief's Ring or cast Cloak you can get in closer, and have a better chance of killing them.

At first as you encounter the lizards, you might be surprised to stumble upon one so you'll want to remember the location, and have something equipped just before you reach that same spot again.. to ensure the best chances of killing them. They do have limited respawns, so if you die more than 6 times in the level of the world you're currently in (as an estimate) you may not see that same lizard appear until the next playthrough, although you will encounter a new lizard in the next level of the same world you're on (if one would normally spawn on that particular level).. so keep that in mind. After killing the boss in each level however, you can go back through that same world and the lizards will respawn one last time in each spot, if you want to maximize your earnings.

Effective methods to kill Crystal Lizards

Not only are the lizards quick, they can take a few more hits to kill than you probably think. It should go without saying, to be prepared for them to take less damage from certain weapon types. For example, if you're playing in the mage style or spellcaster... don't be surprised if your soul arrow isn't doing as much damage as you'd like. The type of shot you use, will either damage the lizard but won't stun (flip on it's back in this case), and the other will damage and stun at the same time. An example I'll use again will be with a mage. If you're using soul arrow, you may not damage the lizard as much as you'd like.. but it does have the stunning ability, giving you more time to ensure he dies before finally embarrassing you with a little "na na nana na" movement while sticking its tongue out at you. Fire Spray on the other hand is alot faster at firing shots at the lizard, but it doesn't have a stun effect.. so if your magic stat is low, and you're not putting alot of damage on the lizard, it can get away easily.

One of the best ways to kill a Crystal Lizard is by bow and arrow from a distance. If you have fire arrows and a lava bow, you can not only do a great bit of damage, but you can also knock them on their backs for a brief amount of time, allowing you to quickly fire off another shot. In some cases you can kill a lizard in 1 shot. (example: Royal class/ 40 magic /40 faith ((or sometimes less)) / Monks wrap / morion blade in left hand / Lava bow ((fire arrows)) in right hand / ring of magical sharpness / clever rats ring / less than 30% health ((for stat bonus) If you don't have a set than can kill lizards efficiently or haven't had enough trial and error to discover a method that works best for you, don't get discouraged if you're close to killing a lizard and he disappears. Keep shooting at the spot you last saw him, as alot of times the lizard will still be there and will flash / appear as you keep damaging him while hidden.

Reasons to Kill

Since the items a lizard drops is a precious way to earn upgraded weapons.. it's best to ensure you pick up whatever is dropped before even saving your own life in some cases. Remember you can always respawn infinite times, and not lose the items, but you will only have a limited times to pick those items up each playthrough.

The best place to pick up items from the Crystal Lizards is from their Lizard Nest, located in world 2-2, just after taking an elevator down the shaft. You should see about 2 Crystal lizards scurrying down a hallway. with another waiting toward the end of the hallway. Be careful however, if this is your fist time down here, you will be greeted by 2 Black Phantoms

and they will want to kill you. In this case get rid of the Phantoms, and plan out your strategy before reaching the end of the tunnel. Once you reach the end, you will fall down into their pit (nest) and have about 4-5 seconds to kill as many Crystal Lizards as possible before they burrow and disappear. An effective method for killing numerous lizards at once is with a spell called "Firestorm" as it will create a powerful random spread of fire in various places. Alot of times you can kill as many as 5-6 of these lizards in one blast. The Crystal lizards in this particular pit drop various types of hard, sharp and clearstone shards and chunks. (you will also find 1 pure clearstone per playthrough down in this area, so make sure to search around before exiting)