When you first start out, you will see an area above you, but ignore it for now. Continue along the lower area, being mindful that enemies will pop out doors here. They periodically throw spears at you, so you might have to jump over or burrow to avoid them. Once you make it to the end, you can see a burrow hole in the bottom right, so head there next. As soon as you enter this new screen, there’s one of those knight enemies that lunge forward, although that’s the only thing this version can do. Bait its attacks, then strike when it’s open to your own.
(1 of 5) Don’t bother with this Kear Lock, as the area beyond it cannot be done right now.
Once it’s clear, look for the hole in the ground in the bottom right and burrow to see a dark room that’s being lit by moving candles. This spot is isolated from the main Shallow Tomb, but note the location of the other hole in the top left. Along the top row of tombstones, hit the third one from the left to discover the entrance to the main section of the Shallow Tomb. Other than some buried Bones, the main thing to grab here is the Kear at the bottom. Return above ground and head left, where you can drop a shortcut rope and see two NPCs on the left.
Taking the stairs in the area with the NPCs will bring you back to the start. Note that you should have gotten the Deflector Parasol from the one candle in the area with the NPCs. This Sidearm is nice, since it’ll give you a longer jump if you hold the button and are holding the parasol. While you’re near the northern exit on the first screen, don the parasol and hold jump to cross the chasm to the left, allowing you to reach the upper section. Lower the rope up here (chest has a Bonestone Gem) and look for the burrow hole on the far left, which is mostly just a shortcut on the next screen. Ignore that for now and return to the upper right exit.
On this next screen, you should see another knight enemy here, so bait him around the tombstones to take him out. The doorway above him doesn’t lead to much of anything right now, so ignore it and continue to the left. Those spear-throwing enemies will pop out of the two doors, but the middle door is hiding a secret hole, so hit it with your weapon. Go down into the hole to arrive in another Shallow Tomb. You should see the Trinket Chest on the right side, so time your jumps to avoid the spikes and open it for the Spike Spurs Trinket. This one basically lets you walk on spikes while only taking a single damage from them, instead of normal damage.
Back outside, there is another knight to the left, although you could probably cheese it by using the pit as a buffer between you both. Note that this is where you would appear if you used the burrow shortcut on the first screen, in the top section. Up the stairs, don’t be fooled by the button on the right, as this will summon an enemy. Instead, break the dirt on the left to find the real button that lowers the metal bars.
Farming Some Bones¶
The next screen has two spike strips, and another knight enemy. You can destroy the wall to your left to get some more room, if you need it. Go up the first set of stairs here and break the tombstone to the right, which allows you to go right, up and left to find a small burrow hole along the wall. This brings you to someplace called Tower Tunnel, where there will be a lot of spikes. The spikes run in a line and the room is dark, except for candles going around that light up the path. Time your journey to the candles, which should allow you to avoid taking spike damage.
(1 of 3) You can hit this gravestone to access a secret passage, leading to a hole that goes into a dark cave.
You won’t be able to reach the middle section, but get to the bottom left for a chest with a Bonestone Gem. As you head upwards, the path to the right is through a small burrow tunnel. In the upper right corner is another chest with a Bonestone Gem, although this one is across a pit. So, you’ll have to time things to break the chest open, then burrow jump across to the gem. Once you’ve gotten both, leave the room to return to the main area. Drop down to the right to see some NPC standing near some gravestones. There are a number of holes here in this little graveyard, but the gravestone to the left of the NPC houses a hidden one.
This is the one you want to go down into, dropping you into a room with a chest right next to you. The chest holds a Vial Pouch, an upgrade that increases the number of Plasma Vials you can hold. Drop down on the left side, then destroy the wall in the upper left to discover a hidden room with more spikes. Time your way to the upper left to find another wall you can break away, revealing more spikes and a Kear on the left raised platform. Collect it, then leave the spike vault to return to the Knight’s Rest area. Head all the way back to the graveyard with the NPC and enter the hole in the upper right. This will place you back in the spike vault, but you can bust the stone on the left, then exit via the right.
The button on the ground outside will lower the bars in front of you, giving you access to the upcoming major dungeon. Before heading this way, head to any Underlab and equip the Spike Spurs, as this will help greatly in an upcoming section. Head to the right of the iron bars from before and down a large flight of stairs. At the bottom, you can burrow underneath the fence there, arriving in an area filled with spikes. It’s mostly hidden, but there is a candle that has the Mist Jar Sidearm to the right of where you entered. This Sidearm allows you to dash, while remaining invincible, through enemies and hazards.
Using this knowledge, use it to dash left through the giant track of spikes. Of course, with the Spike Spurs on, if you got them and have them equipped, the spikes will only do 1 HP of damage to you. Go down and to the right at your first junction to find a chest with a Bonestone Gem, then you can go the rest of the way to the bottom. In the bottom right is an exit taking you to the Sandfalls area, but the only thing you can do here is open the chest for another Bonestone Gem.
Return to the flight of stairs and head right to arrive at Queensbury Crypt.
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