Escape the starting Crypt
Follow the available platforms and doors until you reach the outdoor Graveyard. Treat treasure as optional when the exit timer is running low.
Can You Unlock Graveyard Tier 2?
Quick answer: No. Graveyard does not currently have a separate Tier 2 or Tier 3 option to unlock. Its complete progression is contained in one run: escape the starting Crypt, collect four Crypt Keys in the outdoor Graveyard, enter the second Crypt, then defeat Big Bob.
| If you searched for... | What you actually need | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Graveyard Tier 2 | There is no separate selectable tier. Complete the full four-key route in the existing Graveyard. | Full route |
| Unlock Graveyard | Complete the Calcium objective on Desert Tier 2 to add Graveyard to map selection. | Unlock steps |
| Beat Graveyard | Reach Big Bob through the second Crypt and defeat him. | Big Bob strategy |
🔓 How to Unlock the Graveyard
The Graveyard map doesn't simply unlock by playing. It involves one of the longest specific unlocking quest-chains in the game, requiring you to play hide-and-seek with ghosts.
The Unlock Sequence
- Acknowledge Prerequisites: Make sure you have unlocked Calcium (the skeleton) by defeating 1,000 skeletons, and ensuring the Desert Map and Desert Tier 2 difficulty are unlocked.
- Start a Specific Run: You MUST select Desert Tier 2 and you MUST play as Calcium.
- Hunt the Graves: While surviving, look at your minimap. Search for four specific coffin-like grave objects marked with boss icons.
- Slay the Ghosts: Interacting with the graves spawns four color-coded ghosts (White, Black, Purple, Red) consecutively. Kill them all.
- Defeat The Father: Immediately after the ghosts die, hunt down the giant Golden Statue Boss (Calcium's Dad / The Undead Boss). Defeating him instantly pops the achievement and unlocks the Graveyard forever!
NOTE: You do not need to finish or win the Desert Tier 2 run. The exact millisecond the Undead Boss dies, the Graveyard is permanently added to your map selection screen. Need a build to beat him? View our Undead Boss Strategy Guide.
⚰️ How the Graveyard Crypt Works
Quick answer: A Graveyard run starts inside a timed Crypt. Find the exit before the timer ends, collect four keys from guarded coffins outside, return to the marked Crypt Door, clear the second timed Crypt, and go through its final door to fight Big Bob.
Collect four keys
Search the outdoor map for four red-beam coffins. Open each coffin, defeat its guardian, and pick up the Crypt Key.
Return to the Crypt Door
Look for the red gust of wind that marks the door. Insert all four keys to enter the second Crypt section.
Reach Big Bob
Cross the second timed interior and pass through the last door before the timer expires to begin the boss fight.
When a Crypt timer reaches zero: A short grace window remains before Spooky Steve appears. He is a high-health optional boss rather than an enemy you should expect an early build to defeat. Beating him unlocks Roberto.
Crypt Escape: Finish the Opening Route Consistently
- Move immediately. The opening Crypt is a route check, so do not spend the first seconds deciding which free chest to open.
- Follow the open platforms and doors. The layout can vary, making visible openings and forward momentum more reliable than a memorized left-or-right instruction.
- Jump through transitions instead of stopping. Mobility helps preserve speed through ledges, but uncontrolled speed can send you into a wall or lava.
- Prioritize the exit over loot. Free treasure is optional. Once the timer is low, abandon side pickups and commit to the door.
Crypt Escape challenges: the timed challenge variants refer to the first Crypt at the start of the run. Use a fast character and treat each attempt as a clean movement run rather than a loot run.
🔑 How to Find All Four Crypt Keys
The key coffins are scattered around the outdoor Graveyard rather than kept together inside one building. They are not fixed to one reusable coordinate route.
| What to look for | What happens | Route decision |
|---|---|---|
| Red beam above a coffin | This marks a coffin that contains a Crypt Key. | Move close enough to discover it; the coffin then appears on the map so you can return later. |
| Open Coffin interaction | Summons one of the four guardian ghosts: Jeff, Mike, Ted, or Gary. | Delay the interaction if the current build cannot handle a miniboss safely. |
| Key after the guardian dies | The Crypt Key must be collected from the coffin encounter. | Confirm the pickup before leaving; killing the guardian alone is not the end of the step. |
| Red wind at the Crypt Door | Marks the entrance that accepts the full set of four keys. | Return only after the key set is complete and the build is ready for the second timed Crypt. |
Safe order: scout first, mark coffins, gain levels from ordinary enemies, then return to the guardians. The ghosts become progressively stronger, so opening every coffin immediately can turn a route problem into a damage problem.
💀 Big Bob: Door, Fight, and Scythe Unlock
After inserting all four Crypt Keys, enter the Crypt Door and follow the second timed route to its final door. Big Bob waits beyond that exit. Defeating him unlocks the Scythe weapon.
How to Kill Big Bob
Charge the arena shrines
Activate the charge shrines before Big Bob begins his lethal attack. Do not wait for the attack animation to start.
Use the protected area
Move into an active shrine's area when the lethal attack resolves. The protection is the key mechanic; ordinary damage stacking does not replace it.
Keep moving above the lava
Use jumps and movement to cross the arena safely while continuing damage. Avoid spending every movement option before the lava covers your route.
Keep a shrine in reserve
Activated shrines expire. Rotate to another charged shrine instead of assuming the first one will protect every cast.
Most common wipe: entering the arena without charging a shrine, then trying to activate one after the lethal cast begins. Charge first, fight second.
Unlocks tied to the Crypt route
- Pot (Stainless Steel): In the first Crypt, open every chest and pot. Any character works, and the displayed timer may reach zero during the brief grace window before Spooky Steve arrives.
- Scythe: Defeat Big Bob after completing the four-key route.
- Bob's Light: Land the finishing blow on Big Bob with damage from charging a lamp. Its current effect is a 33% chance to one-shot Red Ghosts, increased from 15% in v1.0.49.
- Roberto: Defeat Spooky Steve after he appears.
Before opening the four-key door
- Finish the four-key pickup check; do not assume a defeated guardian automatically added the key.
- Make sure ordinary Graveyard enemies die quickly enough that the boss arena will not become crowded.
- Bring reliable boss damage plus enough movement to reposition without losing all damage uptime.
- Once inside, prioritize the timed route. Optional treasure is not worth missing the final door.
👻 Graveyard Boss Outcomes
Big Bob — Scythe Unlock
Big Bob is the destination of the four-key Crypt route. Defeat him after clearing the second timed Crypt to add Scythe to the weapon pool.
Spooky Steve — Roberto Unlock
Spooky Steve appears shortly after a Crypt timer reaches zero. His unusually large health pool makes him a deliberate damage test, not a normal route target. Defeat him to unlock Roberto. (Use the Spooky Steve boss strategy).
🐍 Crypt Secret Room: How to Find Snek
The Crypt also contains a hidden route to Snek. This is separate from the four-key Big Bob objective, so decide whether the current attempt is a boss clear or a Secret Room search.
- Inside the Crypt, look for the room with two jump pads and a central pillar. The layout can appear mirrored, so use these landmarks rather than a fixed left/right instruction.
- Drop to the lower platform and step on the pressure plate. An activation sound indicates that the hidden entrance opened.
- Check the lava wall and enter the newly opened tunnel.
- Follow the tunnel to the hidden chest or object and collect Snek.
Common mistake: jumping into the lava before activating the pressure plate. Find the plate first; otherwise the hidden tunnel is not open.
Graveyard Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 2 is missing | Graveyard has no separate Tier 2/3 selector. | Choose Graveyard and complete its four-key route. |
| A key is missing | A guardian died, but the dropped key was not collected. | Revisit discovered red-beam coffin markers and confirm the pickup. |
| The Crypt Door will not open | The full set of four keys is incomplete. | Check every coffin encounter before returning to the red-wind door. |
| Spooky Steve appeared | The Crypt timer and grace period expired. | Ignore optional loot and take the exit; Steve is not required for the Big Bob route. |
| Big Bob kills you instantly | No active charged shrine protected the lethal cast. | Charge shrines early, stand in an active area for the cast, and keep another ready. |
| The Secret Room is not obvious | The room can be mirrored, so fixed left/right directions fail. | Find two jump pads and the central pillar, then use the lower pressure plate. |
🔮 Other Map Secrets and Special Items
Exploration within the Graveyard rewards observant players with unique artifacts that don't spawn natively in the Forest or Desert.
- Tomestones: Look for purple dots on your minimap. Activating a Tomestone provides an immediate +10% EXP buff at the cost of a static +5% difficulty scalar to enemies.
- Shrines of Balance: These tricky shrines offer a massive +200% multiplier to one of your stats, but indiscriminately slap a -50% debuff onto another random stat. They are run-defining gambles.
- The Old Mask: Search the summits of tall castle-like structures toward the map edge; each copy adds +15% Elite Spawn Increase.
- Pumpkin: As Roberto, break every pumpkin on Graveyard to unlock this future-stage pot and reward item.
- The Hidden Pot Item: Found exclusively on the Graveyard map, picking this up allows you to limit-break your current weapons and upgrade them beyond their intended level caps.