How to get into UT4?

This has been a question that has been nagging me for awhile. I've heard people speak of UT4, but I've never seen the stairs to it. Are the stairs in some small enclosed room which is not connected to the rest of UT3? I've killed Jenny lots of times and sweeped through the level, but I've never seen any other stairs...

So, how do you get into UT4?

Access is through UT level 2. You will notice there is always a circular shaped room with an area of stones in the center. You have to dig through the stones with a pickaxe or destroy them in some other way to reach the staircase within.

Thanks for the information. Is there anything down there that is especially valuable?

Nothing guaranteed, except the crystals, which make a good permanent light source. You can harvest them from the walls, but you'll need an extra strong pickaxe. However there are the usual random goodies.

UT4 is mostly good for generating lots of enemies, which is good if you're trying to win the sumo's belt of levitation as you have to be bloated to fight him. However, going down for a lark is not recommended due to the rampaging crystal golems who will rip weaker characters to shreds.

So just whack a crystal with a pickaxe to get one?

Or kick them down if your leg strength is through the roof. Those two are the only ways to break them. Explosions/wands are not powerful enough.

How much do these crystals weigh?

What's the best light source to carry around?
I've always just grabbed that lantern that's always in the first room, and kept that.
Though I've only made it as far as the level past the one with the kamikaze dwarf minefield.

That was my highest score too, about 6200 points.

Best light sources are those that weigh the least and cannot be extinguished, i.e. light crystals at around 200g or flaming swords when wielded as a weapon for 0g added weight.

Illithium lanterns are cool for the novelty value.

How much does an illitium lantern weigh?

But those crystals do sound handy.
And I love the flaming swords. I always use them when I find one.

No clue for the lantern weight, easiest way to test that is wizard mode.

I know that I'm warned to get more "durable" light sources than lanterns. But in all the times I've been mined and kamikazied, I've never seen a lantern break.

I have seen pretty much everything else go poof. My arcanite chainmail and ommel tooth gear gets destroyed... but even if I lose everything I'm carrying... my lantern survives.

Wait until you get up to enner beast, you'll better have a more durable light source than a lantern when you do.

Also be warned of an invisible boss monster down there.

JoKe: If you have heavy explosives, you can blow up the crystals

4zb4: What boss monster? It often has invisible stalkers but I've never seen a boss down there

The experiment ZQ...something. I think it spawns down there sometimes.

You do know that has more to do with your stats than with a particular level.

Huh... Well ok then.
Just checked the script, and the only hard-coded monsters in that level are the three different crystal golems. Guess I must've just run into experiment ZQ whatsit on that particular level.

As in how heavy? Given that I do not have experience in trying to blow the crystals up, I'm not completely sure whether any vanilla explosives are enough for it. Stacking explosives shouldn't add to the explosion either, as any additional items will AFAIK just explode after the original ignition one at a time as separate explosions.

The heaviest vanilla explosive is the big backpack of gunpowder, isn't it?

As for the spider silk golem, he spawns according to your danger level instead of on any specific level. You just got lucky/unlucky to get him there.

I've blown up crystals with big mines and backpacks of gunpowder before.

I stand corrected. Explosives also work.

Pickaxes are still more effective, though.

I believe you'll have to add wands of striking to your list, JoKe. I cannot check now and I'm known to be wrong more often than I'm right.

Wands of striking also seem to work. Darn it.

So the things that can destroy the crystals are AT LEAST pick axes, kicking, explosions, wands. What more?

Silva quake maybe?

That's quite unreliable way of doing it, seeing as a piece of ceiling would have to fall on one of the crystals and then mined out to get the chunks. Since the quake itself doesn't break even lanterns, why would it break the crystals?