Shrines, chests and portals.

Shrine of Chance

Pay gold and roll: 45% nothing, 36% a white item, 9% green, 9% equipment and 1% red. It shuts down once it has given you 2 things.

Cost: 17 gold, and 40% more each time you use it.

Worth it: Early on, if you have spare gold and no chests nearby, or if you want equipment.

Watch out: Gold for gold, a normal chest (25) gives you more: with the shrine you pay about 31 per item on average even on the first roll, and the price rises even when you get nothing.

Shrine of Blood

It takes health and gives you gold: half of the health you lose. Up to 3 uses: the 1st takes 50% of your health, the 2nd 75% and the 3rd 93%.

Cost: Health, not gold.

Worth it: With a lot of max health (more health, more gold) and no enemies around.

Watch out: It leaves you nearly dead: use it away from enemies and heal before moving on.

Shrine of Combat

Spawns a group of one monster type from the stage. More enemies, more gold and experience.

Cost: Free.

Worth it: Early in a run, for quick gold. Using 3 on the same stage unlocks the War Horn (Warmonger challenge).

Watch out: Enemies come at the difficulty you had when you entered the stage. After your first loop it can spawn several very tough elites at once.

Shrine of the Mountain

The teleporter boss gets harder (more bosses, elites or tougher bosses) and, when beaten, drops one more copy of each item. Each extra shrine, harder and another copy.

Cost: Free.

Worth it: When you are strong. It is the best way to get boss items: each extra copy rolls its own chance to be one.

Watch out: Items at the end = players × (1 + shrines used). If you are already struggling, one or two shrines can make the teleporter impossible.

Shrine of Order

For each item colour, it picks one of your items at random and turns all the others of that colour into it. You end up with one item type per colour.

Cost: 1 Lunar Coin.

Worth it: Rarely: it is a gamble. It only appears on Rallypoint Delta, Conduit Canyon and Commencement.

Watch out: You can end up with 30 copies of your worst item. A colour where you only have one item type stays the same.

Shrine of the Woods

Creates a circle on the ground that heals your team 1.5% of their health 4 times per second. It can be enlarged twice: 12 m, 20 m and 28 m.

Cost: 25 gold; each upgrade, 50% more.

Worth it: If it is next to the teleporter: it heals you while you charge it.

Watch out: It does not move: far from the teleporter it is nearly useless.

Altar of Gold

When the teleporter is done, a Gold Portal opens to the Gilded Coast, home of Aurelionite. It never appears on stage 1.

Cost: 200 gold.

Worth it: If you want the Halcyon Seed: each player gets one for beating Aurelionite.

Watch out: In the Gilded Coast you have to pay the beacons (25 gold each) and pay again when they go out: bring spare gold.

Boss: how to beat it

Halcyon Shrine · Seekers of the Storm

Touch it and it rises and drains gold from you and anyone within 30 m. From 75 gold you can stop it; let it run and at 150 and 300 the reward grows. Meanwhile, waves of Stone Golems spawn. Stopping it spawns a Halcyonite: kill it for one Aurelionite Fragment per player (you pick items) and a Green Portal to the Path of the Colossus.

Cost: 75 to 300 gold (rises with difficulty).

Worth it: On stage 1, almost always: it is the easy way into the False Son route, and the golems pay back part of the gold.

Watch out: Once you have used a Green Portal in the run, later ones give a Gold Portal; on stages 4 and 5, always gold.

Boss: how to beat it

Shrine of Shaping · Seekers of the Storm

Revives dead players, gives living players an extra life and 3 s of invulnerability.

Cost: 30% of everyone's max health.

Worth it: In multiplayer, to revive someone.

Watch out: Your max health really drops, like a curse.

Cleansing Pool

It takes one of your lunar items at random (lunar equipment too) and gives you a Pearl (80%) or an Irradiant Pearl (20%).

Cost: 1 lunar item.

Worth it: To get rid of a lunar item you no longer need. Beads of Fealty are perfect for this: they only matter for reaching A Moment, Whole.

Watch out: The lunar it takes is random: as Heretic, it can take one of her key pieces.

3D Printer

It takes a random item of the same colour from you and gives you the one it shows. There are white and green ones (green from stage 2).

Cost: 1 item of its colour. If you have scrap of that colour, it goes first.

Worth it: To stack an item that works great with your survivor.

Watch out: What it takes is random: visit the Scrapper first to choose what you give. Do not turn everything into one item: you can lose the basics.

Mili-Tech Printer

Same as the 3D Printer, with red items. From stage 5; the rarest printer.

Cost: 1 red item.

Worth it: If you have a red item you do not need and the one shown is useful.

Watch out: If you have several reds, the one it takes is random: red scrap first.

Overgrown 3D Printer

Same, with boss (yellow) items. From stage 2. It never offers a Pearl, and it does not appear on Sky Meadow.

Cost: 1 boss item (a Pearl works too).

Worth it: To swap a Pearl or a weak boss item for a good one.

Watch out: Like the others: the one you give is random if you have several.

Scrapper

Pick an item and it turns into scrap of its colour (up to 10 copies at once). White, green, red and boss items; not lunar, equipment or void.

Cost: Free.

Worth it: Always before a printer or cauldron: that way you decide what you give.

Watch out: Scrap does nothing in your inventory. If you have 15 copies of something, 10 go.

Cauldron

3 white items for 1 green, 5 greens for 1 red, or 1 red for 3 whites. You get the one it shows. Found in the Bazaar Between Time (one green and one red), Commencement and Prime Meridian.

Cost: Items (scrap goes first).

Worth it: If you have spare whites you do not need and the green on show is useful.

Watch out: 5 greens for one red is expensive: check which red it is.

Chest

One item: 79.2% white, 19.8% green and 0.99% red.

Cost: 25 gold.

Worth it: Always: early on it gives the most items for your gold.

Large Chest

One item, never white: 80% green and 20% red.

Cost: 50 gold.

Worth it: Almost always: twice a small chest, but a red one in five.

Legendary Chest

Always a red item. From stage 4; it rarely spawns by chance, but some stage 4 maps have a fixed one (Abyssal Depths, Sundered Grove…).

Cost: 400 gold (16 times a small chest).

Worth it: If you get there with the gold: a guaranteed red.

Watch out: The price also rises over time: if you are slow, it costs much more.

Chest - Damage

Only gives items of its type: damage (red, with bullets), healing (green, with a cross) or utility (purple, with circles). Small and large.

Cost: 30 gold (60 the large one).

Worth it: When you need exactly that: healing, for example.

Multishop Terminal

Three terminals with one item each: you pick one and the others lock. Some can be hidden behind «?». There are white, green and equipment ones.

Cost: 25 gold (50 for green and equipment).

Worth it: Whenever one of the three suits you: you choose instead of gambling.

Watch out: With the Executive Card the other two stay open.

Adaptive Chest

Open it and it cycles items faster and faster; interact again to keep the one showing. Otherwise the 30th drops on its own. Any item can show up, reds and equipment included.

Cost: 50 gold.

Worth it: If you have quick reflexes: you can snipe the item you want.

Equipment Barrel

Always equipment.

Cost: 25 gold.

Worth it: If you have no equipment yet or yours is bad.

Watch out: You only carry one equipment: picking another drops yours.

Lunar Pod

A lunar (blue) item.

Cost: 1 Lunar Coin.

Worth it: If you know which lunar items suit you. See the lunar items guide.

Watch out: Lunar items have a big downside: read it before picking it up (you can leave it on the floor).

Rusty Lockbox

Always a green or red item. It only appears if someone carries a Rusted Key: one per player with keys on each stage.

Cost: Free: uses one Rusted Key.

Worth it: Always: a free item.

Watch out: It is easier to spot while charging the teleporter: it gets locked with orange spikes.

Cloaked Chest

A nearly invisible chest: it only slightly warps what is behind it. Gives an item like a small chest.

Cost: Free.

Worth it: Whenever you spot it.

Watch out: While the teleporter charges it gets orange spikes and shows up. Watch for the «Open Cloaked Chest» prompt when walking past.

Void Cradle · Survivors of the Void

A void (purple) item (in practice almost always white or green) and 0 to 4 Void Infestors come out.

Cost: 50% of your health.

Worth it: If the void item it can give improves your build.

Watch out: A void item converts all your copies of the normal item it corrupts: check which one before picking it up.

Newt Altar

Hidden on every normal stage (3 to 5 possible spots). Paying it puts a blue orb on the teleporter and, once done, a Blue Portal.

Cost: 1 Lunar Coin.

Worth it: If you want to visit the bazaar to buy lunar items or choose the next stage.

Watch out: If you pay after the teleporter event is over, no portal appears.

Blue Portal

Takes you to the Bazaar Between Time, the shop: Lunar Buds (lunar items for 2 coins), two cauldrons and the Lunar Seer (3 coins: pick the next stage). Time and difficulty stop while you are there.

Cost: Free (the Newt Altar opens it; sometimes it appears on its own).

Worth it: To catch your breath: the clock stops.

Watch out: Below the arrival portal there is a Null Portal to the Void Fields (once per run): that is where Acrid is unlocked.

Gold Portal

Takes you to the Gilded Coast, home of Aurelionite. The Altar of Gold opens it (or the Halcyon Shrine in some cases). Time stops inside.

Cost: The Altar of Gold's: 200 gold.

Worth it: For the Halcyon Seed.

Watch out: Bring gold for the beacons.

Boss: how to beat it

Celestial Portal

Takes you to A Moment, Fractured. It appears on the 3rd stage after your first loop. The Obelisk is there: you can end the run (obliterate yourself) or keep going through another portal.

Cost: Free.

Worth it: Obliterating for the first time unlocks Mercenary and the Beads of Fealty.

Watch out: If anyone carries Beads of Fealty, the Obelisk sends you to A Moment, Whole and its boss.

Boss: how to beat it

Void Portal · Survivors of the Void

Takes you to the Void Locus, then to The Planetarium and the Voidling. It appears after all 9 cells in the Void Fields, sometimes after the teleporter (10% from stage 7) or by picking it at the Lunar Seer.

Cost: Free.

Worth it: If you want the void ending.

Watch out: The Void Locus is full of void cradles and potentials: purple items.

Boss: how to beat it

Green Portal · Seekers of the Storm

Takes you along the Path of the Colossus, which ends at Prime Meridian and the False Son. The Halcyon Shrine opens it.

Cost: The Halcyon Shrine's.

Worth it: If you want to unlock False Son or the Seekers of the Storm ending.

Boss: how to beat it

Compound Generator

On Sky Meadow (under the map) and Helminth Hatchery (at the very top). Enter an artifact code and a portal opens to Bulwark's Ambry, where you earn that artifact.

Cost: Free.

Worth it: To unlock artifacts. The codes are in the artifacts guide.

Watch out: In the Ambry you fight the Artifact Reliquary: only keys hurt it.

Boss: how to beat it

Radio Scanner

Scans the whole stage (like the Radar Scanner equipment: it shows chests and the rest) and adds the stage data to your logbook. Once you have it, it no longer appears on that stage.

Cost: 150 gold.

Worth it: To find cloaked chests and Newt Altars.