Spelunky is © 2008, 2009 Derek Yu and Mossmouth, LLC, and is used under the [Spelunky User License v1.1b](https://spelunky.ai/LICENSE.txt). spelunky.ai is an unofficial fan project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Mossmouth. The game and its assets may not be sold. Music by George Buzinkai and Jonathan Perry; sound effects made in SFXR. From Spelunky Classic 1.1, © 2008, 2009 Derek Yu and Mossmouth, LLC. # The Ice Caves From the spelunky.ai wiki: . Verified against the spelunky.ai port [v0.1.10](https://github.com/851-labs/spelunky/releases/tag/v0.1.10) on 28 October 2026. The Ice Caves are the third area of Spelunky Classic, levels 9–12: platforms of rock and slippery ice over a bottomless drop, home to Yetis and UFOs. ![A square of dark blue rock](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/197bfc59562320b5/sprites/sDark/frames/0%404x.png) | The Ice Caves | | | ------------- | -------- | | Levels | 9–12[^1] | Where the areas before it are caves dug through solid ground, the Ice Caves are open space: platforms of dark rock and blocks of ice float over a drop with no floor, and a fall past the bottom of the level kills the player. The ice is slippery, and some platforms melt or fall. [Yetis](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/yeti) walk the platforms and [UFOs](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/ufo) fly between them, and the area holds the Moai, the Mothership and the Yeti lair. ## Generation The Ice Caves are levels 9 to 12, built in a room of their own, taller than the Mines' or the Temple's[^1][^2]. Taking level 8's exit leads to the screen between levels, where the Tunnel Man may wait, and on to level 9; once two shortcuts are paid for, the title screen's Shortcut House has a door to level 9[^3][^4]. In the clip, the player takes level 8's exit, pays the Tunnel Man the last $500 of a shortcut, and level 9 loads, with Yetis and a UFO in view[^5]. **Clip: From the Jungle to the Ice Caves.** The player takes level 8's exit. In the screen between levels, he pays the Tunnel Man the $500 left on a shortcut, and level 9, the first Ice Caves level, loads: blue rock and ice blocks, with Yetis and a UFO. ([video](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/197bfc59562320b5/clips/ice-caves/from-jungle/clip.mp4)) The level is laid out as [the Mines'](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/mines#generation) are, four rooms by four on a path from the top row to the bottom, from the Ice Caves' own layouts[^6]. But the level's border has no floor: its blocks run down the sides and across the top only[^7]. The layouts are mostly platforms in open air, so the bottom row of rooms opens onto nothing, and a player who falls more than 16 pixels below the bottom of the room loses 99 hearts[^8]. The rock is dark blue, with one block in ten a block of ice[^9], and some layouts add more ice, platforms that fall and thin ice[^10]: - **Ice** is slippery: standing on it, the player hardly slows down, unless he's crouching or wears [Spike Shoes](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spike-shoes)[^11]. - **Falling platforms** drop after the player has stood on one for 20 steps (two-thirds of a second)[^12][^13]. - **Thin ice** melts under the player in 30 steps (1 second)[^14][^15]. One side room in two gets a side room's layout, and one of those may be[^16]: | Room | Chance | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | | Kali's altar | 1 in 12, once a level | [^17] | | [Golden Idol](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/golden-idol) room: the idol on a ledge of thin ice | 1 in 9, once the altar's roll fails, once a level | [^18][^19] | A level may also hold one of the area's special places: | Place | Chance | | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | | The Moai | Once a game: 1 in 4 on level 9, 1 in 3 on level 10, 1 in 2 on level 11, else on level 12 | [^20] | | The Mothership | 1 in 10 for a level after the one with the Moai | [^21][^22] | | A Yeti lair | 1 in 6 for a level after the one with the Moai, once the mothership's roll fails | [^23][^24] | The mothership's and the Yeti lair's rolls are the `else` branches of the Moai's, which every Ice Caves level takes until the Moai is made, so neither comes before it[^25]. Unlike the other areas, the Ice Caves are never dark[^26]. ## Inhabitants Level generation goes over every block outside the shops[^27]: | Monster | Where | Chance | | | ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | | [UFO](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/ufo) | On a block without two open tiles below it, outside the entrance's room | 1 in 30 (1 in 90 in a Yeti lair) | [^28] | | [Yeti](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/yeti) | On a block more than 64 pixels from the entrance | 1 in 20, once the roll for a [Spring Trap](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spring-trap) fails | [^29] | A UFO destroyed by a thrown item or monster may eject an [Alien](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/alien). A Yeti lair has the [Yeti King](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/yeti-king), and the Mothership the [Alien Boss](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/alien-boss). The Ice Caves have no Bats, Snakes or Spiders, and no [webs](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/web): the treasure script's webs skip them[^30][^31]. The [Ghost](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/ghost) comes to a level the player stays on too long, as in every area. ## Hazards - **The drop.** Falling off the bottom of the level kills the player (above). - **[Spring Traps](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spring-trap).** One block in ten of plain rock, with four open tiles above it, more than 64 pixels from the entrance and the exit, gets a Spring Trap on top[^32], which throws the player 16 pixels up and into a jump when he steps on it[^33]. - **[Spikes](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spikes)**, under the idol's ledge[^19][^34]. - **Slippery ice, thin ice and falling platforms** (above). ## Items and shops Shops come as in [the Mines](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/mines#shops): a level's chance is 2 in its number (2 in 9 on level 9 down to 1 in 6 on level 12), in a side room beside the path, of the same seven kinds, and none once the Black Market has been made[^35][^36][^25]. Treasure is scattered as in [the Mines](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/mines#treasure), without the webs. The Ice Caves' rock holds more gems than any other area's: one block in 40 that isn't a gold vein holds a big sapphire, and rarer ones a big emerald, a big ruby or an item[^37]. ## Secrets - **The Moai**, on one of levels 9 to 12, which hides the [Hedjet](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/hedjet). - **Kali's altars.** - **The Mothership**, with a free [Jetpack](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/jetpack) inside[^38][^39]. - **Shortcuts.** In the screen after level 12, the Tunnel Man may ask for money toward the last shortcut[^40]. ## Trivia - The room script makes a [Yeti](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/yeti) for a `Y` tile, but none of its layouts has one[^41][^25]. - Generation would put [Scarabs](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/scarab) under the Ice Caves' blocks on a dark level, which the Ice Caves never are[^42]. - The border makes a row of blocks across the level 640 pixels down, outside the Ice Caves' room, which is 608 pixels tall, beside a commented-out row of [Spikes](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spikes)[^43]. Level generation goes over those blocks as over any other, so under every Ice Caves level, out of sight and out of reach, it scatters what it would on any floor: [Rocks](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/rock), [Jars](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/jar), gold bars or bones[^44][^25][^45]. ## FAQ ### What levels are the Ice Caves in Spelunky Classic? Levels 9 to 12, after [the Jungle](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/jungle). Taking level 12's exit leads to [the Temple](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/temple). ### What happens if you fall off the bottom of the Ice Caves in Spelunky Classic? The player dies. The Ice Caves have no floor under their rooms, and falling below the level takes 99 hearts, whatever the player has. ### What monsters live in the Ice Caves in Spelunky Classic? [Yetis](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/yeti) and [UFOs](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/ufo), from which an [Alien](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/alien) may bail out when one is destroyed. A Yeti lair adds the [Yeti King](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/yeti-king), and the Mothership the [Alien Boss](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/alien-boss). ### Are there dark levels in the Ice Caves in Spelunky Classic? No. Level generation never makes an Ice Caves level dark. ## See also - **Found here:** [Alien](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/alien) (Out of UFOs a thrown item or monster destroys)[^46], [Alien Boss](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/alien-boss), [Bow](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/bow), [Cape](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/cape), [Chest](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/chest), [Climbing Gloves](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/climbing-gloves), [Compass](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/compass), [Crate](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/crate), [Ghost](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/ghost), [Gold Bar](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/gold-bar), [Gold Bars](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/gold-bars), [Gold Chunk](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/gold-chunk) (In the rock's gold veins)[^47], [Gold Nugget](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/gold-nugget) (In the rock's rich gold veins)[^48], [Golden Idol](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/golden-idol), [Hedjet](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/hedjet), [Jar](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/jar), [Jetpack](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/jetpack), [Kapala](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/kapala) (Kali's gift, at her altar)[^49], [Machete](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/machete), [Mattock](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/mattock), [Parachute](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/parachute), [Paste](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/paste), [Pistol](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/pistol), [Pitcher's Mitt](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/pitchers-mitt), [Rock](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/rock), [Shotgun](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/shotgun), [Skeleton](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/skeleton), [Skull](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/skull), [Spectacles](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spectacles), [Spike Shoes](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spike-shoes), [Spikes](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spikes), [Spring Shoes](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spring-shoes), [Spring Trap](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/spring-trap), [Teleporter](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/teleporter), [UFO](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/ufo), [Web Cannon](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/web-cannon), [Yeti](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/yeti), [Yeti King](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/yeti-king) ## References [^1]: `scripts/scrInitLevel.gml:27` [^2]: `objects/oTransition/step.gml:25` [^3]: `objects/oPlayer1/other_animation_end.gml:63-65` [^4]: `objects/oPlayer1/other_animation_end.gml:144-150` [^5]: Clip ice-caves/from-jungle [^6]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:48-188` [^7]: `scripts/scrInitLevel.gml:84-94` [^8]: `objects/oPlayer1/step.gml:220-238` [^9]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:295-304` [^10]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:483-518` [^11]: `scripts/characterStepEvent.gml:774-778` [^12]: `objects/oDarkFall/create.gml:9-10` [^13]: `objects/oDarkFall/step.gml:3-8` [^14]: `objects/oThinIce/create.gml:3` [^15]: `objects/oThinIce/step.gml:1-13` [^16]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:68-103` [^17]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:70-74` [^18]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:75-83` [^19]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:99` [^20]: `scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:212-221` [^21]: `scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:222-233` [^22]: `scripts/scrClearGlobals.gml:59` [^23]: `scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:234-237` [^24]: `scripts/scrClearGlobals.gml:58` [^25]: Quirk 1 (docs/quirks.md) [^26]: `scripts/scrInitLevel.gml:169` [^27]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:338-379` [^28]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:345-359` [^29]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:362-371` [^30]: `scripts/scrTreasureGen.gml:55` [^31]: `scripts/scrTreasureGen.gml:100` [^32]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:362-369` [^33]: `objects/oSpringTrap/collision_oPlayer1.gml:1-15` [^34]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:307` [^35]: `scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:239-297` [^36]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:122-152` [^37]: `objects/oDark/create.gml:3-15` [^38]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:175-181` [^39]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:472-478` [^40]: `objects/oTransition/create.gml:57-61` [^41]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:404-407` [^42]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:354` [^43]: `scripts/scrInitLevel.gml:130-137` [^44]: `scripts/scrTreasureGen.gml:42-46` [^45]: Replay `fidelity/replays/ice-seed-2.txt` [^46]: `objects/oItem/step.gml:331-340` [^47]: `objects/oDark/destroy.gml:9-30` [^48]: `objects/oDark/destroy.gml:19-30` [^49]: `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml:465-471` ### Source code - `scripts/scrInitLevel.gml` - `scripts/scrLevelGen.gml` - `scripts/scrRoomGen3.gml` - `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml` - `objects/oPlayer1/step.gml` - `objects/oDark/create.gml`