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. # Sacrifice pit 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. A sacrifice pit is a special Temple level of Spelunky Classic: a shaft down to a pool of lava, with a Damsel and a Golden Idol on its trap door. ![A tan stone block carved with a skull](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/1d3f433106e37ef1/sprites/sSkullBlock/frames/0%404x.png) | Sacrifice pit | | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | Levels | 13–15, the City of Gold's included[^1] | | Chance | 1 in 8 for each Temple level[^2] | | Part of | [The Temple](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/temple)[^3] | The pit is a column of four rooms, from the top row of the level to the bottom, that the path never crosses. A [Damsel](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/damsel) and a [Golden Idol](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/golden-idol) wait at its top on a floor of [trap blocks](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/trap-block), and lifting the idol drops the player, the idol and the Damsel the length of the shaft into [Lava](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/lava), with six [Big Rubies](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/big-ruby) in the blocks under it. Despite its message, "I CAN HEAR PRAYERS TO KALI!", the pit has no [altar of Kali's](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/kalis-altar). ## Generation **Clip: Arriving at a sacrifice pit.** A Temple level loads with the message "I CAN HEAR PRAYERS TO KALI!" The player walks left from the entrance to the top of the sacrifice pit, where a damsel and a golden idol stand side by side on four skull blocks, and stops beside the idol. ([video](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/1d3f433106e37ef1/clips/sacrifice-pit/arrival/clip.mp4)) ### The roll Before it lays the path, [level generation](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/level-generation) makes each [Temple](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/temple) level a sacrifice pit one time in 8, the [City of Gold](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/city-of-gold)'s too[^3][^2]. The roll is made afresh for every level, so a game can have several: with seed 43, levels 13, 14 and 15 are all three sacrifice pits[^4]. The pit takes a column other than the entrance's. The path is laid after it and only moves sideways into rooms it hasn't been given yet, so it never enters the pit's column, and the entrance and the exit are on the same side of it[^5][^6]. A sacrifice pit level has its own idol and Damsel, so it gets no idol room, no other Damsel, and no [Kissing Parlor](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/kissing-parlor), whose Damsel would be a second[^7][^8][^9][^10]. Ten steps after the level starts, the player says "I CAN HEAR PRAYERS TO KALI!"[^11][^12]. On a [dark level](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/dark-level), the dark level's message comes first ("I CAN'T SEE A THING!", or "THE HEDJET SHINES BRIGHTLY." for a player wearing the [Hedjet](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/hedjet)) and Kali's 209 steps later[^13][^14]. In the City of Gold, the timer meant for Kali's message runs a chain of messages that tests for the City first: it shows the City's message, and Kali's comes 209 steps after that. So a City that isn't dark shows its own message twice, and a dark one the dark level's, the City's and Kali's[^15][^16][^6][^17]. In the clip, a Temple level loads with the message, and the player walks left from the entrance to the top of the pit, where the Damsel and the idol stand side by side[^18]. ### The layout The four rooms have layouts of their own, one each, from the Temple's room script[^19]: | Room | Layout | | | ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- | | The top | Open above; a mound of temple stone with a niche in the middle, where the Damsel and the idol stand on a floor of four trap blocks, the only trap blocks the Temple makes | [^20][^21][^6] | | The two below | A shaft down the middle between walls two blocks thick: four tiles wide, and up to six where the tiles beside it, each a block one time in 2, are open | [^22][^23] | | The bottom | Three more rows of the shaft, then a pool of lava three tiles deep (each tile at its edges lava or stone, one time in 2 each), over a row of six blocks that each hold a Big Ruby | [^24][^25][^26] | The shaft's walls are solid from the top room down, so the trap door is the only way into it without a [Bomb](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/bomb) or a [Mattock](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/mattock). In the City of Gold, the Lady Xoc statue's room is chosen after the pit, and one time in four takes the pit's third room, which seals the shaft off above the lava: lifting the idol then drops the player a room, onto the statue. In the clip below, he falls onto it, stunned, and loses a heart[^27][^6][^28][^29]. **Clip: The Lady Xoc statue in a sacrifice pit.** The City of Gold's Lady Xoc statue took the third room of a sacrifice pit's shaft. The player lifts the pit's golden idol, the floor under it gives way, and he falls a room down onto the statue, not three rooms down into the pit's lava. ([video](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/1d3f433106e37ef1/clips/quirks/xoc-statue-in-sacrifice-pit/clip.mp4)) ## Inhabitants | Monster | Where | Chance | | | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------- | | [Damsel](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/damsel) | At the pit's top, beside the idol, free to take | Always, and the level's only one | [^30][^9] | | [Magma Man](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/magma-man) | Out of the pool at the pit's bottom | Each tile of its surface spurts one time in 4, while the player is within 240 pixels; each spurt is a blob of magma one time in 8, which becomes a Magma Man | [^31][^32][^33] | The rest of the level is the Temple's, with its [monsters](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/temple#inhabitants) on the blocks of the pit's rooms as on any other[^34]. The Damsel can be carried off and rescued, or [sacrificed](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/sacrifice) on an altar, as any other ([Damsel](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/damsel)). Left at the top, she falls with the idol and burns up in the lava. ## Hazards - **The [trap blocks](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/trap-block).** With no [Ceiling Trap](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/ceiling-trap) on the level, lifting the idol destroys at once every trap block within 90 pixels of the player, all four of the pit's[^35]. Knocking the idol off them first, or destroying them, defuses it ([Trap Block](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/trap-block#avoiding)). - **The [Lava](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/lava)** at the bottom, which kills the player as soon as he lands in it. In the clip, he lifts the idol, falls the length of the pit with the Damsel and dies in the lava; the Damsel burns up after him[^36][^37]. **Clip: The Sacrifice Pit's trap blocks.** At the top of the Sacrifice Pit, the player picks up the golden idol beside a damsel. The four skull blocks under them vanish at once, and the player, the idol and the damsel fall down the pit into the lava at its bottom, where he dies. ([video](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/1d3f433106e37ef1/clips/trap-block/pit/clip.mp4)) ## Items and shops Shops come as on [any Temple level](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/temple#items-and-shops), but never the Kissing Parlor (above). The [Golden Idol](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/golden-idol) at the top is the level's only one. The six Big Rubies are in the blocks under the lava, and each comes out when its block is destroyed[^38][^39]. Treasure is scattered over the pit's blocks as over the rest of the level[^40]. ## Secrets - **[Kali's altar](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/kalis-altar)**, in a side room, as on any Temple level outside the City of Gold. The pit doesn't stop it: with seed 43, level 15 is a sacrifice pit with an altar[^41][^4]. ## Trivia - The Temple's tile for a trap block rolls 1 in 1 before making one, a roll that always passes but still draws a random number, four times on every sacrifice pit level[^42][^6]. - Lifting the idol plays the thump and shakes the screen once for every trap block on the level, as the code that does it is outside the test for their distance: four times on one step, which sounds and looks like once[^43][^6]. ## FAQ ### What is the sacrifice pit in Spelunky Classic? A [Temple](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/temple) level with a shaft four rooms deep beside the path. At its top a [Damsel](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/damsel) and a [Golden Idol](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/golden-idol) stand on four skull blocks; lifting the idol takes the blocks away, and the player, the idol and the Damsel fall down the shaft into a pool of lava. The level opens with "I CAN HEAR PRAYERS TO KALI!" ### How do you get the idol in the sacrifice pit without dying in Spelunky Classic? Knock it off the skull blocks first, with a [Bomb](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/bomb)'s blast, say: an idol that has left the ground no longer sets the trap off when it's lifted. A Bomb can also destroy the skull blocks themselves, like any block. ### Is there a Kali's altar in the sacrifice pit in Spelunky Classic? Not in the pit itself, which holds no altar despite its name and its message. The level's side rooms roll for [Kali's altar](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/kalis-altar) as on any Temple level, so a sacrifice pit level can have one elsewhere, except in the [City of Gold](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/city-of-gold), which never does. ### How common is the sacrifice pit in Spelunky Classic? Each Temple level, 13 to 15, the City of Gold included, is one time in 8. The roll is made for every level, so a game can have several, or none. ## See also - **Related:** [Trap Block](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/trap-block), [Golden Idol](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/golden-idol), [Damsel](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/damsel), [Kali](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/kali), [City of Gold](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/city-of-gold), [Kali's Altar](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/kalis-altar), [Level generation](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/level-generation) - **Found here:** [Big Ruby](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/big-ruby) (In the blocks of the pit's floor)[^24], [Damsel](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/damsel), [Golden Idol](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/golden-idol), [Magma Man](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/magma-man) (The pool at the pit's bottom)[^24], [Trap Block](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/trap-block) ## References [^1]: [`scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:71`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrLevelGen#L71) [^2]: [`scripts/scrClearGlobals.gml:60`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrClearGlobals#L60) [^3]: [`scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:71-87`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrLevelGen#L71-L87) [^4]: Replay `fidelity/replays/temple-seed-43.txt` [^5]: [`scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:89-133`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrLevelGen#L89-L133) [^6]: Quirk 1 (docs/quirks.md) [^7]: [`scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:84-86`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrLevelGen#L84-L86) [^8]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:80-88`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L80-L88) [^9]: [`scripts/scrTreasureGen.gml:73`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrTreasureGen#L73) [^10]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:155-188`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L155-L188) [^11]: [`scripts/scrInitLevel.gml:206-219`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrInitLevel#L206-L219) [^12]: [`objects/oPlayer1/alarm_0.gml:59-64`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/alarm_0#L59-L64) [^13]: [`objects/oPlayer1/alarm_0.gml:5-13`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/alarm_0#L5-L13) [^14]: [`objects/oPlayer1/alarm_1.gml:43-48`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/alarm_1#L43-L48) [^15]: [`objects/oPlayer1/alarm_1.gml:36-42`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/alarm_1#L36-L42) [^16]: [`objects/oPlayer1/alarm_4.gml:7-12`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/alarm_4#L7-L12) [^17]: Replay `fidelity/replays/city-of-gold-seed-9-sacrifice-pit.txt` [^18]: Clip sacrifice-pit/arrival [^19]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:193-204`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L193-L204) [^20]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:193-196`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L193-L196) [^21]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:399-409`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L399-L409) [^22]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:197-200`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L197-L200) [^23]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:323-327`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L323-L327) [^24]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:201-204`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L201-L204) [^25]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:328-337`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L328-L337) [^26]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:497-500`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L497-L500) [^27]: [`scripts/scrLevelGen.gml:136`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrLevelGen#L136) [^28]: Clip quirks/xoc-statue-in-sacrifice-pit [^29]: Replay `fidelity/replays/city-of-gold-seed-9-xoc-pit.txt` [^30]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:399-405`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L399-L405) [^31]: [`scripts/scrSetupWalls.gml:410-414`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrSetupWalls#L410-L414) [^32]: [`objects/oLava/step.gml:1-15`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oLava/step#L1-L15) [^33]: [`objects/oMagma/other_animation_end.gml:1-6`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oMagma/other_animation_end#L1-L6) [^34]: [`scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:444-473`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrEntityGen#L444-L473) [^35]: [`objects/oPlayer1/step.gml:1250-1279`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/step#L1250-L1279) [^36]: Clip trap-block/pit [^37]: Replay `fidelity/replays/trap-sacrifice-pit.txt` [^38]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:333-337`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L333-L337) [^39]: [`objects/oTemple/destroy.gml:34-37`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oTemple/destroy#L34-L37) [^40]: [`scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:475-478`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrEntityGen#L475-L478) [^41]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:68-79`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L68-L79) [^42]: [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml:406-409`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4#L406-L409) [^43]: [`objects/oPlayer1/step.gml:1269-1278`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/step#L1269-L1278) ### Source code - [`scripts/scrLevelGen.gml`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrLevelGen) - [`scripts/scrRoomGen4.gml`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrRoomGen4) - [`scripts/scrClearGlobals.gml`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/scripts/scrClearGlobals) - [`objects/oPlayer1/alarm_0.gml`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/alarm_0) - [`objects/oPlayer1/alarm_1.gml`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/alarm_1) - [`objects/oPlayer1/alarm_4.gml`](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/source/objects/oPlayer1/alarm_4)