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. # Scarab 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 27 October 2026. The Scarab is a glowing golden beetle in Spelunky Classic that flits about dark levels and is worth up to $12,000 to a player who catches it. ![A golden scarab beetle with its wings beating](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/17b72a4951674638/sprites/sScarab/anim%404x.png) | Scarab | | | --------- | --------------------------------------------- | | Health | 1 hit point[^1] | | Damage | None[^2] | | Speed | 4 pixels per step[^3] | | Behaviour | Darts about, away from a nearby player[^4] | | Object | `oScarab` | | Found in | The Mines, The Jungle, The Temple, Dark level | Scarabs live only on dark levels, where they glow in the dark. One is treasure that moves: the player collects it by touching it, for more than most gems are worth, but it darts away from him, and any weapon that touches it destroys it for nothing. ## Behaviour A Scarab hovers in the air; nothing pulls it down. It waits 10–30 steps (0.33–1 second), then darts off at 4 pixels per step (120 per second), slowing by 0.5 pixels a step until it stops, and waits again. Within 64 pixels of the player, it darts straight away from him; farther off, in a random direction. It bounces off walls, floors and ceilings[^5][^6]. It only moves while it's on screen or just off it[^7]. On a dark level it lights up a small circle around itself[^8]. ## Damage A Scarab never hurts the player: its touch is a pickup (see [Defeating](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/scarab#defeating)). ## Defeating **Clip: Scarab.** On a dark Temple level, the player drops down onto a glowing scarab and collects it: his money starts counting up by $12,000. ([video](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/media/17b72a4951674638/clips/scarab/collect/clip.mp4)) When the player touches a Scarab, he collects it: its value is added to his money, which counts up on screen, it counts toward the Scarabs he has collected, and it vanishes in a shower of sparks[^2][^9]. Its value depends on the area[^10]: | Area | Value | | ---------- | ------- | | The Mines | $4,000 | | The Jungle | $8,000 | | The Temple | $12,000 | The clip shows the player dropping onto a Scarab on a dark Temple level: his money starts counting up by $12,000[^11]. It has 1 hit point, so anything that hurts monsters destroys it, and the player gets nothing: no money and no kill[^12]. | Way | Damage | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------- | ----- | | Whip or Machete | Destroys it | [^13] | | A thrown item moving faster than 2 pixels per step, such as a Rock | Destroys it | [^14] | | A Shotgun or Pistol bullet | Destroys it | [^15] | | A Bomb's explosion | Destroys it | [^16] | | Ending up inside solid ground | Destroys it | [^17] | Its own step event replaces the one most monsters share, which is where Spikes, Lava and Spear Traps hurt them, so none of those harm a Scarab[^18]. ## Locations Level generation makes Scarabs only on dark levels, hovering under blocks with two open spaces beneath them, a 1 in 40 chance for each such block: - **The Mines**: outside the starting room, once the rolls for a [Giant Spider](https://spelunky.ai/wiki/giant-spider) and a lamp have failed[^19]. - **The Jungle**[^20]. - **The Temple**[^21]. The Ice Caves have the same roll, but no Ice Caves level is made dark (defiling an altar can darken one later, after generation), so it never comes up[^22][^23][^24]. The level editor has no tile for a Scarab. ## Tips - A Scarab flees a player within 64 pixels, so it's easiest to catch while it waits between darts, or from above, as it never falls. - Whipping a Scarab destroys it, and its money with it. - Only dark levels have Scarabs, and they glow, so they can be spotted in the dark. ## Trivia - Its code sets no value for the Ice Caves, where it never appears[^10][^25]. - The screen between levels draws a Scarab for each one collected[^26]. ## FAQ ### How much is a Scarab worth in Spelunky Classic? $4,000 in the Mines, $8,000 in the Jungle and $12,000 in the Temple, added to the player's money when he touches it. ### Where do you find Scarabs in Spelunky Classic? Only on dark levels of the Mines, the Jungle and the Temple, hovering under blocks. No Ice Caves level is made dark, so they have none. ### Does a Scarab hurt the player in Spelunky Classic? No. Touching it collects it. Whipping or bombing it destroys it instead, and the player gets nothing. ### How do you catch a Scarab in Spelunky Classic? Run into it. It darts away from a player within 64 pixels of it, a burst at a time, and stops between bursts, which is the moment to catch it. ## See also - **Damaged by:** Whip, Machete, Throwing[^14], Shotgun[^15], Pistol[^15], Bomb[^16] ## References [^1]: `objects/oScarab/create.gml:17` [^2]: `objects/oScarab/collision_oCharacter.gml:1-6` [^3]: `objects/oScarab/step.gml:42` [^4]: `objects/oScarab/step.gml:21-63` [^5]: `objects/oScarab/create.gml:11` [^6]: `objects/oScarab/step.gml:18-63` [^7]: `objects/oScarab/step.gml:1-3` [^8]: `objects/oScreen/step_begin.gml:227-230` [^9]: `objects/oScarab/destroy.gml:1-4` [^10]: `objects/oScarab/create.gml:12-14` [^11]: Clip scarab/collect [^12]: `objects/oScarab/step.gml:6-16` [^13]: `objects/oEnemy/collision_oWhip.gml:1` [^14]: `objects/oItem/step.gml:341-348` [^15]: `objects/oBullet/collision_oEnemy.gml:16` [^16]: `objects/oExplosion/collision_oEnemy.gml:14` [^17]: `objects/oScarab/step.gml:6` [^18]: `objects/oEnemy/step.gml:63-128` [^19]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:45-62` [^20]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:264-271` [^21]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:445-449` [^22]: `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml:350-354` [^23]: `scripts/scrInitLevel.gml:169` [^24]: `objects/oSacAltarLeft/destroy.gml:48-50` [^25]: Quirk 1 (docs/quirks.md) [^26]: `objects/oTransition/alarm_0.gml:96-99` ### Source code - `objects/oScarab/create.gml` - `objects/oScarab/step.gml` - `objects/oScarab/collision_oCharacter.gml` - `objects/oScarab/destroy.gml` - `objects/oEnemy/collision_oWhip.gml` - `scripts/scrEntityGen.gml`