Crystal

## B-Skin

Unlocked by visiting Cursed Crystal Caves as Crystal

## C-Skin

Unlocked by visiting Inverted Crystal Caves as Crystal

*Crystal is the most survivability-focused mutant in the game. Being the only character with 10 HP, Crystal already has a defensive advantage. Additionally, Crystal can safely avoid most projectiles through the use of her active Crystal Shield. Her ease of use and extra health makes Crystal a great starting character.*

## Features

Crystal starts off with 10 HP instead of 8.

## Special

Crystal can create a shield around herself which prevents damage. The shield can be sustained for a short duration and Crystal can't move when her shield is activated. The shield will start shaking before automatically deactivating. Crystal is vulnerable to damage during the shield's disappear animation. The ability can't be used again until the previous shield fully disappears. Enemies will act as if they have lost sight of Crystal when she is shielding, and closer enemies will get repelled.

Attacks deflected by the shield:

* Common red projectiles such as those fired by Big Dog or Bandits,
* Shotgun pellets such as those fired by Alligators or Mole Sarges,
* I.D.P.D. blue bullets and Inspector's slug projectile,
* Discs from the Disc Gun.

Attacks negated by the shield:

* Green ovoid bullets such as those emitted by Scorpions or Ballguys,
* Fire, including the blue fire emitted by Lil' Hunter,
* Toxin from toxic barrels and Toxic Ballguys or your own weapon,
* Green bullets and orbs fired by the Palace enemies.

Attacks that bypass the shield:

* Melee strikes such as that employed by Assassins or Big Assassin.
* Lasers fired by Laser Crystals or Lava Worms.
* Lightning fired by Lightning Crystals.
* Explosions.
* Square Bullets from Pink Bandits or post-loop enemies.
* Contact damage (Though enemies act as if they have lost sight of Crystal when shielding and won't run directly at her. Closer enemies will get repelled).

## Throne Butt

Crystal's Throne Butt elongates shielding time.

## Ultra Mutations

 Juggernaut |  | Enables slowed movement while shielding.
Useful during bullet-heavy situations, as you will be able to escape much safer.
Become invulnerable to all damage while shielding.
Homing effects wear off when shielding ends.
When you shield, push enemies back with more force.

## Gameplay

Crystal can be considered the best starting character for a new player due to her survivability. Her health boost alongside her special ability helps withstand heavy fire, plus the shield's reflective properties allow the player to kill enemies without spending ammunition. Releasing the shield and activating it again in the right moments can make you invulnerable for long enough that you can survey the situation before running to safety, which can be really helpful in the third stage. Her teleportation ability with Throne Butt adds to this, as you can escape any danger by shielding and teleporting to a safe location.

## Tips

### Useful Mutations

* Euphoria - Grants slightly more time to put up a shield and, in turn, evade projectiles.
* Gamma Guts - When combined with the Juggernaut Ultra, Crystal can walk into enemies to damage them without fear of bullets.
* Rhino Skin - Added to Crystal's already above-average HP, grants a higher maximum total than any other character.
* Stress - A higher maximum HP means it is possible to reach a lower minimum percentage of HP remaining, in turn increasing the fire-rate increase cap to one unmatched except by Chicken at 0% HP.
* Glass Arm Cannon - Because Crystal has a higher max HP, she can safely ignore the -2 reduction to max HP for faster kills.
* Throne Butt - Grants more safety. Because of the longer shield duration, Crystal can wait out bullet-heavy situations until it's safe to escape.

### Unlocking B-Skin

You only need to visit the Cursed Crystal caves, so it may be worth taking a Crown at some point in the run to gain a cursed weapon. Open mind will also increase the odds of finding a cursed weapon.

### Unlocking C-Skin

Since inverted portals only have a chance to spawn, maximizing those odds are important. Crown of Inversion and the Inversion Magnet (found by destroying the fish skulls in the Wasteland in 1-1 and 1-2) with work together to greatly increase the odds of finding an inverted portal.

## Trivia

* Crystal's loading screen tip mentions *"Family"*. Crystal came from the Crystal Caves and her family is still there, trapped in crystal form. Crystal is the only one that can still control her own body and has any memory of the time before the apocalypse.
* Crystal's other loading screen tip mentions that *"Crystal can handle this"*, which implies that she is confident of her abilities and stays motivated.
* Crystal is one of the original five characters.
* Crystal's unused race\_back is "Damage reduction while standing still".
* Crystal loves cheeeeeese!!