Pickups

Pickups are any item that isn’t a weapon/power but can be taken. Most of them are consumables, such as healing, keys, or scrolls of power.

All main categories of pickups are:

• Healing pickups that restore the player's health or reduce Malaise.
• Scrolls to upgrade player stats.
• Gems/treasure, which award varying amounts of gold.
• Keys, which let the player unlock doors when they have the matching key.

Healing pickups

Food

Food regenerates a fixed percentage of health when eaten (+65% health restored if the Gastronomy mutation is active, half as much health restored if the Dead Inside mutation is active). There are 2 different functional types of food, each with 7 different appearances depending on the selected diet, which is altered by game settings. If untouched by the player, it will be chosen as "Carnivore." Both types of food can add Malaise on Hell difficulty if the piece of food is infected. The amount of malaise given depends on if the food is major or minor. Minor food gives 50 points (1 bar) and major food gives 150 points (3 bars) of malaise. There will always be 1 clean piece of food in any one biome, dropping from an enemy. Another guaranteed piece of food will be found in a wall rune. This and any other drops, including those from lore rooms, will always be infected with Malaise on 5 BSC.

Minor foods

Minor foods restore 15% of the player's maximum health (25% if Gastronomy is active, 7.5% if Dead Inside is active). They're dropped from enemies, wall and floor runes, and can be purchased from food shops with 0-4 BSC active (with 5 BSC, food shops will sell a cough syrup instead).

Name	Icon	Diet setting
Mr Fister		Carnivore
Carrot		Vegetarian
Guts		Monster
Cherries		Fruitarian
Pastry		Castlevaniesque
"Le Croissant"		Baguette
Small medkit		Half-Life
Gruyère		Cheese

Major foods

Major foods heal 50% of the player's maximum health (83% if Gastronomy is active, 25% if Dead Inside is active). They're found in the same ways minor foods are, as well as in lore rooms, but are rarer.

Name	Icon	Diet setting
Drumstick		Carnivore
Big ol' turnip		Vegan Prison diet
Monster's Eye		Monster
Watermelon		Fruitarian
Chicken		Castlevaniesque
"La Baguette"		Baguette
Large medkit		Half-Life
Camembert		Cheese

Other healing items

These healing items are more uncommon than food and can usually only be encountered under certain conditions.

Type	Icon	Description	Sources	Notes
Flask Recharge		Restores 1 Health Flask charge.	Passages (1-3 BSC) Food shops Elites (with Tainted Flask)	Since 2.5 can be recycled for gold.
Cough Syrup		Reduces your Malaise infection level by 30%.	Food Shops	Cannot appear if Malaise has been disabled, such as through custom mode or when fewer than 5 Boss Cells are active.

Scrolls

Scrolls are items that increase the player's stats.

Name	Icon	Effect	Sources
Scroll of Power		Adds one point to one of the three stats.	Scroll vats Enemy drops Cursed chest Challenge Rift chest
Assassin's Scroll		Adds one point to either Brutality or Tactics.	Scroll vats Enemy drops
Minotaur's Scroll		Adds one point to either Brutality or Survival.
Guardian's Scroll		Adds one point to either Tactics or Survival.
Epic Scrolls of Power		Adds one point to all three stats.	Scroll vats in Daily Run
Scroll Fragment		Each 4th fragment collected will give a Scroll of Power.	Scroll Fragment pedestals Enemy drops Bosses

• Scroll Fragments can only be found while 3 or more Boss Stem Cells are active.

Currency pickups

Gold

Gold is the main currency used for making purchases and buying weapon upgrades throughout runs. All enemies will drop small amounts of gold when killed that appear as tiny, bright pebbles that automatically fly towards the player to be collected. Gold is lost upon death leaving over a small amount depending on your Gold Reserves level (default 0 gold).

Gems

Gems give a significant amount of gold when collected. Each one awards a different amount of gold depending on its type.

Gems in order of value:

Name	Icon	Description	Value	Sources
Gold Tooth		A tooth worth 100 GOLD. He was asking for it...	100	One per enemy every 10 seconds parried with the Greed Shield. Most bosses.
Golden Arrow		A transmuted arrow worth 100 GOLD. When you care enough to shoot the very best.	100	One per projectile parried with the Greed Shield per enemy.
Shiny Rock		Totally and utterly worthless. You're not gonna pick that thing up, are you?	100	Guaranteed drop from one of the Key Dark Tracker Elites in High Peak Castle Timed Door reward Wall runes (uncommon) Random drop from enemies
Ingot		Pretty easy to sell. You should be able to get at least 130 GOLD for it.	130	Inside the chest at the end of the platforming challenge in The Bank.
Malachite		Quite common, but you shouldn't have any trouble getting 250 GOLD for it.	250	Wall runes (common) Timed Door reward The Concierge death reward Random drop from enemies
Amethyst		This pretty stone will fetch you 500 GOLD! My precccioussss...	500	Wall runes (uncommon) The Concierge death reward Timed Door reward Random drop from enemies
Blue Sapphire		A magnificent stone worth 1000 GOLD!	1000	Wall runes (rare) Timed Door reward (rare) Behind one of the 8 doors at the end of the Ancient Sewers.
Ruby		A precious stone of truly exceptional purity that will fetch you the modest sum of 1500 GOLD!	1500	Wall rune (very rare) Cursed Chest reward Tutorial Knight's corpse on 4th run of a save in the Prisoner's Quarters (guaranteed drop)
Corrupted Artifact		This is worth 10000 GOLD, but if you pick it up, you'll be cursed. (20-kill curse)	10000	Random drop from enemies
Fragment of the Philosopher's Stone		You're officially the richest creature on the island. This absolutely perfect little jewel is worth 75000 GOLD!	75000	Random drop from enemies (0.2%) Wall runes (incredibly rare)

Dead Man’s Bag

A bag that spawns at the start of Prisoners' Quarters. It contains some of the gold from your last run. The value depends on your current level of Gold Reserves and any gold above this limit is lost.

Cells

Cells are a special currency that is used primarily for unlocking items and upgrades. They are often dropped from slain enemies and bosses, or found in chests and canisters in biomes. Cells are lost upon death.

Cells can be spent in two ways; unlocking items and upgrades from The Collector, or by increasing the chance for higher quality gear to appear in runs from The Blacksmith.

Liposuction

A rare pickup that produces one extra cell on every kill for 45 seconds, even if an enemy normally can't drop any (Myopic Crows^FF, etc). Has a 0.3% drop rate from enemies killed. The extra cells are gold instead of blue.

Residual cells

A bag that spawns next to the Dead Man's Bag if you defeated the Hand of the King. It contains any cells possessed upon reaching the Throne Room, as well as the 40 cells dropped by the Hand of the King. If not picked up, or if the run is reset, the cells will be lost.

Other pickups

Bonus Point Stars

Main article: Bonus Point Stars

Bonus Point Stars are exclusively found in the Daily Run. They give a 5-point bonus for each enemy killed for 15 seconds.

Secret Potion of ???

The following information contains spoilers regarding the true ending of the game. Discretion is advised.

Dropped by the Collector. During the beginning of his final phase, after drinking the Panacea for the 4th time, he will be vulnerable. Once attacked by the player he will be interrupted and drop the bottle. It refills all the player's missing Health Flask charges and when first used the Panacea is consumed instead, albeit much faster than drinking a regular potion.

The potion completely removes the damage cap against bosses and also greatly increases the damage of all player-associated sources, and drinking it is a requirement in defeating The Collector.

Mysterious Map

The Mysterious Map can be obtained by collecting four Map Parts throughout the Infested Shipwreck.^TQatS Having it will mark an X spot in the player's map.

Keys

Unlike most pickups, keys are not used when they are picked up. Instead, they are added to the player's inventory, so they can be used later to open their respective doors. Keys remain in the player's inventory for the rest of the run if not used on the appropriate door and unused keys disappear upon death or at the end of a successful run.

The keys stop spawning if the respective Blueprints they are associated with have been obtained and turned in to The Collector.

For the complete list of Keys containing the 2 from the Return To Castlevania DLC check the official wiki.

Name	Icon	Location	Notes
Gardener's Key		Promenade of the Condemned	3 Gardener's Keys are required to obtain the Explosive Crossbow blueprint. The first key requires the Ram Rune The second needs the Spider Rune or the Homunculus Rune The third can be obtained by stomping a hidden flower in the ground three times. After the Explosive Crossbow blueprint is collected, there will be Malachite or Amethyst gems in its place on subsequent runs as well as a random weapon or skill. The doors will also be permanently open. In the Ramparts, the Graveyard, and the Forgotten Sepulcher, there is a secret room with a door unlocked by a Gardener's Key, behind which is a Moonflower Key.
Iron Cells Key		Prison Depths, Corrupted Prison	Dropped by enemies inside the biome. Used to open 1 of 2 cell doors at the end of the biome, which grants the player a random item on an altar. Only 1 may spawn each run.
Old Service Key		Ancient Sewers	3 Old Service Keys are dropped by enemies in the Ancient Sewers and are used to open any of the 8 doors at the end of the biome. It stinks.
Village Key		Stilt Village	2 Village Keys open doors further in the level. The mid-stage door can be bypassed with the Spider Rune, but the doors blocking the Clock Tower and Forgotten Sepulcher cannot be bypassed. A secret area in the village requires this key to unlock access to its prize, the blueprint for the Parry Shield.
Clockmaker's Key		Clock Tower	Opens the door blocking the exit to the Clock Room.
Bell Tower Key		Clock Tower	Drops from a Clock Tower bell when all 4 are rung in ascending order of the loudness of their ring, indicated by how far the circles travel from it. It is important to note that the smaller the circle size, the louder the ring.. Opens the door blocking the blueprint for Punishment.
Graveyard Key		Graveyard	Opens the door leading into the underground portion of the graveyard. Open the gates of Hell...
Architect's Key		Graveyard (inside a wall rune in the underground section)	Opens the door blocking the blueprints for Merchandise Categories and Parting Gift.
Crypt Key		Forgotten Sepulcher	2 Crypt Keys are found throughout the biome, each letting player progress further in the level. They are all in rooms which can only be accessed with the Teleportation Rune. 2 Additional keys can be found if the player does not have the Explorer's Rune, which are dropped by 2 Elite Dark Trackers and used to unlock the doors leading to the rune. Once the rune is collected these keys won't appear again. It seems to be very old.
Moonflower Key		Ramparts, Graveyard, Forgotten Sepulcher	There are 3 Moonflower Keys: The first is in the Ramparts The second is in the Graveyard The third is in the Forgotten Sepulcher Each appears in a secret room reached with a well-hidden passage through the walls. A glimpse of the room may hint at the passage's location, which is faintly marked by vines. Inside each room is a door requiring a Gardener's Key from the Promenade of the Condemned to pick up to the Moonflower Key. Reaching all four of these locations in a single run requires having 3 active BSC and passing through the 3-cell door leading from the Ramparts to the Insufferable Crypt. If all Moonflower Keys are collected, they can access a secret room in High Peak Castle hidden in a similar way as the rooms containing the keys. The room contains the blueprint for Acceptance.
Castle Key		High Peak Castle	There are 3 Castle Keys in High Peak Castle. They drop from the Elite enemies inside the colored doors. Only 2 are needed to proceed to the Throne Room, but the last grants access to a room where the player can find a Scroll of Power, 2 weapons, and the blueprint for the Boomerang.
Cavern KeyRotG		Prisoners' Quarters (inside the huge door at the entrance of Prisoners' Quarters. Only accessible after defeating the Hand of the King for the first time)	Opens the door to the CavernRotG in the Graveyard. Once unlocked, the door remains open for future runs. Otherwise, the key will continue to respawn.
Garland KeyRotG		CavernRotG (in a ceiling secret space)	Gives access to a gate in one 4 BSC door, which contains the blueprint of Festive Outfit.
Dilapidated Arboretum KeyTBS		Prisoners' Quarters (near entrance to Dilapidated ArboretumTBS from the deceased Royal Gardener)	Opens the door to the Dilapidated ArboretumTBS. Once unlocked, the door despawns from future runs, unless the player doesn't have the DLC.
Distillery Key		Derelict Distillery (behind a wall that needs to be broken with an explosive barrel)	Opens the door to the exit of the biome.
Crowned KeyTQatS		Stilt Village (inside the lighthouse keeper's home)	Permanently unlocks the door to the Infested Shipwreck.TQatS
Forked KeyTQatS		Infested ShipwreckTQatS (inside a breakable floor that can be found using the Mysterious Map)	Opens the door to the lore room containing the Abyssal Trident.TQatS
Red Pass		The Bank	Opens the door to the red floor in the Bank; used for reaching the Blue Pass.
Blue Pass		The Bank	Opens the door to the blue floor in the Bank; used for reaching the exit and the Green Pass.
Green Pass		The Bank	Opens the door to the green floor in the Bank; used for reaching a special platforming challenge.
Ruby Key		Prisoners' Quarters	Used to unlock the Ironclad Outfit To remember this key, you needed a little paid help
Sapphire Key		Prisoners' Quarters	Used to unlock the Ironclad Outfit This one required a heartbreaking decision
Emerald Key		Prisoners' Quarters	Used to unlock the Ironclad Outfit Taken from the clutches of a mighty enemy. Now you have to make it count
[Show spoilers] Allen KeyRotG	Contains spoilers	AstrolabRotG	Dropped by an Elite Slammer. Used to open the door to the final section of the biome.
[Show spoilers] Elevator KeyRotG	Contains spoilers	AstrolabRotG	Dropped by an Elite Failed Experiment. Opens the door to the elevator at the end of the biome.
[Show spoilers] Guardian's KeyRotG	Contains spoilers	AstrolabRotG	Dropped by two Elite Slammers at the end of the final section of the biome. Used to open 2 doors blocking access to the Observatory.RotG
[Show spoilers] Apex KeyRotG	Contains spoilers	AstrolabRotG	Found in a secret area, at the end of an obstacle course. Used to open the door to the button that lets the blueprint for Sonic CarbineRotG drop.

Removed pickups

Removed healing items

Type	Icon	Description	Sources
Small Cough Syrup		Reduces your Malaise infection level by 10%.	Elites (with Extended Healing) No longer obtainable after v2.1, the Malaise Update.

Removed gems

Name	Icon	Description	Value	Sources
Golden Cell		A little gold cell worth 20 GOLD.	20	One per Cell while an amulet with the "Get gold as well as a cell" affix was equipped. With v1.9, the Update of Plenty, this affix was removed, rendering this gem inaccessible.

Removed keys

Name	Icon	Location	Notes
Madman's Key		Ossuary, Ancient Sewers	Dropped from an Elite Zombie and an Elite Inquisitor that spawned from a Christmas present, which also gave the player a 5-kill curse. This key was later removed from the game and was only replaced in the Ancient Sewers with the Old Service Key.
Gold Cells Key		Prison Depths	Dropped by enemies inside the biome. Used to open a cell door at the end of the biome, which grants the player one Scroll. With v1.5, the Corrupted Update, they were removed and replaced with a Cursed Chest at the beginning of the biome, which gives one Scroll of Power.

References

Navigation wiki