Yellow ray strategy
![]() |
This page is in need of content.
|
Contents
Introduction
Yellow rays (YR) refer to a family of skills and combat items that share a similar mechanic:
- Instantly kill the current enemy
- Force all of its non-conditional items to drop
- Apply X turns of the Everything Looks Yellow effect on the player
You cannot use any yellow ray ability while Everything Looks Yellow is active. It effectively acts as a shared cooldown for all yellow rays. This effect can be worn off normally by spending adventures, and is removed during rollover. However, it cannot be removed by any other means; A Relaxing Hot Tub or soft green echo eyedrop antidote does not remove it.
Some monsters, including bosses, cannot be yellow-rayed. Most yellow rays (except for the pulled yellow taffy) also cannot force drops while underwater, since all underwater items are conditional drops.
Yellow rays are named after the disintegration ray of the He-Boulder, which is the first of its kind introduced to the game.
Sources
Sources of yellow rays include:
2020 or older content | No longer available in in-season challenge paths. |
---|---|
2021 content | Will not be available in in-season challenge paths in 2024 or later. |
2022 content | Will not be available in in-season challenge paths in 2025 or later. |
2023 content | Will not be available in in-season challenge paths in 2026 or later. |
Yellow Ray | Source | ![]() |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|
![]() Spit jurassic acid (skill) |
![]() Jurassic Parka (shirt) |
99 | |
![]() yellow rocket (combat item) |
Underground Fireworks Shop (Clan VIP Lounge) |
75 |
|
![]() Unleash the Devil's Kiss (skill) |
![]() unwrapped knock-off retro superhero cape (back item) |
100 |
|
![]() flame orb (combat item) |
![]() Cargo Cultist Shorts (pants) |
100 |
|
![]() micronova (combat item) |
![]() Red-Nosed Snapper (familiar) |
150 |
|
![]() Eight Days a Week Pill Keeper (accessory) |
30 |
| |
![]() Disintegrate (skill) |
![]() Spacegate emergency disintegrator (usable item) |
100 |
|
![]() viral video (combat item) |
![]() Intergnat (familiar) |
150 |
|
![]() mayo lance (combat item) |
The Mayo Clinic (workshed) |
150 - Mayo |
|
![]() Open a Big Yellow Present (skill) |
![]() Crimbo Shrub (familiar) |
150 |
|
![]() Golden Light (combat item) |
![]() Summon Smithsness (tome) |
150 |
|
![]() pulled yellow taffy (combat item) |
![]() Summon Taffy (libram) |
75 |
|
![]() Unleash Nanites (skill) |
![]() Nanorhino (familiar) |
150 |
|
![]() unbearable light (combat item) |
![]() Summon Clip Art (tome) |
150 | |
![]() pumpkin bomb (combat item) |
A Pumpkin Patch (garden) |
150 |
|
![]() Point at your opponent (skill) |
![]() He-Boulder (familiar) |
150 / 100 (see notes) |
|
![]() yellowcake bomb (combat item) |
Chemistry Class (After School) | 75 |
|
![]() Flash Headlight (skill) |
Sneaky Pete's Gate (as Avatar of Sneaky Pete) |
100 |
|
![]() Ball Lightning (skill) |
![]() lightning milk (usable item) |
100 |
|
![]() Wrath of Ra (skill) |
The Book of the Undying | 100 |
|
![]() Unleash Cowrruption (skill) |
![]() Tales of the West: Cow Punching (usable item) |
150 |
|
Level 3 ![]() Fireball Barrage (skill) |
Mushroom District Badge Shop | 50 |
|
Similar disintegration actions
The following actions cause all non-conditional items to drop, but do not inflict Everything Looks Yellow.
Action | Source | Notes |
---|---|---|
![]() Shocking Lick (skill) |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
|
![]() Feel Envy (skill) |
![]() (passive skill) |
|
![]() Use the Force, %playername! (skill) |
![]() Fourth of May Cosplay Saber (weapon) |
|
![]() Asdon Martin: Missile Launcher (skill) |
Asdon Martin (workshed) |
|
![]() Spooky Jellied (effect) |
![]() ![]() |
|
Strategy
Planning out your run's YRs in advance can save you a lot of hassle and heartache later on. If you have the resources to generate two YRs per day, one plan is to YR something at the start of each day and at the end of each day, letting rollover clear Everything Looks Yellow for you. Depending on your path, it may be difficult to generate 150 turns on day 1, so be wary.
If you haven't planned a YR "route", ask yourself this question before each YR: "Am I going to hit any YR targets in the next 150 turns that are more valuable than this one?"
Most Effective
Disintegrating these monsters will usually provide the most bang for your YR buck. Monsters are very roughly listed in the order you'd encounter them during a run.
Monster | Purpose | Notes |
---|---|---|
beanbat | sonar-in-a-biscuit (10% drop), enchanted bean | Better than YRing in Guano Junction because you a the bean as well. Often used following a Guano Junction clover. |
Knob Goblin Harem Girl | Knob Goblin Harem Girl Disguise (20% drop each) | If you're not taking the KGE semirare route. |
banshee librarian | killing jar (10% drop) | Gives +15% exploration for the Desert/Oasis part of the level 11 quest. |
hippies | Filthy Hippy Disguise (5% drop each) | For drink mixers and makes it easier to get an outfit for the war. If you intend to farm it without a YR, wait until the level 9 noncombats if possible. |
mountain man | 2 each of asbestos ore, chrome ore, linoleum ore (10% drop) | For level 8. A good target that lets you use wishes and yellow rays to save clovers and headaches. |
bearpig topiary animal, elephant (meatcar?) topiary animal or spider (duck?) topiary animal | rusty hedge trimmers (15% drop) | To advance the Twin Peak portion of the level 9 quest. |
Burly Sidekick | Mohawk wig (10% drop) | For use in the Top Floor to complete the level 10 quest. |
Quiet Healer | amulet of extreme plot significance (10% drop) | For use in the Castle Basement to continue in the level 10 quest. You probably won't be able to YR both the Healer and the Sidekick on the same day, so consider sniffing the Healer instead (since she also drops SGEEAs), or do the Airship over two days to get two YRs. |
Blackberry bush | blackberry (20% drop) | Makes blackberry galoshes in the non-combat. Saves a couple of turns if you have nothing better to YR. |
War Frat or War Hippy or War Frat 151st Infantryman | Frat Warrior Fatigues or War Hippy Fatigues (10% drop or lower) | For starting the war. The 151st Infantryman is accessible through Numberology, accessible on day 1 if you have the tools, which makes this option significantly more valuable. |
filthworms | hatchling gland, drone gland, royal gland (10% drop each) | Can also be forced with Pickpocketing (especially peppermint crooks and "hugpocketing") or burglarizing. |
Honorable Mentions
Might not save as many turns as the monsters above, but still worth a mention.
Monster | Purpose | Notes |
---|---|---|
blur | drum machine (30% drop) | For the Desert/Oasis part of the level 11 quest. Wormriding is not always required, and 234% item drop is often achievable by An Oasis. |
swarm of scarab beatles | mojo filter (10% drop) | In case your strategy requires additional spleen usage in a given day. |
Bob Racecar/Racecar Bob | stunt nuts (30% drop) | For level 11. Listed as an honorable mention because 234% item drop is often achievable by The Palindome. |
Aftercore
This page is tailored for ascension, but forcing all of a monster's item to drop is useful outside of ascension as well. Note that some items held by tempting aftercore targets, like the giant sandworm (spice melange) or the scary pirate, are conditional, and thus will not be forced by a yellow ray.
Monster | Purpose | Notes |
---|---|---|
Mer-kin researcher | Mer-kin darkbook | Drops an untradeable skill-granting item that provides one of the words for the Mer-kin dreadscroll, as well as two more word-providing items. Note: As an underwater target, these drops can only be forced with pulled yellow taffy. |
unholy diver | rusty broken diving helmet, rusty porthole, rusty rivet | All relatively low-rate drops. Over half the items necessary to construct a rusty diving helmet. Note: As an underwater target, these drops can only be forced with pulled yellow taffy. |
Notes
- If you just need to kill a tough non-boss monster and don't necessarily need its drops, consider an insta-kill effect (such as Handsome Devil), or a large plus damage effect (such as Song of Sauce or Pisces in the Skyces from tobiko marble soda) to avoid Everything Looks Yellow.
- The pulled yellow taffy is believed to operate differently from other YR sources, because it can force some item drops that other YR sources do not force.
- There is an unproven theory that the pulled yellow taffy acts as an infinitely large +item modifier instead of a traditional YR. This needs more spading.
- For certain drops from certain monsters, if a traditional YR does not work on them, the taffy still might. This can be achieved by copying the monster with either an Obtuse Angel or Reanimated Reanimator, starting the countdown, then adventuring underwater when the copy window is active and using the taffy when the wandering copy shows up.
- Conditional Drops with unsatisfied conditions will still not drop, even for taffy.
Ascension Strategy | |
Rankings: | HC Skills - HC Familiars - HC IotMs |
General: | Class selection - Familiar usage - Lucky adventures |
Paths: | BHY - Fist - AoB - BI - ZS - AoJ - BIG! - KOLHS - CA2 - AoSP - SS - HR - Picky - Ed - Random - AoWoL - Source - NA - GN - LtA - L.A.R. - PF - G-Lover - DD |
Additional Paths: | DG - 2CRS - KoE - PotP - LKS - GG - Y,Robot - QT - WF - GY - JM - FotD |
IotMs: | Tomes - Faxing - Copying - YR - Garden - Correspondent - Workshed - Tea party - Florist |