Pixel Dungeon Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Traps can be found throughout the dungeon.

Info[]

There are 8 different types of traps in the game.

Traps start out hidden (the exception being Tengu's traps), but can be found by searching (either manually, or by chance when walking near them), or using Scroll of Magic Mapping. Traps only generate on normal floor tiles.
Traps become stronger & more common the deeper the Hero descends into the dungeon.
A trap is triggered when the Hero steps on it, throws an item onto it, fires a Wand of Reach over it, or summons sheep on it with a Wand of Flock.
After being triggered, the cell it was in becomes harmless to step on.
Flying enemies can also fly over traps; other enemies will avoid traps.
If the Hero encounters a Room of Traps, there will be a Potion of Levitation in another room, at the same dungeon depth.

List of traps[]

Unlike most other objects in the game, traps' effects are not randomized every run, and can be identified by color, or with the Examine button.

Trap Description Image
Toxic gas trap Releases toxic gas that damages both the Hero & enemies. A Potion of Purification can help while in toxic gas.

Amount of gas released increases with depth.

Trap toxic gas sewersTrap toxic gas prisonTrap toxic gas cavesTrap toxic gas cityTrap toxic gas halls
Fire trap Generates a square of fire (setting the Hero on fire if s/he steps on it). Also burns flammable tiles in cardinal [+] proximity of the trap.

Like other sources of fire, it can randomly burn scrolls (and cook Mystery Meat) in the Hero's inventory; and scrolls, or mystery meat, tossed onto a flame trap will be burnt/cooked in the generated fire.

Trap fire sewersTrap fire prisonTrap fire cavesTrap fire cityTrap fire halls
Paralytic gas trap Releases a gas that paralyzes the Hero & enemies.

The paralysis lasts after the cloud has faded, so enemies can run up & attack the Hero after it has gone. Amount of gas released increases with depth. A Potion of Purification can help if used before the paralytic gas reaches the Hero.

Trap paralytic gas sewersTrap paralytic gas prisonTrap paralytic gas cavesTrap paralytic gas cityTrap paralytic gas halls
Poison dart trap Does damage to & poisons the Hero.

Poison lasts for 5 + depth turns (with maximum of 20).

Trap poison dart sewersTrap poison dart prisonTrap poison dart cavesTrap poison dart cityTrap poison dart halls
Alarm trap Functions like a Scroll of Challenge & alerts enemies to trap's location. Trap alarm sewersTrap alarm prisonTrap alarm cavesTrap alarm cityTrap alarm halls
Lightning trap Fires a bolt of lightning when activated.

Deals between 33 % and 67 % of Hero's current health as damage, with a minimum damage of 1. Ring of Elements can reduce the damage done.

When stepped on by the Hero, it will recharge all wands in the Backpack, that are missing a charge, by one charge.

Lightning sewersLightning prisonLightning cavesLightning cityLightning halls
Gripping trap Bleeds & cripples the Hero.

Bleeding will deal at most 3+depth on the first turn. Each turn then deals ≈25 % less damage. Better armor will reduce the initial damage done.

Trap gripping sewersTrap gripping prisonTrap gripping cavesTrap gripping cityTrap gripping halls
Summoning trap Summons some enemies.

Does not work at boss depths.

Enemies are delayed for two turns before they can act.

Summoned

enemies

Probability
1 1/2 50 %
2 1/4 25 %
3 1/4 25 %
Trap summoning sewersTrap summoning prisonTrap summoning cavesTrap summoning cityTrap summoning halls
Triggered trap An inactive trap. Trap triggered sewersTrap triggered prisonTrap triggered cavesTrap triggered cityTrap triggered halls
Freezing trap (removed in Update 1.6.0) Freezes the Hero and anything in the surrounding area. Freezing trap

Trap Generation Probabilities[]

Trap Probability
Toxic gas trap 1/8 12.5 %
Fire trap 1/8 12.5 %
Paralytic gas trap 1/8 12.5 %
Poison dart trap 1/8 12.5 %
Alarm trap 1/8 12.5 %
Lightning trap 1/8 12.5 %
Gripping trap 1/8 12.5 %
Summoning trap 1/8 12.5 %

Tips[]

  • A Potion of Levitation will let the Hero levitate over a trap without triggering it.
  • Traps will not generate on tiles with grass, water, stains, rubble, wood, or doors.
  • If there is a scroll on a (fire) trap, it can be retrieved with either: a Potion of Levitation, a Seed of Icecap, or the Wand of Reach.
  •  If you notice that there’s a trap beneath an unopened chest, don’t open the chest yet; toss an expendable item first to disarm the trap, then open the chest.
    That way, if the chest happens to contain a scroll & the trap happens to be a flame trap, your scroll won’t burn. (the chest protects it from burning)
  • If a trap is blocking off a section of the depth, it can be bypassed without triggering it, by using a Wand of Blink over it.
    Just make sure that you know/have calculated the distance your wand takes you, so you don't wind up landing right on the trap.
  • If you zap a Wand of Regrowth straight down a hallway, or even through a room, grass will grow on all the regular floor tiles the energy ball passes over.
    If grass does not sprout on a floor tile, you'll know that that tile is a trap.
    And you can search the tile to see what kind of trap it is, then disarm it if it’s in a hall, or go around it if it’s in a room.
  • Use Wand of Reach to test your way. A zap from it triggers every trap on its way. Very useful in corridors.
  • A trap can also be deliberately triggered from afar (and thus, be rendered safe to step on), by throwing any (non-consumable) item from the inventory at them. The item will not be damaged.
    NOTE: Some traps can inflict damage beyond its own cell (e.g., gas spreads from a Toxic gas trap, fire spreads if there is flammable material next to the Fire trap, etc.), but the Hero can escape from these effects.
    • This technique can be used to walk through a room of traps when lacking a Potion of Levitation - by repeatedly throwing an item onto the next live trap, retreating, then repeating the process.
    • Summoning traps and Alarm traps will still work (enemies will be summoned or the alarm will be triggered), so only trigger them when you can deal with the consequences.
    • Throw Mystery Meat on a Fire trap to both disarm the trap and make chargrilled meat. You can cook two in each trap.
  • Any drop (even from a slain enemy) will trigger an undetected trap.
  • If there is no path to the Hero without stepping on a trap, the enemy will remain motionless.
  • Enemies will not avoid traps if they have been zapped with a Wand of Amok.
  • Enemies can be pushed onto traps with an inscribed armor of Bounce.
  • Enemies can be forced onto a trap if your Hero is levitating over one & uses a Wand of Reach on the enemy.
  • The only time it's relatively 'safe' to be Paralyzed is when the Hero is already Starving. (The debuff 'ends sooner' when starving, and 'lasts longer' when satiated.)

Trivia[]

  • The Fire trap at the Prison stage is misaligned by 1px, compared to other traps at that stage.
  • If there is a Summoning trap at a boss depth, no enemies will be spawned.
  • Enemies will avoid traps. If you haven't detected a trap, an enemy can step on it and it will not trigger the trap.

Gallery[]

History[]

Update Change
0.2.3 Added: New "trap" type - Alarm
0.3.4 Added: New type of trap - Lightning trap
0.4.2 Fixed: Animated statues are not activated by alarms
0.4.3 Added: Freezing traps
1.6.0 Changed:
  • Freezing traps are replaced with Gripping traps
  • Summoning traps have taken the Freezing traps' color ID
1.6.3 Changed:
  • Armor can now absorb half the Bleeding damage inflicted by Gripping traps.
  • A big code change for Summoning traps
1.7.0 Changed: The animation of the Gripping Trap happens when the trap is triggered by something else, other than stepping on it.
Advertisement