Shadows Over Loathing is the hilariously entertaining successor to West of Loathing, an insanely popular black-and-white RPG that came out way back in 2017. Similar to its predecessor, Shadows Over Loathing is a comedy adventure RPG that’s full of humor, mayhem, and more puzzles than is strictly necessary. If you loved the first two games in the Loathing series (Kingdom of Loathing and West of Loathing), then you’ll love Shadows Over Loathing!
Shadows Over Loathing’s puzzles and quests are a lot more complex than many people give them credit for. Some of these quests can take hours to figure out, let alone complete! One such side quest is the Crystal Store side quest, which entails time travel, dangerous mining trips, and a lot of crystals. If you’re having trouble figuring out how to complete this side quest, don’t worry, you aren’t the only one! Keep reading to find out how to fix the Crystal store in Shadows Over Loathing.
Shadows Over Loathing Crystal Locations – Complete Crystal Store Guide
Crystaldream Lake is a fantastic place full of hilarious and helpful locations, such as the Crystal Store. The Crystal Store sells crystals that can help you on your journey, but only after you help fix it up. When you first arrive at the store, it will be completely empty, without a single crystal in sight. The store’s owner, Crystal (very fitting name), informs you that the local crystal mine has gone out of business; you’ll need to explore the mine and find all of the crystals you can if you want to help Crystal stock up her store! Thankfully, you’ll only need to visit one location in Crystaldream Lake to find all the crystals she needs: Gumbuckle Mine.
You won’t need to travel far to get to Gumbuckle Mine, it’s directly underneath the Crystal Store on the map. Once you get to the mine location, you’ll need to break into the Gumbuckle Mine Foreman’s Office with a crowbar. Once you’re inside, collect the “very old pink slip” from the desk and the Flip File Flip Flops from the filing cabinet. After these items have been collected, go through the rift at the back of the building. After you’ve traveled back in time through the rift, collect the Gumbuckle Mine Cabinet Key from the jacket on the coat rack. Head back to the present and use the key to open up the locked cabinet in the office, you should find a Can of Elevator Grease inside.
Once you’ve got the grease, travel back in time and grease the elevator. Once it’s been sufficiently greased, you should be able to use the elevator in the present. However, due to termites (presumably), the mineshaft in the present has been completely caved in. To prevent the cave-in from happening, you’ll need to get rid of the termite infestation in the past. To do this, head to the Hardware Store (Valley Hardware), located on the far-left side of your map (it’s circled below if you’re having trouble locating it).
Once you’re inside the Hardware Store, ask the store owner about Termite Poison. He’ll inform you that they had to stop selling it many years ago, due to it being too strong. After you’re done talking to him, head to the back of the store (through the “Storage” door), where you’ll find another rift. Travel back in time through the rift and head back inside the store. Once you’re back in the front of the store (in the past), go to the shelves on the far-right side of the store and interact with them. You should be able to find Termite Poison on the shelves; once you find the poison, you’ll be able to ask the owner about it and then purchase it.
Once you’ve got the poison (Term-O-Blast Termite Spray), travel back to the present and then head to the Gumbuckle Mine. Once you’re at the mine, travel back in time and spray the termite-infested support beams with the termite poison. Once the support beam is termite-free, travel back to the present and head back down into the mine. Once you’re back down in the mine, collect the Mining Helmet from the desk and grab a 22-Year-Old Stick of Dynamite from the steel cabinet.
Once you’ve got the dynamite, travel back in time and head back down into the mine. Stick the 22-Year-Old Stick of Dynamite into the hole of the giant geode in the back of the mine, but DON’T LIGHT IT YET. Travel back to the mine in the present and then light the dynamite; the geode should explode, exposing the wide variety of crystals inside. After you’ve successfully exposed the valuable crystals inside the geode, head back to the Crystal Store to let Crystal know.
After you tell Crystal the good news, she’ll have you read magazines for a few hours while she collects crystals from the mine. Once she’s done, she’ll reward you with a Twinkling Crystal Statuette for your troubles; you’ll also get to buy crystals from her shop anytime you want!
Related: Shadows Over Loathing – How to Solve Mudhenge Puzzle
The Crystal Store side quest in Shadows Over Loathing may be tedious, but it’s definitely worth completing. Not only are the items you get from this quest amazing, but the crystals that are sold in the Crystal Store are essential to the success of your playthrough! These crystals are great for boosting your stats in a pinch, you’ll definitely regret it if you don’t stock up on some.
Shadows Over Loathing isn’t the only comedy RPG with tedious puzzles and side quests. If you love playing complex RPGs that make you laugh, you should check out High on Life! High on Life is a comedic first-person-shooter that will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time; it’s arguably one of the best games to come out of 2022. Check out Gamer Journalist’s High on Life guides if you want to read about it before getting it!
