Motif · from book 1
Loot boxes
Bronze, silver, gold, platinum and legendary boxes awarded for achievements — mostly torches, potions and pet biscuits, occasionally a Nightgaunt Cloak, a war gauntlet or a pair of enchanted boxer shorts. Odette says it plainly: the boxes are not random, and complaining about pants is why there are no pants.
First appears: Book 1
Series arc
As of book 3. Odette's rule — the boxes serve the show — meets a new kind of box in book 3: the first benefactor boxes from sponsors. The Valtay's holds a pill, D'nadia's a pair of goggles, Formidable's one bolt. The AI's coupons after the court veto, and fan boxes that deliver a saddle and a game-show host, are the others.
Through book 1
Bronze and silver boxes are torches and potions; the Gold Apparel Box for entering without pants holds a Nightgaunt Cloak and a Trollskin Shirt (B1 ch. 2, B1 ch. 5). The pattern is visible by the Juicer: the shuriken and the war gauntlet arrive exactly when Carl needs a fist that will not break (B1 ch. 25); the BigBoi Boxers' Protective Shell arrives three chapters before the Rage Elemental (B1 ch. 35, B1 ch. 38); Determine Value potions keep coming until the History tab exposes the Valtay items (B1 ch. 19, B1 ch. 25, B1 ch. 47). Odette says it outright (B1 ch. 29): the boxes serve the show, and the AI will 'fuck you right in the ass at the worst possible moment' if that is more interesting. Donut has 230 torches (B1 ch. 29).
Through book 2
Earth Boxes that reach into memory — a candle, a cat tree, a cactus, the Sacketts (B2 ch. 5); a Scroll of Upgrade that makes boxers the best item Carl owns and takes his pants and a casino chip from the Lucky Bastard box (B2 ch. 13); fan boxes (B2 ch. 17); and the Celestial box, 2,145 ever given, worth enough to make a crawler nearly immortal — eighty-three of them awarded and eighty-two vetoed (B2 ch. 26).
Through book 3
The AI's coupons after the veto (B3 ch. 2); a saddle and a game show from two fan boxes (B3 ch. 7); a trapped suitcase (B3 ch. 5); benefactor boxes at last — a pill from the Valtay (B3 ch. 13), goggles from a princess (B3 ch. 15), one bolt from another (B3 ch. 29); a Big Daddy box of toothpaste (B3 ch. 15); a riot shield and a baton (B3 ch. 29). 'Troll or not, you’re getting more and more powerful.'
Through book 4
Water-breathing scrolls and antidotes as a hint about the floor (B4 ch. 2); a Legendary Deity's Box and a Platinum Spicy Box for surviving a god (B4 ch. 2); a benefactor's upgrade to last floor's goggles as the cheap way to build a Legendary item (B4 ch. 9); boss boxes worth less each floor, city-boss and up from now on (B4 ch. 23); seven Summary Judgement boxes from a won lawsuit, each with a stock certificate and a mother's photograph (B4 ch. 28); a Platinum Fan Box with voting (B4 ch. 28); a Savage Box with fuzzy handcuffs (B4 ch. 32); an Emergency Platinum Benefactor Box, which Mordecai guesses was the most expensive in the game's history, holding a head-thrower (B4 ch. 34).
Through book 5
Thirty-four Hunter-Killer Boxes opened in a row (B5 ch. 8); Emberus's first boon is a dud, plus fifty per cent to fire spells Carl does not have (B5 ch. 24); the Apostate Box is a tattoo, and an achievement is its own reward because the boss box was already given (B5 ch. 36); a goat wastes an emergency benefactor box in the open (B5 ch. 49); an Odious Creeper's boss box gives satchel bombs (B5 ch. 55); benefactor boxes to other crawlers that hold gifts meant for Donut, all the Apothecary's but Katia's (B5 ch. 57, B5 ch. 63).
The boxes
Every box the text names, by book and tier (a count in brackets when the line says ×n).
| Book | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Platinum | Legendary | Celestial | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 2 | — | 33 |
| 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 16 |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | — | — | 11 |
| 4 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 30 |
| 5 | — | 3 | 42 | 4 | — | — | 49 |
Book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl (33)
- B1 ch. 2 — Bronze Pet Box
- B1 ch. 2 — Legendary Pet Box
- B1 ch. 2 — Silver Adventurer Box
- B1 ch. 2 — Bronze Adventurer Box
- B1 ch. 2 — Gold Apparel Box
- B1 ch. 2 — Bronze Weapon Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Bronze Weapon Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Bronze Adventurer Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Gold Shoe Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Silver Goblin Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Bronze Pet Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Bronze Adventurer Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Bronze Weapon Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Bronze Weapon Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Bronze Adventurer Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Silver Adventurer Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Silver Goblin Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Gold Apparel Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Gold Shoe Box
- B1 ch. 5 — Legendary Pet Box
- B1 ch. 6 — Bronze Adventurer Box
- B1 ch. 12 — Bronze Boss Box
- B1 ch. 12 — Silver Goblin Box
- B1 ch. 12 — Gold Crowd Control Box
- B1 ch. 19 — Bronze Asshole’s Box
- B1 ch. 19 — Gold Asshole’s Box
- B1 ch. 25 — Gold Brawler Box
- B1 ch. 30 — Bronze Asshole’s Box
- B1 ch. 30 — Silver Mechanic’s Box
- B1 ch. 30 — Platinum Shoe Box
- B1 ch. 39 — Platinum Lucky Bastard Box
- B1 ch. 41 — Silver Mechanic’s Box
- B1 ch. 41 — Gold Sapper’s Box
Book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario (16)
- B2 ch. 1 — Silver Earth Box
- B2 ch. 1 — Silver Earth Box
- B2 ch. 2 — Silver Earth Box
- B2 ch. 2 — Silver Earth Box
- B2 ch. 2 — Silver Earth Box
- B2 ch. 4 — Gold Quest Box
- B2 ch. 8 — Platinum Lucky Bastard Box
- B2 ch. 13 — Gold Fan Box
- B2 ch. 13 — Gold Quest Box
- B2 ch. 13 — Gold Quest Box
- B2 ch. 14 — Silver Quest Box
- B2 ch. 22 — Bronze Assassin’s Box
- B2 ch. 22 — Platinum Tyrant’s Box
- B2 ch. 22 — Silver Quest Box
- B2 ch. 24 — Platinum Quest Box
- B2 ch. 26 — Platinum Quest Box
Book 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (11)
- B3 ch. 2 — Platinum Fan Box
- B3 ch. 2 — Platinum It’s Not My Fault You Fish-Headed Assholes Don’t Properly Program Your Quests Box
- B3 ch. 4 — Bronze Crafter’s Box
- B3 ch. 11 — Gold Engineering Box
- B3 ch. 12 — Silver Quest Box
- B3 ch. 13 — Bronze Benefactor Box
- B3 ch. 14 — Platinum Big Daddy Box
- B3 ch. 18 — Gold Savage Box
- B3 ch. 18 — Gold Weapons Box
- B3 ch. 18 — Gold Apparel Box
- B3 ch. 18 — Platinum Adventurer Box
Book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods (24)
- B4 ch. 1 — Gold Venison Box
- B4 ch. 1 — Silver Quest Box
- B4 ch. 2 — Legendary Deity’s Box
- B4 ch. 2 — Platinum Spicy Box
- B4 ch. 2 — Gold Sniper’s Box
- B4 ch. 2 — Platinum Asshole’s Box
- B4 ch. 6 — Silver Quest Box
- B4 ch. 7 — Bronze Benefactor Box
- B4 ch. 7 — Silver Benefactor Box
- B4 ch. 10 — Platinum Quest Box
- B4 ch. 12 — Platinum Quest Box
- B4 ch. 13 — Silver Skydiver’s Box
- B4 ch. 13 — Gold Makeup Sex is the Best Sex Box
- B4 ch. 23 — Silver Pacifist’s Box
- B4 ch. 23 — Bronze I’m Wet Box
- B4 ch. 28 — Gold I’m Wet Box
- B4 ch. 28 — Silver Summary Judgement Box ×7
- B4 ch. 28 — Platinum Fan Box
- B4 ch. 28 — Platinum Spicy Box
- B4 ch. 30 — Platinum Quest Box
- B4 ch. 31 — Platinum quest Box
- B4 ch. 32 — Celestial God Box
- B4 ch. 32 — Silver Savage Box
- B4 ch. 34 — Platinum Benefactor Box
Book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade (16)
- B5 ch. 1 — Platinum Venison Box
- B5 ch. 6 — Gold Junkie’s Box
- B5 ch. 6 — Gold Hunter-Killer Box ×34
- B5 ch. 6 — Platinum Asshole’s Box
- B5 ch. 11 — Gold Hunter Killer Box
- B5 ch. 11 — Gold Trapmaster Box
- B5 ch. 11 — Gold Quest Box
- B5 ch. 12 — Platinum Fan Box
- B5 ch. 36 — Silver Lucky Bastard Box
- B5 ch. 36 — Gold Apostate Box
- B5 ch. 36 — Gold Ranged Weapon Box
- B5 ch. 36 — Gold Spicy Box
- B5 ch. 43 — Silver Benefactor Box
- B5 ch. 51 — Silver Siege Master Box
- B5 ch. 52 — Gold Benefactor Box
- B5 ch. 78 — Platinum Venison Box
Where they appear
| Book | Chapters they are in (of the book's) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl | 21/48 | 2, 4–9, 12–13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 29–31, 35, 43–44, 46–47 · the book's own page |
| 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario | 7/26 | Ch. 5, Ch. 8, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 21, Ch. 22, Ch. 26 · the book's own page |
| 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook | 13/35 | 2–3, 5–6, 8, 12–13, 15, 18, 20, 25, 31, 35 · the book's own page |
| 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods | 7/35 | Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 11, Ch. 18, Ch. 23, Ch. 28, Ch. 34 · the book's own page |
| 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade | 8/78 | Ch. 3, Ch. 6, Ch. 8, Ch. 24, Ch. 36, Ch. 49, Ch. 51, Ch. 55 · the book's own page |
By book
Loot boxes in book 1 — Dungeon Crawler Carl
Bronze and silver boxes are torches and potions; the Gold Apparel Box for entering without pants holds a Nightgaunt Cloak and a Trollskin Shirt (ch. 2, ch. 5). The pattern is visible by the Juicer: the shuriken and the war gauntlet arrive exactly when Carl needs a fist that will not break (ch. 25); the BigBoi Boxers' Protective Shell arrives three chapters before the Rage Elemental (ch. 35, ch. 38); Determine Value potions keep coming until the History tab exposes the Valtay items (ch. 19, ch. 25, ch. 47). Odette says it outright (ch. 29): the boxes serve the show, and the AI will 'fuck you right in the ass at the worst possible moment' if that is more interesting. Donut has 230 torches (ch. 29).
Loot boxes in book 2 — Carl's Doomsday Scenario
Earth Boxes that reach into memory — a candle, a cat tree, a cactus, the Sacketts (ch. 5); a Scroll of Upgrade that makes boxers the best item Carl owns and takes his pants and a casino chip from the Lucky Bastard box (ch. 13); fan boxes (ch. 17); and the Celestial box, 2,145 ever given, worth enough to make a crawler nearly immortal — eighty-three of them awarded and eighty-two vetoed (epilogue).
Loot boxes in book 3 — The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook
The AI's coupons after the veto (ch. 2); a saddle and a game show from two fan boxes (ch. 7); a trapped suitcase (ch. 5); benefactor boxes at last — a pill from the Valtay (ch. 13), goggles from a princess (ch. 15), one bolt from another (ch. 29); a Big Daddy box of toothpaste (ch. 15); a riot shield and a baton (ch. 29). 'Troll or not, you’re getting more and more powerful.'
Loot boxes in book 4 — The Gate of the Feral Gods
Water-breathing scrolls and antidotes as a hint about the floor (ch. 2); a Legendary Deity's Box and a Platinum Spicy Box for surviving a god (ch. 2); a benefactor's upgrade to last floor's goggles as the cheap way to build a Legendary item (ch. 9); boss boxes worth less each floor, city-boss and up from now on (ch. 23); seven Summary Judgement boxes from a won lawsuit, each with a stock certificate and a mother's photograph (ch. 28); a Platinum Fan Box with voting (ch. 28); a Savage Box with fuzzy handcuffs (ch. 32); an Emergency Platinum Benefactor Box, which Mordecai guesses was the most expensive in the game's history, holding a head-thrower (ch. 34).
Loot boxes in book 5 — The Butcher's Masquerade
Thirty-four Hunter-Killer Boxes opened in a row (ch. 8); Emberus's first boon is a dud, plus fifty per cent to fire spells Carl does not have (ch. 24); the Apostate Box is a tattoo, and an achievement is its own reward because the boss box was already given (ch. 36); a goat wastes an emergency benefactor box in the open (ch. 49); an Odious Creeper's boss box gives satchel bombs (ch. 55); benefactor boxes to other crawlers that hold gifts meant for Donut, all the Apothecary's but Katia's (ch. 57, ch. 63).