Daxter skull gem locations

This page lists the locations of all 609 skull gems in Daxter. A skull gem is a glowing yellow gem obtained from killing metal bugs. In the pause menu one can find the exact amount of skull gems in each location, though some areas must be revisited with new spray gun attachments to reach certain metal bugs.

Location	Skull gems
Haven City streets	1
Westside Hotel	39
Construction site 1	25
Brewery	35
Transit system	28
Strip mine 1	30
Tanker 1	49
Distillery	62
Fish cannery	60
Construction site 2	27
Strip mine 2	81
Lumber mill	30
Tanker 2	33
Baron's Palace	55
Prison	54

Haven City streets[]

1/1 – After the first orb inside the light beacon is collected, a new one appears up ahead. Head towards it to grab a single skull gem floating inside.

Westside Hotel[]

1/39 – The very first metal back you will encounter after the third killer plant, simply unleash a straight combo on it to kill it and collect the gem.
2–3/39 – An additional two metal backs are located in the next area after you climb the wall.
4–6/39 – Use the lily pads to jump over the water and reach the other side, where two metal backs await you. Destroy them and jump to the higher patch of ground next to you to find another one.
7–8/39 – Jump across the nearby gap and two more metal backs are waiting down below.
9/39 – At the end of the next room, jump across a piece of machinery that consists of two swaying platforms. At the end is a large hole that leads to another section of the hotel; right before that hole is the ninth metal back.
10–11/39 – After sliding down the pipe, climb the ramp to find two more metal backs.
12–13/39 – There are two metal backs in the large room with the dining table.
14–20/39 – Up ahead is a large circular room with red padding. Upon entering the center area, two metal backs appear. Killing these two spawns yet another two, this repeats once more until the seventh spawns.
21–37/39 – Continue through a passage to enter another large room, with a big bed in the middle. Two metal backs spawn from holes beneath it, and for each you kill another will appear. There is one of the same holes behind the bed as well. In total there are 17 metal backs to be defeated inside this room.

Pressure boost attachment required

38–39/39 – The last two metal backs are located across a gap right past the sliding pipe section; use the spray gun's pressure boost attachment to hover yourself over it.

Construction site 1[]

1–3/25 – After using the zip line you immediately encounter one metal back. Two others are behind the two stone pillars.
4–5/25 – Walk up the dirt ramp here to find a metal back on the first pillar, and a flanker on the second one.
6–7/25 – Use the trampoline up ahead to climb onto a wooden platform and fight two metal backs.
8–9/25 – In the same room is a flanker, a lone metal back can be found next to the bug juice vial on the platform behind it.
10–11/25 – After meeting with Taryn you can fight two nearby metal backs.
12/25 – This one will be your first metal slug skull gem. To kill it, spray it with the Spray Gun and then finish it off while it is stunned.
13/25 – After the first crane ride, drop down to fight a single metal back and some termites.
14–17/25 – On the second platform you will have to fight two metal backs and two metal slugs.
18–20/25 – On the third platform you encounter one more metal slug and two more metal backs.
21–22/25 – Take the crane once again and after dropping off you will have landed next to a metal back and a flanker that is close nearby.
23–24/25 – A little bit later, after the pipes, is a large room with two metal slugs.
25/25 – The final gem can be found by killing a flanker, right before the second zip line.

Brewery[]

1–2/35 – There are two metal backs in the first room after the stairs.
3–4/35 – In the next room two new enemies await you, take down both the metal creepers for two skull gems.
5–7/35 – In the third room there are two more creepers on the lower floor and a third sits on the farthest platform up ahead, requiring hovering with your spray gun to access.
8–10/35 – A group of three creepers will ambush you from above when you enter the fourth room.
11–13/35 – Another group of three attacks from above in the fifth room.
14–15/35 – After crossing a big gap, two metal backs attack you.
16–19/35 – As well as after the next big gap, two more pairs await you.
20–22/35 – After jumping down a wooden platform, three creepers will be right in front of you.
23/35 – Shortly after you will encounter a slasher for the first time, these are among the strongest of metal bugs though drop just one gem upon defeat.
24–25/35 – A pair of creepers attack you as you start climbing the grating after the first slasher.
26/35 – On top of the wall is a second slasher.
27/35 – And up ahead is a third.
28–29/35 – After some more pipes spewing steam you will have to fight against a metal creeper being backed up by a fourth slasher.
30–32/35 – After a large gap awaits a single creeper, and in the next room, after another gap, two more.
33/35 – After some more platforming you will inevitably engage the fifth slasher in the brewery.
34–35/35 – The final two slashers and metal bugs inside the brewery reside in a massive room near the very end. One attacks you after the first spiderweb, the other is on the other side of the room.

Transit system[]

1–2/28 – In the first passage, after jumping a gap, one metal creeper attacks you. Kill it and another will have come down from the ceiling a little further.
3–5/28 – Right after the second creeper is a large open room with a single metal back, a metal klaw, a new dangerous enemy, will jump from a platform on the left down onto the ground. Killing the klaw or moving too far into the room causes a second one to jump down.
6–8/28 – In a passage up ahead resides another creeper, killing it results in two more coming down from the ceiling a small distance away.
9–10/28 – And a little further ahead are two metal backs waiting for you.
11/28 – After hovering over the rails, a lone metal back appears from under the broken door.
12–13/28 – Crawling underneath the door yourself leads to a room with two metal klaws.
14/28 – After exiting the rails section and onto the safety of the unmoving cargo train, jump down to engage a single metal back.
15–17/28 – In the next room a group of three metal klaws will assault you.
18/28 – After an elevator a single metal back awaits you.
19/28 – And later on, after scaling the massive machine in the turbine room, a metal creeper attacks you at the top.
20–21/28 – Two metal backs attack you while inside the small metal tunnel up ahead.
22–23/28 – And two metal klaws will ambush you (one at the start, one at the end) from above on the bridge spanning over the subway tracks.
24/28 – In the next room you only have to kill a single metal back.
25–28/28 – And after the metal back, jump down to engage the last two metal klaws followed by two metal creepers that come crawling down the walls.

Strip mine 1[]

1/30 – A single metal slug attacks you while on the moving walkway.
2–3/30 – In the open area up ahead a slasher and another metal slug will attack you, the metal slug spawns close to the moving walkway on the far left.
4–6/30 – Cross that same walkway under the huge cylindrical machine above you and engage three metal slugs that hide under the metal walkway, two are on the left, a third on the right.
7–9/30 – Climb the metal walkway on the right side and take care of the three flankers on top, then flip the lever at the end.
10–13/30 – Return to the area with the slasher and enter the passage next to the curved wall for four skull gems, held by three flankers and a metal slug.
14–15/30 – Walk back and climb the large curved wall with the orbs. Two metal slugs will attack you at the top.
16–18/30 – The lever from earlier activated the large cylindrical machine, the entrance to which is on the left upon climbing the wall. Enter it, then crawl down onto the conveyor belt on the other side and move underneath the grinder. Quickly hover to your left and then use a flame in the middle of the gap to lift yourself up while hovering and reach the higher ledge on the other side. Two flankers and a slasher reside on this narrow path high up against the cliff face. Afterwards, return to the area with the conveyor belt.
19/30 – Head into the passage on the right, moving through it until you exit on the other side and have to go through a walkway section in 2D view. A single metal slug attacks you before the wall jump part.
20–21/30 – After the wall jump part, two flankers attack you as well.
22–23/30 – No more enemies appear until you reach an elevator, which takes you to a new area. Down here, two slashers are fought on separate walkways on your left.
24/30 – Following the path takes you to ground level, where a metal slug attacks you.
25–26/30 – Move across the nearby moving walkway and two slashers will be waiting.
27/30 – Jump up to the left and onto the metal path to reveal a metal slug in hiding.
28–30/30 – Before continuing up this path, turn around and take care of the last enemies; three flankers behind you.

Tanker 1[]

1–4/49 – Make your way over the lifeboats and crawl through a metal opening onto the ship's desk, where three metal backs and a slasher attack you.
5–7/49 – Above the slasher an interesting new enemy called a drifter is lazily floating circles in the air. Approaching it will cause it to spawn metal backs, three in total. The drifter cannot be slain, as it flies high up in the air if you approach it.
8–17/49 – Use a nearby moving platform to continue to a different part of the ship, then jump down a ledge to enter another open area a large amount of enemies. Two metal backs are on your right, three on the left and a slasher to the left in the back. A second drifter is also flying around, it will drop four more metal backs in the area once it notices you. Defeat them all for a total of ten gems.
18–19/49 – Climb onto some nearby crates and jump down the other side, then crawl under some pipes on the right to find two metal backs.
20–23/49 – Return to the other part of this area and take care of the two metal backs and slashers loitering around.
24–25/49 – Continuing through you level you will run into two metal backs on a large net.
26/49 – Past the trampoline and climbing a couple more crates you will have to fight a lone slasher.
27–28/49 – And after that, before the second trampoline a third drifter flies around. This particular drifter appears to have a program bug as it spawns only a single metal back, though it in fact should spawn two. A return visit after the game might not cause it to spawn either metal back, but this time it can be slain with the ultrasonic attachment, causing it to drop a skull gem either way (a thing that drifters normally do not do).
29/49 – Make your way past the machinery to fight a slasher at the end.
30–31/49 – After the slasher, two metal creepers are hanging around on the climbable wall behind it.
32–33/49 – Two metal backs await you in the next room after climbing the wall.
34–35/49 – Another two metal backs attack you after the pool of dark eco.
36–38/49 – And a group of three in the room after that one.
39–42/49 – Continue through a long winding corridor, crossing pools of dark eco and collapsing platforms. Periodically you will have to fight lone metal backs and a single slasher.
43–45/49 – At the end of said corridor a group of two metal backs and another slasher attack you.
46–48/49 – Behind them three creepers will be moving around on a large curved wall.
49/49 – The last metal bug in this level, a slasher, waits at the end past the tunnel requiring timing and platforming to make it through.

Distillery[]

1–5/62 – Immediately upon entering the first room a group of five metal creeper rappels down from the ceiling, using the new flamethrower attachment is recommended for taking down large groups such as this.
6–12/62 – The room is connected to a long passage, in which a total of seven metal backs reside.
13–18/62 – In the next room there are two more creepers and four metal backs might join the fray through a small opening beneath some rubble blocking the doorway, if they don't attack then you will have to go to them.
19–23/62 – After the containers, continue through another passage, fight five creepers along the way.
24–25/62 – At the end of the passage, jump down, and two metal backs attack.
26–30/62 – Continue into a third passage, in which another five metal creepers will assault you.
31–35/62 – After grabbing onto one of the moving containers in the next part, you will have to drop down and fight five metal backs.
36–42/62 – After exiting the chamber with the containers, enter a new room to fight a large group with several metal backs and creepers.
43–44/62 – Later on you enter another room with two metal klaws, beware though, one of them is an evolved version and can fire electricity.
45–50/62 – After the klaws you enter a long tunnel, with a metal back spaced every so often on the floor, numbering six in total.
51–53/62 – And after the metal backs in the tunnel; a trio of creepers in the next room.
54–55/62 – Yet another tunnel up ahead, two metal backs await you after the gap.
56–57/62 – And two more after the stairs.
58–59/62 – And yet another two after the spider web.
60–62/62 – Now drop down to face a final group of three metal klaws, as before, one of them will fire electricity.

Fish cannery[]

1/60 – The first enemy is an unmissable slasher.
2/60 – And in the next room, another slasher blocking your way.
3–5/60 – Later on a trio of metal backs will be waiting for you at the bottom of a staircase.
6–7/60 – And past those, one metal slug attacks you as the enter the next room and another as you try to leave.
8–10/60 – Another trio of metal backs are in the next room.
11–17/60 – Up ahead is a new kind of enemy, a sort of immobile plant–like bug hive spawning metal backs. It will only spawn three at a maximum, so killing one metal back will spawn another. There are five metal backs from the hive itself, plus two in front of the entrance. The hive does not leave a skull gem.
18–20/60 – Slightly later, after the shark–infested pool, three metal slugs will attack you.
21–27/60 – Up ahead you will enter a room two more bug hives and a small swarm of six metal backs, one more of which will spawn if another is killed. Note that if the hives are destroyed before any metal backs are killed, that one of them will release the seventh gem automatically.
28–32/60 – Climb up onto the nearby ledge, then look right for a tunnel filled with inactive grinders. Crawl underneath the first set for a fight with five metal backs.
33–34/60 – And the second one to rumble with two metal slugs.
35–39/60 – Return to the previous room and make your way past an ice block puzzle, another bug hive will be pumping out metal backs here.
40–45/60 – On the third ice floe in the same room is another hive deploying metal backs.
46–49/60 – And on the last platform before the exit, more metal backs though without a hive.
50/60 – After exiting the elevator and walking over to the trail of ice floes and sharks leading through to the water, a single metal slug attacks you.
51–52/60 – Another two slugs attack as you get close to the building on the other side of the water.
53–56/60 – Later on you will run into a small group of metal backs.
57–60/60 – And on the next conveyor belt, the last four metal bugs in the Cannery.

Construction site 2[]

1–2/27 – Upon entering the construction site area proper, turn left to face two metal klaws.
3–5/27 – After the platforming section with the moving platforms, climb a wall to face another two klaws accompanied by a creeper.
6/27 – After the trampoline part you will be immediately attacked by a single metal slug.
7–8/27 – And during the part with the springs, two lone flankers will move in to attack you.
9–11/27 – At the end of the area with the springs you will use a trampoline to jump towards a large climbable wall, three creepers are moving around on said wall.
12/27 – Before the next climbable wall, another lone creeper on a platform.
13–17/27 – And then, on the wall itself, a group of five creepers.
18–19/27 – After the first termite mound, use the platform carrying bricks to jump to a climbable wall on the left, which leads to a netting hanging high over the first termite mound. Climb the netting to reach a platform with a small opening that leads to a small enclosed space with two flankers and a termite mound.
20/27 – Return to the main area, then jump down to the right and a nearby metal slug will attack you.
21–22/27 – Ignoring the termite mound closest to the elevator, the one at the end of a passage crossed by hovering is supported by two metal creepers.
24–24/27 – After the termite mound area, use the elevator to enter a new one. Two metal klaws attack after using a pair of trampolines to reach a new platform.
25–27/27 – And after another trampoline jump, a trio of metal klaws assault you.

Strip mine 2[]

Unique to this area is the large amount of bug hives and bugs being spawned without a skull gem.

1–2/81 – Enter the middle path behind the Miner and make your way to the strange wall at the back, which can be destroyed with the new ultrasonic attachment (also extremely useful against groups of bugs). Behind another wall is a single bug hive accompanied by two flankers and another one that it will spawn itself, only the two not spawned by the hive have a gem. If the hive–spawned one is destroyed, another one will spawn, only one at a time and none of these will have a gem. Note that the hives do not spawn bugs forever.
3–5/81 – Return to the outside and take a shortcut to the right, over the dark eco, towards a conveyor belt leading into a grinder. Follow this path until you reach another wall, destroy it to reveal three metal backs.
6–8/81 – After jumping across several gaps you will run into three metal backs on a mine cart.
9–11/81 – And up ahead, another mine cart with three metal backs. Up next is a large room with a bug hive spawning flankers, however none of the flankers will drop a skull gem.
12–17/81 – In the passage are two more mine carts with three metal backs each.
18–20/81 – The next room holds another bug hive spawning flankers, this time three of them do drop a gem.
21–24/81 – Enter the next chamber and look for an opening to the right, here sits another bug hive that spawns metal backs instead.
25–32/81 – Look for a tunnel on the other side of the room, with a destructible wall at the end. Enter said passage and proceed until you reach a large chamber with a large number of bug hives, though only one is full–grown. Two holes in the wall, as well as the main hive, will spawn metal backs, amounting to eight skull gems total (and an unspecified number of bugs without gems).
33–39/81 – Return to the room with the conveyors, jump onto the closest one and ride it to a side room. From here, jump to a mine cart and then into the next room that is inhabited by several flankers.
40–42/81 – Go to the next room, one with another large conveyor belt and look right for another hive spawning bugs. On the other side of the room is, behind some walls, another large chamber with several bug hives, however none of the bugs drop any gems.
43–45/81 – Continue into the room that is connected to the conveyor belt to engage with another bug hive and several flankers.
46–48/81 – Behind the next wall is a group of three metal backs.
49–51/81 – And behind the one after, another group of three.
52–65/81 – A couple more walls and you finally reach a new large open room, again with a floor. There are numerous platforms along the wall and mine carts moving around down below. On the platform close by are three metal backs. On the platform on the other side of the room are three more, as well as two flankers. On another nearby platform, three metal backs and on the platform beneath that one, three flankers.
66–68/81 – Enter an elevator and prepare to immediately fight one flanker, two more wait past a gap with a mine cart.
69–76/81 – The next room holds a single bug hive and two holes in the wall, the holes spawn a large number of metal backs.
77–81/81 – A few more walls and you will finally be outside again, up ahead is a lower platform on which the last five metal backs are located.

Lumber mill[]

1–3/30 – The first three gems can be collected by exterminating three lone metal klaws, that reside in at the ground–level area surrounding the large tree stump on which you start.
4–5/30 – After using the zip line, approach the bug zapper and kill the two metal creepers for two gems. Note that the drifter does not appear to actually spawn any enemies, nor does killing it award you a skull gem, even if you do it by using the ultrasonic attachment. Lastly, the bug zapper will not kill any other bugs in the vicinity.
6–8/30 – At the next bug zapper you will have to take care of three metal klaws.
9/30 – Before continuing with the level into the large hollow log on the right, take care of a lone metal klaw on a wooden bridge further to the right of said log.
10/30 – Enter the log, halfway through a metal klaw jumps down from above and attacks.
11–14/30 – After the log and another saw blade, two metal klaws and creepers will attack you.
15–16/30 – Two metal klaws are positioned in front of each of the bug zappers in the area with the next drifter.
17–19/30 – After another hollow log, do not immediately enter the next one and instead head into the open area on the right, soon enough three creepers will ambush you.
20–23/30 – The area up ahead holds four metal klaws and two drifters, the drifters spawn metal creepers but none of them will have skull gems.
24–25/30 – Return to the hollow log and enter the other one, exiting at a river. Proceed across the lily pads and look for a wooden structure on the right, enter it and at the very end is another bug zapper with two metal klaws.
26–27/30 – Now return to the river and proceed over the water to the second bug zapper area, from where you can use another lily pad path over the water to reach the last zapper, together with two metal klaws.
28–30/30 – These last three gems are actually easily missed due to a fault in the game's design. Much like the 10th gem's bug, these bugs only spawn if you enter a specific hollow log from a single direction. Simply put, use the nearby zip line to return to the second bug zapper and from there take the nearby lily pads across the water to last hollow log you walked through to reach the river. Enter it to spawn one metal klaw before the saw blade and two creepers after it.

Tanker 2[]

1–3/33 – Across the dark eco is a metal platform on which 3 metal backs wait.
4–7/33 – after crawling through an opening, jump down to fight with four metal backs.
8–10/33 – Past the pool of dark eco up ahead, another trio of metal backs.
11–12/33 – After the trampoline and jumping onto a moving platform, two flankers will attack midway through the ride.
13–20/33 – And at the end, three flankers, metal backs and a bug hive with two more metal backs will be waiting for you.
21–23/33 – At the top, another trio of metal backs attack.
24–28/33 – After sliding down a rail you will land directly next to a bug hive spawning forth metal backs, five in total.
29–30/33 – Right after the bug hive is a trampoline which takes you to another dark eco pool, up ahead two flankers will be flying around idly.
31–33/33 – Up ahead is another valve which lowers the dark eco and opens a door, behind the door are the last three bugs; three metal backs.

Baron's Palace[]

1–3/55 – There is a lone metal klaw in the hall you start in, to the right of it is a large passage with two more.
4–6/55 – After the elevator, enter a security room on the right to encounter another trio of klaws.
7–8/55 – At the end, next to the statue, turn left to find another duo of klaws at the end in a room.
9–15/55 – No enemies remain here, so go back enter the chamber behind the statue and look for metal slugs hiding in the dirt along the edges of the entire path as well as two metal klaws that wait around at the center.
16–19/55 – In the next hallway you encounter a pair of klaws midway and another pair at the end.
20–21/55 – Past the first set of lasers and in a larger room with a long table in it, another pair of klaws.
22–23/55 – And in the next room, another pair.
24/55 – The library is very linear, so eventually you will run into a lone metal klaw.
25–28/55 – And shortly after, a group of four roaming around a larger room.
29–30/55 – In the next room, another pair.
31–32/55 – Shortly before the exit to the library you will encounter one more pair of klaws.
33–34/55 – Now comes part of the library, you will soon enough run into another broken part of the floor that hides two metal slugs.
35/55 – In the next room, the return of the slasher.
36/55 – A couple rooms ahead, a second slasher.
37–44/55 – After a second rotating bookcase you enter a rather long passage with at the start one slasher, followed by two metal klaws nearby, another slasher that will hop over to join the fight and at the end of the hallway, a patch of broken floor with two metal slugs and directly after that, another pair of slashers.
45/55 – The last group finally signifies the end of the library and upon exiting it you are promptly assaulted by another slasher.
46–49/55 – The next chamber is similar to the large one from earlier, simply look for the four metal slugs hiding in the patches of dirt on the edges of the path.
50–52/55 – After the cutscene prepare for a fight with three metal backs.
53–55/55 – And after the second cutscene in the locker room, the last three metal backs and bugs in the Palace.

Prison[]

1–6/54 – To the right of the second guard is a small opening which you can enter if you are fast enough. Do so and you will discover a normally inaccessible room with a single metal klaw and five creepers that appear from above.
7–8/54 – In the room with the prison cells and the third patrolling guard, grab the glowing key to gain access to each cell. There is a metal klaw in the first one on the left and a metal creeper in the first on the right.
9–12/54 – After crawling through another air duct you will encounter two metal klaws and creepers.
13–15/54 – In the same room are three gratings on three sides of the walls; two of them lead to a metal creeper and nowhere else, and the middle one holds a metal klaw and leads to an elevator.
16/54 – There is a lone metal creeper next to the second elevator platform.
17–21/54 – After the elevator and a gap you run into a single metal klaw, accompanied by four creepers.
22–23/54 – After the next elevator, a fight another pair of klaws.
24–29/54 – And after those, a fight with six creepers.
30–31/54 – These two creepers ambush you as you climb a wall in a room with the fifth guard.
32–35/54 – In the next 2.5D side–scrolling section, keep going right on the upper floor and you will run into a group of four creepers.
36–37/54 – Across the next gap, a pair of klaws.
38–41/54 – In the next section you will run into another metal klaw, which is soon joined by three creepers that come from above.
42–44/54 – Turn two corners and you run into a trio of klaws.
45–47/54 – And slightly up ahead, a trio of creepers.
48/54 – In a larger room you will have to fight a lone creeper on a platform.
49–51/54 – Afterwards is an even larger room, three creepers are located on the platform to your left.
52/54 – And one metal klaw on the one to the right.
53–54/54 – The last two normal metal bugs in the game; a pair of creepers on the fourth platform on the other side of the room.