How much treasure can you accumulate during the game?
What level holds the most treasure?
What is most valuable item in the game?
What item of treasure is the most surprising?
What is Ron Hunsinger's treasure?
What is the first item of treasure you find?
Why is recovering treasure important?
What kind of books did you read as a child?!!!!

If you know the answers to all these questions then read no further.

The Pathways Into Darkness manual introduces us to the concept of treasure in the game. It states:

"A sub-directive of your mission is to collect any artifacts or treasure you may come across. These items will be studied by top archaeologists and may provide answers to the origins of the Universe."

So not only have you to prevent a dreaming God from awakening and save the world but you have to collect... treasure.

Collecting treasure serves a number of importnat purposes as we will later learn.

The manual also tells us that the Player Window displays the value of treasure you have recovered in the game. It shows a screenshot of a Player Window which reads:

You are at ground level. You have scored 0 of 137 points and recovered $71.1K in treasure.

So no points scored but $71.1K in treasure already recovered. Not bad. Of course don't believe everything you are told in the manual. ;)

When you start out in the game the Player Window informs us

You are 0.0m above ground. You have scored 0 of 41 points and recovered $0.0K in treasure.

Time to get some treasure.

You will be hard pressed finding any treasure on Ground Level. Indeed you won't find any treasure on Never Stop Firing either. Apparently Crystals aren't worth much.

Things get better on Lock&Load when you find the Emerald. Examining it doesn't reveal much but the Player Window tells us that it is worth $11.9K.

You are 2.7m above ground. You have scored 4 of 41 points and recovered $11.9K in treasure.

More importantly at this stage the Emerald is worth one point. When you pick up the Emerald your points total rises from three to four. If you check your Health indicator you will note that your health has risen from an original value of 6 units to 8 units. For every 4 point increase in your score your health increases by 2 units. Collect that treasure.

Actually if you drop the Emerald your treasure total drops put not your points total. But it is probably best to keep it. :)

The items of treasure to be found in the upper levels of the pyramid are as follows.

Treasure	Location	Value ($K)	Points	Uses
	Lock&Load	11.9	1	None known
	They May Be Slow...	0.1	0	Wear with pride
	They May Be Slow...	15.0	1	None known
	Evil Undead Phantasms Must Die!	11.0	1	None known
	Ascension	56.0	3	Opens two locked doors on Ground Floor when played

By the time you reach Ascension you will have recovered $94.0K in treasure and gained 6 additional points. This alone will have increased your health by a further 2 points.

The Alien Pipes represent the first really useful item of treasure. Without these you cannot access the lower levels of the pyramid. In addition, they remind you vaguely of a book you once read while you were a child. But you can't quite place it.

What kind of books did you read as a child?!!!!

Directly below the pyramid are the Catacombs. You wil find the following five pieces of treasure in the Catacombs.

Treasure	Location	Value ($K)	Points	Uses
	Welcome, Tasty Primate	9.2	1	Opens the silver doors on Wrong Way!
	Happy Happy, Carnage Carnage	56.0	0	None now
	Feel The Power	38.0	1	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares (on the way down)	120.1	1	None known
	Need A Light?	31.0	1	Wearing it increases the time for Crystals to recharge. Take it off.

By the end of the Catacombs you will have gained an additional $254.3K in treasure and 4 more points. Like the upper levels only one piece of treasure has a significant purpose - the Silver Key.

It should not be a surprise to find a second set of Alien Pipes. These are the ones Muller brought from Germany. Again it reminds you of a book you once read when you were a child but you can't quite place it.

What kind of books did you read as a child?!!!!

Perhaps Dr. Seuss? Or more correctly perhaps Colin Brent was influenced by his early childhood reading of the works of Dr. Seuss and such things as floating fish.

Below the Catacombs is the Pit. You wil find the following treasure in the Pit.

Treasure	Location	Value ($K)	Points	Uses
	Watch Your Step	15.0	1	None known
	Watch Your Step	15.0	0	None known
	Warning: Earthquake Zone (inside the Lead Box)	38.0	1	Wearing it speeds up Crystal recharging. Keep it on.

Rubies and Sapphires. Everything is red in the Pit. Wait a minute....

Ruby and Sapphire are scientifically the same mineral, but just differ in color. Ruby is the red variety, and Sapphire is the variety that encompasses all other colors, although the most popular and valued color of Sapphire is blue.

So these red Sapphires are technically... rubies?

Like the Pyramid levels and the Catacombs only one item of treasure has an alternative purpose - the Ruby Ring.

As discussed on Warning: Earthquake Zone when you pick up the Lead Box you gain two points and increase your treasure value by $38K. Based on the worth of the Amethyst Ring we might conclude that the Ruby Ring is also worth one point and $38K in treasure and the Lead Box makes up the additional point.

Deep below the Pit is the Hole. You wil find the following treasure in the Hole.

Treasure	Location	Value ($K)	Points	Uses
	Where Only Fools Dare Tread	1.1	1	Opens the Gold Door on Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares
	Ok, Who Else Wants Some?	54.0	5	Opens the exit door on Ground Floor

Only two items of treasure in the Hole but both have important functions.

Perhaps the most surprising thing is the Gold Key. Described as a heavy key made out of solid gold yet it only has a value of $1.1K. The Silver Key was a lot more valuable at $9.2K. What's up with that? Did someone make a mistake?

Too bad Javier and the rest of his group never found the Gold Door on Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares. On finding the gold inside they might have decided to leave with their treasure rather than continue on after the elusive Glass Vial. Then again they didn't appear to be interested in the gold ingot beside Walter's body. Yet they took his Gold Key.

Ah the mystery of the gold...

After setting the bomb... time to get to the... choppa. But don't forget to visit the Gold Room on the way out.

Treasure	Location	Value ($K)	Points	Uses
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known
	Beware of Low-Flying Nightmares	38.0	0	None known

Yes... a total of 11 Gold Ingots in the Gold Room. Worth a total of $418K.

Apart from being valuable ($38K each) the ingots are also extremely heavy. Each ingot weighs 13.04kg and all twelve weigh 156.48kg (345lb). That's an enormous load to carry particularly when you add the weight of all the other items in your inventory. 345lb is close to carrying two adult size men on your back. So there is no way you are going to be able to carry all the gold.

"You're so encumbered with objects that you can't move. Try dropping something heavy."

So what are you going to do... decisions... decisions...

Being the greedy SOB that you are you decide to drop your less valuable items... like ammo and weapons.

"Sorry, there's no room left on this level to drop the M-79 Grenade Launcher (so much for virtual reality, huh?)."

Noooo....

T-minus 27 minutes and counting.

Unable to move... unable to drop any more items... caught in a trap of your own making.

"Goddamn it!" You slam your fist in frustration into the Gold Door, leaving a dent.

You remember the last words of your mother... "You greedy little boy put the sweets back into the bag".

Greed is why you are going to die... now.

T-minus 25 minutes and counting.

Will the Dreaming God have the last laugh?

You can almost imagine its face with its eyes wide and its lips folding out in a grotesque smile. A smile which reminds you of something from your past, but you can't remember exactly what it is.