The Definitely Not Cryptic skin is the legendary cosmetic in Far Far West tied to the Sheriff's combat challenge "Kill 25,000 Cryptics (any kind)." Finishing that challenge unlocks the skin and the Cryptic Reaper title together. The fastest path is not a secret method or shop purchase. It is a loadout and difficulty choice that maximizes how many Cryptics you delete per minute.
Quick answer: Equip Thunder Strike and Wallop spells, run Nightmare difficulty on the Desert or Far West map, group enemies inside danger zones, and clear them with area spells until the 25,000 counter completes.
Unlock requirements for Definitely Not Cryptic
The skin sits in the Legendary tier alongside Pumpkin Jack and is gated entirely behind a single combat challenge. There is no credit price, gamble drop, or quest chain attached to it. Progress is account-wide and persists between runs, so partial counts from earlier sessions still apply.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Legendary |
| Price | Default (challenge unlock) |
| Required challenge | Kill 25,000 Cryptics (any kind) |
| Bonus reward | Cryptic Reaper Title |
| Progress tracking | Persistent across sessions |
Any Cryptic-type enemy counts toward the goal. That includes Grunts, Necromancers, Saloons, Trains, Vultures, Bombers, Buffalos, Liches, Minigunners, Barricades, and Prowlers. Marauder kills do not count, since Marauders are tracked under a separate challenge tied to the Marauder skin.
Recommended loadout for fast Cryptic kills
The grind shrinks when your build favors area damage and movement speed. Single-target weapons still progress the counter, but spells with wide hit zones convert one cast into dozens of kills. The combination below leans on crowd damage and mobility, so you can keep pulling fresh waves without dying.
| Slot | Pick | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Primary spell | Thunder Strike | High area damage that wipes grouped Cryptics in one cast |
| Secondary spell | Wallop | Crowd clear and knockback for stacked enemies |
| Weapon | Sheriff Star with Jump Star Joker | Two extra jumps and added movement speed |
| Throwable | Impulse Grenade | Repositioning speed between groups |
| Hero cards | Low Gravity, Jump Height, Movement Speed | Faster traversal between danger zones |
If Thunder Strike or Wallop is not yet unlocked, any Pyro or Elec spell with a wide radius works as a substitute. Spell mastery levels also reduce cooldown timers, so leveling Elec or Pyro to 50 first will speed up later runs.
Best map and difficulty for farming Cryptics
Nightmare difficulty produces the highest spawn density per round, which is the single biggest multiplier on kills per minute. Open maps matter as much as the difficulty setting, because terrain that breaks line of sight forces you to chase enemies one at a time instead of grouping them.
The Desert and Far West maps are the cleanest options. Both have flat sightlines and clearly placed danger zones where Cryptics pile up. Avoid maps with tall geometry like the Canyon or Woodlands when you are pure-farming kills, since elevation changes split spawns and waste spell casts.
Farming routine inside a run
Step 1: Start a Nightmare mission on the Desert or Far West map with the loadout above. Skip side objectives and head straight toward the first danger zone where Cryptic spawns concentrate.
Step 2: Pull the wave together by running through the zone before stopping. Take out any snipers first so you do not get interrupted while channeling spells.
Step 3: Cast Thunder Strike on the densest cluster, then follow with Wallop to finish stragglers. A single cast on a packed group can credit dozens of kills at once.
Step 4: Move to the next danger zone using Impulse Grenades and the Sheriff Star jumps to maintain speed. Repeat the pull-and-clear pattern through all four zones, and survive long enough to extract so the run counts toward other rewards.
How to confirm the unlock
Challenge progress updates automatically. When the counter reaches 25,000, the Definitely Not Cryptic skin and the Cryptic Reaper title both register on your account without a manual claim step. The skin then appears as equippable on the Sheriff hero in the cosmetics menu, and the title becomes selectable in your profile.
If the reward does not appear after a qualifying kill, return to the saloon hub and reopen the challenges menu. The challenge entry should show "Completed" with the rewards listed below it. Re-entering the hub forces a refresh of the cosmetic inventory.
Common reasons progress feels slow
- Playing on Easy or Normal difficulty, which spawns far fewer Cryptics per round.
- Using single-target weapons without an area spell to multiply kills.
- Choosing maps with mountains or dense interiors that split enemy groups.
- Counting Marauder kills, which track a separate challenge and do not credit this one.
The skin is also obtainable passively. Players who simply complete missions on higher difficulties will reach 25,000 Cryptic kills over normal play. The loadout and routine above only matter if you want the skin and title before that natural pace catches up.