How to spot toxic mushrooms and food in PEAK

Spotting toxic mushrooms and food in PEAK can be the difference between surviving a climb and watching your run end way too early. Knowing what to eat and what to avoid matters in the game, and not everything that looks edible is safe; some of these can poison you instantly if you're not careful.

On that note, here’s a guide to help you avoid toxic mushrooms and food in PEAK.

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Recognizing toxic mushrooms in PEAK

You can cook coconut as well as Marshmallow in the game (Image via Aggro Crab, Landfall)

Mushrooms come in four main shapes in PEAK — Bugle, Button, Cluster, and Chubby. Out of these, three have both poisonous and non-poisonous versions. Only Chubby mushrooms appear to be always safe, making them a reliable option for hunger management.

But here’s what sets the dangerous ones apart:

Bugle Shrooms

These poisonous ones are easy to spot — they have visible webbing at the base, right where the stalk meets the cap’s leafy edge. Also, poisonous Bugles are a bit lighter in color than their safe counterparts.

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Button Shrooms

Button shrooms are usually round with a distinctive X mark on the top. That’s your go-to sign for a non-toxic one. But be cautious: the poisonous version still has spots. So check the top — if you can’t make out the X clearly, it’s better to leave it.

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Cluster Shrooms

Clusters grow in little bunches. To identify the toxic ones, focus on the stalk. The harmful version will have frills or extra fluff, while safe Cluster mushrooms have smooth stalks. It’s subtle but noticeable once you know what to look for.

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Chubby Shrooms

This mushroom resembles a pawn, with its thick stem, narrow neck, and rounded top. There’s no recorded toxic variant of Chubby mushrooms, making them the safest option out there. If you spot one, you can eat it without worry.

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Why it matters

Eating toxic mushrooms in PEAK won’t just lower your health — it can stack 8 to 11 poison ticks per bite. Do that more than once without healing, and it’s game over. Poison is fast and brutal in this game, especially early on when resources are scarce.

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Don't forget about berries and burnt food

It's not just mushrooms. There are a few more ways to accidentally poison yourself:

1) Poisonous berries

Thankfully, PEAK keeps this one simple. Green berries = bad. They’ll poison you immediately. Red, yellow, and purple ones are safe to eat.

2) Burnt food

Overcook a food item and it’ll become burnt. Consuming burnt food will poison you, so ensure not to cook anything more than once.

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The Mycology Patch achievement

If you’re aiming for achievements, keep this one in mind: eat all four types of non-toxic mushrooms in a single run, and you’ll unlock the Mycology Patch. As a reward, you’ll receive a fun Mushroom Cap cosmetic.

It’s not as easy as it sounds, though — you’ll need to find all four types in their non-toxic form during a single attempt. That takes a little luck and a lot of cautious picking.

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That concludes our guide on spotting toxic mushrooms and food in the game.

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