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Spelunky 2 Tips & Tricks for Beginners

Spelunky 2 builds upon the unique, randomized challenges that made the original a roguelike classic, offering a huge adventure designed to satisfy players old and new. Meet the next generation of explorers as they find themselves on the Moon, searching for treasure and missing family.

General tips

  1. Each stage in Spelunky 2 has what is essentially two “layers”, a front layer which holds the entrance and exit to the next level, and a back layer which is entered through various doors and tunnels, some of which are hidden behind terrain. If we were to map the levels block by block, the front and back layers would share a distinct blocks on the grid. This is important because though the back layer is many times made up of several non-contiguous rooms, you can often see other rooms and doors to those rooms. If you look at where they are on the back layer, the doors are in the same location on the front. You can use this knowledge to map out secret chambers.
  2. Many of the secret areas in the game (the Black Market, Vlad’s Castle, etc.) are on this back layer in normal stages and aren’t stages of their own as they are in Spelunky HD.
  3. There’s no time limit on levels, but at the 3:00 mark, a spooky ghost appears and begins to chase you. The clover increases the time before the ghost comes by 2:00. If you are playing co-op, you have 30 seconds less per member of your team that is dead.
  4. The ghost in Spelunky 2 is faster than in Spelunky HD, and he can split into smaller ghosts and attack you from either direction!
  5. If the ghost passes over a gem, red, blue, or green, it will turn into a diamond. You can strategically use this to make a lot of money, but it’s much harder in this game due to the buffed ghost.
  6. Go slowly and analyze your surroundings, at least in the beginning worlds. Push up against the 3:00 mark if you have to in order to make the most of your time and make sure you aren’t speeding through levels. If you start to go too fast, you’ll get arrows to the face or get enemies jumping in your face. If you are rushing through, you also probably aren’t getting everything that’s easily accessible on the level.
  7. Change your default movement speed to walk and use R to run. Try to limit running to only when vital when you’re starting out the game or a new area.
  8. The bloody altars to Kali that appear randomly throughout your journey are very important. Sacrificing stuff on the altar gives you what is essentially reputation with Kali. At certain points of reputation, you get an item. The first item is a random article of clothing. The second is the Kapala, one of the strongest items in the game that allows you to collect health. Continuing to sacrifice gets you Royal Jelly, an item that gives you 6 HP! The best thing to sacrifice on the altar is an alive pet, so if at all possible at least bring Monty to any altars you find. An alive pet gets you to the next item immediately.
  9. You will come across many vases and pots in each level. The vases can have gold pieces and gems so they are worth destroying, however, they can also have enemies (snakes, bats, scorpions, cobras) inside. The safest way to check what’s inside each vase without taking is to pick them up and throw them.
  10. Bringing your pet (Monty the Pug is default, but can be changed to a hamster or a cat) to the exit of the level restores 1 HP upon completion of the level, and also cures poison.
  11. You can only hold one carried item at a time, meaning you have to juggle weapons, torches, pets, and idols to get multiple to the end of the level.
  12. Mounts are a new addition to Spelunky 2. They offer an array of benefits, including taking damage for you. Wild mounts are dangerous, but you can tame them by jumping directly onto their backs and waiting for them to run side to side for a few moments. This can throw you into traps, lava, and etc if you aren’t careful. If you stay on long enough, the mount is tamed and you are able to control it. Every animal mount provides double jump, and if you press up and jump on a Cave Turkey or Rock Dog for a third time, you will be able to jump off the back of the mount, functionally providing a triple jump.
  13. Crouching while pressing the rope button drops the rope out in front of you rather than tossing it above you. This is useful on ledges that you want to be able to access again later.
  14. Crouching while pressing the bomb button sets the bomb gently in front of you. This is good for putting the bomb in a precise location. If you are brave, you can pick it back up and throw it into the air right in time for it to explode.
  15. You can hold the up button or down button to pan the camera up and down. Pan down before jumping into a new section of the level, as you want to be able to anticipate what enemies and traps are waiting for you.
  16. Always hold something! Especially in the first world, held items will be a lifesaver because they can trigger arrow traps or be thrown at an enemy.
  17. Be careful not to use all your bombs and ropes. It’s possible to get yourself stuck if you are out of resources. The routes are generally all navigable without these items, but, for example, if you use your last bomb to blow your way into a pit and have no other resources, you can get stuck and effectively end your run. In the same vein, buy ropes and bombs at shops liberally.
  18. Shops can be robbed, but the shopkeeper will defend his merchandise. All shopkeepers are armed with a shotgun and have amazing reflexes. If you want to rob the shop, either pick up a weapon in his shop and stun him and kill him, or figure out an alternative way. There are many ways to stun the shopkeeper without a weapon, but he’s a quick bugger, so it’s risky. Not only that, all shopkeepers in upcoming levels will be aware that you are a robber, and shoot you on sight. They also will guard the exits to each level, making the run much harder.
  19. When the shopkeeper(s) is enraged, not attacking them for a few levels can get you a message that says you’ve been forgiven, and the shopkeepers will go back to normal.
  20. There are different types of shops that each sell different things. Normal shops that appear on levels are a weapons shop (bombs count as a weapon), a clothing shop (which also sells rope), a specialties shop, a pet shop (sells ropes, mounts, and often the level’s pet), and a general store. The shop can also be a dice game where you pay $2,500 (or more later in the game) to roll two dice. If you roll a 1-6, you lose your buy-in. If you roll a 8-12, you double your money, and if you get a 7, you get the item that is currently behind an energy wall. If something good is on display, try your luck, as you’re more likely to win something than lose. But be aware that if you accidentally throw the dice out of the building, the shopkeeper will blast you with his shotgun. It’s easier to do than you think, as one dice can knock the other out. You will also anger the shopkeeper if you roll the same die twice.
  21. Enemies who are stunned (stars over their head) do not take damage from your whips unless you have the Powerpack on. However, thrown items and weapons still damage stunned enemies.
  22. There are two status effects you can be afflicted with: poison and curse. You can get poisoned by scorpions, cobras, pangxies, and hermit crabs (maybe others as well). If you get poisoned, you take a slow ticking damage until it is cured. There are a few ways to cure poison: getting a pet to the exit of the level, getting the Elixir from the challenge in Temple of Anubis, or dying and reviving with the Ankh. Curse is caused by witch doctors in Jungle, cursed cats in the Temple of Anubis, and the curse pot on each stage if it collides with you in anyway before breaking. A curse reduces your HP to 1 and nullifies any way you normally gain health. The way to cure a curse is 1. dying with the ankh, 2. completing the challenge in Temple of Anubis for the elixir, or possibly just sacrificing a pet to Kali (though I’m actually not 100% sure on this one, I’m thinking maybe it’s just sometimes?).

General tips Part #2

  1. In the Gameplay Options menu, you can change the pet that appears in each level to Monty the pug, Percy the cat, or Poochi the hamster. This is mostly aesthetic, but picking up each pet discovers a page for them in the journal.
  2. In the Gameplay Options menu you can also turn on Instant Restart, which enables you to quickly start a new game from wherever you entered. Keep in mind this does affect your statistics, if you care.
  3. Unlockable characters show up in coffins in various places throughout the game (see Playable Characters section of this guide to see where each character shows up). Whip the coffin, and they join you on your journey. On the next run, the coffin will still be in a similar place, but it will instead hold a “hired hand”. Hired hands are AI’s that tag along, collect items for you, kill stuff near you, etc. You can sacrifice a hired hand on an altar for Kali reputation. But they come at a risk. The AI’s are hyperactive and take a lot of damage and wreak a lot of havoc. In the process of them killing an enemy, they can hit you or throw something at you by accident. Also, if they take damage and get thrown your way, colliding with you makes you take damage. If you hit them with a whip too many times, they will turn on you. You might decide they are more a liability than helpful.
  4. Enemies interact with traps just like you do. Use it to your advantage and throw them in spikes or lava, at a bear trap, or lure them into a snap trap. Get creative!
  5. One example of getting creative with NPC interactions: Cavemen pick up stuff they come across in their patrol. If there’s a Metal Shield in a shop and you throw them into it (without hitting the shopkeeper), then they will pick it up and squish the shopkeeper up against the wall without enraging the shopkeeper to you.

It’s end. I hope “Spelunky 2 Tips & Tricks for Beginners” helps you. Feel free to contribute the topic. If you have also comments or suggestions, comment us.

Written by Hillsider

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