Ultimate Guide to Ghosting & Mid-Maxing Score

This guide is designed for advanced players of Spelunky 2 and focuses on the technique known as Ghosting which will help improve your score considerably as well as advice and tricks on surviving whilst obtaining a high score.

This is a transcript of a guide I created as a video for YouTube which you can watch here if you prefer:
https://youtu.be/rhKMoJnLGKM

Introduction

*Warning, this guide will contain spoilers for later levels of Spelunky 2 as well as most secrets for a perfect play-through*

When I created my first guide for Spelunky 2, it was quite close to original games launch and since then, I have become even more knowledgeable in the game’s various techniques and tricks. In fact, I would go as far as to say there are some tips in my original guide that I would straight up disregard now.

Watchers of my original guide and my live streams may have noticed I am by no means a fast and loose kind of player. There’s nothing wrong with those who wish to speed run the game (well, unless you are playing multiplayer but I won’t get into that here). In fact that’s what makes Spelunky such an awesome game. There are so many ways to play it.

However, just so you know going into this guide I have a very slow, methodical pace that involves mid-maxing score, rather than mid-maxing time and that is what this guide will be focused on mainly:



In the OG guide, I recommend not messing with the ghost at all, but many updates have followed for the game since then, and the ghost is far more easy to manipulate to your advantage than was originally the case. They will only split into more ghosts after 60 seconds has passed which makes ‘ghosting’ far easier then the original 10 seconds to split or whatever it used to be.

For those that don’t know, ghosting is the practice of keeping gems loose within the level and having the ghost move over them to turn them into diamonds which are worth the most money of any other piece of gold, excluding idols:



In this guide we will explore techniques for making the ghost your friend, rather than your enemy as well as some advanced techniques for mid-maxing score and survivability whilst trying to obtain a high score.

Part 1: Ghosting - 1.1: Ghosting Basics

The very first stage of Spelunky 2 is always going to be one of the easiest for ghosting. The first level is always generated to be quicker and easier to beat than the following ones meaning level geometry tends to be less complex. It also has the added bonus of being level one so if you do die to the ghost it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to start over.

Because of the simplicity of the first level's generation, you have plenty of time to pick up jars which have a chance of spawning gems and then breaking them at a position that will make them easy to ghost:



I tend to pick up jars and toss them down to the next level of the stage so that they will cluster together (you can use chests as well, but remember these cannot be carried through doorways or exits). I then hold onto a jar last so that if none of the jars have broken to reveal gems we can toss the last one down to the next level and repeat the process on this level. This will negate the need to waste ropes and bombs which is a big no-no when playing score based runs:



This process of moving the jars into place may seem tedious at first but it is vital to mid-maxing score and getting the correct position for your ghosting. Try and break jars next to clusters of gems that are already within the environment, don’t just break them for no good reason:



If a gem cluster is juicy enough, it may be worth staying on your current level and not dropping down to the next rather than having to waste a valuable rope:




Try to clear out as many hazards as you can such as enemies and arrow traps. You do not want to to end up getting stunned when dealing with the ghost.

As always, be vigilante about enemies popping out of jars. Throw the jar away from you or whip the jar, remain still and then whip again if something nasty comes out of it:


Be aware that scorpions can spawn from these jars on very rare occasions which can poison you. They can be dealt with the same way as long as they haven't spawned behind you:



Now we’ve come to the scary part, herding the ghost over your gems. It’s instant death if they get you so the prospect of keeping them around on purpose may seem silly to some players, but believe me, if you can master ghosting you will never need to steal anything from the Shop Keeper as your score will be magnitudes higher than what is available in any shops.

You have 3 minutes before the ghost arrives or 5 minutes if you have the clover. However, note that the clover will never appear in Dwelling:



The ghost will also appear when breaking the Cruse Pot so avoid destroying it until you know you are ready to leave the stage or start ghosting:



Dwelling features ladders and ledges within the environment, and I find leaving gems near to these areas is key to not having to use ropes when dealing with the ghost:



The ghost will appear on the side of the screen you are closest to, so you really need to be in the correct position before time runs out or you will likely not be able to get the ghost to go over gems that are close to far walls.

Make sure you’ve done everything you need to in the level, such as rounding up items, damsels and smaller pieces of gold before getting into position for the ghost. When you’re ready, you will just have to wait for the 3 minutes to be up or if you have the Curse Pot you can break it near to you.

Manoeuvring the ghost itself will require some practice. It has a bit of an ark to its movement compared to Spelunky 1, which can make getting it to do sharp bends difficult. However, you may be surprised at how much wiggle-room you have with the ghost. Part of it can be close to touching you and you can still survive instant death:



So, once you’re happy the ghost has touched all the gems you have laid out for it to change, you’ll need to grab them and make a speedy escape for the exit before it splits at 60 seconds of being on screen. I do not recommend ghosting with two or more ghosts, they move significantly faster and it’s just too dangerous to handle unless you have made plenty of space on the level:



Split ghosts do have specific behaviours and in preparation for this video I did do some research and watch some videos on how to avoid them. You will only really need to learn how to deal with split ghosts if you plan on being the best of the best, and want to get the highest score possible doing a Plasma Cannon run or whatever.

However, I find that with my method, you normally have time to ghost gems and then collect them before the ghost splits, or if it does you usually don't need them to ghost the rest of the gems. If the ghost does split during the ghosting stage then I say just get the gold you can and get out. If you feel you are skilled enough to handle multiple ghosts then go for it though.

I put a link here to a video I thought was the most useful for dealing with split ghosts, I imagine with enough practice you can master ghosting with them as well but I find dealing with that many enemies on screen at once can be a bit to much to handle personally:



You want to get the ghost as far away from your gem cluster as possible before going back to collect the gems. You really do not want to end up in a situation where the ghost has you cornered and you only have one route to escape:



Although you may have positioned a gem and not collected it to use for ghosting, if you feel the angle will be too risky you can still just collect the gem to optimise score, don't leave any gold behind!:



I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet but gems can be whipped meaning you can whip a gem down to another level or into a more optimal spot:

Part 1: Ghosting - 1.2: Ghosting Key Items

Although I recommend keeping as many items as you can on you, a quick use of the rope when the ghost has you cornered and you have enough room to get over the top of them is worth the alternative of death, right?:



Bombs to escape can be a bit trickier as you do not want to get blown up whilst waiting for the bomb to explode, or move too far away so that the ghost can catch you. 35. However, bombs are useful for ghost escape if timed correctly:



Speaking of bombs, once you have stockpiled more from later levels and have one of the items that reveal hidden gems on the ground, you can start to think about using your bombs to free new gems for ghosting. Remember though, gold goes up in value in every new area so you might want to hang onto bombs to mid-max score. As we will see later on in the guide, use of the Powerpack and bombs will be vital to obtaining high scores when going through the Temple route.

Destroying the scenery will make your manoeuvrability much easier for dealing with the ghost, but I will not normally destroy areas unless the positioning of the gems is going to prove illogical for dealing with the ghost and there are many a great amount of gems within the area that needs to be destroyed; or multiple gems are stuck in the ground near to other gems.

Remember to use your bombs on large clusters of gems and gold. Gem values are listed here, red gems are worth the most, green are worth the least:



Gems have a tendency to get stuck against walls, which means you won’t be able to whip it backwards away from the wall:



You can try throwing things at gems to get them down from higher places or arching your throw down so that the gem bounces back away from the wall so it can be whipped into place:



Pets and bodies have large hit-boxes which make them ideal for moving gems:



You can also use bombs to blast gems away from walls, but I do not recommend this technique unless you are trying to obtain more gold within the ground. The blast that sends the gems flying can be unpredictable. Quite often I find I just blow the gem into my character, collecting it without meaning to.

Part 1: Ghosting - 1.3: Ghosting Manoeuvrability Items

The Jetpack is a solid choice for dealing with the ghost. You will find yourself able to handle the ghost much easier with this item. Just make sure you touch the ground as much as you can when thrusting the Jetpack. You do not want to run out of fuel accidentally and wind up stunned or dead.

Other key items for ghost manoeuvring include the spring boots, rope piles and of course, the infamous climbing gloves. I've noticed many players during multiplayer will straight up avoid this item and this likely due to the fact that leaning into walls can wind up getting you killed when you aren't used to it. I can tell you now, if you are avoiding this item, you are doing yourself a real disservice as climbing gloves are a top-tier item.

Try leaning into a walls, jumping back on yourself and positioning yourself up to grab onto a block above you as shown here. This is even easier to accomplish when combined with the Spring Boots:



As mentioned, be aware of your items when dealing with the ghost. You don't want to end up clinging to a wall unnecessarily when trying to escape the ghost or jumping too high into them.

Also be aware that you can use climbing gloves on thorns in the jungle:



The jump boots will require a very light tap on the jump button when trying to get through tight gaps surrounded by thorns:



Use turkeys to take no damage from thorns whatsoever!:



There is a technique for jumping up towards a ledge, 3 blocks in length that is very tricky to pull off. Your jump will have to be on point for this to work, but does not require any items as shown here:



Once you have stockpiled items that will help with manoeuvrability, you will find you can now angle the ghost to change gems on a certain level of the stage, and then move down towards other areas to change even more gems not positioned within the original cluster. Stand directly under or above a gem when the ghost is angled above or below you and they should glide neatly over the gem:



If you have time to spare when finishing a level before the ghost arrives, you may want to do a mock-run of your ghosting route to be sure you will have enough wiggle-room and that the gems will be changed in optimal order. Think to yourself: “Will the ghost be able to be turned around quickly enough for me to drop down to the next level and angle them over that gem down there? Will that gap be big enough for me to escape when ghosting those gems? Should I bait the ghost to the top of the level so I have plenty of room to collect my diamonds?”:



If you cannot foresee a gem being in an optimal position, pick that bad boy up and save yourself the trouble.

It may seem like a good idea to get the Ghost to come at you from the side of the screen that the gem is closed to but sometimes you may find that getting them to take the long route will give you more room for collecting the diamond. This is going to be far more important in the early stages of the game when you have less items at your disposal.

For example, in this clip I chose to make the ghost come from the left hand side, where the gem was closest to the right so that I could quickly use the ladder, grab the gem and have plenty of space to escape the ghost on the right hand side where the exit was positioned:



Another very useful item that you should definitely not be blowing up willy-nilly for meat is turkeys!:



Using the extra height you get when jumping off turkeys makes them invaluable for ghosting, and they can even be dropped off of when jumping over the ghost without them dying. The ghost cannot harm any other entity other than yourself and the hired hands:

Part 1: Ghosting - 1.4: Hired Hands

Speaking of which, Hired Hands are very useful for carrying items for you, but they are more trouble than its worth when it comes to ghosting. They are most unpredictable in the first place, and as they count as a target for the ghost, they will go for hired hands making it harder to ghost gems. If a hired hand is closer to a wall than you are, it will be going for the hired hand first which is not ideal for controlling it's movement.

67. If you are very, very lucky and come across the Plasma Cannon and a hired hand, you really want to keep him alive so that you can carry both the weapon and Hou Yi's Bow further into the caves, until you reach Waddler (If you don't know the importance of Hou Yi's Bow yet, I will explain it's use in the Mid-Maxing Score section):



Okay, so it appears I've been trippin' a bit whilst making this guide. I primarily play Daily Challenge and it was only when I played adventure for some B-roll for this video that I realised Hired Hands are guaranteed to spawn from coffins on level 1- 4 and other stages. These coffins do not spawn in Daily Challenge mode so you can see why I have been saying its so hard to get a guaranteed drop of a Hired Hand and Plasma Cannon:


You are still going to have a really tough time keeping Hired Hands alive in later levels, but this detail does make me think that the Plasma Cannon could more easily be taken with the Bow as well (I talk about the Plasma Cannon in relation to 1-4 Secret Shop later in the guide, so keep this in mind there as well).

I would avoid ghosting altogether when keeping Hired Hands alive for this reason, and you should try to leave hired hands in holes they cannot escape from. You can still break the Curse Pot near the exit and quickly escape to prevent a hired hand's death and still make some money.

I also recommend avoiding ghosting if you come across a mattock and a Hired Hand, as the gold output you can make from digging up gold in later stages tends to be greater than that of which can be achieved with ghosting alone.

Use the mattock to make areas that the Hired Hand cannot escape from and then leave the item you want to carry deeper into the caves with him:



For example, in the jungle, try going into a cave with one of the jungle kids, pushing the block down and then destroying the block so that he is stuck, and then use jump boots or climbing gloves to escape without the use of a rope:



Believe it or not, the jungle kids only require you to touch them to appear during Olmec's battle, no idea how they get out though... Maybe they use spring boots too!:



I recommended personally escorting Hou Yi's Bow though, Hired Hands have a bit of a death wish and can end up destroying the bow completely by dropping into lava or by walking into Bear Traps.

Part 1: Ghosting - 1.5: Camera

Another very useful item for ghosting is the camera. Stunning the ghost with the camera's flash will cause it to stop for a moment which can make angling the ghost very easy. It also makes split ghosts easier to deal with:



However, there are many items which I would recommend taking over the camera to mid-max score, such as the mattock. If a camera spawns on the level though, there is nothing stopping you from picking it up and using it and then dropping it before you leave in favour of another item.

Part 1: Ghosting - 1.6: 1 - 4

Aside from 1-1, 1-4 is another excellent area to practice ghosting. You have so much room in the arena with Quillback and can avoid killing him and getting him to roll around the arena to free up gems:



Remember to break jars in this area as well:



Whip gems into position once he's dead and use the ladders on the left and right hand side of the arena to your advantage when ghosting:



You can use doorways to avoid instant death from the ghost. Repeatedly go through the door and note how you can be touching the ghost for a short amount of time when leaving the door:

Part 2: Mid-Maxing score - 2.1: Introduction & Route Choice

Now that your an expert on managing the ghost, its time to start thinking about some of Spelunky 2's meta which will help mid-max your score even more.

The way I see it you have two options for mid-maxing score: you either go through the volcano and rescue Van Horsing who will give you the Alien Compass in Temple; or you do my preferred route which is Jungle, Temple, which has a much higher likelihood of obtaining key items such as bombs through the black market. And yes, notice how both routes will involve you going through Temple, I know everyone hates it, but if you wanna make bank in Spelunky you'll have to take the risk!

Volcano tends to be the preferred route for players when I'm online but this level is absolute garbage for generating money. You can forget about ghosting for the most part, as gems will often fly out into lava and the geometry is built in such a way that it is designed more for speed-running.

If you can rescue Van Horsing in Volcano and then meet him in Temple, you will have access to the location of the Alien Weapon in the Ice Caverns:



The Alien Weapon is a monster of an item for collecting gold and freeing up gems for ghosting, but consider this: If you are planning on doing the special ending which is going to be optimal for score runs, you will only have access to the weapon for a couple of stages before having to ditch it for a Ushabti in Neo-Babylon. Sure, you could leave it in Waddler's cave but then you still have to carry Hou Yi's Bow in the Sunken City. So it really will not be of much use unless you can get a Hired Hand to stay alive at which point you are going to be micromanaging so much that you'll likely end up losing something along the way anyway.

Sunken City is designed to be hard to hang about on. The level geometry is very twisty with the pipes, and there will never be a clover to prevent the ghost from showing up, even during Tun's final challenge:



There are some advanced ways for skipping Alien Compass and Ushabtis. The mother base can be reached without the compass but I find this technique too risky for death when you've already come so far so I avoid it altogether.

If you're not clued in already, to reach the final secret stage of Spelunky 2 you will require some serious skill...

1. You need to obtain Hou Yi's Bow from Tun on stage two:



2. keep it with Waddler on stage 3:



3. Beat the boss on stage 4:



4. Pick up the stone tablet which will then tell you which Ushabti you need on stage 6-2:



5. Bring it to 6-3, wait for it to hatch and then use Qilin to reach the top area on 6-4:



6. Collect the bow from Waddler on stage 7:



7. Beat Tun's final challenge on stage 7:



8. Use the bow on the final boss to enter the final area of the game:



Man! That's quite the pilgrimage I know, but this final stage, Cosmic Ocean is vital for score runs as you will have another 99 levels worth of gold to collect:



There is however a skip that can be done on stage 6-4 that does not require Qilin, through the use of the Jetpack, but I tend to avoid this approach as it takes some practice to achieve and I avoid taking Jetpacks into Neo Babylon, as they are prone to explosion. If you want to practice this technique however, there are plenty of guides online detailing what you'll need to do, I won't go into them here.

Volcano is also treasured by players because of the access to Vlad's Cape which I will admit, is an excellent manoeuvrability item:



However, in terms of mid-maxing scores this item has nothing on the jet-pack or power-pack.

I'm now going to walk you through my optimal run which as I mentioned, will involve Jungle-Temple.

2.2: Dwelling & Basic Play-Style Concepts - 2.2.1: Shopkeeper

Ghosting 1-1 is key for having enough money to buy items from a shopkeeper, should a shop appear in the following stages. I am still a shopkeeper pacifist and my point from my Spelunky 2 Survival Guide still stands: you have enough to deal with in Spelunky 2 without having one of the hardest enemies trying to kill you every stage of the game.

If you are skilled enough to deal with the shopkeeper and ghost gems, then congratulations, you are already a better Spelunky player than I am, and I am sorry for wasting your time you have spent reading this guide up to this point.

But if you're anything like me, you'll want to play things as safe as possible, whilst of course risking life and limb to make-up the gold you lose spending money on items. This method is still pretty optimal, and I find I often have the highest score on Daily Challenges even with pacifism.

Make sure to get the discount from the shopkeeper if you can, buying all items in a shop will make prices cheaper in later levels. This means, buying an item you will not use or personally find useful can prove to have its worth:



Do not buy items you don't want after this initial shop though, you cannot get another discount and also, discounts are not applied at shops with only Hired Hands and one other item available:

2.2: Dwelling & Basic Play-Style Concepts - 2.2.2: Manoeuvrability

Now, with that out of the way, here's a general tip for you: Bounce on enemies to get to out of reach gold. Bats are best for this as you can guide them into place:



Spiders are also good for high jumps. Jump on their heads just as they jump upwards to maximise the bounce distance:



You can also use Cavemen and similar mobs to reach higher areas by moving them when stunned and then jumping on their heads:

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Another quick tip I have for gold output is to always walk across spike pits if you have access to them. I find small chunks of gold will often spawn on these pits that are hard to see:


As mentioned in my first video you can use ropes and turkeys to drop down into spikes unharmed:



but one thing I didn't mention is that you can actually drop slowly onto spikes using the Climbing Gloves:



or by crawling from an edge into the spike pit:

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2.2: Dwelling & Basic Play-Style Concepts - 2.2.3: Yang

In my original video, I always recommended depositing turkeys at Yang's turkey pen for access to his loot. However, Yang is a super easy enemy to kill if you have access to a weapon including a shotgun, boomerang or machete:


My personal weapon of choice is the machete as it proves useful in the Jungle and is very cheap. Boomerangs are a good choice of weapon and I will tend to buy these from shopkeepers if a machete isn't available, but they are also very likely to spawn in the Jungle:

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If you can deal with Yang in Dwelling, you'll have access to many turkeys and free loot as well as money dropped by him. In this case, you can use turkeys for sacrifices and yes, you can torch them if they are going to be left behind on a level:



You could also use a Turkey network where you leave each Turkey at a long gap to save on ropes as shown here:



You could consider taking two turkeys through a door if you don't have any other useful items in case there is an Altar on another stage:



I do however strongly recommended keeping at least one turkey alive for the rest of your play-through, it will make accessing areas and ghosting so much easier for you.

If you decide to keep Yang alive and deliver both turkey's to his pen, he will open a shop on 2-1 selling 3 Turkeys and A Rope Pile. This isn't as good as a regular shop but if you happen upon an Altar on this stage then it'll be a real treat for you:



Grab a boomerang from a Tiki-Man if you can or use another kind of weapon and hit him where it hurts. I would recommend however that you buy a turkey that is directly in front of him and move it out of the way. I find this particular turkey can get in the way of attacks and usually results in messing up the encounter:



If you don't kill Yang on this level, he will appear in the Black Market. Again, he is very easy to take out here and you'll get some extra cash to spend in the black market. There is no consequence for killing Yang later on in the game:

2.2: Dwelling & Basic Play-Style Concepts - 2.2.4: Torch & Machete

Torches are going to be really useful if you can carry one over to the Jungle. They can be set alight to destroy thick vines and you will often find items, gold, gems and other accessible areas using it:



The machete functions in the same way as a torch but doubles up as a weapon, so its a better choice over a shotgun or torch:

2.2: Dwelling & Basic Play-Style Concepts - 2.2.5: Back Items & Kali Altar

Now comes for the tricky part, do you take a Powerpack or Jetpack should one appear in a shop? If there is only one over the other than obviously you should take it but I think in terms of gold output, their properties are pretty similar:



Jetpacks are so useful for dealing with the ghost but Powerpacks are incredibly useful at digging out gold and gems, and the flame whip will mean you don't have to carry a torch or machete within the Jungle.

I personally prefer the Powerpack as it will prove to be invaluable when you reach The City of Gold, but again, Jetpacks make manoeuvring this stage very easy so you'll have to way up the pros and cons for yourself. You should definitely pick one though, and avoid the cape as you'll likely have to ditch it for one of these two packs anyway.

The only time I buy a cape is if I will get a discount or if there is an altar on the level. The cape counts as a common item, meaning if you don't have any back item equipped there is a chance the cape will spawn when sacrificing bodies to Kali:


You want to avoid getting this item as a prize as other items such as the Climbing Gloves have a chance of spawning. Any item you already have on you will not spawn on the altar. If you happen to have every common item when making your first sacrifice to Kali, which is very rare, you will be rewarded with a 3-pack of bombs:

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When using the power-pack it is a good idea to drop the pack when trying to get stunned mobs onto the Altar. The flame whip deals double damage to them so you are better off dropping it by holding down and pressing R1. But make sure you have it on you when you know you will receive an item or you could end up with a cape:



Don't bother destroying an altar on purpose. There are some advantages to doing this such as a special item if you know how to do the secret, but the disadvantages out-way the advantages in my opinion. You're going to need plenty of influence over Kali if you want more items in the Temple so get simping!:

2.2: Dwelling & Basic Play-Style Concepts - 2.2.6: 1-4 & Plasma Cannon

On stage 1-4 you will need to use the ghosting technique I discussed in the previous section if you want any hope of having enough money for the Black Market in stage 2. Make sure you kill Quillback before the ghost arrives though, those 3 bombs he drops can be quite precious, especially if a shopkeeper hasn't sold you any bombs in the previous stages:



Try to get Quillback to make the level under the arena accessible, you don't want to waste any bombs here. Having both areas accessible under the arena will make ghosting easier and you can drop your turkey down here, as you cannot carry them through the cave doors:



I recommend always checking the caves to the left and right hand sides of the arena before leaving this stage if you have time. There is almost always gold up for grabs here and sometimes even items:



If you have the climbing gloves or enough ropes, its worth checking down the volcano route to the right for extra gold and items, but make sure you have enough time to get back up to the arena and into position for ghosting.

Online players will probably be used to the secret of this level, which involves getting cursed and then going through the ghost door near the bottom middle of the stage. You can actually curse yourself by leaving the Curse Pot on top of the skull piles above the arena and then whipping them to drop the pot on yourself:



The shop itself sells 3 rare items, including Kapala and the Alien Weapon, but there is no guarantee these items will spawn here. This technique is not optimal for score runs in my opinion:



Okay, quick note here, during recording I realised if you can get Alien Weapon, this is a huge win for a score runner. So if you are really, really trying to get the highest score ever, you probably will have to curse yourself and get lucky with the weapon, or end the run and start over.

What I was trying to convey here is that you shouldn't really be basing your runs around random chance encounters. I seem to recall the highest score for Spelunky HD involved a guy getting the Plasma Cannon in a crate on one of the first stages, which is a 1 in 10,000 chance:



If you were going for this kind of run then there is also a chance that Alien Weapon spawns in a secret shop ran by Tun before the secret shop in 1-4. If you're confident enough to stay cursed and take your chances in the shop then I say go for it but for me the risk is just too high:



Now, with that out of the way, I'd also like to add that Kapala is of no use to you if you're already cursed and one hit and you'll be toast. You'll need to be sacrificing bodies to Kali to become cured of curse anyway so what's the point if a Kapala is already going to spawn on an Altar?:



You'll have less time for the ghost which will make ghosting more difficult and although the Plasma Cannon may seem like an alluring prize, it will be of less use to you whilst you are cursed.

As mentioned before, if you find a secret shop ran by Tun hidden within a cave that is selling the Alien Weapon then you should defiantly try to steal it if you don't have the funds. I find picking it up and then doing a well timed jump out of her shop should allow you to avoid her poison arrow:



Tun will appear angry at the entrance of every level until you kill her three times. This is actually quite easy as you can use the cannon to kill her. She will appear at the entrance after 30, seconds so if you plan a shot of the cannon at the very right time she will be killed instantly. You can also destroy parts of the terrain around the entrance to make it more likely that she will throw herself into a spike pit:

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2.3: Jungle & Black Market

By level 2, Jungle, you should start to be stockpiling more items which will make ghosting easier. Don't forget to destroy the vines with your torch or other items and its always worth using bombs to access the caves where the jungle kids are trapped:


Saving all 3 will result in a 12-pack of bombs on stage 3:



You will also need to access these caves to determine if the black market is on this level. The music will change and this will be an indication you need to be listening out for the noise the Udjat Eye makes. You can even try looking up and down in these caves to check for the Black Market Entrance:



Here are some quick notes on the Black Market. It will not spawn on level 2-1, or on a level with a Shopkeeper's shop. It will also never spawn if you find one of Tun's secret shops or Tun's Moon Challenge.

Speaking of Tun's Moon Challenge you always want to go for this, it is the only way to gain access to Hou Yi's Bow and the $10,000 price for entry is well worth it considering you'll rack up more money using the mattock found inside. Try not to get crushed by those upward blocks though!:



Once you have the bow, you want to cling to it for dear life and never give it up over any other item, not even the Alien Weapon. There is no way to get this item back if you leave it behind:



Going back to the Black Market, be sure to buy any items you don't already have that will prove useful, including as many bombs as you can fit in your inventory *99 bombs max*. Make sure you buy the Hedjet first though, it is the most expensive item in the shop but it is the only way to access The City of Gold later on:



If you are ghosting regularly you should have all the money you need for the Black Market, but on the rare occasions that you don't, such as if it spawns early on level 2-2, you can always farm gold by exploring more of the level after collecting the clover.

As mentioned before, buying a mattock is super useful if you don't already have the bow and if you do have the bow, you can buy a Hired Hand to keep a hold of the mattock:

2.4: Olmec's Lair - 2.4.1: Phase 1

With Jungle out of the way, and your bow in hand, its onto Olmec. Before doing anything here you want to get yourself on top of Olmec and check the areas above for items and gold:



Ride Olmec over to the right hand side and pick up your item from the Jungle kids. Leave your bow and turkey if you have one here, they'll be safe, don't worry:



The only time I'll risk my turkey during this fight is if I don't have any traversal tools like the Climbing Gloves or Spring Shoes:



Olmec can be used to your advantage here for extra gold output. If you position yourself right on the edge of buried gold and gems and then have him drop down, the gold will be free for you to collect:



There is no ghost on this level so pick it up quickly to avoid it getting crushed. I tend to do this technique for the entire first level of the boss battle, which can seem tedious and I wouldn't blame you for skipping this part, but just know for mid-maxing score you will need to do this to avoid using bombs.

Make sure to use one bomb or a mattock to unlock Waddler's cave, positioned to the right of the arena. DO NOT use a bomb here if you have a power-pack, doing so will anger Waddler and you've basically ruined the run, take off the power-pack first and leave it on top of Olmec:

2.4: Olmec's Lair - 2.4.2: Phase 2

Once Olmec has dropped down to the second level, you can farm even more gold from him. Standing directly under Olmec will cause him to drop bombs out his sides. He will do this 3 times and you can stand directly under him to remain safeish or use the ladder on the right hand side to keep out of the way of the bombs:



Climbing gloves will make farming gold here super easy. Just cling to the side of Olmec, wait for the hatch to open and then jump on top of him whilst the bombs pour out:



Once he's done and you've picked up any gold from the explosions, you can whip the... Pink Balls... on the bottom of him to get him to drop:




Try and get him to land on the highest level you have available, so you can milk as many bombs as you can out of him:



Be sure to check down to the next level for gold when he has stopped dropping bombs. Sometimes, bombs he drops can cause gold and gems to fall into the lava below:



Try not to get crushed when clinging to the sides of Olmec, it's best to keep yourself on the side closest away from a wall and to switch sides when he changes position off wall:


If you do not have the Climbing Gloves for phase 2 then standing under Olmec is still an option, albeit a more hazardous one. You'll probably require some ropes to get him down as well:



When standing under Olmec make sure to get out of the way if a bomb looks like it is going to break his balls or you will be crushed:



Try and avoid getting him to drop onto large gold clusters and gems. This cannot be avoided sometimes, but you can use the same technique from phase 1 to loosen up these clusters if you have enough space to do so:



Rocks can be a bit of a hazard when dealing with the bombs, but they are usually avoidable if you chuck them to the area to the right where the exit is. If you have the Pitcher's Mitt, you will catch projectile rocks without taking damage and getting stunned:



If you are carrying something though, you won't have any hands free to catch so try and be aware of this!:



Try not to leave mattocks and other useful items on top of Olmec's head as they can get crushed when the hatches open up. You also don't really want to leave items unattended underneath him as they are likely to get crushed or pushed into the lava on the next level. Its often best to hang onto the item and then drop it when its time to whip him and then pick up the item before more bombs drop out:

2.4: Olmec's Lair - 2.4.3: Phase 3

Once he has dropped enough bombs, you can usually skip phase 3 of the battle completely:



Collect the Ankh at the top of the cave and you're done! Unless of course you have a mattock, in which case you, know what I'm going to say: farm that cave!:



If you cannot skip this phase of the fight for whatever reason, I find the safest approach is to guide Olmec to the left hand side of the arena and then get him to drop directly next to the wall. You'll only have to deal with one UFO as the left one will be crushed and destroyed against the wall. You can sometimes position Olmec so that both UFOs are going to get squashed between the walls:



Keep on top of his head to maximise your chance of avoiding the explosion. Also be aware that he can jump whilst a UFO is falling which could result in you getting caught in the explosion:



Olmec can also be piloted. Its worth checking that the bombs from phase 2 have left a crater deep and wide enough to fit him through to the lava. You can actually control the distance of his jumps by standing on the middle of him whilst he is jumping:



On the other side you'll want to leave the bow and any other items such as the mattock with Waddler. Do not leave your Jetpack or Powerpack here, leave capes for sure but packs will prove invaluable in the next stage, Temple:

2.5: Temple

Unfortunately, Temple is one of the most unforgiving stages of the entire game. There is no room for error here. Unlike Tide Pool there is no way to hang onto your Anhk:



If you die before stage 4-3, you will not be able to access the secret area, and if the Scepter of Anubis is destroyed you will not be able to access The City of Gold. The crush traps on this stage can make achieving this an absolute nightmare, but with enough practice you will find that being cautious and considering your timing will make this stage as manageable as Tide Pool.

One benefit of this stage is how easy it can be to ghost. Areas are often quite widely open, just make sure you aren't going to be setting off crush traps whilst ghosting:

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When you come across Anubis, be sure he isn't going to get crushed by a crush trap, this will likely end up destroying the key item that he drops:



If you have the spike boots then this battle is easy as anything, you can fall from a top level onto his head and bounce on him until he dies:



If you are coming at him from the side, use your Turkey or Spring Shoes to spike his head before he is able to wake up:



Alternately, Drop two bombs next to him, or one if you have the power-pack before he wakes up:



The Scepter can be used to fire projectiles at enemies but should be using sparingly and with caution. It will always go for the closest target on the map other than yourself meaning it could end up hitting Tun or a Shopkeeper. These projectiles can also backfire on yourself if you are too close to an enemy so be sure to wait for the beam to stop before moving on:



Cat Mummies are another pain in the ass for this stage as getting hit by one will mean getting cursed. Enemies such as Sorceresses and Necromancers can be useful here as you can fire the Scepter at them and hopefully destroy the cat mummy in the process:



Be sure to drop bodies and even sacrifice a pet by dropping them down to a Cat Mummy and then using the Scecpter:



Do not use the Scepter on Croc Men though, it is rare that your attack will kill them as they will teleport out of the way and the projectile could end up anywhere at this point:



The flame whip from the power-pack is the best way to deal with Croc Men as it seems to be one of the only attacks that will stop them teleporting and will stun them:



I guess they hate flames, because using a torch on them seems to have the same effect:



If I do not have any flames at my disposal, then I will avoid these enemies altogether. They can tele-frag you which is instant death:



Be really patience with these guys, wait for them to turn around so they aren't facing you before moving past them:



Another thing to consider about 4-1 and Temple in general is that there are plenty of pots will spawn next to Anubis:



You may even find clusters such as this one. Be sure to break them together for those sweet, sweet gems!:



On level 4-2, it can be tempting to use the Scepter on the Golden Door right away but I would say hang onto it in case you need to clear out any enemies in the rest of the level.

Tun's Star challenge on stage 4-2 will provide a cure for curse or poison should you complete it. The Elixir has been buffed since Spelunky 2's release. It now protects you from getting cursed or poisoned once, which results in the item being lost but it also provides double hit points when drinking from the Kapala, so this item is key in my books.I also recommend taking the Crossbow found in this challenge as it can be used as a fail safe for stage 4-3:

2.6: The City of Gold

Now, you've finally made it, The City of Gold! There is so much gold up for grabs here. All the bombs you've stockpiled at this point can be used here. If you have received the Royal Jelly from Kali for sacrificing enough bodies on Altars then you will receive a 12-pack of bombs in the next stage, meaning you can use just about as many bombs as you want:



If you have the power-pack you'll be laughing here as you can generate obscene amounts of gold and gems with it:



Try not to get too caught up on generating gold the entire time though, you need find a Leprechaun somewhere on this stage to get a clover if you want any hope of getting all the gold the place has to offer. It is very unlikely however, that Leprechauns may not spawn in The City of Gold, so don't be too surprised if you've searched the entire level without finding one:



The sliding wall traps are great for generating gold I find. Open the sliding door by whipping the switch and then place a bomb directly under it. Whip the switch again and the sliding gold door as well as the gold blocks below it will be up for grabs:



You can also do this technique with the Giant Golden Crush traps but be sure not to blow yourself up in the process:



The pots of gold are incredible money makers, but don't waste your time whipping them one at a time. Cluster them together before whipping them:



If you have the power-pack you can blow them up with one bomb:



My aim for this stage is to get as many gems loose from the ground as possible and then get them to the bottom of the stage where I will ghost them into diamonds. This level has the most effective use of bombs in my opinion as even if a gem is stuck against a wall you can still use a bomb to get it into a position in which it can be whipped and the gold within the wall will come loose with it:



As mentioned before, you can use as many bombs as you see fit here so get as many gems into the same spot as possible and ideally get them all to the bottom before the ghost arrives:

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If I have ghosted successfully and nothing has gone horribly wrong I've usually gained over a million gold by this point.

It's quite rare that there aren't enough traversal tools in the Black Market for later use in The City of Gold, but as you can see from this play-through it's not a guarantee. I only had a few ropes to my name and no Climbing Gloves or Spring Shoes:



Ghosting all gems at the bottom was too much of a risk so I left a select few gems near the Altar and decided to save some of my bombs for later in the play-through. We'll be getting a Jetpack in the next stage so remember to use lots of ropes on this level, but you'll want to keep some around just to be on the safe side.

Once you're done with the level you'll need to sacrifice yourself on the Altar in the middle. I find the easiest way is to just jump from the top level:



Make sure you don't have a parachute when doing this or you may end up as easy prey for the ghost:



You will have to ditch any items you have here including packs, turkeys and weapons:



If things have gone terribly wrong and you don't have enough health to sacrifice yourself, you can use the fail-safe of using the arrow from the Crossbow provided in the Star Challenge by throwing it at a body and then using the end of the arrow to stun yourself next to the Altar:

2.7: Duat

If you've made it this far, you've gotten over some of the harder parts of the game, but there is more to come. Duat is quite an easy stage and very predictable. Your only real enemy is the giant snake, Apep but it is always very clear where he is going to spawn. Check for skull piles and long stretching areas above and wait for him to pass by before going:



Spitting Cobras can also be a bit of a hazard as you don't want to get poisoned or waste the Elixir, but you should be able to easily avoid them and time your attacks:



The unique monsters of this stage, Ammit may look scary but they are super easy to defeat. If you have the Kapala you can easily farm blood from them by whipping them repeatedly. Just make sure you don't get snapped up by them!:



Be sure to pick up your prize from Kali before leaving, I'd recommend getting it as soon as you can as there is always a chance lava or Magmars could destroy the bombs:



Once you've reached the top of the stage, it is time to fight Osiris and Anubis II. Luckily, this is a very easy fight. If you have the sticky paste, one bomb thrown directly up at Anubis II will finish him off quickly. He is guaranteed to drop a Jetpack, so make sure you don't kill him whilst he's positioned over lava and make sure Osiris doesn't drop one of hands down on it or it will be destroyed:



Without the sticky paste you can use bomb cooking to kill him, or wait for him to get closer to the ground and jump on his head with the spike boots:



The Jetpack will make the fight with Osiris easy as anything but before doing so you may want to consider getting him to drop one of his hands over any gold stuck in the ground. He can destroy blocks two levels down but you have to plan your jump underneath him right or he'll likely miss:



Next, use the Jetpack to jump on one of his hands. Whip him repeatedly to do damage and gain plenty of blood for your Kapala:



Once he's down, make sure you grab all the gems he drops as well as the stone tablet which is the item we were after in the first place. Similar to Anubis II, we do not want to kill him above a lava pit as there is always a chance the tablet will be lost to lava:

2.8: Ice Caves

Now we've finally reached the Ice Caves. This level should be pretty easy but caution is still required. Its another easy level to ghost and I find there is plenty of time to break jars at the top of the stage.

The Jetpack you received in 4-4 will be useful here. You could just skip the cave with the Yeti's inside entirely, but we don't want to miss out on the items and gold found inside:



If you have the spike boots, you can easily time your jumps on the Yeti Queen, with the Jetpack. Just be sure to get out the way before she does her upward attack:



If you don't have the spike shoes, you can use mines from outside the cave and drop them down onto her. You'll receive spike shoes for killing her which will be used for the next Yeti battle:

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Make sure you grab the clover in the spike pit to the right:



The Yeti King will scream at you which can turn you to ice if you get too close. I find the easiest method is to just wait for him to get close enough to the right hand side as you can and then Jetpack your way over to him and quickly jump on his head with the spike shoes:



Left of this area you will find the curse pot which can be taken out of the cave for ghosting:



Or if a Yeti is trapped with the pot, I find its best to wait for the ghost to arrive before getting it as you'll have to throw something at the Yeti to get it:



At the bottom of the cave you will find items and gold can spawn in the spike pit, so use a rope to get down there:



Remember to use as many mines as you can on this level, you can pick them up to deactivate them and then use them for retrieving gold and gems. You'll want to keep a hold of one or two mines though as they can be carried into the next stage and one can be used to access Waddler's cave on this level. It will always appear somewhere around the top entrance of the Yeti cave. Check inside the Yeti cave and look up if you can't find it:



Instead of depositing Idols at the door or on an Altar, you'll want to leave them with Waddler as they'll be worth more money in a later stage. Take your Mattock if you were able to bank one or any other useful items, but don't take Hou Yi's Bow, we don't need it yet:



Once you've done your ghosting and everything else on the level, deposit your Jet-Pack with Waddler as well. You can take it to Neo Babylon but I do recommend this as there is a very high likelihood it will end up get caught by a trap, destroying it and possibly you in the process. Take a cape instead if you have one in Waddler's cave.

It probably goes without saying but be very careful about taking the idol on this level. The boulder can destroy so much of the terrain so you should collect all gems and ghost before taking it. I also do not recommend picking it up if there is an Altar, Shop or Stronghold on the level, you'll likely piss someone off. Also, make sure you don't whip aliens into the trap, you'll set it off for sure!:

2.9: Neo Babylon - 2.9.1: Ushabti Cave

Next up we have Neo Babylon. Annoyingly, I find a lot of runs can be ruined in this stage due to its many instant death traps. Be very careful around the moving platforms and make sure you don't crush any key items such as Ushabti:



Stage 6-1 is pretty simple. The Curse Pot will always spawn next to you at the door so take that with you if you can:



Believe it or not, ghosting is very do-able on this level. Just be sure there aren't going to be too many hazards in your way:



Stage 6-2 is where you'll need to be paying attention. Find the special cave and check your Journal to see what Ushabti you'll need to take with you:



Plenty of gold and pots will spawn in this area too. I tend to round up all the pots and place them next to the door so they can be taken back to the main level and broken for ghosting:



The cursed pot spawns in here as well:



When you find the Ushabti of choice, you may want to do what I do which is double check the Journal and be sure you've picked up the right one. It can be crushing to take the wrong Ushabti into the next level.

Quilin will spawn when you take your Ushabti to the next stage, I recommend leaving him near the top of the stage for safe keeping, but be sure a spark trap or other hazard isn't going to kill him:



He only has 4 hit points so I also recommend carrying him if you can, rather than riding him, as you'll take damage he would have otherwise taken for the most part:

2.9: Neo Babylon - 2.9.2: Madame Tusk's Palace of Pleasure Raid

Because you took the Temple route, you will not be allowed access to Tusk's Palace of Pleasure but that 's okay because we are going to crash the party.

If you have a weapon, kill the Bodyguard outside and pick up his Shotgun. If you don't have a weapon, try putting a bomb on the platform that goes into the club entrance, that normally sorts him out:



If not, you'll have to try and get him out of the club entrance area and into some of the level hazards:



Go inside but be prepared to exit right away, you get I-frames when going through doors so you will be invincible as long as you keep tapping the door button:



Wait for your chance to strike, only start blasting inside if you are sure guards aren't going to rush you from both sides. Quite often, they'll end up shooting and killing each other anyway whilst your doing the door technique. Keep spraying and praying and if one comes from the other side, switch around immediately and stun lock the Bodyguard:



When you're sure they are all done, you can go to the top level and take out Tusk. Be sure to grab all the health items up here and grab the clover before you run out of time:



Be sure to grab the Idol on the left podium and chuck it on the Altar in the basement. Stand on the left hand side to be sure your golden monkey doesn't jump into the Force Field to the right. Pop the monkey on the top level of the club for safe keeping:



Now we can start thinking about taking all the bodies down to the basement for sacrificing. Throw them all to the left hand side and then throw them down one by one, this is the quickest way. You may need to whip them away from the ladder to get a hold on them:



Unfortunately, poor Parsnip normally gets a face full of led in my play-throughs for extra Kali influence. You should be well on your way to 99 HP now:



Next we want to think about ghosting. Bomb the space to the left of the Stronghold and I recommend destroying the Laser Trap down there as well as it will only get in the way:



Pick up each and every Treasure Chest and group them all together. Whip them open but make sure you get out of the way whilst they are opening or you'll collect the gems early. I also normally put a rope back to the top here to be sure we can escape the ghost:



Put another bomb on the right hand side of the basement to destroy the Force Field and gain access to the Curse Pot:



Now, if you still have time you may want to explore the rest of the level and make sure there aren't going to be any deadly hazards that will get you or Quilin killed when you are trying to escape the Ghost. Just be back at the Palace in plenty of time to get Ghosting.

I usually find by this point, the Angry Shopkeeper music is still playing, meaning there are still Tusk's Bodyguards alive on the level. Its pretty rare that the one guarding the Basement Entrance on the surface is alive, due to there being so many hazards, but you will want to be sure he isn't going to snipe you on your way out of the level:



The music will continue to play but this is usually because the guard in the basement is still alive. He will not be able to harm you through the Force Field that guards the Stronghold though:



Wait for all the gems to be Ghosted and you can then make your way over to the right hand side of the basement, destroying the Cursed Pot if you haven't already and then jump over the ghost using Climbing Gloves or a Rope and then go back into the Stronghold for a huge amount of money, nearly a million usually:



On your way out, be sure to take a Shotgun with you if you can and gather any remaining gold from the Monkey.

2.9: Neo Babylon - 2.9.3: 6 - 4

If you've made it out with Quilin alive, it's time to face the final boss... Or is it? Jump on his back and skip the boss entirely. Be sure to check around for specs of gold though. At the top of the level you will need to manoeuvre the many Force Fields that guard the secret exit. It can take a couple of times to get used to this, but I find if you time your movement based on the sound the Force Fields make, its easier to gauge when you need to be moving:

2.10: Sunken City

Moving onto Sunken City, I do not recommend Ghosting unless it is very clear that you will be able to escape. This is the tightest set of levels the game has to offer and getting items through the pipes can be stressful as well:



You can destroy parts of the scenery to make carrying items easier.

Waddler's Cave should always appear on level 7-1. Take out the Bow and Jetpack and the Idol if you were able to get it in The Ice Caves:



This is the last time you'll see Waddler and unfortunately for him this is usually where I blow his brains out to gain access to the chest he drops when he dies:



Its a pittance, but score running is all about:



Anyway, managing so many items in this stage can be hard, but I normally take idols first and drop them off with Tun or at the exit. Idols on this stage are worth so much and you may find that there is another one waiting within a trapped area. This trap is pretty easy, just time your exit and entrance with The Frog Traps and make sure you don't throw yourself into a Poison Arrow Trap, which I have done countless times, whoops:



Tun's Final Challenge normally spawns on this stage, but don't be alarmed if you don't see it. There is a small chance it will appear on the following stage. You'll want to take your shotgun or the Bow into this challenge and blast any enemies that get in your way. Be sure you don't ricochet your bullets off one of the force fields though as it will likely stun you:



If you aren't feeling particularly lucky, you can destroy some of the Enemy Spawners with bombs and wait in the corner for the challenge to end:



I like to save my bombs though, and remember that Necromancers will always drop red gems, so you can farm gems in this way by keeping the spawners around:



Once you have beaten the challenge grab The Arrow of Light and put it in your bow:



I do not recommend using the bow on regular enemies unless you are sure it won't get destroyed. The regenerating blocks can destroy The Arrow or the Bow and there is no way of getting either item back once they are gone.

I do quite often use the Arrow to instant kill the Giant Frogs as there is plenty of space for the Arrow to land somewhere safe and you can enter the Frogs mouth for access to gold and potential items:



Another strategy for Sun Challenge is to just straight up murder Tun and use bombs to access the Arrow. I do not recommend this however as she'll come for you in the following stages and you won't gain access to the bag she gives you which contains 24 Bombs and 24 Ropes, very useful!:



For the following stages, you should focus on staying alive and keeping the Bow and Arrow in tact. Take Cure Pots if you have time, but prioritise Idols. I wouldn't worry too much about getting Pets on these levels, it is worth doing if an Altar is near by but you are so time restricted it's not worth carrying one all the way across a level just for one piece of Royal Jelly. If you are poisoned though, this will be your last chance to get a cure from a Pet so you best hope and prey one is around if you succumb to this fate.

Level 7-4 is the final boss, are you ready? Get a move on and make it to the top as quickly as you can with your Jetpack:



I do find that Hundun, the giant egg monster does take some time to get to the top so you will have some wiggle-room to collect pieces of gold that may get destroyed by them.

Be on the lookout for poison arrow traps near the top of the level, I have thrown myself into these countless times as well and as mentioned, if you are poisoned from here on out there will be no cure.

Once you make it to the top, pop your bow next to the exit, you don't want to use it during the fight for it is likely to get destroyed:



Instead, wait for Hundun to reach the top and stand on the top ledge on either side, shown here. The fire balls they blow from their mouth shouldn't be able to hit you from up here unless you stand right on the edge:



If you have Sticky Paste wait patiently for them to walk over to you and then quickly drop a bomb on the ledge. Pick it up and drop it onto the head closest to you. With good timing and 3 bombs you can destroy the first head and then do the same for the second one:



If you don't have sticky paste, you will need to bomb cook which is trickier, but certainly doable. I don't recommend using the Spike Shoes here. If you get hit by one of their fire balls its pretty much instant death.

Once you've defeated both heads you can grab your bow and make your way to the bottom of the arena. Before firing the arrow into Hundun's eye, be sure to pop a rope down to the spike pit and pick up and remaining gold:



Shoot the eye and congratulations, you are a true Spelunky master! But its far from over...:

2.11: Cosmic Ocean

Cosmic Ocean is truly a test of skill. You may be surprised to hear that I have played countless hours of Spelunky 2, done hundreds of Daily Challenges, but I have never made it to level 7-99. I know, I know, I guess you read an entire guide made by a complete noob, but this stage is absolute tough as nails. Its less the difficulty of the levels and more the shear amount of them you will need to get through without dying:



This is where most players will likely have one up on me. If you chose to do one of the Ankh skips and haven't died before reaching this area, you will have a second chance at life should you die. As score runners though, we are cursed to use this item in The City of Gold.

The levels here will be from any random stage, meaning you could get quite an easy level from Dwelling or one from everyone's favourite, Temple! Good thing you put in all the practice! Level generation can range from simple smaller levels, to large labyrinths. This makes the Jetpack pretty key for manoeuvrability, but get caught by a Spark Trap or other similar trap and you'd better hope you have a lot of ropes on you. I guess this is where Vlad's Cape would come in most useful as you won't be punished for falling for these kinds of traps.

Its your job to destroy three Floating Orbs that can appear anywhere within the level. Make sure you keep track of how many you have popped though, and don't forget that hazards within the level can pop the orbs as well. You'll hear a popping sound when one is destroyed. I find saying to myself the number of Orbs that have been popped each time one is destroyed helps me keep track of them. I'm pretty forgetful and sometimes destroy one thinking that I've still got more to go, but oh no, the Celestial Jelly is coming for me!:



Let's talk about these Jellies now. They behave similar to the ghost but are much quicker and have a bit of a spring to their movement. They tend to circle around the player which can make timing getaways hard. If they touch you its game over:



One will always be guarding the exit and if you do not pop all the orbs within 3 minutes, another one will appear and chase you down as well. Talk about unfair!:



A difference between the Jellies and the Ghost, is that they do not change gems into diamonds, at least that's one thing you don't have to worry about! Once you've popped all three Orbs, the Jelly is coming for you, so make sure you know where the exit is.

On top of remembering the number of Orbs you have popped, you will also need to remember where the exit is. Say to yourself "TOP LEFT!":



... or “Bottom Right-ish!*. If all the orbs have been popped and you don't know where the exit is, it is advisable to remain in your current position and see what angle the Jelly comes at you from. You can then back-track the direction the Jelly came from to get a rough idea of where the exit is:



It is also desirable to leave Orbs close to the exit un-popped so that you can pop them last and make a quick break for the exit:



There is plenty of gold up for grabs in these stages, but a word of warning: I have died countless times in Cosmic Ocean because of my greed. I guess I'm just too hell bent of mid-maxing but I will usually go for gold even with a small amount of time left on the clock. It would then, be more beneficial for survivability's sake to find all the orbs first and then go for gold if you can remember where the last one is, along with the exit should there be enough time left.

One tip I do have for you is to just ignore the level count in the top corner as well as on the post-level stats screen. Whenever I think I've made it to level 50 or whatever I will decide to finally check the level I'm on only to discover I'm on like level 28 or something.

This final tip may sound a bit cheesy, but take breaks away from the game whenever you need to. You may be playing for upwards of 3 hours and beyond if you are playing for score so staying with your eyes glued to the screen for that long is never going to benefit you, even if you are in the zone. The in game timer will not continue between levels so use this time to keep hydrated and walk away if needed:

Conclusion

So there you have it, a comprehensive guide to mid-maxing your score! I'd be interested to hear from you in the comments if you think there's anything I've missed or know of any further strategies for getting a high score. I will be the first to admit, I am a bit of a weirdo when it comes to my Spelunky strategies. I'm sure players I have met online can attest to how hell-bent I am on collecting all the gold a level has to offer.

There is a reason for this I have not made explicitly clear in this video or my previous ones though. I'll let you in on a little secret: The key to being good at Spelunky is practice, and by collecting gold and going for hazards that other players would tend to avoid due to likelihood of death will make you more prepared and well versed in what can happen to you in later play-throughs.

If you die to a a Spear Trap trying to rescue one Jar with nothing but a Spider inside of it, you'll know how to avoid the trap better next time. This is how you improve your survivability in Spelunky, the gold isn't just there for you to increase your score, it is a tutorial:



Thanks ever so much for reading/ watching, until next time!

[<#76428a>Sharkbilby]

This guide is insane, amazing work