The hardest part of Spelunky 2 is that your progress is never saved. If you die, you have to start from scratch — the only thing you’ll get from practice is knowledge. Knowledge how to conquer the many tricks and traps without dying. Just getting to practice on levels faster is ridiculously useful, especially because Spelunky 2 includes some challenging boss-like enemies.
That’s why shortcuts are so important. Shortcuts aren’t exactly great for long-term runs because you’ll lose out on money and other opportunities from the early stages. But, you’ll be able to practice later levels more — and with a little creative gameplay, it’s possible to make it lower than before without all the hassle.
There are three shortcuts in the game, and they’re all important to unlock. If you can spare the coins and items — below I’ll explain what you need for each shortcut and where to find them.
More Spelunky 2 guides:
20 Tips & Tricks For The First Biome | Beginner’s Guide | Safe & Easy Method For Stealing From The Shopkeeper | 30 Second Tutorial Speedrun Guide | Track Star Trophy | How To Get The 1-Hit KO Excalibur Sword | How To Get The Healing Kapala Knife | How To Access Duat | Secret Area Guide | How To Access The City Of Gold & More Secret Money Methods | How To Unlock Every Bonus Character
All Three Shortcuts | Requirements Guide
There are three shortcuts you can unlock at different intervals of the game. The first shortcut is located under the Quillback boss in 1-4 — starting from the shortcut will give you access to either of the two (left or right) paths.
Exiting 1-4 will lead you to an encounter with Terra. Fulfill her three requests to unlock a shortcut. Go left of the main door to find the shortcut paths once they’re unlocked.
- Shortcut #1: Start at the bottom of the final Dwelling level 1-4.
- Request #1: 2,000 Gold
- Request #2: 1 Bomb
- Request #3: 10,000 Gold
- Shortcut #2: Start at the bottom of Olmec’s Lair 3-1.
- Request #1: 1 Rope
- Request #2: Any weapon — Shotguns, Bowguns, Machetes. Boomerangs are the easiest to find in the Jungle.
- Request #3: Any mount — Turkeys from the Dwelling or the Diamond Dogs in Volcana count.
- Shortcut #3: Start that the bottom of the final Tide Pool level 4-4.
- Request #1: 50,000 Gold
- Request #2: Hired Hand — You can always get a Hired Hand where bonus characters spawn.
- Request #3: Gold Key — Special Key that spawns in the Dwelling, level 1-2 or 1-3. Yes, you have to bring it all the way down.
For completing one shortcut, you’ll earn the Mama’s Little Helper trophy, and for completing both shortcuts, you’ll get the Mama’s Big Helper trophy. Completing all three is a pain, but it’s also very, very helpful for practicing later areas.
