Spelunky 2 is packed with hidden bonus areas, and investigating these optional locations can earn you huge rewards. Places like Vlad’s Castle and the Black Market return from the first game, but others like the Sunken City are totally new. The City of Gold is back, and the Mothership is one of the hardest-to-reach areas of the game.
They’re all awesome if you’ve got the skill. We’ll start with the easiest areas and slowly reveal how to reach the hardest. The Sunken City leads to an optional boss, but you’ll have to visit multiple side-locations to reach this area — and it’s ridiculously dangerous. Some of these locations make reaching the bottom of the dungeon much easier, so knowing how to enter them is totally invaluable.
If you’re looking to learn everything there is to learn in Spelunky 2, this is a good place to start.
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 The City Of Gold & More Secret Money Methods | How To Unlock Every Bonus Character | All Shortcut Locations & Requirements | How To Fight The Secret Final Boss | Sunken City & Hundun Location Guide
[Work-in-Progress: Check back soon for more secret locations.]
How To Access The Black Market
Use the Golden Key that spawns in 1-2 / 1-3 on the chest in an interior layer room to gain the Eye of Udjat. This special item will flash and glow when you’re near the entrance to the Black Market in 2-2, 2-3, or 2-4 in the Jungle.
How To Access Vlad’s Castle
Gain the Udjat Eye by unlocking the chest with the Golden Key that spawns in 1-2 / 1-3. Reach Volcana and look for a drill that spawns in 2-2, 2-3, or 2-4. Use the drill, and follow the path it cuts all the way down. At the bottom, there’s a door that leads to Vlad’s Castle.
How To Access The Mothership
The Mothership is one of the hardest areas to reach in the game. The entrance spawns in the Ice Caves, and appears in a random location near the bottom of the pit.
To access it, you need the jetpack and the Alien Compass. Only the Jetpack can take you down into the pit and use the entrance door. To gain the Alien Compass, go to Vlad’s Castle with a Skeleton Key to free Van Horsling. This special NPC will kill Vlad instantly when freed.
How To Access Madame Tusk’s Palace of Pleasure
This special side-area can only be unlocked with extreme luck. Go to the Tide Pools and play Madame Tusk’s Dice Game in 4-1 / 4-2. You’ll need to roll 7 four times to win the grand prize.
Travel down to 6-3 and you’ll be allowed entrance. If Madame Tusk calls you a “high-roller” then you’ll be allowed access.
How To Access Abzu
Collect the Ankh through the caverns at the bottom of Olmec’s Lair 3-1. Go down to the lava trap in 4-3 and get killed by the explosion. This reveals a secret door to a special area guarded by a giant turtle.
How To Access The City of Gold
Go to the Black Market (see guide above) and purchase / steal the Hedjet. Then access the Temple of Anubis in 4-1. Kill Anubis to gain the Scepter.
In 4-2, look for a golden door. With the Hedjet and Scepter, the door will open, leading to the City of Gold.
How To Access Duat
To access Duat, you need to access the City of Gold with the Hedjet and Scepter. To enter Duat, you also need the Ankh item found in 3-1. Drop down to the very bottom of the 3-1 arena and you’ll find cave entrances. Enter and reach the very top to gain the Ankh.
This item allows you to come back from the dead once. Enter the City of Gold and sacrifice yourself on the large altar — drop from a very high height to die instantly. You’ll transition into Duat.
How To Access The Sunken City
Complete Duat for a shot at the Sunken City. Defeat Osiris in Duat to gain the Tablet of Destiny. This item gives you a clue you’ll need in 6-2. In 6-2, there’s a door with a room full of figurines. Use the Tablet of Destiny to collect the correct figurine in the room — check your inventory to get the three clues.
With the figurine, go down to 6-3 and drop it. It will hatch into a special flying mount called Qillin. Reach 6-4 and fly straight up — through the lasers — until you reach the entrance to the Sunken City.
How To Access The Cosmic Ocean
The final area is accessible from the Sunken City. You’ll need Hou Yi’s Bow and the Sun Arrow — reward from the Sun Trial in 7-1. Collect Hou Yi’s Bow from Olmec’s Lair and give it to Waddler, then recollect in 7-1.
Use the Sun Arrow on Hundun’s eye to enter the Cosmic Ocean.
That’s all the areas we know so far. We’ll add more locations as they’re discovered.
