Shopkeepers hold a nasty grudge in Spelunky 2. If you kill them, they’ll never stop hunting you — and all their shopkeeper friends will spawn at the exit of every stage armed with a shotgun. It’s a pretty big problem if you steal from a shopkeeper early in your run, because you’ll have to roll the dice and hope you don’t die at every level exit. Sometimes, that level of risk really isn’t worth the trouble.
But sometimes you absolutely need the items they offer. A jetpack can change your entire run, or even a pair of spike shoes — maybe you really need that extra-large pack of bombs, and you just don’t have enough money. If you’re looking to run away with the goods and not get hunted for all eternity, there actually is a way.
Spelunky 2 features a “forgiveness” program for robbery. I’ll explain what you need to know below.
More Spelunky 2 guides:
20 Tips & Tricks For The First Biome | Beginner’s Guide | Safe & Easy Method For Stealing From The Shopkeeper | 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 Access All Secret & Bonus Areas | How To Fight The Secret Final Boss | Sunken City & Hundun Location Guide
Shopkeeprs in Spelunky 2 really don’t like it when you steal from them. Take an item and leave the store, and they’ll immediately go nuts with a shotgun. When you’re targeted by Shopkeepers, they’ll continue to hunt you down for your entire run — or will they? Actually, it’s possible to be forgiven for your crimes!
Yes, you can steal without being permanently hunted by shopkeepers. There are very specific actions you’ll need to take to be forgiven, though.
- Shopkeeper Forgiveness: How It Works
- To earn forgiveness from shopkeepers and stop being hunted, you need to be a nonviolent thief.
- You cannot kill, attack, or harm the shopkeeper in any way. That includes future shopkeepers that appear to attack you at level exits.
- You must only steal an item and leave. You need to leave a level without hurting any shopkeepers after stealing.
- After one level, you will be forgiven and you’ll be able to buy from shopkeepers again / stop being hunted.
The tricky part is that you can’t kill shopkeepers or fight back. Attacking a shopkeeper or killing them will earn you a permanent hunted status — they’ll attack immediately with shotguns. Also, they’ve got shotguns which can kill you in a single hit. The safest way to deal with them is to kill them.
So, how do you steal stuff safely? There’s no easy way, but I can suggest a few things. First, prepare a rope for a quick getaway — or bomb an area just outside the shop so you can instantly drop down and escape. Webs are you friend, and shopkeepers can get trapped in them — and shields will completely block all shotgun attacks, making it one of the most useful items if you plan on stealing permanent upgrades like spike shoes or the jetpack.
It takes a lot of practice to safely steal from shopkeepers without killing them. Sometimes it isn’t worth the trouble.
