Hello fellow spelunkers and strangers on the internet as well! Welcome to my guide about reaching Spelunky 2 special 7-99 ending. Special 7-99 ending is close by spirit, by ideology to true old school roguelikes - victory is so difficult what you are playing not for it, but just for fun and enjoyment of gameplay. Spelunky 2 - although this awesome game is made to be played for years, it is definitely not for everyone. You're going to die in all kinds of painful, hilarious and surprising ways. Gameplay mechanics in Spelunky series is rock solid and this game is a very skill based. But you can't beat Spelunky special ending on raw skill, there is also space for strategy, risk evaluation/minimisation and overall smart play. I can't obviously improve your skill at the game, but i want to share some tips that can improve your overall approach, mindset and hopefully make you less struggling. This knowledge definately makes your chances at special ending clear better.
I know this "guide" seems weird - there is no ready-made solution of any kind for doing this hardest achievement. Have no illusions that exists some magic trick or technique that made 7-99 clear easy. You must working hard on this goal yourself.


Do you know about top Spelunky players? What are this CHADs, this beings with incredible brain power? "Are you some kind of genetically engineered super ape, that has come to conquer the human race? Are you some incredible product of a test tube and Adonisis semen, that is just beyond human comprehension?" actual quote by famous spelunker Mr. Uncle Blargho. And if you reading this guide you are not one of this demigods. Right? What if i tell what, almost no matter who you are, you can beat special ending too?

But don't expect motivational speeches from me. I am not one of these scammers. If you feel frustrated, annoyed and sick of the game - don't hurt yourself by continue playing. Stop playing if you get mad - nobody forcing you to do it. Maybe it is sad truth for someone, but only if you enjoy gameplay then you can beat special ending of Spelunky 2. I think main secret is that if you enjoy playing then just don't give up and you will do it someday. Just keep playing, practicing and learning and you will be able to do it yourself. But again - have no illusions that exists some magic trick or technique that made 7-99 clear easy. You must working hard on this goal yourself.

Do you like making your brain work? If so - you are a freakin weirdo, almost a pervert. I am not trying to offend you, because i'm the same freak. Brain is very energy costly tool and normal monkeyspeople avoid using him much. Food is in relative abundance only last ~hundred years, and even then not everywhere. For wild animals thinking is risk and work that may not pay off.
Your own brain will resist to work! For me, a clear proof of this is how many times and how ridiculously i failed the "quest chain" attempts!
- Forgot the Bow somewhere on the way
- Destroyed the Bow by own stupid actions
- Forgot to take Ankh
- Takes a normal exit instead of going to Abzu
- Forgot to slay the turtle in Abzu
- Forgot to take the Urn
- Instead of going to journal and check information on tablet, author pressed "restart game"

The conclusions that i made is following. Do not play if you are hungry or tired - you are not going to accomplish anything. If you keep doing ridiculous unexplainable actions then that's sign to stop - do not play today. Usually tomorrow, after such brain struggling session my results was better.

About mindset. You only take knowledge and practice out of the runs. You will be failing a lot and keep going. It is essential to learn from every single mistake and minimize it's probablity of occurence in future. If you don't like this approach, then Spelunky is definately not for you. You will gradually get better as you play and learn more about the game. With each mistake (and death, it's unavoidable) you'll anderstand more about how game mechanics works. Follow this simple recommendations:

1) Research your own expirience
2) Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless
3) Add what is specifically your own

Your skills are very important in Spelunky, but without connecting your brain, nothing will work either. You can play as you like for fun. But if you want to advance to goal, then you need to constantly assess the risks, have the correct mental attitude and make the right decisions in favor of caution and prudence. Play with this mental attitude - "I can die at any moment!". It sounds strange, but it will definitely lower the level of carelessness, harmful overconfidence and just inattention. In time you will start to sense strategy patterns and will apply them, however avoid getting comfortable and aim to stay attentive at all times.

Really important note. Don't play the game in DAREDEVIL STYLE! You will be punished, humiliated and painfully SPELUNKED for what. Also you must keep on your brain Turned On - you definitely don't win with "autopilot" play.

Cosmic Ocean is made up of 94 randomly generated levels, with each level is always of varying width and height. You can find yourself back in a broken up biomes recreation of Dwelling, Jungle, Volcana, Tide Pool, Temple of Anubis, Ice Caves, Neo Babylon and, finally, Sunken City. It's pretty similar to the base game levels except there are no shops, damsels, Kali altars, idol pedestals and secret sub areas to discover. Cosmic Ocean levels is not broken up into worlds, instead it's possible to get any of represented biomes at any time. Also the border of level have now left open and it is replaced by looping void, what loops around within itself both vertically and horizontally. Level's loop can be used to your advantage - your spelunker (or any object) can travel from the right side of the level over to the left side, or drop from the bottom onto the top. But keep in mind that fall damage after a few seconds becomes lethal, so looping void is a hazard as well.

Unlike the standard levels found in the rest of the game, at the exit of every CO level there is a Celestial Jellyfish, which completely blocking the door. Jelly will only budge if you destroy three purple Celestial Orbs placed randomly in a level. The Orbs can even be blocked off so a good amount of bombs and ropes are a necessity before venturing into the C-ocean. If close enough Orbs makes a sound to make them easier to find - it is faint humming radiation from this bubbles. Orbs is also a source of risk - if you bump into the Orb from the side you won't take damage, but it will stun spelunker and knocking him (potentially in the loop). So be careful and precise while popping orbs.
Jelly will start pursuing you after breaking last bubble. Touching Jelly will kill you instantly regardless of your HP. If you stand still near Jelly, it will circle you forever without touching if managed properly. You can use this trick to your advantage, when making your escape to the exit. Another Jelly will appear if you pass three minute mark on the timer. Normal Compass doesn't work in Cosmic Ocean, but if you are a lucky owner of Alien Compass, than it will point to the level exit.

Completion of level 7-98 gives you a special secret ending - you will become one with the cosmos and leave behind a Constellation.

I want to share some very useful beginner-tier tips (even without Cosmic Ocean context). Actually this game has so many nuanses in it mechanics, what it's hard to count and almost impossible to list them all. But this tips are not only some basic things you need to know, but also this are most useful knowledge for any Spelunky player in my opinion.


I) Back Whip

Whip is so versatile and useful tool! Your whip is far better than it seems at first glance - it is just take practise and time to master it. You can whip in front of you, behind and above you. Whip has very short range and lash-attack does not hurt enemies while they're stunned, and i think it's fair. Rely on good old whip. Whip see you through almost anything.
Many people still don't know about Backwhip. I see them take dumb damage by trying an awkward front whip, because they don’t know how good backwhip is. Front whip doesn't go up diagonally - you can't whip entitie in front of you and a tile up from you.
Important thing to know about a whip, is that a hit range actually starts one tile up and one tile behind you. If something is above you - face away and do a backwhip. It goes up diagonally, which is great for bats, wasps and anything a tile up from you. It's very useful for beat through wall enemie on ledge *one tile* above you. And instant hitbox that makes people use backlash instead of frontwhip as well.
You can push items by whipping them. You can whip your own bombs and even flying arrows and boomerangs. Even Pangxie's claw attack can be whipped, also lava and water drops can pushed with your whip.
Whip does not take up space in the hands. You always have your hands free to take a stone, item or body and throw it into a creature / trap. The whip can stun enemies, and then you can place stunned bodies in traps or on the altars of Kali, also whip is useful for spill creature's blood.

II) Bombs (and techniques)

Bombs is your standard item what can be used in variety of ways, and some of that ways is not widely known for sure.

Throwing a Bomb will cause it to fly the same distance as any other light object, such as a rock, and do the same one point of damage such as a rock. I like throwing bombs like rocks to destroy with contact damage low HP but dangerous enemie (like cat-mummy) or just throw away and stun other enemies. Bombs will fly further and higher if thrown when looking up, and will be placed at your feet if dropped when crouched. The total radius of explosion is usually about two tiles in all directions.
If you duck and place a bomb than you are always at perfect distance away to whip it. Place a bomb on ledge and whip it to blow up enemies on lower level.

Explosion template
Explosion template will be different if player is placing bomb on seam (or close enough) between tiles or in the middle of the tile. If you can predict template then you can make a ladder for climbing or save some blocks for cover or whatever reason you need.

You will get 5 tiles wide template if bomb placed in the middle of the tile.

You will get 4 tiles wide template if bomb placed between tiles.














Chain-explosion
When crouched, if you place 2 bombs in quick sequence, then chain-explosion will destroy blocks on ceiling, if space is two tiles height. In a similar way you can place more than 2 bombs - the more bombs placed the more height chain-explosion will have. If you place 4 bombs in quick sequence in space of two tiles height, then chain-explosion will destroy thick ceiling (two blocks height). This technique is used in Tidepool's "Ankh-saves" without paste item.

Bomb Cooking
"Cooking" is the technique of allowing a Bomb's timed fuse to run down before throwing it, so that bomb explodes in mid-air after a shorter delay. With practice, bomb cooking essentially allows the player to control exactly where a Bomb explodes, and it becomes possible to cause an explosion anywhere within the range of a thrown bomb without the need for bomb Paste.
There are, however, inherent risks in holding primed explosives, so the timing of the throw must be precise. It is difficult technique what must be practiced.

III) Quick executions













Cosmic Ocean run is a marathon! Normal CO run lasts from two to four hours! More time you spent in current run - more tired and less focused you become. Destroying the opposition quickly becomes a routine. But it is necessary to clean some areas, like exit room and path there, from enemies. And for sure you want to do it efficiently, in quick fashion. The less time you spend on chores, the better.

Basic fast combos
So as not to waste time - use environment to effectively kill multi-hit foes. Stun creature and then throw it on nearby spikes, lava, etc. Or just throw creature in pit, where it is neutrilised.
Throwing something at enemy stuns it for shorter period, than if you whipped him or jumped onto. Also thrown objects will hurt even stunned enemy. For example, you can quickly waste a mole by whip it, then immediately throw object at him and this pest can be finished after a brief moment. It is too annoying to wait while enemies wake up from being stunned. Some enemies leave behind a physical body when killed, and corpse can be picked up and thrown as a projectile weapon as well.
Use and practice this techniques - in time you will do them more confident and quick. Be careful with dangerous monsters though. It is unnecessary to kill everything what moves, so it's better to avoid, for example, Witch Docs whitch does'nt interfere you.

Don't forget using your Spike Shoes
Spike Shoes is amazing accelerator of executions - many enemies will be dead with only one attack. Get used to jumping on everything, except for exceptions like plants.

Machete is unironically decent
Machete is melee weapon, which deals two HP damage, can hurt stunned enemies and it's capable of attacking enemies who are immune to the whip attacks. So Machete is good tool for speeding up processes.
Machete is not only useful at early-game. The reason is - you no longer have to worry about carrying around quest items or any other important objects while in the final area of the game. Machete does become useful once more in the Cosmic Ocean, and it may be received from one of the random crates.
You can destroy corpses with this weapon, this means that corpses cannot be flung at you by any reason and that they cannot be resurrected by a Necromancer. You also can cut through Jungle's bush blocks or slice through webs, granting quick passage. Machete also allows you to instantly kill mantraps with it, regardless of health.

Orb busting Subsequence and Algorithm will help you very much in Cosmic Ocean advancement.

If you see first orb and it is in very accessible place, very close to edge for example, then DO NOT POP IT! It's wise to leave this orb for last, when your well-laid escape plan will be developed. If new found orb is close to exit room, then without a doubt leave it for last. Take a mental note on location of last ball and level exit.
Just stop trying to go as fast as possible. On medium or even large level you almost always have enough time before Jelly will come. If level is not huge and you find an exit, then you have time to clean it from opposition. Do it or make sure exit is safe.
Start keeping a track of number of popped bubbles.
Make shortcut through the level to the exit door if needed, use ropes to climb up from top to the bottom of the level for example.
Don't pop the last bubble and go to unknown direction - it's a huge mistake what you will regret! Then you bust a last ball, wait for Jelly to appear and only then go in the planned way of exit. You don't want to Jelly suddenly appear from unexpected side and consume your spelunker.

Another strategy is to not destroy any orbs until you have planned which orb should be the last one destroyed, and have a solid route to the exit after doing so. If level is not huge, then take advantage of the time that you have in each level, as 3 minutes is more than enough time to locate the exit, all three orbs, and devise a plan of exiting the level after destroying the last orb and triggering the Jelly.

There is no clear winner in "Vlad's Cape vs. Jetpack" discourse, because unlike a lot of things that often get argued about, both of this back items have very good selling points. Because of the advantages and disadvantages that both items have, it is typically up to the player when it comes to which of the two items he should take.
In Spelunky 2, not only has Vlad's Cape been buffed, but the Jetpack has been nerfed as well. Many factors have to be considered when forced with a decision between the two.

Vlad's Cape in Spelunky HD was a clunky, unwieldy item that was hard to effectively use due to the user being unable to reactivate it's gliding ability midair. Also it can be acquired only very late in the game. Vlad’s cape was greatly buffed and now it is one of Best items in the game.
Disadvantages:
- Compromise basic mobility
- You can get Vlad’s cape only in special stage in Volcana
Advantages:
- Gliding ability and double jump is very useful
- It is guaranteed on every run, before Olmec
- Higher survivability option. Combined well with Kapala. You get double blood whenever you hurt or kill a monster. Double blood is basically a life saver if you get poisoned in CO
- Amazingly combined with mount, spring shoes, climbing gloves, ropes or multiple in this list. Jetpack is combined better though.

Jetpack was nerfed for balancing reasons, and this is fair change from Spelunky HD imho - it was ultimate mobility tool without downsides. New Jetpack is still powerful item, but it have many disadvantages now and the reason to use alternative things is revealed.
Disadvantages:
- Lower survivability option. Explosions and any fire damage will detonate Jetpack and will do huge amount of damage
- After jetpack detonation, even if you survive, your pack is LOST FOREVER. And Ankh doesn't help you much, when you lose your main mobility tool
- Even your own explosives can inflame some objects/bodies and detonate jetpack you are wearing
- Your fuel can go out in inappropriate moment. Now hanging on a rope or grabbing a ledge (or wall with climbing gloves) can NOT be used to recharge the jetpack in mid-air, if there are no blocks around to stand
Advantages:
- Best mobility in the game. It allows relatively long duration of the upward thrust and extreme amount of control to you when airborne
- Activating the Jetpack will cancel out any vertical momentum. You can enter or cancel falling anytime
- You can get Jetpack in shops, it's also a rare drop from crate and even may be found buried in a random wall. Furthermore Jetpack is a guaranteed drop from Anubis Two from Duat
- You get a relatively easy shot at "Qilin skip"

Nevertheless Vlad's Cape is obvious choise for those who want to increase their chances to beat special ending. V-cape is not vulnerable to fire damage and much, MUCH safer option. In the context of CO, Vlad's Cape is far more favorable for less skilled players.

Always go for "quest chain". Don't recommend you doing any of "Qilin skips" to get to Sunken City - since this is a skill demanding, risky technique with little benefit.

First time path splits after Mole-grounds. Balance of difficulty and rewards in Jungle/Volcana is pretty great. But in my opinion, for a Cosmic Ocean run Volcana path is better. Maybe Jungle is slightly safer and better for resources, while Volcana is better for speed and criminal runs. Not to mention, you lose the Udjet Eye in volcana, but not in the jungle. However major reason going to volcana is amazing Vlad's Cape. And you want the V-cape for following Olmec boss fight, which is trivial with good mobility item. The DRILL can be a problem as it destroys much needed items, shops and altars, if positioned directly above them and drops lava everywhere if there is a pool below. You can skip using the drill, if you have enough bombs or pickaxe as well just by going to the bottom and digging your way down.

Where to go from Olmec's lair, is less complicated question, because how chill and less menacing Tide Pool compared to Temple. And Abzu is much easier than Duat, not to mention that you are guaranteed to lose Ankh to enter Duat, meaning you’ll lose an extra life for the rest of the playthrough. In Duat you can't use ropes. Furthermore any pack, cape, or held item is gone, and you can get stuck without the right equipment there. Tide Pool path is objectively better in every way.

Go to Volcana for Vlad's Cape, then go to Tide Pool for easy "Ankh skip", Madame Tusk's "Dice House", Clone gun and easy boss fight in Abzu. In my opinion, this is optimal route for increasing your chances of succes. Nuff said.

I would like to speak about some *significant* items in this section.

Spike Shoes

Spiked Boots was excellent item in Spelunky HD, but in the sequel it was buffed even more - now boots have scaling damage and wider application!
This item is relatively readily available, which is awesome help for players. But from the point of game design, it would be much more interesting if this shoes would be not guaranteed in Ice Caves.
Always get the Spike Shoes if you can! Spiky boots always worth buying or, for example, spend resources to get to secret layer shop with this item on sale. They are one of the most useful and versatile items in the game, allowing you to kill most big monsters (Pangxies, Mummies, etc.) by stomping on them. Within the Jungle, Spike Shoes can be used to safely walk on thorny vines and it prevent you from sliding on ice.
You kill enemies much faster by stomping with this item - it is too annoying to wait while enemies wake up from being stunned. The longer you're airborne, the more damage spike shoes deal. Also Shoes not only defend from squiddy's jump up attack, but having spiky shoes kills him.

Kapala

Blood cup is one of most powerful items in the game! Kapala is almost required for venturing Cosmic Ocean - there is no way to heal otherwise there. Kapala is amazingly combined with Vlad's cape, which doubles the amount of enemy blood, making it excessively easy to fill up the Kapala. With this combo it's almost only a matter of time when you hit HP cap, which is 99. Obviously provided, that you don't get Spelunked. And with huge health pool you can survive multiple explosions and heavy beating. By power of this synergy, you can even gain health faster, than losing health being poisoned!
While in Cosmic ocean, if level is medium to large and you have the time for blood farming, then it's worth using weaker attacks instead of killing enemies in one stomp. Each individual damaging hit will yield blood. Don't forget that small creatures like snails and butterflies have blood in them too.

Climbing Gloves

Pretty controversial item, but definately useful. This item can and will screw you real hard, if you don't have skill with it.
Climbing Gloves in Spelunky HD treat all walls as if they were a ledge, locking the player in place until he press a key to release himself. Gloves working way better in the Sequel - player must constantly hold a movement key against the wall to remain attached onto it. So rate of awkward disasters with new gloves is much lower.
CG massively increase the mobility potential of Vlad's Cape, it is also amazing mobility combo with Spring shoes. Since last patch spelunker wearing Climbing Gloves is immune to damage of thorny vines while climbing on them. Ledge grabs with gloves also work on t-vines. You still take damage if you just walking against thorns.
Without any other items you can usually only jump up to a spot that is one tile above you. But with gloves you can actually grab the bottom of a second block above you and climb up, allowimg for slightly greater vertical mobility at certain situations. In other words CG allow you grab bottom of block you couldn't normally reach.
Climbing Gloves also have noticeable downsides. CG makes your movement awkward in tight spaces, you may unexpectedly and accidently stick to a wall while in a dangerous situation, such as slipping through a one tile gap. Also player can forget what he have or don't have gloves, which can lead to disaster. Finally, you can absolutely do fine without this item - gloves actually situational, and you can usually accomplish almost whatever you're trying to do with them by simply using a rope, what you should have plenty.
First time i beat 7-99 without using CG. I was slightly upset when unintently get CG in my second succesful run. So author beat special ending using this item but still not confident enough with it.

Pitcher's Mitt

This baseball glove is dangerous for it's user in СО, if he is not skilled enough with it. With this item the object will be thrown straight forward, and projectile traveling until it comes into contact with something. Even a simple rock can become decent projectile weapon when you have Pitcher's Mitt. You should be aware of your surroundings before throwing something with PM. You must be careful around any of the various reflective surfaces/enemies - they will bounce objects back at you. Thrown object can loop endlessly in void of CO and obviously that looping object can harm you. Also this item will do Tidepool's "Ankh skip" more complicated. As well as with Climbing Gloves, player can forget what he have or don't have PM, which can lead to bad results with bomb throwing, etc. Also somitimes you don't want throw something in a straight line. Usage of this item is pretty narrow, so you can absolutely do fine without it. This are the reasons to avoid Pitcher's Mitt.
There is also non obvious use for this item - you can auto catch rocks with Pitcher's Mitt. PM was slighly buffed and now it will prevent rocks and skulls from hitting it's user, provided that their hands are empty.

Parachute

Parachute automatically deploy whenever you falls far enough to take fall damage, slowing airspeed and softening landing. Parachute got better - in sequel you can anytime press the jump button to cut the slings and re-enter freefall.
Parachute becomes not only redundant to Cape owner, but becomes a source of risk as well. It can save your life and at the same time can screw you, when you least expect it! You lose control and orientation at the moment of parachute triggering - that moment has potential to end your run. Furthermore parachute will NOT activate if you fall a harmful distance while stunned.
Despite this item was slightly buffed, my (controversial) advise is to not use parachute and not pick it up from crates! I think what grabbing no matter what from crates is stupid habit in this game.

WebGun

BEHOLD THE WEAPON OF GODS! I mean a WebGun. You need to know my extremely valuable and important opinion on WebGun!

Almost all bad items from first game was buffed, except Webgun. I'll explain now. Webgun was never a weapon. It was a tool for climbing - kinda poor man's climbing gloves. In Spelunky 2 you can't use it as before - interaction with web changed and climbing with Webgun feels super awkvard. Also new WG has no recoil, so you can't do high jumps with it anymore. Ok, you still can soft stun critters, but it has abysmal value and it's not worth the item-juggling hassle to bring it along. I think what major purpose of WG now is to dilute item pool. Only useful application i see - you can use the web gun as paste surrogate, if you shoot a web and then throw a bomb at the web. Derek, please buff Web freaking Gun!

I want to list areas in order of difficulty. Area type difficulty of Cosmic Ocean is depending highly on items you have. My evaluation is based on having Vlad's Cape instead of Jetpack, and always having Spike Shoes.

First tip - Respect this place. This area is slightly less hazardous than other biomes and often it is more spacious and open place, also it can't be dark in CO variant, however like any other CO level type. The major reason of lesser difficulty of Tide Pool is extremely dangerous Bear Traps, or rather the full absence of their. And if a tiny level can be pretty reasonable, then huge Tide Pool level can be a major pain, so you can't actually relax here. Also you can be easily poisoned in this stage if not careful.
Pangxie is large tank with enormous 20 hit points and immune to being whipped without the Powerpack and to being stomped without Spike Shoes. But Sqids and Crabs should not be a problem to a spiky boots owner. It is safe to jump on Pangxie's head and stomp it, while he is performing his claw attack. He can be defeated in as little as two-three consecutive stomps to the head. Also expect beeing throwing up after stomping a sqiddy.
Patiently work with any kind of Crabs - don't rush, act methodically or you get poisoned. Poison status effect becomes much more dangerous in CO, since you have no way to cure it other than die. Even if you have huge amount of HP to survive with poison status effect for long time, then still poison psychologically influences you, because you are on counter now and start rushing and do stupid mistakes.
Don't mess with Jiang Shi nearby spikes or Lion traps - they can and will push you there. Their hops may sometimes be unpredictable, so lure them to more safe and open space.
Watch out for spikes of coral, which blend with environment. Actually this are one of a few things what can instantly kills you here. Keep a notion in your brain that they are not a part of the background. Floating peaces of rock and soil can hide a hazards in this blendy environment, so keep an eye out for that too. That is universal warning, but here it is especially relevant in my opinion.

Special tip. Pangxie is an awesome target for blood harvesting with Kapala. Once killed, a Pangxie drops multiple lil Crabs - an excellent source of blood, which multiplied by Vlad's cape. But don't mess with Pangxie in inaccessible position, blow him with bombs if he blockading passage.

Cosmic Ocean version of Dwellings is actually seriously dangerous.
Watch out for arrow traps - this place is teeming with them! The amount of times i have died to arrow traps is awful. Always doubt and make sure what arrow trap is triggered. And i have special tip about arrow traps for this area you can read slightly below.

Terrain generation here can be especially more annoying the bigger level generates. Some Dwelling rooms sometimes spawn completely blocked, so explosives definitely come in handy. Tight spaces and no connection between rooms which forms level is relatively frequent occurrence in this stage.
Lizards are very predictable and easy to just bypass, but not after 2-3 hour grinding CO levels! Unfortunately falling damage is lethal - so don't mess with lizards recklessly or unnecessarily. Keep your distance, carefully whatch out for corpses and tight spaces, attack or dodge them when they look away, or just simply ignore them. Don't try to stomp rolling lizard - you will be slammed if you miss the right spot. Watch out - pesky lizards can hide behind Jelly on the exit from the level.
Moles on the other hand are truly one of the worst creatures in the game. Not the hardest, but definitely the most annoying and "please die already" kind of enemy. Since last patch actually not so annoying - mole i-frames was reduced... Those damn nasty moles is extra annoying in CO - they setting off arrow traps and filling the loop with their bodies, arrows and arrow nubs.

Special tip. Avoid jumping blindly in the loop without corpse of mole/caveman in your hands as "armor" against arrows. It is good idea to actually always grab a corpse as soon as you found (or make) one and carry it in your hands to protect yorself from arrows in this biome. It will protect you if arrow going from above or even from back.

This is the most disgusting and nasty biome, but not so hard in terms of danger.
Poison arrows is a major and huge threat here. Dungeon master Derek guarantees what you sometimes will be sneakily hit from offscreen by them. Want to repeat again - always doubt and make sure what arrow trap is triggered. There is no enemies what leave a corpse after death, so you can't protect yourself with meat shield in Sunken City. Also looping arrow nub can stun you... you know!
A few words about Regenerating block tiles, which from now on i will call Worm Meat - another major threat in Sunken City biome. So Worm Meat background tile is too blendy - it's very easy not to notice, also you can be easily distracted buy other nonsense. They reappear after 5 seconds of being destroyed, crushing anything occupying the same tile space instantly. There is no easy solution to WM - you will slowly adapt by playing Sunken City levels again and again. Expect to be crushed a few times, but after some time WM stop being big issue to you. And at some moment you would find what Sunken City is not hard after all. Don't rush and learn patterns of Sunken City levels, this will help to adapt faster.
Many of the enemies here are seemingly much less dangerous than enemies previously encountered on other places, as most of them simply approach spelunker and deal only 1 HP of damage. The real hazard that Sunken City enemies pose is the large amount of time that spelunker is faltered after being hit by them, which could lead them to their doom into Spikes or Regen-blocks aka worm meat.
What else? Water in this place flows backwards, or rather, upside down and can easily distract or mess up your movement. Frogs is less annoying and less effort to deal with than Tidepool's Jiang Shi in my opinion. Spikes exist on every biome, which don't have lava, except Temple. Frog Traps sense entities and behave the same way as the rest of the traps in the Tiki Trap family do, although they just have more reach. Sticky trap and Bone Drop trap are only dangerous in combination with Worm meat and Spikes. So my evaluation of Sunken City is low to medium level of danger.
You can exploit fire frogs here similarly to land mines in Ice Caves, but obviously be careful doing that.

Special tip. Sack with larvas can spawn exactly on the exit, so let it not be a surprise to you. Clean exit beforehand - doing it later after breaking last bubble is dangerous, even foolish.

Without jetpack this area is far less intimidating. Also Spiked boots makes this place bearable - imagine how terrible your movement would be if you slide on ice every time when you move! And this very useful item is always available at 5-1 in Yeti Cave (poor Yeti Queen). Did you know that Spike Shoes have scaling damage, increasing the longer that the player falls? You can even be able to destroy Moleman in 1-4 or one of Hundun's heads with a single stomp by "charging" up the damage scaling by using the slowfall on a cape!
Many hazards here can lead to your instant death, such as Yeti throwing you into the loop or repeatedly into a wall, exploding UFOs, Landmines and Spring Traps throw you into ceiling Spikes.
Ceiling Spikes is very nasty trap in Ice Caves. Always be carefull with your jump height and direction nearby them or simply avoid spiky clusters. If you still don't know - spelunker can do tiny-tiny jump by just tapping jump button.
UFOs in frosty caves are not as dangerous as they are in Neo Babylon, but they still infamous for hitting and explode spelunkers offscreen sometimes. There is no lava here, so expected conseqences for destroying saucers should not be very terrible. So cleaning a level from saucers is not a very controversial idea here.
Use Landmines to clear obstacles and spare your bombs at the same time. You can and even have to create passages and clear hazards with them. Also you can take a mine with you to the next level.

Special tip. First ~15 seconds in Ice Caves are especially dangerous - terrain generation here can pretty often be a time bomb. After you enter one of this levels listen up for explosive blows. If you hear explosions then immediately found and take cover - flaming yeti bodies and other hazardous objects could raining on your head.

Volcana isn't too bad unless you have an explosive strapped to your back. Potentially this level can easily contein dripping lava, even without your participation just by generation and chain of unfortunate events. Lava is dangerous hazard what, as i said, can drip in the loop, so be very careful with explosives. In context of lava also avoid triggering Robots, if you don't sure in result - many dangerous situations may be easily avoided by simply not interacting with the robot and finding a way around. Stay away from lava in general - it is dangerous just to jump or move too closely. Don't execute risky fast moves nearby lava that can be failed - if possible use a rope or do moves more slowly and safely. However without lava raining from above this biome isn't that scary.
Try not to trigger falling platforms at all or do it after making sure it is safe. It's counterintuitive, but if falling platform get in the loop and then hit you, then it will kill you instantly! Beside that, platform also have a chance to cause a series of unfortunate events.
Blobs of lava called Magmars are enemies commonly found in Volcana. Magmars will emerge from lava pools and leap out after rising just above the surface for a second. Expect to meet them in the loop and you can't do nothing about that. They also will trigger spikeballs and kill imps, which will drop cauldrons down... Magmars create risk of triggering "chain of unfortunate events", and you can't do nothing about that. They are very dangerous creatures, not straight but indirectly.
Don't hit Imps flying in the level's loop! Looping cauldron is obviously a source of risk, and it is a chore to get rid of it.
Orb can be generated here in such an awful place, what it could be even impossible to reach and bust it safely. Don't shy to use your resources to clean scenes like this.

Special tip. Avoid exploring Volcana from down to top. Falling platforms, cauldrons and spiked balls will explain to you why - author learn that the hard way. If you forced to go up when watch out intently for spikeballs and be morally prepared when something drop on your head.

The Jungle is high level dangerous level type, actually on third place behind NeoBab and Temple in my opinion.
Jungle is a not so claustrophobic in CO variant but far more intimidating area, compared with standard variant. Jungle filled with dense vegetation and dangerous flora and fauna, that can easily kill if you are not careful. Jungle landscape is dotted with trees that can be climbed even without the Climbing Gloves. Also Vines can be found growing from the ceiling, which can be climbed on like ropes/ladders. There is no Giant Spiders in CO Jungle variant - so there is no freebee paste. But there is good news for us all - Bear Traps also gone. You should already have Spike Shoes so thorny vines is so much a lesser problem. In context of shoes - you can place and leave stunned body of Tikimen on torns to kill him then he wake up.
Predator-plants are very dangerous beings here - they are one of the few enemies in the game that can kill spelunker instantly. Watch for them carefully when descending from the loop. When travel the loop also expect to meet Witch Doctor and/or Tikiman with boomerang, both have dangerous ranged attacks. Slowly descend and be ready to trow or place a bomb to neutralize a threat or do maneuver to bypass dangerous spot. Bomb is a good price for clear from existence an annoying Witch Doc and avoid risk being Cursed. Satisfaction is guaranteed after doing so.
Last patch made boomerang whippable so boomerang-boys was kinda nerfed. Before this change you could only whip boomerangs on their way back, which was counterintuitive.
Hang Spider is not as harmless as it seem. If you stand on ground and spider bump you from above, than it stun and throw you far away. I learn it after 200 hours spent in game and it was painful surprise. And sometimes Hang Spider spawn right above the level entrance...
If monkey trying to hump you - do not allow that nasty thing and immediately throw a rope to knock it down. Funnily monkeys also target with harassment Cavemen and Tikimen. Also if you have more than ~30 ropes, you can afford to use one to reach out and knock down irritating mosquito too.

Special tip. Boomerang is commonly found in this biome and it is great weapon not only for jungle, but almost for all level types. Try using it and most likely you will keep boomerang and throw away skepticism instead. Boomerangs can be thrown diagonally either upwards or downwards, giving it an advantage over other ranged weapons. Boomerang deals minimal damage, but it will damage creatures, what can't be hurt by whip, and it can hit an enemy several times per throw if used properly. Also this weapon has no recoil and it's great tool for blood farming. However obviously use it cautiously - if boomerang get in loop it can bring trouble.

Neo HellBabylon is a very bad and evil place full of despair, actually far worse than hell in Spelunky HD. You can be easily boned here just by level generation and massive chain reactions - such a underhanded dastardly trap laid out by dungeon master Derek. Dripping lava can appear on NeoBab level without your participation, so expect that.
Always look around you for moving elevator-blocks, don’t stand in one place, be mobile. Before choosing a standing position, expect elevator-block appear anytime and make sure this position is safe.
Did you know what Spark-trap is only activating in your presence? It activates when you are within 8 tiles horizontally and/or vertically of the center-block. The Spark stuns, knocks off, and deals 2 HP of fire damage (it will detonate your backpack!) to anything it touches. If you still don't know, destroying the center-block with a explosion will disable the spark.
NeoBab Orbs can be generated in a position where they will be destroyed immediately or after a short time you entering a level. Listen to the specific sound effect - when destroyed, orbs make a distinctive sound. It can happen at any stage type, but this is where it happens most often.
Every UFO is potentially capable to blow you up in this biome. So check up the way to destroy UFO without consequences, such as dripping lava or other terrible stuff. If there is no safe way to get rid of saucer, then avoid it and keep reasonable distance. You easily can be distracted, did not have time to calculate risk or just get unlucky, when messing with UFOs. I repeat again - try to stay away from saucers.
Exit door area can be super nasty here - messy hole of laser barriers, sparks, saucers and olmite's totems, which blocade the way out. Don't be greedy with resourses in situations like this - clean obstacles and hazards with explosives.
Avoid places where olmites messing with sparks and laser barriers. Throw olmite's bodies away from the route of sparks, so they do not fly at you or set up explosions and create other risks.
Trick with "corpse shield" from Dwelling doesn't work with laser traps, sadly. It's still kinda works if you managed to throw body directly at laser beam. Thankfully, laser beam doesn't count as fire damage.

Special tip. The top of NeoBab level can be especially dangerous, where elevators are liable to crush you as soon as you enter. Also on top surface you have increased risk of random downed UFO blast. So, again - don't stand still and don't stay for long on top!

Temple is truly nightmarish place, actually worse than Neo-Hell itself - the threat of an immediate death is everywhere in this level type. There is no better place for bombardment, than Temple. Don't be conservative with how many bombs and ropes you spent on this type of stage. Main reason for that is Crush Traps what can be found in the Temple area. Also you can be poisoned AND cursed by extremely threatening local creatures - Cobras and Cats.
Although crush traps are predictable, their speed and range of movement makes them one of the greatest hazards you can encounter, also this blocks are camouflaged and they are almost always nearby. Furthermore, they often generate amongst other traps and enemies that can cause enough of a distraction to catch you unprepared. It is a high priority to clear the exit area of any nearby crush traps, as ignoring them means they will often end up in unexpected positions, complicating an otherwise simple passage through the level. Also ALWAYS check out exit door for crush block what can hiding behind Jelly. Take caution when descending into gaps where you cannot see the ground, as a Giant crush trap may be waiting offscreen to flatten you against a nearby ceiling. Crush blocks are more dangerous if you descending or ascending - your vertical view is more limited, so watch out.
Every Temple creature is very menacing, except maybe human Mummies. Unlike how they would in Spelunky HD, the flies puked out by Mummies do not stun whatever they hit, making them a much less intimidating enemy. In general Mummies useful for insane amounts of blood they generate by puking, allowing for fast HP accumulation with the Kapala. There is a useful tip for Mummy-farming - use corpse as a body shield when you try to get some HP from mummies. You can just hold a body in your hands and it will block all mummy's bugs. On other hand, don't waste your time if level is bigger than medium.
Local Enchantress is precise as heck - she can hit you even offscreen! You almost can't avoid her fast shot on short distance. Best way to approach her is to wait in cover for right moment, then rush and stomp her pretty face. Your timing should be very precise, or she will hit you for 2 HP, stun and throw your spelunker away. You can manipulate her to shoot other enemies, but i'm not recomend doing so.
In Temple Orbs can generate in quicksand and be hidden from vision, so you can find it only by sound it makes! Quicksand can also hide creatures. When wanting to move downwards through quicksand, you should repeatedly move left-right in order to cause the sand to swallow spelunker faster. Throwing paste-bombs at quicksand is an easy way for you to accidentally stick one onto yourself, almost guaranteeing 11 HP of damage.
Watch out for Cobra's spit flying from above - it's easier said than done, i know. This happens more often on edges of the level, so try to be more patient and observant near edges.
There is important Rule for dealing with Croc Man - avoid triggering him whenever possible, as his erratic movement and huge damage capability can easily lead to spelunker's sudden and unfortunate death. Same rule is going for Cat-mummies. Dealing damage to a Croc Man will cause them to completely avoid the damage by teleporting, akin to how the Telepack automatically avoids damage for its user when midair by activating. This baster is a very difficult to kill, but there is a method to do it reliably. You can instantly kill Crocman by sticking two paste-bombs at him in quick sequence - he will be stunned after first blow and teleporting, then instantly killed by second explosion. It is costly method of wasting him, but often worth it.
You should try not stay for long in a Cosmic Ocean level with an active Croc Man and/or Kitty, though it seems unlikely at first, they tend to get stuck in the loop and tend to appear out of seemingly nowhere, quickly putting spelunker into spelunked state. There is not much else you can do there, but just try quickly get out of that level.
Cat Mummy's "curse cloud" is going through walls, so cover doesn't protect you. Try to throwing a rock to knock down a cat from reasonable distance.

Special tip. Be prepared for Giant Crush Trap spawns right above the level entrance door. Many of the level generation rules that normally apply in the standard areas do not apply in the CO. You have approximately one second before you get crushed if you keep standing still.

I have already mentioned some things, however, for better assimilation, it will be useful to repeat it again.

First and most important tip. Don't play the game in DAREDEVIL STYLE! You will be punished, humiliated and painfully SPELUNKED for what. Also you must keep on your brain Turned On - you definitely don't win with "autopilot" play.

Check out the loop for objects and enemies. If you found something dangerous then try to clean it safely. For example, you can whip arrows nubs and corpses, also explosives useful for cleaning objects what you can't whip out. If it's not possible for some reason, than mark this place by rope or some object and try to avoid.

The tail of Jellyfish has no hitbox, meaning you can walk through it harmlessly. The hitbox of the Jellyfish's head is also slightly smaller than it looks.

Be wary of any potential hazards around the exit door of a CO level. Various enemies, Crush Traps, and other threats may hide within a Celestial Jelly blocking the exit.

When traveling on the edges of CO levels, you should be aware of any possible threats that may suddenly appear. This is because random falling creatures, objects and projectiles can easily be a death sentence.

You can deduce the location of the exit door by seeing which direction the Celestial Jelly comes from.

You need to explore the level quickly, but you don't need to rush. Have your time to check level of danger and possible routes. Holding up or down button allows you to look above or below you respectively. Use this invaluable feature for advanced search. Some places are simply teeming with traps and enemies - it is better to bypass such "cursed" areas of the level or use explosives to clean hazards.

Avoid and keep distance with Cat-mummies and jungle WitchDoctors. If the explosion can still be survived with a large ammount of HP, then the curse will almost certainly end your run instantly. Avoid or eliminate from a safe position such dangerous enemies, which can very easily kill you.

Save resources at the beginning of the game, but you don't need to tightly clamp bombs and ropes in the late game, especially if you have more than about thirty of them. Again, the "I can die at any moment!" mindset should work - resources will definitely not be useful for dead spelunker.

If you have a lot of ropes, then use them to mark points on level's edges, leading to the exit door. When you plan to make your way to exit or last orb consider using ropes to mark your path if you have an especially maze-like layout that you need to traverse. This should be done if the location of the exit or orb is difficult to remember or if you simply do not have time for it. Also, if objects/enemies are looping in void, and it's dangerous to remove or bypass them, then similarly mark this dangerous point with a rope as well.

Exit door room often looks remarkable, such as smooth flat surface in the Sunken City or stonework in the Jungle, etc. Pay attention to this - it will increase the efficiency of your search and exploration.

There is a technique for escaping Jelly in narrow corridors, that lead to a dead end. When escaping from Jelly, throw the rope to the ceiling and climb to the very top. As soon as Jelly approaches, jump off and run in the opposite direction.

And the last tip is... GIT GUD

I was spelunked very hard for a long time... But perseverance triumphed finally! I finished the game properly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wse6mttZl2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxr-m1JCBcg

Dungeon master Derek was pleased. Let me share with you the terrible wonders i have come to know...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqkFUDyeKjA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qejgj0sLdKQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXWRWVa3vLQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2BpVc-5JYk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90kyedigObI