Spyro the Dragon 5: A Hero's Tail -- NTSC version Platform(s): PlayStation2, GameCube, X-Box Developer/Publisher: Eurocom Entertainment; Vivendi Universal Author: SilverPhoenix (K. Martin) Version 0.99, Jun-19-07 -------===.===------- Preliminary FAQ Sheet Walkthrough -------===.===------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This Guide is dedicated to the memory of one of the greatest FAQers ever, Kao Megura. May he rest in peace. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you don't know from other guides, the 'gibberish' letters following the chapter names are Ctrl-F keywords; press Ctrl-F, type one in, and press Enter twice. There you are, at the beginning of the section you wanted. Easy, huh? +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Contents | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 1. Disclaimer [DSCL] 2. Legalese [LGLS] 3. Getting Started 3.0 Story [STRY] 3.1 Health [HLTH] 3.2 Controls [CNTR] 3.3 Characters [CHCT] 3.4 Enemies [ENMS] 3.5 Bosses [BOSS] 4. Walkthrough [WLKT] 4.1 Realm: Dragon Kingdom [HUB1] 4.1.1 Dragon Village [DRVI] 4.1.2 Crocovile Swamp [CRSW] 4.1.3 Dragonfly Falls [DRFA] 4.1.4 Boss Fight: Gnasty Gnorc [BSS1] 4.2 Realm: Lost Cities [HUB2] 4.2.1 Coastal Remains [CORE] 4.2.2 Sunken Ruins [SURU] 4.2.3 Cloudy Domain [CLDO] 4.2.4 Boss Fight: Ineptune [BSS2] 4.3 Realm: Icy Wilderness [HUB3] 4.3.1 Frostbite Village [FRVI] 4.3.2 Gloomy Glacier [GLGL] 4.3.3 Ice Citadel [ICCI] 4.3.4 Frostbite Village, Revisited [FVRE] 4.3.5 Boss Fight: Red the Dragon [BSS3] 4.4 Realm: Volcanic Isle [HUB4] 4.4.1 Stormy Beach [STBE] 4.4.2 Molten Mount [MOMO] 4.4.3 Magma Falls (Top) [MAFA] 4.4.3b Magma Falls (Bottom) [MAF2] 4.4.4 Dark Mine [DAMI] 4.4.5 Red's Laboratory [RELB] 4.4.6 Boss Fight: Mecha-Red [BSS4] 5. Collectibles 5.1 Dark Gems [DAGE] 5.2 Light Gems [LIGE] 5.3 Dragon Eggs [DRGE] 6. FAQs [FRAQ] 7. Outside Sources [OTSS] 8. Credits/Contact [CRED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Disclaimer [DSCL] | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Spyro, "A Hero's Tail", and *all* related names, objects, etc., are TM and copyright 2004 Universal Games and Eurocom Entertainment Software. Some source material is from several different websites, as well as the official Demo Disc. All webarticles are copyrighted by their original authors. No copyright infringement is intended, implied, or claimed. By the very nature of the document, it is riddled with **SPOILERS**. Please consider yourself warned. :) This guide is designed for all three versions of AHT (GCN, PS2, & XBX). The XBox control listing was originally provided by 'blvjmh' (via weblink; see sources) and is reprinted from the game manuals. Some other button commands were contributed by 'nosnibor28'. The final Secret Area, and the final boss section, were written by readers KathrynsDad and Carl G., respectively. Actual gameplay may vary from system to system in minor details, though in practice there should be no difference, as those details should constitute nothing more major than the location of various gems, and possibly graphical quality. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Legalese [LGLS] | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ This document is copyright to K. Martin, a.k.a. SilverPhoenix, phoenix4777-at- msn-dot-com (etc.), as of 10-25-04; updates are also copyrighted. It may only be hosted at www.gamefaqs.com, wonderdogsoftware.com, and pyrephoenix.com. Please do not request to be allowed to host it on your site, as I may update without warning and I don't want outdated versions floating around the Net. You may download and save a copy for your own personal use, and may print out a single copy, also for your own personal use. It may not be distributed in any media, written or electronic; it also may not be published, whether or not for profit, without my prior -written- permission. I'm sorry to be so harsh; unfortunately that's the nature of the beast these days. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Getting Started | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ =============================================================================== The Story [STRY] =============================================================================== Note: For backstory purposes only, it is *strongly recommended*, though certainly not necessary, that you play the first three Spyro games, released for the Playstation, before playing AHT. They are 'Spyro the Dragon', 'Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage'/'Gateway to Glimmer' (depending on where you live) and 'Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon'. This time out, everyone's favorite little purple dragon goes head to head with one of his own; the appropriately-named Red, a (what else?) evil red dragon. From the manual: "Since Spyro's last adventure, the Dragon Realms have enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity. However, a shadowy figure from the distant past has returned to disrupt the serenity of the land--the evil dragon, Red! Now he has come back for vengeance! "There is but one dragon who has the courage and strength to battle Red and foil his diabolical plan--the mighty Spyro!" The back of the box says, "Spyro's band of five explosive allies must track down and destroy the deadly dark gems. The mysterious dragon, Red, has created the gems in order to corrupt the mighty Dragon Realms with evil. The ferocious five must restore the magnificence to their worlds or risk losing their home to darkness." Finally, official press releases, and the unfolding story in-game, say that Red was booted from the Dragon Council ages ago, and like any good villain, swore his revenge. He's mined and scattered 'Dark Gems' around the Dragon Realms, which are evil gems that suck light and goodness from the world around them, in order to twist the Dragon Realms to his bidding. Red's found a couple of evil buddies to help out: Gnasty Gnorc is back, and another all-new villain(ess), named Ineptune, evil queen of the Seven Seas. Naturally, Spyro is, once again, called upon to save the world as the dragons know it. =============================================================================== Health [HLTH] =============================================================================== To regain health: Use a weapon breath on, or charge at, any of the little critters (such as rats) that hang out in the Dragon Realms. They'll turn into butterflies, which Sparx will eat, regaining 1/4 of Spyro's health. (yellow=full health, blue=3/4 health, green=1/2 health, no Sparx=one hit left!) =============================================================================== Controls [CNTR] =============================================================================== Spyro has both new and old abilities in this game. Flame, Ice, and Lightning Breaths all make return appearances, and Bubble Breath from EtD has upgraded to Water Breath. He can use all-new moves like Double Jumps, Ledge Grabs, Wall Kicks, a Pole Spin, and an upgraded headbash, now called the Horn Dive. Hunter the cheetah can also double jump and stomp, and adds punching, a Slide Attack, a Bow Swipe, arrows, Fire Arrows, and a Bow Spin to his movelist. Sgt. Byrd can fire air-to-air homing missiles and air-to-surface bombs. Sparx, now having fully 3-D levels, can not only shoot normally, but can fire missiles and smart bombs! Finally, Blink the Mole can Double Jump, Buttstomp, use a claw attack, dig, shoot his lasers, and throw bombs. |---------------------------------------------------------------------| | Playing the PlayStation 2 version | |------------+-------------------+------------------+-----------------| | X=X button | T=Triangle button | []=Square button | O=Circle button | |------------+-------------------+------------------+-----------------| |L1, L2, R1, R2=shoulder buttons | L3, R3=left & right analog sticks | |--------------------------------+------------------------------------| |---------------------------------------------------| | Playing the GameCube version | |------------+------------+------------+------------| | A=A button | B=B button | X=X button | Y=Y button | |------------+------------+------------+------------| | L, R=shoulder buttons | C-stick: 'camera' stick | |-------------+-----------+-------------------------| | Z=Z trigger | D-pad=the plus(+)-shaped button | |-------------+-------------------------------------| |-----------------------------------------------------| | Playing the Xbox version | |------------+-------------+------------+-------------| | A=A button | B=B button | X=X button | Y=Y button | |------------+----+--------+------------+-------------| | Wh=White button | D-pad=8-way directional button | |-----------------+-----------------------------------| | Bl=Black button | LA, RA=left & right analog sticks | |-----------------+-----+-----------------------------| | L, R=shoulder buttons | Back=Back button | |-----------------------+-----------------------------| When you're on the ground, the Control Stick (GCN) and the left analog stick (PS2 and XBox) will move you in the obvious ways: left=left, up=up, down=down, and right=right. If you're in first-person view, up and down are normal by default, that is, pressing up will move your view up (away from the ground), and vice-versa. Left and right stay the same. To change this, go to the options menu and choose "First Person Y-Axis." If you're playing as Sgt Byrd, up and down are *REVERSED* by default, even though they call it 'Normal'. For Byrd, pressing up will move you down (toward the ground), and vice-versa. Left and right stay the same. To change this, go to the options menu and choose "Sgt. Byrd Y-Axis." If you're playing as Sparx, up and down are normal by default, that is, pressing up will move your view up (away from the ground), and vice-versa. Left and right stay the same. To change this, go to the options menu and choose "Sparx Y-Axis." | GameCube | Playstation 2 | XBox | General Controls: |-------------+-----------------+-------------| Move Camera: | C-stick | R3 | RA | Display Basic HUD: | Tap Z | R2 | Bl | Display Map Screen: | Hold Z | Select | Back | Pause: | Start | Start | Start | On the Map Screen: |-------------+-----------------+-------------| Task List (at map): | Y | [] | X | Items Collected (at map): | X | O | Y | Help (at map): | A | X | A | Power-ups (from items): | R | R1 | R | Items (from power-ups): | L | L1 | L | Map (from items): | B | T | B | Change Level Map: | L & R | L1 & R1 | L & R | Resume Play (at map): | B or Z | T or Select | B or Back | | GameCube | Playstation 2 | XBox | Playing as Spyro: |-------------+-----------------+-------------| Walk/Run: | Ctrl Stick | L3 | LA | Breath Select*: | D-pad | D-pad | D-pad | Jump: | A | X | A | Double-jump: | A, Tap A | X, Tap X | A, Tap A | Glide: | A, Hold A | X, Hold X | A, Hold A | Horn Dive: | A, Tap A, X | X, Tap X, O | A, Tap A, B | Paddle Underwater: | Hold A | Hold X | Hold A | Wing Shield**: | Hold B | Hold T | Hold Y | Charge or dive: | X | O | B | Swim Underwater: | Hold X | Hold O | Hold B | Main Breath Attack: | Y | [] | X | Secondary Attack: | R | R1 | R | First-Person View: | L | L1 | L | *Fire, Water, Ice, or Lightning Breaths. **When learned. | GameCube | Playstation 2 | XBox | Playing as Sgt. Byrd: |-------------+-----------------+-------------| Maneuver: | Ctrl Stick | L3 | LA | Fly: | Hold A | Hold X | Hold A | Turbo Boost: | Hold A + X | Hold X + [] | Hold A+X | Fire Missiles: | R | R1 | R | Drop Bombs: | L | L1 | L | | GameCube | Playstation 2 | XBox | Playing as Blink: |-------------+-----------------+-------------| Walk/Run: | Ctrl Stick | L3 | LA | Jump: | A | X | A | Crouch: | B | T | Y | Double-jump: | A, Tap A | X, Tap X | A, Tap A | Butt Stomp: | A, Tap X | X, Tap O | A, Tap A, B | Claw Attack: | X | O | B | Dig (near cracked walls: | X | O | B | Shoot Lasers: | Y | [] | X | Throw Bombs: | R | R1 | R | First-Person View: | L | L1 | L | | GameCube | Playstation 2 | XBox | In the Ball Gadget: |-------------+-----------------+-------------| Maneuver: | Ctrl Stick | L3 | LA | Jump: | A | X | A | Brake: | X | [] | X | Turbo: | Y | O | B | | GameCube | Playstation 2 | XBox | Playing as Hunter: |-------------+-----------------+-------------| Walk/Run: | Ctrl Stick | L3 | LA | Jump: | A | X | A | Double-jump: | A, Tap A | X, Tap X | A, Tap A | Stomp: | A, Hold X | X, Tap X, O | A, Tap A, B | Bow Swat: | A, Tap Y | X, Tap [] | A, Tap X | Bowspin (defensive): | Hold B | Hold T | Hold Y | Punch: | X | O | B | Slide Attack: | A, Tap X | X, Tap O | A, Tap B | Shoot Arrows: | Y | [] | X | Shoot Fire Arrows: | R | R1 | R | First-Person View: | L | L1 | L | | GameCube | Playstation 2 | XBox | Playing as Sparx: |-------------+-----------------+-------------| Move Targeting Reticule: | Ctrl Stick | L3 | LA | Shoot: | A | X | A | Fire Missiles: | B | O | X | Smart Bombs: | Y | [] | Y | Turbo: | R | R1 | R | Brake: | L | L1 | L | =============================================================================== The Good Guys [CHCT] =============================================================================== Spyro & Sparx ------------- If you don't know who these two are, how do you manage to play the game? Spyro's the little purple dragon that you control through the whole game. Sparx is his dragonfly helper, who controls how much life Spyro has left. (yellow=full health, blue=3/4 health, green=1/2 health, no Sparx=one hit left!) He also gets his own fully 3D missions in this game (yay!). Hunter ------ The cheetah who helps Spyro out, teaching him how to use the various jump-and-glide abilities in the Spyro games. In AHT, he gets a much more active role, as you get to control him running, jumping, and firing his bow. Sgt. James Byrd --------------- The world's first--and only!--jet-pack-equipped penguin. Blink ----- This mole is the Professor's nephew. He has an arm-mounted laser cannon, and loves being underground, away from open spaces. Professor --------- And speaking of the Professor... A knowledgeable older mole who assists Spyro with technically-oriented things like teleport portals and Light Gems. Moneybags --------- A greedy bear dressed as a gypsy(?). Runs an item/accessory store chain in the Dragon Realms. Zoe --- A friendly fairy; saves your game so you have a continue point if you die in the middle of a level. =============================================================================== Normal Enemies [ENMS] =============================================================================== Gnorcs (small): Rat-like, greenish fellas. Like to shoot arrows at you. Flame or charge them. Gnorcs (large): These thick-skinned beasties take a puff of your flame breath to take down; they're too big to charge. Gnorcs (armored): Charge them to knock their armor loose, then flame them into tomorrow. And others. (coming soon!) =============================================================================== Boss Enemies [BOSS] =============================================================================== Red --- A red (what else?) evil dragon who's trying to take over the Dragon world, using Dark Gems to twist the Realms to darkness. Gnasty Gnorc ------------ Yep, he's back. Upset at his defeat in Spyro 1, he's joined Red and is looking to serve up a little thing called payback. Chances are, he ends up eating humble pie. Ineptune -------- Evil queen of the sea. A brand-new character, not much more than her name is known at this time. Though nosnibor28 points out that it "seems to be a combination of Neptune, Roman god of the sea, and the word 'inept,' which means incompetent or not graceful." Mecha-Red --------- Nothing is known about this boss, except its name. Presumably it's a robotic version of Red, or possibly an armored dragon-shaped vehicle. +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Walkthrough [WLKT] | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ A note or two. First, I'm not going to be pointing out specific gems, unless there are some in random, easily-missed areas. There are going to be just too many to point to every single one. Also, it appears that when an enemy respawns in an area, so do the gems it gives you. Second, chances are I'm not going to point out fodder. If you see it, get it. Just an all-around good habit to be in, even if you aren't low on health. Currency: Gems are worth different values from prior games. Yellow = 100 | Purple = 25 | Green = 5 | Red = 1 Moneybags' Stores: Moneybags has 15 items available for sale. In the regular store (the actual building) his prices are semi-reasonable. At any of the remote pads, there's a significant markup (25%). Ammo: Fire Bomb (50), Ball Lightning (250), Aqua Bomb (50), Ice Missile (100) Magazines: Fire +5 (500), Electric +1 (1000), Water +10 (250), Ice +2 (750) Items: Lockpick (500), Double Value Gems (1000), Butterfly Jar (1500) Upgrades: Health Unit (5000), Keychain (5000), Shockwave (10,000) Teleport Pass (100) The Ammo and Magazines are Spyro's secondary breath weapons; Ammo is per use, and Magazines allow you to carry more Ammo. The Teleport Pass transports you from one of Moneybags' activated remote stores to another; press the shoulder buttons to move between levels. The Health Unit gives Sparx another hit point (after green, he turns red). The Butterfly Jar refills your life to full twice per purchase; conceivably, with both this and the Health Unit in your possession you can take up to 12 hits. The Keychain and Lockpick (*coughkeycough*) go together; without the Keychain you can only hold one key at a time; once bought, you can carry up to three at once. The Double-Value Gems item does exactly what it says; it doubles the value of all gems you pick up for a short amount of time. Finally, the Shockwave gives your Horn Dive an extra oomph. I'd recommend starting out getting the Keychain as soon as you can, followed by the Shockwave and then the Health Unit. Going into a boss fight, you may want to purchase a Butterfly Jar, but it's not a high-priority purchase overall. I wouldn't bother with the Double Value Gems item, unless you know ahead of time that you're going to be getting a lot of gems in the next few minutes (first thing to do when starting in a new realm, for example). I'll leave the Ammo, Magazines, and Lockpicks up to your discretion; buy them (or not) as you please. Magazines don't run out; you can buy up to 8 of each, and they'll increase your maximum Ammo capacity in each breath type. Level Summaries and Checkboxes: In each level's summary, I give checkboxes for you to keep track of what you have or haven't done without going to the Map Screen. Each mini-game has an 'Easy' and a 'Hard' level, but aren't checked off on the Status Screen until you've done both. The '[E][H]' checkboxes let you mark off one and come back later. Also, the '[R]' boxes are tasks that show up in each level of a Realm, but aren't completed until you've finished off all the levels. =============================================================================== Realm: Dragon Kingdom [HUB1] =============================================================================== =============================================================================== Dragon Village [DRVI] Access: Start here! | Fodder: White and Black Sheep Dark Gems: 3 [][][] | Light Gems: 6 [][][][][][] Dragon Eggs: 6 [][][][][][] Tasks: 11 [] Visit Moneybags | [] Collect Gems | [] Buy Lock-Pick | [] Open Gate [] Visit Elder Tomas | [] Destroy Dark Gem | [] Retrieve Dragon Egg [] Collect 8 Light Gems | [] See Nanny | [E][H] Clear Sgt. Byrd's Speedway [R] Destroy all the Dark Gems =============================================================================== You start out in the Professor's lab, being told smidgens of info about Red and his plans, and having all your questions brushed off. The Prof. says you should go see Moneybags, and before he can open the door, you're gone! So much for locks... and cutscenes. Now, Spyro is under your control. Take note of the 'how to open your Status Screen' tutorial, then head over to see Moneybags (you don't have to, but you miss some dialog). He'll tell you to collect 500 gems, then come back and see him. Wander around this first area, paying attention to the various pop-up directions and the geography. Pay special attention to the cave with weeds in front of it, the locked gate, the hill you can't climb yet, and the closed door. When you've had enough of being babysat, you should have 550 gems (all that's available in the first area here). Go talk to Moneybags. Turns out he's a little wary of this new currency, but hey, he's greedy, so what does he care? Buy a lockpick, then go use it on the locked gate which you should have found while exploring. Whoa! Sparx can talk! After you recover from the surprise, go on through the tunnel to meet Zoe, the Continue Point fairy. Your first Dark Gem awaits on the other end... but you can't take it out just yet. Ember, the little pink dragon who's waiting next to it (and apparently has a major crush on Spyro... or is it something more?) tells you to go see Elder Tomas to find out how to destroy the Dark Cryst-*ahem*... sorry. Gem. Step on the switch to open the next tunnel, which will close behind you. This cave, while it will lead you to Tomas, has something more important in it: your first cracked wall. It's on the right, just past the entrance. Charge into it to break it open, collect the baskets of gems, and proceed. Tomas, who sounds an awful lot like Maechen, not to mention the Ents, will eventually tell you how to smash Dark Gems; climb the ledge across from the Elder to take out your first one, and watch the fun as another tunnel breaks open on the next ledge. Double-jump over there (you can't go back, remember? the gate closed behind you), and follow on through to meet Hunter for the first time in this game. He's standing next to another gate, this one with a big ol' target above it. He'll make you a deal; bring back a Dragon's Egg and he'll open the door for you. Hunter "reminds" you about how to glide, and says to get crackin'. Drop down first, and collect all the gems (and fodder) lying around on the bottom of the ravine, then climb up the little ledges to get back to where Hunter is. Don't worry about the "Strong Chest" for now. Cross the little platforms by gliding one to the next, and as you near the last ones, the game will warn you that you're about to meet your first enemy. Follow directions to make short work of him, go through the tunnel, and hop across these platforms (don't fall off here!) to rinse and repeat on the next Gnorc. Step on the switch, go through the door, and get zapped. The Viking-ish Gnorc in here is one you can just charge to defeat, so do it, then grab the Dragon's Egg in the next room. Go back outside, grab the little floating ball, and read the description. Use it on the Gnorc and grab the second Flame Bomb ammo. One more tunnel, one more (armored) Gnorc--you have to charge this one before flaming him. Drop down to be congratulated by Hunter, who then shoots the target and lets you out. Onward. Through the tunnel, take out two more armored Gnorcs, take note of the big ol' locked chest, and go over to the weird machine hanging out in the corner. After the Professor's done asking if you've played Mario, Mario 64, the Pagemaster, or Zelda, he'll open the door to the Nursery... just in time for you to watch a bunch of thieves get away. Nanny Shoutfire (heh) tells you about the 80 Eggs that have just run out the door. You volunteer to get them back--why not? You're gonna be out there, saving the world anyway... grab the Light Gem and go through the other door, back into the main starting area. You have a few options here. First, stop by Moneybags' shop and grab some lockpicks. You can, if you want, get a gem multiplier, but remember they're temporary use only, so there's not really any need to get one yet. Go back through the Nursery and use one on that big chest. A Dragon's Egg! Next, remember that ledge that you couldn't get up earlier? Well, go jump up there. Hey, look, another chest. This one is... a Light Gem! Go on down through the tunnel, eliminating the armored Gnorc on the way, and look around this next area. Learn about switches on walls, ram into it, and jump onto the platforms it activates. Hop across them quickly, starting with the one right by the switch and going to the right. They'll start to lower as you jump off the second platform, but keep going; as long as you double-jump to the next you should make it. Your goal is the ledge with the little oval blue door, this first time. You'll find a rocket when you get up here; fire it off by breathing flame on it, then go in the door and get your Light Gem. Glide over to where the chest used to be, collecting the gems there. Get back to the switch and throw it, then hop to the second platform. From here, go over and destroy the second Dark Gem. This will reveal a little room containing a Dragon's Egg. Next, drop back down and go talk to Sgt. Byrd, whom I'm sure you've noticed waiting patiently by now. He takes you to a Speedway. The first time through, you'll get a Dragon's Egg, which he considers small beans. Byrd offers to fly it again, for a Light Gem this time. You have 3 minutes on Easy (the first run), and 1:48 on Hard, though both times are augmented considerably by the collectibles in the Speedway. The mini-level isn't that tough; hold down your 'Fly' button to keep Byrd in the air, keep pressing the 'Missiles' button to shoot constantly, and keep moving. There are Arches, Rings, Gnorcs, Birds, and Targets in this Speedway; if you keep firing and find all the Arches and Rings you shouldn't have any real trouble on either difficulty. One Ring is hidden inside a rock formation, but keep your eyes peeled and you should be all set. Finally, head back toward where you came into this area and look for a broken spot on the wall. Charge into it, and you'll find a small tunnel, leading to an open area with a couple of small Gnorc archers and some Flame Bomb ammo. You can use the ammo to eliminate them, if you're lucky; otherwise, just flame or charge them down. Get the Dragon's Egg in the creek, then climb the stairs and jump out over the hole to grab the Light Gem. If you fall in, you'll get scolded by the Professor; if not, either jump in to see what I mean, or retrace your steps back to the beginning of the level. One more thing, and Dragon Village is done (for now). Go back to where Ember was (remember the gate you originally bought a lockpick for?) and destroy the Dark Gem there. The bridge rebuilds itself, and you can cross it, to find another locked chest with a Light Gem, and a tunnel that leads to Crocovile Swamp. On the way through, you'll come to a chasm with a floating platform. Jump on the platform and wait--it'll ferry you across. =============================================================================== Crocovile Swamp [CRSW] Access: from Dragon Village | Fodder: Swamprats, Bats Dark Gems: 3 [][][] | Light Gems: 10 [][][][][][][][][][] Dragon Eggs: 8 [][][][][][][][] Tasks: 7 [] Visit Elder Magnus | [] Use Pole Spin | [] Find Blink the Mole [E][H] Let Blink explore | [] Visit Fredneck the Frog [E][H] Clear Fred's Critter Problem | [R] Destroy all the Dark Gems =============================================================================== You'll come out of the tunnel from Dragon Village to find a little round room with a bunch of tentacles waiting for you. Stay near the wall, flaming any tentacles you care to, and make your way down the ramp toward the other exit. If you want to grab the Flame Bomb ammo, feel free; just don't fall in the mud around the little island. Go through the exit tunnel, and take a quick look around. First thing you'll see is a hologram of Moneybags; go talk to him. He gloats about how you can buy anything from here that you could from the main shop... for shipping and handling, of course. If you don't have one on you, buy a lockpick. Go back to looking around this intro area. Sooner or later you're going to run into bone-club-wielding lizards, known as Crocoviles (hence the name of the place). Flame or charge these guys to eliminate 'em. The next thing you see, down in a narrow valley below a number of ledges, is a door with the same red-glowing symbol as the 'Strong Chests'. Not surprisingly, perhaps, it's a 'Strong Door', which you can't open yet. Back past Moneybags' outlet, to the left, there's a Dark Gem right out in the open. Go destroy it. This will cause a chunk of mountainside to drop, and three ledges to rise. Climb them, and hop into the new tunnel. Just past Zoe, look carefully at the wall on the right. See the little crack near the ground? Charge into it, and flame the spider hiding right inside. Follow the tunnel up to find... a locked treasure chest, with a Light Gem inside. Go on back down to Zoe, and continue on down the tunnel. Kill off a spider or two on the way down, and on the other end, explore the small area. Watch out for spiders; they can shoot little web projectiles at you. A new enemy here is what looks like Piranha Plants from the Mario games; be careful, because some can flame you back! One quick flame will take both the spiders and the plants down. On the far edge of this area, you'll see a platform out in the muck. Hop out to it, and the three that follow, for a Dragon's Egg. Get back to the land, head on back up the tunnel, and go past Moneybag's store. Climb the ledges above the Strong Door. Time the spiked logs, and jump as they're going in. The ledges spiral up from here past three Crocoviles, two Strong Chests, and a small muckpit (don't fall in). From the top of this set of Ledges (hey, look! The floor up here is cracked!), glide across to the cannon out on the floating island. Use it to open those two chests on the ledge pyramid, then shoot the top level of the pyramid itself to reveal a Light Gem! When you're done shooting, go get the gems and Light Gem, then get back down to ground level. From Moneybags' portal, go right past the pyramid, and down the low slope to hear about the Supercharge Gadget, which takes 40 Light Gems to activate. Keep going, hop over the muck on the other side and get the chest, then come back and take out the sudden ambush of enemies. Ignore the tunnel for a moment, climb the few ledges, take out the lizard, and notice that there's a locked chest. It's got a Dragon's Egg inside; go ahead and get it now if you want. Either way, go on through the tunnel, which has a new hazard; rising and falling floor spikes, which are pretty easy to avoid. Out the other end of the tunnel to find... An ancient temple, several Piranha plants, another Moneybags portal, and another tunnel. We'll ignore the tunnel for now. Kill off all the Piranha plants, avoiding their fireballs on the way. In the process, you'll see a pair of headbash switches on the ground. Hit each as you find it; one is on a high ledge, and one is to the right of the temple door. You'll be rewarded with, what else, an open temple. Go inside, and take out the lizard-man. Step briefly on the switch he was on to open the gate, and go on in to get the chests. The locked one contains a Dragon's Egg; go on outside and buy a key--excuse me, a lockpick *rolls eyes*--if you want to get it now. Step on the other floor switch in here to drop the big rock door. Go through and hop platform to platform, being wary of the big swinging axes and the Crocovile. A Light Gem awaits on the far end; getting it sets off the axes that weren't swinging, starts boulders falling, and spawns a few large, unhappy Gnorcs on the platforms. If you get knocked down, don't sweat it; you'll respawn back at the entrance from the tunnel outside. The last room of the temple requires Electric Breath, so remember it for later, and head outside. The tunnel I mentioned is to the left of the temple doorway as you're facing out. Hop down the stairs, then back up the next set of ledges. Take out the Piranha Plant, then go through the tunnel. More floor spikes, and a pair of Crocoviles later... JulieCanada writes, "Just before you exit this tunnel, look on the wall on your left. You'll see a blue wall stone amongst green stones. Headbutt it and a secret door will open. You'll find plenty of jewels inside." There's also a Light Gem inside, by the way. Get zapped by Zoe on the other end of the tunnel. There's a headbash-chest out across the muck to the left, a Light Gem behind a gate above you, and a Crocovile on a little island straight ahead of you. Get the chest if you want, then go take on the lizard. Hop to the platform, then to the next island for a description of Polespin poles. Go back to the platform, then jump to the next one. Wait here a moment if you want to get the Light Gem. See the stones rising and sinking in the muck? You need to hop across them. Quick reflexes will get you to the other side, where a Crocovile and a Piranha Plant await your flames. Burn 'em, then hop to the upper ledge and take your prize. Go back out across the islands and platforms, and this time keep going. You'll see Blink the mole trapped in a cage straight ahead. Go step on the switch to release him, and play the minigames if you want. The easy level consists of exploring the cave and destroying five Dark Gem shards for a Dragon's Egg, while the hard level has you destroying ten of them for a Light Gem. Opening Blink's cage will also open the gate above him, but you can't get up there yet. Go past his cage, through the low opening to the left. A giant tree, another Moneybags shop, and a Dark Gem await you here. Smash the Dark Gem, go inside the tree, and talk to Elder Magnus, who will teach you the Polespin ability. Try it out inside the tree, to get yourself a Light Gem. Go back to the starting pole, and use the polespin in the opposite direction to get to a ledge which will take you outside; from here you can glide to a ledge with a Dragon's Egg. Play around here a little more for some more chests. When you're ready to move on, go back to Blink's cage, and notice the poles behind it. Climb them to find a cob-webby tunnel at the top. Turn around, and look out at the far wall. Notice the tunnel opening across the way. Glide over there (it's just far enough to make it). Hop to the first platform, then turn to the left and jump to the ledge with the Crocovile. Take him out, and you should see a Dragon's Egg behind a gate. Charge into the gate, and it should should break away, leaving you free to grab the egg. Go back to the cobwebby tunnel above Blink, and head on through it, taking out the lurking spiders on the way. At the other end is the third Dark Gem for this level. Destroy it to find Fredneck the Frog's house. Fred will agree to grow some lilypads so you can leave the swamp. He'll also have a 'shoot the critters' minigame for you, with the by-now standard 'Easy' and 'Hard' modes. Jumping across the lilypads, stop on the second one and look to the right. There's a Light Gem on a ledge; glide over and nab it. That's it for now. We'll have to come back later to finish things off. Right now, head back to Dragon Village--we have eight Light Gems, and that means we can power up the Professor's Ball Gadget, and head for Dragonfly Falls. =============================================================================== Dragonfly Falls [DRFA] Access: from Dragon Village, via Ball Gadget | Fodder: Sheep, Rats Dark Gems: 4 [][][][] | Light Gems: 9 [][][][][][][][][] Dragon Eggs: 6 [][][][][][] Tasks: 5 [] Collect 70 Light Gems | [E][H] Clear Sparx Shooter [] Retrieve Dragon Egg | [] Retrieve Light Gem [R] Destroy all the Dark Gems =============================================================================== The Ball Gadget is quite a bit of fun. You roll around in a large ball, picking up gems, breaking crates, and running over enemies. The trip to Dragonfly Falls is pretty straight-forward, with only a couple of possible trouble spots. The first is going up a ramp; stay at full speed and jump at the end to get across the gap. The second spot is near the end; you have to roll up a wall and jump a little bit to get onto a ledge with three spinning bumpers. The end is right around the corner from here. Into the level proper, head on down the first passage, which has more floor- spikes just before the end. Climb the ledges, and notice the cracked wall just past Zoe. Charge on in, grab the gems, and upon leaving, notice the lone Crocovile on a ledge opposite the way you came into the level. He's guarding a locked treasure Chest, which holds a Light Gem. Moving forward, you should be seeing lots of lush tropical forestation, and not a lot of enemies just yet. The wide area just ahead has a Moneybags portal just through the far exit, and a Crocovile guarding another cracked wall. Defeat him, charge the wall, and flame the little black bats that are immediately going to dive-bomb you. Hidden down this passageway is a Dark Gem (and a number of shards). Once you destroy the Dark Gem, it'll reveal another opening, behind which is a Dragon's Egg. Further on! Past Moneybags' shop, you'll find three goats waiting to charge you, and a random Goatkeeper who wants nothing more than to swipe at you with his staff. Flame the lot of 'em, then look around. There's one of those "Strong Doors" off to one side, and a cannon opposite. Glide over to the cannon; you should land on a ledge with a button in the floor. Activating it will raise a wooden platform near the door; hop on up to the cannon (watch out for the Crocovile on the way) and use your gunpowder-based key. Nothing else to use the cannon on, so go on down to the floor of this area, and make your way over to the wooden platform, then into the now-open doorway. There's a Light Gem just sitting there for the taking, and a cracked wall at the back. Bust it open for a whole mess o' gems, then head back to the walkway where you started. Down the next corridor are a series of wall-spikes; get past them and out into another open area. Unless you're looking for gems, you can just breeze right through this next part, as the ledges on each side only hold enemies and a few gems, and no major collectibles. There's a Piranha Plant to the left, a large Gnorc on the right, and an armored Gnorc further on, also on the left. Heading through the next corridor, it splits to give you two choices. You can head to the right, with a number of floor-spikes and a dead end, or go left, toward more lush greenery. We're going left. The first thing you see is a pair of grassy pedestals out in the middle, with three Vultures flying around in the distance. Glide out to the first pedestal, and cross the gap toward the left. Destroy the Dark Gem over here to reveal a cannon. Hop on, and use it to blow up the two giant boulders across the way, which drops another cannon over there. Jump back to the first pedestal, then on to the second one. They may tilt, but don't worry; they won't fall out from under you. Get across to that second cannon, and blow up the boulder on the pedestal the birds are circling. You need to hit the crack, not just the side of it, so adjust your aim as needed. Take out the birds, too, if you want to, then hop off the cannon and cross to the far ledge. As you get over there, two more birds will fly out from the left-hand opening. Go on in to find a Dragon's Egg sitting in a giant nest. Grab it, come back out, and head down the right-hand opening. If you hop up the chests strategically stacked down here, you'll find the first of your Secret Areas. This one takes 70 Light Gems to open; we'll be back (much) later. Get zapped by Zoe, then step up to the ledge and look around. Start by gliding out to the closest floating platform. From there, you should be able to see a Dark Gem down to the right. Head on down there and smash it, filling the area behind it with water and submerging a cracked wall. Hop in the water, get told how to swim, and get over to the cracked spot. Bust through it to find a Light Gem. Go back to the open area and start collecting gems. From the starting point, about a third of the way around the edge of the room clockwise you'll find a hole in the wall. Sparx points out that you can't fit in, but he can. Mini-game time. You get the usual Dragon's Egg and Light Gem. From this ledge, if you've gotten all the gems you care to from the rest of this area, hop down to the ledge with gems and a Crocovile. Through this tunnel, you'll find a bay. Don't go in the water here--it's full of piranhas! First things first, glide way on over to a ledge to the right. If you don't get up there, you'll find a Wall Kick slot, which you can't use yet, so you'll have to come back. If you do get up there now, you'll find a bunch of baskets around a tree, a Crocovile, and a cracked wall, which has a Dragon's Egg inside. Drop down (if you got up there, of course), and if you don't have one, talk to Moneybags for a key. Hop across the islands and platforms to get to the locked Treasure Chest on the other side, which holds a Light Gem. Go back out to the middle of the bay, on the closest grassy platform to where you come in. Get into first-person view, and when the vultures start dive-bombing you, flame them. (Regular flame breath should work; only use the Fire Bombs if they aren't close to you.) Cross the wooden platforms to the far grassy one, and get the Light Gem there, then keep going across the platforms to the opposite side from the entry point. Climb on up the ledges, and glide across to where Zoe and Hunter await. A little talking to Hunter, who wants to go "be awesome", and you now control the cheetah. Walk on through the cave, climb the first ledge, and you'll come out on a series of ledges and platforms. Trina the explanations fairy will walk you through Hunter's controls as you go; my best advice for playing as Hunter is anytime you see an enemy, switch to first-person view and shoot it as soon as possible, from as far away as possible. Hop across ledges and platforms--be sure to shoot the little archer Gnorc on a high ledge--until you get to where Zoe waits to zap you next to a waterfall. Jump through the waterfall (if you look carefully you'll see a gem or two waiting on the other side) to find a hidden room with several Gnorcs (just shoot them), a lot of gems, and a couple of Fire Arrows. Get back out of this room, go to the end of this walkway, and climb the patch on the wall where Trina explains about climbing. The room at the end will have more gems and more Fire Arrows; get them, climb back down, and continue on across the platforms. From the first one you jump to, look around in first- person view and shoot the archer Gnorc before he sees you. Cross to the next ledge, and shoot the two Gnorcs here (one next to you and one across the way). Cross to where the one opposite was, and follow Trina's directions to open the cracked wall for some more gems. Get the fodder that's over here if you need to, then go back to where the other Gnorc was. Stand there for a minute, get into first-person, and shoot down the three vultures. Ahead of you, you should see a Dragon's Egg in a nest; this is a long jump, so be sure to double-jump from the very edge of this platform. Get the egg, then turn right and shoot the archer Gnorc on the ledge and the large Gnorc waiting below you, then hop down to where the large Gnorc was. Turn left, shoot the next Gnorc, jump over there, grab the Light Gem and drop off the ledge, and turn to the right. Head on out, talk to Spyro, and you're done. Back as Spyro, jump back across to the little land bridge, and go off the other side to the wooden ledge. Glide to the next bit of land, and if you explore around a little, you'll find another Wall Kick slot. You should see a Light Gem waiting; you can't get to it yet. Back on down to near the start of this area, but not past where the wooden ledge was, climb grassy ledges to a fenced-in ledge with two small metal chests on it. Stand at the edge up here, and you should see a moving platform coming toward you in a moment. Hop out to it, and from the other end of its flight, glide to a high ledge with a Dark Gem on it. Destroy the Dark Gem, and the mountainside will fall away. A thermal will activate, along with an explanation of what it does. Hop in, jump out at the top, and head on down the tunnel. You'll see several floor-spikes popping up and down; this is where the tunnel split oh-so-long ago. Head on back to the beginning of the level, take the Ball Gadget home, and you're ready to go fight Gnasty. =============================================================================== Boss Fight: Gnasty Gnorc [BSS1] Access: from Dragon Village | Fodder: None (random butterflies may appear) Dark Gems: 0 [X] | Light Gems: 0 [X] | Dragon Eggs: 0 [X] Tasks: 3 [] Defeat Gnasty Gnorc | [] Use Electric Breath | [] Activate the Teleporter =============================================================================== Hey, look! The first boss of the game, and there's a certain kind of parallel at work here, as he's also the main boss of the first Spyro game. Upon first entering Gnasty's Cave, you'll meet Flame, a young red dragon who was trapped when Red placed the Dark Gem seal. Just behind him is another Dragon's Egg, giving you the final one for Dragon Village. Continue on down the