World 3

Guide to Olmec's Lair (World 3) in Spelunky. Learn how to defeat Olmec in all three forms, find the Ankh, and unlock the shortcut to World 4.

This is Olmec's Lair, a single stage encompassing all of world 3. The mighty Olmec is given introduction when you enter the stage. There is no Ghost on this level, so take your time dealing with Olmec.

Defeating Olmec

You are in Olmec's sight range from roughly 8 blocks away, or in other words, when half his face is visible on the side of the screen. Olmec will leap the entire 8 blocks at once, so do not make the mistake of undercommitting here. He will very easily crush you against the side of a wall if you let him.

What you should instead do is stay close to Olmec and deliberately trigger his crushing attack. Any time you pass underneath him, he will stop in place for a brief moment before crushing the ground below him. This moment is more than enough time to pass below him in either direction. Guide Olmec back and forth, using his crushing attack to destroy the floor until he's sent down a floor.

If you check the right side of the level, you will find a ladder leading to the Par sisters if you rescued any of them in the Jungle. Along the top of the level is mostly chests and gold, but you can find Monty and item boxes up there as well, if you have the ability to get there.

Second Form

When you follow Olmec down to the second floor, he changes his moveset. He hovers from side to side, only attacking when you're below him. You are safe to wait on his head until you're ready to move. His attack pattern is to fire off Bombs from both sides in sets of three. This can leave gaping holes in the floor all the way down to the bottom of the stage.

At any point during this fight you can flee to the right side where the two level exits are. For the purpose of unlocking shortcuts, I would suggest taking this opportunity. There will be a push block in the way if it hasn't been destroyed already. The exit on the second floor goes to Tide Pool, and the exit on the bottom floor goes to Temple of Anubis. This guide will cover Tide Pool first.

To defeat Olmec's second form, you'll need to damage the two hover gadgets on his bottom side. Once both are damaged, he instantly falls and crushes two spaces below him. Any attack will work here, but the whip is most consistent and reliable. Try performing a running jumping whip attack to hit both floaters at the same time, then escape to his other side before he falls. If you do this over one of the push blocks, that spot will be offset one space higher/lower than the floor around it, allowing you to alternate back and forth and dig a safe hole downwards.

If you're not comfortable with that strategy, try waiting under Olmec while he fires Bombs. It's usually safe to stand directly underneath him while the Bombs fly, unless they bounce off a wall. You can let him dig some holes, then damage his floaters while he's over one. Don't forget Ropes can damage him too.

Third Form

On the bottom floor, if he doesn't immediately fall into the lava, Olmec changes up again. In this form he follows a pattern of two crushing attacks followed by releasing UFOs. Assuming you haven't been to world 5 yet, UFOs are new to you. Dispatch them with any basic attack, then stand clear of the blast zone. Observe that if you land on a UFO's left side, it will fall to the right, and vice versa.

Continue to use Olmec's attacks against him until he falls through to the lava at the bottom. If you land on his head before he sinks, you can use one of the backroom entrances. Even if he falls between two of the doors, you can enter them by standing on the edge of his head.

The Ankh

This is a good spot to take a break from the game if you need to pause, since you can safely warm up here with no time pressure. The backroom here is one large structure scattered with gold and the occasional Bat and clay pot. Climbing to the very top, you will find the golden Ankh. This trinket will resurrect you from death one time. It is also part of a larger chain of items which lead to the secret ending.

In the upper right is a one-way door to get out of the backroom and an item box with a Parachute. If you look closely, you can spot another area of the backroom that you can't reach from this one, with a faded doorway indicating that it is behind a block. On the top floor of Olmec's arena, you can reach this hidden doorway by Bombing your way in. Two Bombs will suffice. Inside is Waddler. He offers a free service of transporting items to later stages he shows up in. Reaching him is in no way required, but you may find him useful later on in combination with the Ankh.

Proceeding to World 4

Congratulations! Completing world 3 puts you almost halfway through the game. Take either the upper exit to Tide Pool or the lower exit to Temple of Anubis.

The Second Shortcut

Terra will start her next shortcut here if the first one is completed. Her demands this time are as follows:

1. One Rope
2. Any weapon - You may find it best to leave your weapon to one side during the first form of the Olmec fight. Dropping it accidentally will almost certainly lead to it being crushed.
3. Any mount - Again, consider leaving your mount somewhere safe until you descend to the second floor.

Using this shortcut will start you on the second floor, with Olmec alive above you. If desired, you can Rope up to the ceiling to lure him through the floor. This is a good way to practice his second and third forms, or to make a path to the bottom floor exit.