43 steamworld dig 2 - the oasis is blocked off

Dear Readers,

I went in to the Device of Destruction room in the East Temple, the last one I had remaining, and destroyed the device easily.

Just then there was a big earthquake. I was confused and thought that would've been the end of them.

So what was going on? Why more earthquakes? Where was Rusty? Fen suggested asking Rosie.

I went to town first to cash in. Barnacle Jones said the professor's rocket was ready. He himself was excited at the prospect of finding more business in outer space. I talked to the professor and she said that last quake came out of Shiner country. Hmm... Time to go back to Rosie I think. The professor's rocket was ready to leave the planet alright.

I wasn't able to warp to the Oasis so I had to warp to Below the Wall, the next one closest to it.

When I got to the Oasis it was rumbling and the entrance was blocked by a huge door and boulder behind that too! I had to find another way in. It just so happens that that part in the jungle where there was lots of stuff overhead I couldn't reach before was the way to go.

42 steamworld dig 2 - maximising most of my equipment

Dear Readers,

I found a place called The Sun Armory and decided to explore it.

Inside was the Ultra Composite Armour. I thought it was a new ability but it seems to be just an armour upgrade. There wasn't much else to this place.

The path continued right but there was also a huge load of resources below. I continued right until I got to the warp marked Inner Sanctum and headed back to town to escape the casting cultists and to cash in my overflowing supply of ore.

Davy gave me a new blueprint as well for something that replenishes health when in water, which is nice. I upgraded to the Phoenix Armour and equipped the True Survivor, which is like life insurance that works once, then replenishes back in town, which seems very valuable.

I gathered more stuff, then went back to town to upgrade to the Templar Pickaxe and the Bomp Bah Bomb, maxing out on a lot of the equipment now.

I continued along the path, beating up the cultists as I went along. It's really funny beating them up because they sound important and intimidating when they're summoning their fire attacks and then there's that abrupt silence when you smack them with your pickaxe and bring them down to earth! It's pretty satisfying!

The path finally ended at the cave with the quest marker. I went inside.

41 steamworld dig 2 - mine cart puzzle madness

Dear Readers,

I continued through the basement of the east temple, fighting those bomb bird things as well as the cultist fire summoners, uncovering resources along the way. I came across a cave called Mine Cart Madness. No not the one from Donkey Kong Country!

This one wasn't a speedy level either but it was a puzzle one. I had to hit the minecarts to get them onto the pressure switches. They could only take so many hits though and I had to get other minecarts to stop the ones I was hitting so I could get them to fall into place. The final puzzle was especially troublesome here because I had three carts to deal with. With a few headscratchings and attempts I was able to pull it off eventually.

I pressed ahead for a while after this cave and reached another cave with a warp point called Armory Entrance. I'll explore this place more next time.

40 steamworld dig 2 - navigating the grand lava river

Dear Readers,

The Device of Disaster in Yarrow was now open to take care of, so I went in there and smashed it. Another earthquake happened. I resolved to ask Rusty to explain himself when I find him.

I went back to town and upgraded the lamp to the Sol Invictus. I tried out the Eye for Weakness as well.

Now to warp to the Temple Bowels and wow it's been a while since I was here. I flew off to the right and hookshotted when I needed rest. I made my way past obstacles and fire golems. Eventually I came to a big drop down to a warp point at The Grand Lava River.

This river I had to fly across and attach to blocks whenever I could to rest. I eventually found a cave called the Infernal Crates. A puzzle oriented cave where I had to turn the conveyor belts on and off to ensure a safe path for crates to reach the pressure switches to open the way forward. I had to explore every inch of the place as there was a sneaky hidden tunnel that lead to another puzzle for an artifact. I solved the rest and grabbed the cog and left.

The river got more dangerous when cultists started showing up. I was able to handle them and they helped open the path ahead too with their spears when they tried to get at me. I continued until I reached the end of the river and there was another big long drop down to the next warp point called the Basement Entrance.

I headed back to town to cash in and decided to upgrade the water tank to the Nautilus II. I wanted to install the Moisture Vaporator, which constantly replenishes my water supply. Don't wanna be stuck for it anymore!

39 steamworld dig 2 - clearing out the mosquito minefield

Dear Readers,

Beyond the Mosquito Minefield warp point was a lot of digging and a ton of resources! I gathered all I could and went back and forth to town in order to cash in.

There were so many of those pink flying things I was able to shoot them with the hook shot and level up to 14, which unlocked a lot more stuff to buy in town.

I decided to upgrade the backpack again to the Bag-Avad Get'a because I wanted the Yuppie ki-yay mod for the 30% increase on cash ins. I didn't need to use cogs for it either so that was nice.

I went back to the minefield and it was vast and full of resources. I grabbed everything I could and hookshotted many of those pink flying things out of the way. It was pretty fun to just root around like this. A passage on the left led to an artifact too. 

It had to come to an end when I reached the bottom where there were green pools. To the right of them I found a passage underneath that led to the quest marker cave.

38 steamworld dig 2 - obtaining the ramjet vigor

Dear Readers,

After doing the Lime Loop I dug a little further to find the Aeronaut's Station. It was one of those places where there was a barrier right after it so I had to do this cave in order to progress.

I navigated the tunnels until I found a new ability, the Ramjet Vigor! With this I was now able to fly through some blocks as well as defeat enemies just by flying! This was very handy to get back out and to explore more near the entrance for more cogs.

I found another tunnel that led to the other side of the obstacle outside and cleared it. Then I came to the Mosquito Minefield warp point and went back to town.

I decided to upgrade the backpack to the Mammoth Pack.

37 steamworld dig 2 - exploring lime loop

Dear Readers,

I decided to explore the tunnel in Yarrow called Lime Loop.

This level was just one screen! However, it looped and wrapped around just like in an early NES game like Balloon Fight or something. I had to press a switch and find a secret tunnel that acted as a short cut so I could make the door in time. Then after getting the cog I had to uncover the passage to the right in order to get the artifact. Nice and simple. Good to have these now and again.

36 steamworld dig 2 - exploring bushwhack beehive

Dear Readers,

Bushwhack Beehive was the name of the next cave. I burrowed down to it from the Mushroom Pond. I started seeing acidic enemies that flew around now.

Inside the Bushwhack Beehive were a lot of these flying enemies. I collected everything I could in there but there were these dirt blocks that were too high to reach. I tried hitting the acid bees towards them but I kept failing as the blocks were just too out of reach and the bees didn't fly near them. Then I found a bee that flew diagonally. I waited patiently for it to make its way between me and the blocks and it took ages but I got it eventually, revealing another artifact. 

That was really difficult and slow to do! I know there's a better way, but I had to be level 14 before I could equip an upgrade to allow me to shoot Pressure Bombs in mid air! I could definitely come back and grind. Seems like an easy grinding spot.

I went back to town and bought Clifford's blueprint, which allows me to shoot three grenades at once and it only uses one bar of water. Seems nice enough.

I went back into the mine and dug around a lot. I cashed it all in and bought a Barren North Pickaxe. This made digging the blocks a lot easier and faster. I found a cave called the Lime Loop. Will explore next time. I did find a cog to the right of the entrance by diving into the green goo and going into the out of reach spot. That upgrade for brief resistance was handy after all.

35 steamworld dig 2 - exploring mushi mushi snuggery

Dear Readers,

I dug deeper to a cave called Mushi Mushi Snuggery. It was very dangerous with all the acid drops and everything, but thankfully I'm now able to defeat the snails with two hits of my pickaxe.

Above the cave door there was a cog surrounded by bouncy jellyfish and the bad jellyfish that shoot at you. I clung onto it with the hook shot and lured the jellyfish to melt the dirt obstacle so I could collect it.

Inside the cave was a treacherous path with those deadly jellyfish shooter things. I had to navigate around carefully and lure them to shoot and reveal treasures.

I got everything there, then dug down further to another warp point called Mushroom Pond. After this I went back to town. I cashed in and bought the Full Moon armour.

34 steamworld dig 2 - jet packing around hodge-podge hang

Dear Readers,

I dug a little deeper in Yarrow and found a cave named Hodge-Podge Hang.

This cave was pretty wide open with precarious platforming. Thankfully I had the jet pack and I was able to explore well enough. The acid bombs melted the platforms too so it wasn't easy to hold on to them for very long. There wasn't a lot to explore, just wide open space and a bottomless pit. I found secrets by flying under to the right and going up the right wall and going all the way to the top left of the area.

Just a short session today so I went back to town and I had enough artifacts for a new blueprint. It was for an attachment that dealt more damage against enemies and I equipped it. It'll be handy for those dangerous snails.

33 steamworld dig 2 - passing through leaky lodge

Dear Readers,

The cave below the acid swamp looked like it joined with the one below the impassable wall, so I went inside. This place was called the Leaky Lodge.

There was a lot of dangerous stuff leaking alright and I had to navigate all the way around it. Had to be careful of those snails as well. I heard a cog rattling at one point and I had to pause and look very carefully but I found a narrow passage to dig through to get it. There was a big drop with lots of snails at the bottom. I ran out of grenades to shoot at them so I had to take them out carefully with my pickaxe. After this was the cave I saw under the wall so yes, they connected.

I dug a bit more and found acid bombs that exploded and made everything melt around them. Very dangerous, considering the falling boulders as well. I gathered resources and went back to town, upgrading the water tank to The Cisterns of Mercy.

There was one secret I couldn't get to at the Leaky Lodge. I saw one of those cracks but I had to hit the other side of it though. I'll have to come back to it later as I didn't know where it was.

32 steamworld dig 2 - wasting the spiky snails in yarrow

Dear Readers,

I continued exploring Yarrow slowly, due to those very dangerous spiky snails.

I saved up enough to upgrade my pickaxe to the Tungsten one.

I eventually found the cave named Swim Swam Sway and went inside. This was a very dangerous underwater tunnel filled with spikes and shooter plant thingies. At one point I lured them to shoot and uncover a cog I could hear rattling. There was an artifact to find earlier in this section too.

Afterwards, I continued digging until I reached the warp point Above the Acid Swamp. I had many battles with the snails and I resorted to using my pressure bomb and grenades to deal with them instead of going near them. I got on much better this way.

I went back to town to cash in and upgrade to the Doom Armour.

I went back digging and met Handy Gabby. They got here from the oasis through the pipes. I told them it wasn't safe here.

Indeed it wasn't. It was highly treacherous with the pink drips and the pools of green stuff. The area seemed to branch off to the right and upwards but there was a lot of dirt and ore overhead. I was low on water so I continued down carefully until I got to the warp point Below the Acid Swamp. There were two caves here too.

I went back to town to cash in and upgrade the backpack to the One Bag to Hold Them All. I equipped the Buster Shells as well. Getting more fond of the Pressure Bomb now...

31 steamworld dig 2 - exploring the glittering grove in yarrow jungle

Dear Readers,

I started my errand in Yarrow. I saw a burst leaking pipe down there. That must've been what was making this underground jungle spread. This was the start of another mine and the earth took a good few hits to dig. I'll have to upgrade my pickaxe again. There were the snails here that tore through the earth, but they were so unpredictable and I had to keep an eye on my health. I couldn't fool around too much with them.

I dug around in this Glittering Grove area and got some resources to bring back to town. I had to heal as well. I found a cave too but didn't explore it. Will do so next time.

30 steamworld dig 2 - destroying the device in the west temple

Dear Readers,

I started digging on the west side of the pyramid in the west temple. I found a lever that let me into the pyramid and I stepped on what I thought was a button to open the door to where I needed to go, but instead it made the floor give away and dropped me into the Temple Cistern. There was a warp point and two caves here.

The one on the left was called the Chamber of Arrows. In here I had to outrun some arrow shooters and search one in particular that was hiding an artifact. Then there was this nasty room that shot arrows in all directions. I died once here trying to figure out the pattern. I continued until I got out and found a switch to open one of the doors that led to where I wanted to go.

The one on the right was called the Chamber of Wheels. In here were mine carts and mine cart dispensers. It was puzzle oriented and I had to push the carts on to switches to open doors. At one point I had to stack two of them to gain access to an artifact. I found my way through and pressed the second switch to open the last door to where I needed to go. 

I finally gained access to the tip of the pyramid and inside the door was the Device of Devastation. I smashed up the machine just like the first doomsday device. I told Fen it felt oddly satisfying and they were pleased with that. There was a tremor just after I smashed it up. Fen didn't mind and just wanted to continue smashing these devices.

I went back to town and people seemed to be talking about the underground jungle Yarrow and how it's spreading due to the moon juice of the Shiners. It's where I need to go next...

I equipped the Vidar Boots, which makes me acid and lava resistant for a short while. It works alright, but for a very short while! Mostly good for if you accidentally fall into a single tile of the stuff!

29 steamworld dig 2 - return to the west temple

Dear Readers,

Time to set off for the west temple where it all began! I decided to do some upgrading first.

I upgraded the armour to the Famed Armour and then the bomb to the Acid Bomb.

I went to the west temple through Yarrow to that area I found before that was shaped like a pyramid, but there was no obvious way of getting in. There were points to dig down though. I did more exploring and connected to the part of the temple at the start of the game.

I started digging on the east side of this pyramid structure and found a cave called the Chamber of Secrets. Didn't find any wizards though haha. In this place was a path through passages with little puzzles to solve and arrows to outrun. I eventually came across an upgrade to the Pressure Bomb, the Grenade Launcher. With this it uses trajectory and a bit of a bounce before explosion. It'll be useful I guess. I had to use it straight away for the crates that were in the way. There was also that sign with the illusory wall. That path was so full of arrows and it was hard to avoid! I could've done with a shield. Anyway, there was an artifact to collect before going back to the path that looped back out the cave.

I went back to town and upgraded the water tank to The Notorious W.E.T., figuring I'll need to use the water more from now on.

Kinda missed the cool vibey bassy music from this temple.

I also had a chat with Clifford to see if he had anything to say about my new bomb upgrade. He was enthused and offered to sell me a prototype blueprint of a bomb he'd been working on. Maybe later when I have more money. It's strange how he didn't have the ellipsis when he had this new thing to say.

28 steamworld dig 2 - more doomsday devices

Dear Readers,

I don't know how I got out of Vectron exactly, but Fen said they had a dream about something they wanted to tell me. They felt the presence of more doomsday devices!

I went back to town and Turtle Bucket was really excited to see the Jet Engine upgrade. Straight away I was able to install a mod that lets me fall slowly and safely to the ground. Very handy!

I told Rosie about the multiple doomsday devices and she said I must destroy them all so we could be safe. Fen said they could feel where they were. The first one was in the temple where I found them and the second one was in Yarrow and the third one was in the eastern temple.

They marked them on the map. The first one I found already when I explored the jungle a bit more. The second one was really deep down in the jungle. There's a whole lot more to it than that little bit we saw! The third one seemed to be not long after that gap we couldn't pass before in the eastern temple.

Lots to do ahead. I decided to upgrade the Jet Engine to the Double Cyclone. Make it last a bit longer for exploring those new areas.

27 steamworld dig 2 - outrunning vectron golems

Dear Readers,

Fen and I parted ways as I entered Vectron. I found myself in a dark area with metallic trash walls everywhere and some lightning. It did not look like a non-evil place.

I went through some tunnels and came across what might be a different kind of golem, but could just as well be some kind of wreckage.

After that I came across these blue spirit things kind of like Fen but they looked monstrous. They flew into monitors and made them explode. I only had to keep away.

There was a huge drop that killed me, so I had to return and slide down along the wall.

I continued right and got some computery interference effects that were cool. Then I found a sprite that possessed an electric golem like the one I saw earlier. Then it became like the Terminator and chased after me! I couldn't outrun it so I dived for cover and it eventually stopped so I could slip by.

After this I found many more of these golems buried in earth. I had to slip by them and the Vectron sprites very carefully. I died a few times but I managed it. I did wake up a couple of them but luckily there was another steep wall to drop down. I clung to the wall under an overhang until the red alert lights and music passed by.

I continued on, replenishing health from the exploding monitors. Eventually I dropped down into a cluster of golems that Vectron sprites possessed and gave chase! I ran as fast as I could to the left, going through obstacles until the computer interference came back and some weird menu commands flashed up.

After that I woke up at the point where I entered this area, or at least I thought it was. It was some ways away. I headed left and got the next upgrade, the Jet Engine! I was now able to fly for a little bit! I used this new ability to get out and back to the portal where Fen was.

26 steamworld dig 2 - digging to vectron

Dear Readers,

As it turns out, the very first mine continues further. I stopped exploring when I found the way to the Oasis, but if I continue the exploration I may reach Vectron.

I dug up lots of resources and headed back to town. I upgraded my lamp to the Pharos Light and installed the Spotless Mind, which seems like a good upgrade if it prevents your light from going below 50%.

I kept digging and the mine shaft got narrower and narrower until it was one block wide. Then I dug down into a cavern with a big pool of water to land in. To the left was a sign that said death was ahead and to the right was a warp point marked as the Bottom of the Mine.

The destination mark was above now and I continued right, where I found a path that lead to the cave marked here. It was called the Mysterious Cave. Ominous music played. I found here the portal to Vectron. Fen was still unwilling to go but they were willing to help me go if Rusty went there.

Fen went inside this monitor that made the portal open. They advised me to run if I saw anything moving. I went in...

25 steamworld dig 2 - destroying the doomsday device

Dear Readers,

I headed straight for the cave called the Device of Doom. The doomsday device was inside. It was a big vibrating machine and glowing blue.

Fen said there were a lot of Vectron parts inside it and was only too delighted to smash it up. It seemed to be sucking something in through the top as well. With a few hits of my pickaxe I smashed it up easily. Fen was delighted.

I noticed there were Vectron and steambot parts inside this thing and wondered why Rusty would build it. The next thing to do was to tell Rosie.

I warped to the Oasis and she was happy with the news. I still wondered about Rusty. She said maybe he went to the remains of Vectron if that's the place that changed him. There were Vectron parts in the device...

Fen didn't want to go back to Vectron. They said I didn't know what it's like not having a will of my own. I said I couldn't stop now and asked them for the way. They showed a spot on the map that was far below even where we were. How do we even get there? They said I was on my own once I reached the place. All they wanted to do was to wreck stuff.

I chatted to people around town. They were happy I destroyed the device and they encouraged me to keep exploring. They didn't point out where or anything. Oh well. I'll have to seek it out then...

24 steamworld dig 2 - beating up the great prophet of the doomsday cult

Dear Readers,

I was very close to the objective point at the Temple Bowels, so I headed straight there. There was a cave called the Combuster's Station.

I went inside and met the Great Prophet. Fen said this was the guy who brought them to the other temple. He shut the door behind me and demanded to know who dared enter this place. I demanded to know where Rusty was. He said Rusty the Destroyer will bring the Great Quake and shed their mortal coil. He said Rusty granted them a doomsday device before leaving again, saying he had mysterious ways.

I vowed to disable it and Fen was on board with blowing the device up. The Great Prophet said he wouldn't let us ruin their precious apocalypse.

He started chanting that lava shooting spell at me. I had to chase him around and hit him with my pickaxe. Eventually he stopped and told me I couldn't stop the Great Quake before he disappeared, possibly died. 

The lava started draining away and revealed a new upgrade. I got the Ignition Axe, which made my pickaxe glow. I was now able to activate the lava golems directly!

I continued this path that led back out the cave, grabbing a cog along the way.

There was another gate I had to unlock at the Temple Bowels. I scrambled around with my new ability and found three skull chalice thingies and lit them up. It opened the way to another cave. To the right of the gate was a huge gap. Judging from the conversation with Fen about being as cool as them, I may have to come back with a new ability. I went back to town to cash in.

Barnacle Jones said they should've dug for riches there years ago and let the cult do their own thing. Turtle Bucket geeked out at my new ignition axe tool.

I told the mayor about the doomsday device and he said it was someone else's problem and I'd be able to handle it anyway. He just wanted the ore and taxes on the ore. The professor encouraged me to disable the device too and said maybe she wouldn't have to make the spaceship after all. Trader Carson said he would've liked to have met Rusty but he didn't have business in Tumbleton at the time. Ah well.

I told Rosie about Rusty making the doomsday device and she said that meant he was evil. Hmm...

23 steamworld dig 2 - digging below the dangerous golem altar

Dear Readers,

I continued digging under the Golem Altar. I found lots of lava pits and those exploding barrels from the last game. Minerals were placed really close to them and so I died a couple of times.

I took it easy and went back to town when I found the warp at Hanging Lava Gardens. I upgraded the backpack to the Elven Tote and installed the Magnetic Separator. I uninstalled the Flame of Kubera to free up a cog for it. I wanted to pull resources toward me instead of falling into lava.

I found a cave called Spikes & Conveyors. Nice fun challenge where I had to ride conveyors, avoid spikes and cling to walls and ceilings using the hook shot. I clung to the underside at the bottom right and continued until I found a secret area. I found another secret area by shooting the hook shot into a suspicious gap further ahead along the path.

The Magnetic Separator worked a treat! Ore that fell into lava leaped up out of it when I got close. Very handy!

I dug further until I found another warp point at the Temple Bowels. I went back to town to cash in. I upgraded to the Alloy Steel Pickaxe and installed the Total Recoil to make enemies fly further back when they're struck.

22 steamworld dig 2 - fun with lava golems

Dear Readers,

There was a Golem at the Golem Altar, but I couldn't do anything with it. I was able to dig straight down though and I found the next cave, Grim Hollow.

Pretty interesting place. I found these scary enemies that chant lava shooting spells at me. I defeated the first one when I got it to open the way to its chamber.

Then I finally found out how to activate those golems I've been seeing. They come alive when lava falls on them. I can't seem to defeat them but all they do is walk back and forth. I only had to avoid them and slip past. Further on, I was able to make the spellcasters activate the golems, which then walked down on top of them! It was satisfying!

After this cave I went back to town. I now had enough artifacts to unlock the More-Hoarder's Map, which I immediately installed! The resources all showed up on the mini-map as purple spots, which was one of my favourite upgrades from the first game!

21 steamworld dig 2 - fun with lava shooters

Dear Readers,

Lava Shooters was the name of the next cave I went into. It was way more fun than the Floor Is Lava cave.

Lava Shooters were spitting in all kinds of directions and I had to go with the flow of them through corridors. There was a fair bit of risk in it but like I said it was a lot of fun to go with the flow of them in all directions. Sliding down walls, pausing at different speeds was the most fun while trying to stay between shoots. At one stage the path branched off to the right with some stepping blocks that led to a cog. There was another cog at the very end and a hidden artifact obscured by the last shooter. This platform challenge felt very much like something from the SNES Donkey Kong Country games. It was fun!

After the cave I didn't have an option to go downwards so I continued left through the Lava Dripper Hallway until I found another warp point called the Golem Altar.

I went back to town and upgraded the backpack to the Gremlin Carry and I equipped the Double Rainbow too.

20 steamworld dig 2 - conveyor belt maze

Dear Readers,

I went back to the Temple of the Destroyer to do more digging.

To the right of the first warp, there was a cog in the centre of a maze. I just had to find the mineable blocks in order to reach it.

I found some stuff, then returned to town to upgrade the pickaxe to the Pickaxe Chu and equipping Bounty Hunter, which'll help me with getting more money from enemies.

The first cave I found in this new mining area was called The Batcave. In hear I had to lure the bats in order to clear a way upwards and then lure more of them up there to uncover the artifact that was here.

Digging down further I found a weird and interesting system of conveyor belts and crate dispensers and crushers. Bits of ore and cogs to find among it all too. I found a couple of caves and warp points before going back to town to cash in. I upgraded the lamp to the Lantern.

I warped to the Conveyor Maze and went into the cave called Floor is Lava. This area was tricky and covered with buttons. I had to avoid pressing them so I had to cling to walls and ceilings a lot. Then I read a sign at the end that said I wasn't allowed to make any mistakes at all so I had to do the whole cave all over again from the start without making any mistakes. This was an absolute pain and didn't really add to the fun of the game. It just made it like one of those extreme platformers I don't really like. I completed it alright but I didn't want to see other areas like this one.

19 steamworld dig 2 - retracing my steps with the hook shot

Dear Readers,

I decided to revisit caves I didn't finish before now that I had the hook shot.

I went to Burster's Station. The only thing I missed here was a single piece of ore. Didn't take much to complete it.

I decided to explore Yarrow and I was amazed when I found a path that led all the way back to the Temple of Guidance! I found a section that was underneath where I was at first. I'll explore this area later.

There was another path in Yarrow but I'd have to upgrade my jump to reach it. Again, for later.

I went to the cave next to where Josh Yonker was, Mason's Station. The ore here I missed was above upgrade station. I had to use the hook shot alright.

Next revisit was Rupture Rock Hollow. I got a cog from here alright but I needed to come back later as there was another thing I couldn't reach.

I went back to the Oasis. Rosie and the other didn't have much else to say. I did find an artifact above the town, which was cool. I also overlooked the artifact in where I got the hook shot. Easy enough to miss as it was between platforms.

That was enough retracing of steps, so I went back to the Temple of the Destroyer.

18 steamworld dig 2 - new mine at the east temple

Dear Readers,

I set out to cross the Windy Plains. I stopped in the Rock Falls cave first to solve a treacherous path digging through boulder bearing earth in order to obtain a cog and an artifact. I upgraded the armour to the Tempered one.

In the desert, Fen was delighted to see what looked like one of the professor's previous experiments, now crashed here.

I made my way across the plains, using the hook shot to get over the obstacle I couldn't before. I had to cling to the really tall wall when the wind got bad as I was climbing. Eventually I made it to the temple entrance, which had a handy tube warp.

I went inside to this place, called the Temple of the Destroyer. Inside I found a cultist worshipping at what looked like a statue of... Rusty! I asked them and they said it was indeed The Great Rusty, the Destroyer that was promised, as foretold by their Great Prophet, who has seen the coming of the blessed end. Yikes...

When the cultist saw Fen they got angry it was removed from the Temple of Guidance and said they'd sacrifice my parts in cleansing fire. It then attacked like they usually do. I defeated it and looked up at the statue of Rusty. It was holding something that was pouring lava.

Beyond was a lever that didn't work and a big statue or something that was in the way. I found a cog but eventually came to a dead end.

I had another careful look and found a skull chalice I could dig up to let the lava drops in. This powered the lever, which I could use to open the door under the Rusty statue.

I went below and this was the start of a brand new mine! That's one way of doing it I suppose. In this mine were a lot of these bat-like enemies that glowed like lava. They're very easy to knock away and defeat though. I dug around a bit, found ore and warped back to town.

Barnacle Jones suggested exploring in caves I already found. I think I'll do that before covering new ground.

Trader Carson asked what was going on with my shop at home. I said the town was still thriving, so plenty of bots were willing to help. I was glad to finally go out and mine.

Clifford Heisenberg was disgusted with the dangerous explosives the shiners were using instead of his much safer pressure bombs.

17 steamworld dig 2 - asking the professor about the earthquakes

Dear Readers,

Rosie was glad I found something to use in her storage. She asked me for help with the quakes as she was doing all she can to keep her kin safe and listening to her. She suggested finding a smart bot on the surface. With this I got some good experience.

I took the warp back to town. The mayor was annoyed at the professor with her rocket, looking down at them all and going on about earthquakes. Ma Yonker was shocked to hear about the shiner town and told me to stay away as she was sure you couldn't trust them. She wouldn't believe me when I told her they were different.

Turtle Bucket was delighted to see I got the Hook Shot and told me about it. Luckily it was already perfect so I didn't have to upgrade it. 

I went up to chat with Professor Sherman about earthquakes. She said the latest one came from the temple of the doom cult. I was wondering if it was possible it could be bot made. She suggested crossing the Windy Plains to investigate the temple in the east to test my hypothesis. Next target is above ground! Woo!

Trader Carson asked me how my father was. I said he passed away a while back. He was sad to hear that and thought he'd outlive us all... out of pure spite, if nothing else. I thought so too... Wow it's sad that Cranky's now gone...

With the hook shot I was now able to climb higher again in the town and meet more bots. Clifford Heisenberg was excited to show the mayor his new bombs, but the mayor told him to take it up with his office. Fen and him were both excited about this new bomb. Ty Nuzak had like a courier/post office thing going on. He told me about crossing the Windy Plains. I know a little bit about that already. I asked Davy about this temple and he said his friend went there and has been there since. Coral Armstrong said sometimes the cultists go through the mines to travel between temples. Poor Lady Botterley was still waiting for the elevator.

16 steamworld dig 2 - meeting rosie at the oasis

Dear Readers,

I dug deeper and deeper until I came across the marked spot on the map, a cave called The Oasis.

Before going in there I went back to town to upgrade the Pressure Bomb for the first time to the Scholander Hydrostatic.

Inside The Oasis I came across a sleeping Shiner. It woke and its name was Schwifty Shawn. Then there was an earthquake, followed by another Shiner appearing. She was much bigger than Shawn. Her name was Rosie. Fen and I were surprised to learn they could talk. I told them I didn't want any trouble and I just wanted to find my friend.

Rosie asked me if the friend was a brownish, tin-can lookin' tortoise fella. I said yes and asked what happened to him. She felt she could trust me, so she invited me in to chat about him. Fen was disappointed these Shiners weren't just attacking and deranged.

I followed and there in front of me was a town of Shiners! Also a warp point so I could warp back and forth to town easily.

I mingled a bit. Wet Willy was about to take a bath. Cleo Johnson was fishing. Stabby Helen talked about stabbing. Shawn was guarding something. Handy Gabby didn't say much. Dynomyte Harriet was annoyed her daughter let in a steambot.

I complimented Rosie on this town. She said she built it to keep her kin safe and happy. They were too, until Rusty brought the earthquakes. I said Rusty saved my town from Vectron. She said maybe he changed after the fight with the sparkly beast. She said he came here and told her he'd bring the mine down on their heads. They were barely able to hold him off.

Wow... I said I was sorry and said I'd talk to him if I could just find him. Rosie understood my loyalty and if I could find the source of the quakes and stop them, she'd help me out the best she could. She told me to use the tool in the mining station she then opened for me nearby.

I mingled another bit. The townsfolk were less trusting but they liked their moon juice. The fisher wasn't really fishing and it was just something to do with his shoes.

I went into Rosie's storage and made my way around to find a new ability: the Hookshot! It worked just like the one in Zelda! I'm able to cling to distant walls and ceilings. I found some ore and a cog as well.

15 steamworld dig 2 - exploring trilobite bluff and rupture rock hollow

Dear Readers,

When I got back underground I decided to explore the wall. I found lots of ore and even another cave! 

I found that the jackhammer wasn't that great for combat. Maybe after a few upgrades?

I went back to town and upgraded the pickaxe to a Bardaur-Grip.

Then I went to explore the cave I found, the Trilobite Bluff. In there there was a crawly enemy dispenser I could use to regenerate but also to lure on to switches. With this I was able to get the cog.

Afterwards I made my way to the next cave. Then I noticed there was a wall to the right of Mason's Cave. I jackhammered it and found a new character! It was Josh Yonker, one of the mayor's brothers! He gave me a blueprint that gave the option of making the game harder. Huh. Not exactly what I needed right now but thanks! He said he was trapped here because he forgot his tools. He asked me not to spread that detail though.

I dug further more and more until I ran out of room for resources. I went back to town, cashed in and upgraded the backpack to I-Can't-Believe-It's-Just-a-Bag. The Portal of Pardon sounded like a good handy warp thing so I installed that!

I dug until I found the next cave and then used that new warp to come back to town. Very handy but it's only one way. I cashed in and upgraded the lamp to the Lodestar.

This next cave was called the Rupture Rock Hollow. This was a fun cave with collapsing platforms I had to time and chase in order to proceed. I couldn't get past a certain point and I think I may need jump upgrades first so I'll come back later. I did manage to obtain an artifact though.

14 steamworld dig 2 - bypassing the wall

Dear Readers,

I went inside Mason's Station. There were passages of doors and switches I had to navigate.

I found an artifact and eventually I found the next ability, the jackhammer! The hammer in question being my fist! I knew there was something to help me through that wall obstacle since I was starting to see more of them.

I went back to town as people had more stuff to say. Barnacle Jones talked about the Professor building a rocket after losing her house to the earthquake and that more of these were being built all over the planet.

Ma Yonker asked me if I saw any Shiners yet and I said I didn't. They all disappeared after Rusty destroyed Vectron. She said she knew Shiners and that maybe they were worried about the earthquakes too like vermin leaving a sinking ship.

The Mayor wasn't too happy about me digging through and below the wall because of Shiners and said not to let them be coming up. The next target on the map came up above some green stuff. I can probably guess what that dangerous stuff is.

Davy gave me another blueprint for finding artifacts.

Turtle Bucket talked about my new jackhammer and potential upgrades I could now buy for it.

I installed the Core Diversity, which gives me a chance of obtaining Rainbow Orbs after defeating enemies. I don't know what those are yet. Maybe like orbs from the last game.

I upgraded the water tank to the Melville Regulator. Gonna need more water now.

Penny talked about friendship and loyalty and how the city people here were different than the country people. If I can get the sprite to stop insulting her long enough I can find out what she has to offer.

13 steamworld dig 2 - yarrow, where weird glowing plants grow deep underground

Dear Readers,

I told the mayor I found a strange passage below above the wall that was overgrown with weird plants. He said most things were strange down there since Shiners were there. His mother said his brothers told stories of finding stuff like that alright.

This area was named Yarrow and I went there to explore. It had this lovely mysterious plucking chimey music like it was from a forest in a SNES era RPG. There were indeed lots of glowy plants, even though it was so deep underground. Some of them bounced me up in the air like the mushrooms.

I took a good bit of damage, so I went back to town and bought the Hard Armor. Then i equipped the Karma Plates to hurt enemies that try to injure me by touch.

I came across these nasty snail enemies that shoot spines like cacti and roll around the place. I got my first death thanks to them.

I found an artifact when I got one of those spitting enemies to uncover a secret passage for me and a cog when I explored around where I heard one spinning.

Eventually I ran out of light but found another door that led to the other side of the wall! Immediately we found another warp point handily labelled "Below the Wall".

Shortly after this was Mason's Station. I prepared for a bit and went inside.

12 steamworld dig 2 - reaching higher levels in town

Dear Readers,

I went back to town and realised there was another layer to the place! There was a block I could shoot out with the Pressure Bomb that released a ladder and let me up towards another section with more NPCs to talk to.

Trader Carson was here. So that's where he went off to! He said he liked being in this posh part of town selling his cogs to the rich people. He found these in yard sales or thrift stores or even just out in the wild. He told me about the clackity sound they made and how it takes a trained ear to find them, though I knew about that already. He was selling them for $25. Sounds handy. I might come back to him.

There was a neat looking rocket here and Professor Sherman was standing near it. He said the mayor was being unscientific and he needed a contingency plan in case the earthquakes made this place tumble.

He also talked about the wall. I told him there was one in my hometown as well and he said it was the same wall that continued for miles. He said it was the greatest single bot-made structure in existence and if it were up here you'd be able to see it from space.

The topic went to the shiners, the reason for the wall. He identified them as homo devolvis and said they were crafty when it came to specific subjects. He said the Moon Juice they concocted to cope with life underground was quite special. It was highly mutagenic and addictive but also an extremely effective energy source. He tried to experiment with it but it was too volatile to be used as rocket fuel.

Very interesting. This is of course a humorous reference to humans and alcohol.

There were even more people I couldn't reach in this town. I'll have to get a higher jump to talk to them.