This is a page for sharing bugs and glitches in Spelunky HD, XBLA and PSN. More detailed guides to glitches and exploits are available here.
Single-Player[]
Falling Platforms[]
If a player begins the ledge-hang animation on an ice caves falling block, than the block begins to fall and then the player finishes the ledge-hang, the player will hover.
Since the spelunker is allowed to clip into walls while doing the fliphang animation, it's possible to go through blocks while flip hanging on a falling platform or thwomp, if the player ends the flip hang animation while inside a block, it will get crushed.
If a player dies by hanging onto a block that falls into the abyss while carrying the Ankh, they will be revived, but the game thinks they are still holding onto the falling block. As a result, they are warped back to the block and fall to their death again.
Floating Hired Hands and Corpses[]
If a Hired Hand (or another Spelunker, whether is a player or not) is thrown at a moveable block with the Pitcher's Mitt, they will float back in the same direction until hitting a wall. If there's a tile under the the line where the Hired Hand floats after an empty space, they will get stuck in the air.
Additionally, if a corpse (regardless of it being a Spelunker or not) is thrown against a Tiki Trap with the Pitcher's Mitt, the corpse will float back diagonally.
A location where this can safely be performed is often informally referred to as a "float spot"
This can be used to keep a Hired Hand alive while you separately exit the level. In particular it is useful when the hired hand is carrying something fragile or dangerous that you need them to keep until a future level, such as an Eggplant or Plasma Cannon.
Blackout Glitch[]
Opening the pause menu, menuing down to the journal (or a similar menu item), and then trying to open and close this menu item at the same time (for example by pressing A and B simultaneously on an XBox Controller) will cause the screen to go black.
This can be used:
- Just before entering the Tutorial. If the blackout is in play when the Spelunker or whip touches the book that triggers the tutorial, the player will instead start the Tutorial with 4 ropes and 4 bombs.
- As you are leaving any level of the Tutorial. This will cause the Spelunker to go to the next level in the Mines, rather than the next Tutorial level. For example, doing this on the 0-3 exit will cause the next level to be 1-4. This allows the player to progress to later levels without needing to complete the Tutorial. However, the door at the entrance will remain closed and shortcuts will not be accessible until the Tutorial is properly completed.
Render Dupe[]
A strategy used in score running. Description required.
Level Warp[]
This refers to a convoluted method of duplicating and killing hired hands resulting in the game storing a negative hired hand count. Once the steps are completed and the player leaves the level, the next level they enter is dependent on the stored Hired Hand count.
Guides on how to warp to specific locations are linked below:
Stopping Music Unconventionally[]
If you die with the Kapala and get a enough blood to fill it before the screen blacks out, you will regain 1 point of health, the music stops for the rest of the level, like you just died. If the player dies later in the run, the cause of death will show the original death when the Kapala revived them.
Arrow Trap Flip Hang[]
If you do a flip hang in front of an arrow trap, it is possible to time it so that the arrow trap does not fire. However, the arrow will trigger when you drop down.
Semi-blocked exit[]
If a boulder stays in front of an exit in a way with barely enough room for the spelunker to exit, holding the arrow key will result in the keyboard hint flickering as the walking animation plays. If a Damsel is brought to the exit this way it will get crushed by the exit when trying to leave.
The Invincible Bat[]
If you get hit by a bat with the right timing as it starts to follow you, it will stay in place while flapping its wings. It can still deal damage to you, but trying to jump on it won't kill it. You can kill it by whipping it, though, and some blood will be hovering in the air. (found on the HTML-5 version)
Infinite Running[]
If you turn on a ledge at the last possible second, you will be stuck in the running animation. You are unable to move, use an item, jump, etc, and you have no way to escape without getting hit. (found on the HTML-5 version)
The Deadly Rock[]
If you drop a rock, running into it will damage you repeatedly, almost always killing you. (found on the HTML-5 version)
Stuck in a wall[]
When jumping off of a ladder (probably ropes too) hitting a wall at a certain angle will make you frozen in place, similar to the Infinite Running glitch.
Multiplayer[]
XBLA Shotgun fire at exact moment enemy is in front of you in Deathmatch causing gravity-defying moment
I was playing a Deathmatch with my friend and he threw a Caveman at me. I fired my shotgun at this exact moment and all of a sudden, the caveman floats left of me and upward! It flew up to a floating island with another row of solid blocks above it. it went in the space between the two rows of solid blocks and fell. It was pretty funny, but I am wondering if there is a cause for this.
Picking up another player in the exact moment that they pick up you causes you to both to glitch and fly up against a wall.
In the Adventure Mode screen where you can choose which area you go to, you can also fly to the right where the rope drops down and die before a level starts, causing a coffin to appear in the first level. You can also fall off the screen, and if the player with the flag falls off the screen, it will make the screen go black, like when you die or enter a level.