Olmec (HD)

Spawns:	Level 4-4: Olmec's Lair
Health:	Invulnerable to the Spelunker's attacks
Damage:	Instant Kill (Contact while moving)
Stunnable:	No
Corpse:	No
Size:	Huge (4x4)
Notes:	• Generates lesser enemies when it attacks. • Can only be defeated by letting it drop into lava. • The Giant Idol is received for defeating it.

Olmec is the main boss of Spelunky. It is located in Olmec's Lair, on the fourth stage of the Temple.

Defeating Olmec rewards you with the Giant Idol and wins the game. You also receive the Achievement 'Made it', and unlock the Jungle Warrior character.

Mechanics

Olmec will follow the Spelunker by jumping towards your direction, assuming you are close enough. During "regular" jumps, Olmec does not spawn enemies or damage tiles.

If Olmec's jump brought him directly above the player, he will freeze in the air for a fraction of a second, and then violently pound the ground under him. This "pounding" jump destroys up to 4 tiles directly below him upon landing, crushing anything in the way (including the player). While crushing tiles in this way, Olmec may also spawn lesser enemies such as Hawkmen and Frogs. These spawns appear as flying sparks which fly away in an arc from the crushed tiles, and will turn to enemies when reaching the ground again.

It is possible to "ride" Olmec by climbing on top of the head while it is on the ground, and standing close to one of the edges. Doing this allows you drive Olmec to a convenient location, and also makes it easier to reach the upper platforms of the level, filled with treasure and crates (you will still need a rope or a jetpack to reach the upper levels, however).

Strategy

The only way to defeat Olmec is to drop him into the lava below the level. There are two main ways to do this:

• The safest way is to possess 5 or more bombs in your inventory. In this case, simply drive Olmec to one corner of the map, and then use the bombs to dig a 4-tile wide vertical hole leading all the way to lava. You will need a rope or jetpack to get back out, unless you use more bombs. Then, lure Olmec to the hole, standing very close to the edge opposite of Olmec (so close you are teetering over it). Doing so will make Olmec do a "pounding" attack that will land him directly into the hole.
  • When digging a hole for Olmec using bombs, make sure to place the bombs at an edge between two tiles. If you place them in the middle of a tile, the bomb will only dig a 3-tile wide hole, not wide enough for Olmec to fall through.
• The more dangerous way requires no resources (although having a few ropes is highly recommended). Run under Olmec during his jump, which will cause Olmec to crush the tiles under him. Repeat this crushing maneuver until Olmec crushes his own way into the Lava, making sure to dodge both Olmec and his spawns (use a rope to kill spawns falling on top of you).
  • An even more dangerous variation of the above is to place bombs as you run under Olmec, causing him to destroy multiple layers in one hit. This strategy is the fastest known way to kill Olmec, and thus is favored by expert speedrunners. An example can be seen in Bananasaurus Rex's speedrun.

Hell Strategy

• If you have the Necronomicon from the City of Gold and are planning to enter Hell, you will (in addition to killing Olmec) need to open a path to the Hell Entrance. Unlike regular exits, the Hell Entrance does not have a platform for you to stand on, so you must use Olmec as he drowns in lava as the platform. Therefore, whichever strategy you pick to kill Olmec, you must ensure he drowns in the correct location (the Necronomicon will lead you to the correct vertical location by ticking as you get closer to it). You will have a narrow margin of time to stand on him as you enter Hell before he drowns too deep, so you must stand on him at exactly the right time, while also taking care to avoid the Magma Men which spawn from the lava and can jump high enough to hurt you.

Trivia

It is possible to get drain the lava under Olmec's Lair. To do so, you must carry a spare jetpack (which you can only do while wearing another jetpack) to the level, dig a hole to the lava, and sink the jetpack into the lava, giving it enough time to reach the bottom. Then, have Olmec do a "pounding" jump into the lava, sinking directly above the jetpack. When Olmec reaches the bottom, he will crush the jetpack, resulting in an explosion which drains the lava, exposing a secondary empty chamber.

There are no apparent advantages to using this glitch other than a curiosity. See this performed by Baertaffy for an example.

Achievements

• "Made it" (40) - Complete the game. (Guide)
• "Ironman" (30) - Complete the game without using shortcuts. (Guide)
• "Speedlunky" (10) - Complete the game in under 8 minutes. No shortcuts. (Guide)
• "Low Scorer" (10) - Complete the game without collecting any treasure. No shortcuts. (Guide)
• "Good Teamwork" (10) - Complete the game with at least two players alive. No shortcuts. (Guide)