Quillback is an enemy/mini boss added in Spelunky 2. He is the leader of the Cavemen, and according to the Journal, is responsible for the many Totem Traps and Log Traps seen around the Dwelling. He is always found in level 1-4, in his own special arena.
A player battling Quillback.
Behavior
Quillback is initially found in his arena near the bottom of 1-4. If the player is not within range, he will slowly wander into the direction he is facing, turning around if meeting a wall or ledge.
If the player is only briefly near the same horizontal level as Quillback or within 4 tiles of him, he will jump instead of rolling, and will try to land on top of the player if they happen to be under him during his jump.
Quillback rolls the player's direction if they are within his range and close enough to his horizontal position for long enough. This roll is capable of destroying tiles in Quillback's way, and anything hit by him during the roll attack will instantly die regardless of health. Quillback will roll for roughly 23 tiles before stopping, although his roll timer will reset if he descends one or more tiles and destroys one in the process.
Quillback is immune to conventional whips and stomping, unless the player has Spike Shoes or the flaming whip gained from wearing a Powerpack. Of note is that when Spike Shoes are equipped, stepping on Quillback's back end will cause him to roll, while stepping on his face will prevent him from moving.
When killed, Quillback will always drop a Cooked Turkey and a Bomb Bag.
Strategy
- Quillback can be skipped, and does not need to be beaten. One can bait his roll towards the desired wall that the player wishes to go through, use one of the many ladders or other equipment like Spring Shoes to avoid his attack, and watch as he opens the way forward.
- Quillback typically will destroy 1-3 tiles below him as he initiates his roll. If 2 or more tiles were destroyed from this, having him roll back into the small hole will extend his roll timer, allowing the player to destroy the other wall with him.
- Placing a bomb directly next to Quillback after his roll has completed, timing a bomb to explode once thrown at him, or throwing a single Paste bomb at him is an effective way to defeat him.
- As Quillback still takes damage from thrown objects, one can repeatedly pelt small items such as rocks and skulls at him until they have successfully watered down all of his HP.
- If the player was able to save a torch, there are several fire sources in his arena that can be used to light the torch. Repeatedly throwing the lit torch will kill Quillback in 5 throws.
- Any weapon such as a Shotgun, Freeze Ray, Crossbow or even Spike Shoes can easily dispatch of Quillback.
- Note that if the player uses a Shotgun, firing again after his death will ignite the Bomb Bag he drops, exploding it.
- Using either the whip upgraded by the Powerpack or the Machete is not recommended, as it will likely provoke Quillback into rolling directly into the player, killing them instantly without little opportunity to react.
- The Ghist Shopkeeper is more easily reached with the help of Quillback, and allows the player to conserve a significant amount of bombs in the process. This can be done faster with the help of a Camera or a bomb or two to create a hole for Quillback to destroy.
Template:Spelunky 2 enemies