Scepter (2)

Function:	Opens the door to The City of Gold when used with the Hedjet or the Crown
Source:	Anubis
Damage:	10

The Scepter is an item in Spelunky 2. It is a powerful ranged weapon dropped from Anubis in level 4-1 of Temple of Anubis.

Functionality

Using the Scepter will knock the player back approximately 1 tile and knock them off of climbable surfaces if possible, much like the Shotgun.

With each use, it releases a fast moving, erratic purple ring that passes through walls and homes in towards the nearest target, damaging any entity it touches for 10 HP or destroying/knocking around items, even if it wasn't the Scepter's target. Rings will home in on both living enemies and corpses, but will never target (living) Spelunkers, Hired Hands, or Mounts.

After killing/destroying its target, the rings homes in towards the nearest possible target (usually the corpse of the entity it targeted and killed). If there are no enemies or corpses to target, the psychic ray will go in a straight direction. These rays dissipate after around 8 seconds.

If the player has either the Hedjet or the Crown in their possession, they may use the Scepter for its true purpose and open the golden door in 4-2 of Temple of Anubis, destroying the Scepter and allowing entry into The City of Gold. Attempting this without either royal headwear will instead give the Spelunker the message "The scepter fits, but nothing is happening!"

Strategy

• In terms of raw power, the Scepter is the strongest in the game. If a player does not intend to go to The City of Gold, they may find use for it in later levels. Against Tiamat, the Scepter will trivialize the fight and defeat her in a matter of seconds. This makes the Scepter a reasonable weapon choice in low score runs, speedruns, and other types of runs ending in 6-4.
  • Because entrance into The City of Gold is required as part of the process in obtaining the Tablet of Destiny, it is highly unlikely that one will be able to bring the Scepter into the Sunken City without skipping the need for the Qilin.
• If the Scepter is to be used, the Spelunker should be mindful of nearby corpses, or risk being hit by a ring juggling a corpse around in wild directions.
• The user should always be conscious of nearby allies (such as Shopkeepers or Tun) or risk accidently killing them, which may ruin many opportunities originally offered to the Spelunker.

Trivia

• The Scepter resembles the Was-scepter, a symbol of power and dominion in ancient Egypt. It was commonly seen depicted in the hands of gods, pharaohs, and priests.