Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype

Most of the keys have a rank requirement of D or B. How you choose your difficulty level is up to you. If you start at an easier difficulty, you will begin with a lower rank and will have to perform well in order to meet the required ranks in time to make the keys drop. If you start at a higher difficulty, your challenge will be to maintain the higher rank you start with.

Note that you can use the ‘continue’ trick. This trick is a method that can be used to obtain high-rank keys as well as for farming rare enemies. Play the game on ‘Very Hard’ difficulty. This will start you out as rank S. You are also reset to rank S every time you continue. When you are approaching a key location, lose your last life and continue. It will reset you to rank S and give you a few seconds of invincibility. If you time it correctly, the enemy with the key will appear shortly after you continue (assuming you did not make a mistake and drop below the required rank).

Here are the key locations as well as the ranks required to make them drop:

Stage 8

#1 - After two of the medium-sized enemies appear at the same time, small clusters of the rotating dart-like ships appear (4 or 6 per cluster depending on your rank). The second cluster will appear on the bottom right of the screen. One of the enemies in this cluster has the key.

#2 - Shortly after the spiky disc enemies begin to appear, they will be in a snake-like formation with the disks on both ends and two spheres in the middle. They will enter mainly from the top of the screen. The tail disc of the last group that appears (there are about 10 groups total) has the key. (Rank D or higher)

#3 - After the second heavily armored shell-like enemy (drops mines) appears – spiky discs in sets of 3 will come down from the top. One of the enemies in the third set to the far right has the key. (Rank D or higher)

#4 - Shortly after a bunch of dart ships enter from the bottom of the screen in a staircase pattern dropping mines, three of the shell-like enemies will appear simultaneously. A small cluster of dart enemies will fly between them from the right. One of them has the key. (Rank D or higher)

#5 - Shortly after the mini-boss, some medium ships with a few scattered trios of spiked disks come in. They will be followed by a large group of disks with a few of the sphere enemies mixed in. You will know the group is close when you begin to see some sphere enemies. One of the tailing enemies in the upper part of the group has the key. (Rank B or higher)

Stage 9

#1 - Shortly after the first vertical climb. The enemy will be one of the last ones out of the tube.

#2 - Shortly after the first set of shielded guns. The enemy will be one of the ones that shoot out of the tubes. (Rank D or higher)

#3 - Shortly after the radar post you encounter after escaping the Guardian. It will be the last enemy that shoots out of the horizontal tube as you begin your ascent. (Rank D or higher)

#4 - After you pass the second large group of guns on your ascent, a large missile will fire out of the wall at you. Shortly after this missile is the enemy with the key. Try to grab it fast as you don't want it to get caught inside the wall. (Rank D or higher)

#5 - During the second encounter with the Guardian, it will move up and down while shooting a wave pattern of shots at you. Stay near the top of the screen and weave up and down above it. The enemy with the key will fly in below the Guardian right after this attack pattern ends. (Rank B or higher)

Stage 10

#1 - Right in the beginning of the stage. Some enemies will come in from the bottom. One of them has the key. You can't miss it.

#2 - Small sphere enemies will enter from the right on the upper half of the screen and start making spirals while firing a huge volley of shots. After the second group, a few slower enemies will come in the lower half of the screen. The one that is glowing yellow has the key. (Rank D or higher)

#3 - When you first encounter the bug-like enemies, the pilot will say "disturbing". About 6-7 seconds after that, the bug with the key just below the center of the screen will come in from the right. (Rank D or higher)

#4 - Shortly after the massive swarm of colored sphere enemies, a line of green enemies will enter the screen. After the second line of green enemies, a row of white circular enemies will enter from the right on the upper half of the screen. The last one in the formation will have the key. (Rank B or higher)

#5 - After the formation where a large yellow sphere is surrounded by a rectangle of green enemies, white circular enemies with a tail of blue/green orbs will enter. One of the groups will enter from the top of the screen travelling down. The tail enemy has the key. (Rank B or higher)