Spelunky

Spelunky

20 Achievements

400

80-100h

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Big Money

Big Money

Obtained 500000 gold.

20

How to unlock the Big Money achievement in Spelunky - Definitive Guide

In my opinion, the most reliable way of hitting $500k is to "ghost run." Relying on lucking into the money on your way to Hell isn't a guaranteed way to do it, while ghost running pretty much is.

First thing to do is to play until you find a level with a "treasure room," one of those tiny little rooms built into the cave wall and that contains two chests and a shopkeeper guarding it. In order to mine it properly, you're probably going to need more than the starting number of ropes and bombs. So you might have to skip the very first treasure room you find, in order to build up your inventory a bit first.

If you have enough equipment, blow open the room and let the shopkeeper run amok and away from you. If you're lucky, he didn't break the chests and you can carry them to a nice spot in the middle of the level where you can escape the ghost in pretty much all directions. Throw up some ropes to create routes in preparation while you wait for the ghost to show up. When it does, you manouver in a way that forces it to hover over the jewels from the chests. This gives you $70k in every level (this amount does not increase since later levels don't give you more jewels, just higher-value ones) you do it in. If the shopkeeper broke the chests, you will want to stand right next to them and wait in order to force the ghost to come from that side.

If you have enough time (the ghosts shows up after 2:30, I believe), you probably want to chase the shopkeeper and try to kill him to make exiting the level easier. Then run back and wait by the jewels. The ghost seems like an enormous threat the first few times you face it, but once you get used to ghost running, you'll find that it's quite easy to coerce and dodge.

A jetpack will, of course, make this a breeze. I bought mine on the run where I got the achievement; this will give you so much money that you don't really need to rob every shop you see. I had $450k when I entered the City of Gold and I was holding enough bombs to score an additional $200k in there. Another thing to note is that I always rob the Black Market; I make sure I pick up the Udjat Eye every time I play the mines and then I try not to piss off any shopkeepers (unless I find a treasure room), so I can enter the black market and buy a shotgun, if available, then use it to rob all the shops, mainly for more bombs for City of Gold. I've had another run where I entered the city with 60-ish bombs and I managed to gather $300k in there.

(And then I died at $490k because I didn't take time to clear out a path to the exit before going wild with the bombing, so make sure you do that!)
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30 Jul 2012 09:48

12 Comments
I tried ghost running once but it didn't seem to work. Do the gems need to be loose (as in, not embedded in the walls)?
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By Scampfarmer on 31 Jul 2012 22:41
Yes. I don't recommend doing it to a few gems lying around the stage anyway, it only feels worth it if there's a treasure room in the level.
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By DROGTURIST on 01 Aug 2012 10:20
I was sure they'd taken ghost running out of the XBLA version completely. I'll definitely add this to my strategy, thanks!
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By Scampfarmer on 02 Aug 2012 23:08
For some reason, the ghost is passing over gems, loose and otherwise, but they aren't turning into diamonds. Is there a glitch?
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By Manchu Emperor on 03 Sep 2012 12:45
Ghost running indeed is a valid option and DOES work for the Xbox 360 my issue is contending with the damned shopkeepers for the rest of the game,They are just VERY difficult to manage with limited resources especially early on.

@Manchu Emperor the only possibly way they are not truning into diamonds is if they are small jewels,Only the large change to diamonds
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By NINja277 on 07 Dec 2012 03:02
Just one question--does the achievement pop once your total goes over $500,000, or do you need to have that much when you beat the game?
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By Skeptical Mario on 07 Jan 2013 21:25
I think it's worth getting gems from the environment if you have A) The Udjat Eye; B) a Mattock; and C) a mobility item like Climbing Gloves, Jetpack, or Cape. Several times I've gotten 100K by the end of the Mines only to slip up and get caught by the ghost in 1-4.

In my best run, though, I followed this solution and gathered 250K by the middle of the Ice Caves before dying. This is a really good guide!
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By Skeptical Mario on 17 Jan 2013 21:59
Just thought I'd add that the achievement does indeed pop as soon as your total goes over $500,000. You don't need to beat the game first.

I didn't need to aggro any shopkeepers when I got it. I had 200K when I reached the black market, so I bought all their bombs and used them in the City of Gold. I used the jetpack for moderate ghost running in every level.
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By Skeptical Mario on 22 Jan 2013 19:38
Hi everyone! I have a simple question: is it possible to unlock this achievement in co-op mode? I have a strategy but I can't find any confirmation anywhere: I plan to get the plasma cannon and destroy every blocks in the city of gold. To do that I need to bring the plasma gun AND the item from Anubis. Two items means two characters... Thanks in advance for the response!
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By AgileTurnip434 on 22 Feb 2017 15:08
@Skeptical Mario: I combined starting to piss the shopkeepers off at the black market plus one ghost run in the jungle, the ice caves and the temple each and when I entered the City Of Gold I set myself the goal to go for 420-430 K. With the jewels above Olmec it added up to 452K! Achievement popped as soon as I entered the treasure room (finished the game) after beating Olmec scoring 502K total!
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By MosesChristus on 08 Jan 2013 01:43
angry@Skeptical Mario: I combined starting to piss the shopkeepers off at the black market plus one ghost run in the jungle, the ice caves and the temple each and when I entered the City Of Gold I set myself the goal to go for 420-430 K. With the jewels above Olmec it added up to 452K! Achievement popped as soon as I entered the treasure room (finished the game) after beating Olmec scoring 502K total!
Posted by HolyMoses81 on 08 Jan 13 at 02:43

angry

This comment just ruined it for me!

I thought I would get 50 k when beating Olmec and I did not get that!

So my run was only 451 K

I could have entered the hell door and possibly get the achievement with my jetpack and everything. Oh well, I have to try again but everyone be aware of the above comment.
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By MattiasAnderson on 02 Jan 2017 21:35
I think AgileTurnip434 got the Achievement long ago, but if anyone else was wondering: Yes I can be done in Co-Op, I just did. I figured it was purely beneficial. Kill the other player on 1-1 to get his 2 bombs and 2 ropes. You can use the ghost for Arrow Traps and some other stuff (i.e. checking the content of hard to reach Crates). I only revive the second player on a level with a Kali altar, because he's worth as much as a damsel. You can easily get Random Item + Kapala on the first level with an Altar by sacrificing both. It's also much easier to reach the "You feel invigorated" reward. And if all goes wrong and you drop below 4 Health, you can resurrect the second player, kill yourself, and swap controllers, to get back up to 4.

I had the same plan originally, enter the Mothership and bring the Plasma Canon to the City of Gold. But I hit 500K on 3-4 already, and I had lost my Ankh on the wrong level to some stupid mistake. I still wonder how much Gold you can get from that strategy though! =]

I think ghost running the Vaults is great advice. I tried to do the Vault in the mines on every run (sometimes I couldn't because I had no bombs, or no Paste). Sometimes it's risky, but getting 60-80K gold by other means will definitely also be risky(!). One tip: Lots of vaults are in difficult locations, and the Shopkeeper will usually shoot open the chests. You can make life a lot easier by being in the right spot at 2:30 (when the Ghost spawns), so he'll fly straight across, instead of having to lure him to the gems later on.

Ghost run the vaults in the Mines, Jungle and Ice Caves, and it'll be easy to hit 500K before even reaching the Temple. And since you won't need the City of Gold, you don't need as many bombs, and the Ankh will just be insurance policy.

I've seen great players bring the Mattock to the next level when they're ghostrunning, but I found it too risky (harder to take out shopkeepers without bringing the Shotgun). So whenever I found the Mattock, I would spend its entire durability on that same level, and pickup the Shotgun before leaving.
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By SPARTAN089 Ace on 02 Nov 2020 01:51
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I worked on collecting items in the beginning and worried about gold at the city of gold. From there, Olmec, and hell you can collect tons of gold.
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23 Jul 2012 04:45

1 Comment
Interesting way to get the achievement, Jolly
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By Rej72380 on 25 Jul 2012 01:04
You need to earn 500,000 gold in a single game (no deaths). The gold and jewels in world 2, 3 and 4 are worth 125%, 150% and 175% of those in world 1, respectively. For example, in world 3 (Ice world), a stack of 3 golden bars is worth $1500 instead of $1000.

Gold Chunk: $100
Gold Nugget: $500
Gold Bar: $500
3 Gold Bars: $1000
Small Emerald (green): $200
Small Sapphire (blue): $400
Small Ruby (red): $400
Emerald: $800
Sapphire: $1200
Ruby: $1600
Diamond: $5000 (appear only when the Ghost passes over gems, they turn into diamond)
Golden Idol: $5000 (take it to the exit, or drop it at shopkeeper's feet)
Golden Scarab: $4000 (appear only in dark levels)

In world 1, there is typically 10-20k of loot lying around. If you have a mattock you can mine the gold and jewels buried in the ground (glasses or Udjat Eye will reveal the latter).

If you're feeling particularly brave and you can find both a mattock and a jetpack, you can do a 'Ghost run': clear all enemies in the level, wait until 2:30 passes and the Ghost appears, and lead him over all jewels in the level. The jewels will turn into diamonds, increasing them 10-50 times in value.

This information was taken from the Spelunky wiki at http://spelunky.wikia.com/wiki/Treasure
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12 Jul 2012 20:40

7 Comments
Good tips, although I don't think you can play as Tunnel Man in the XBLA version. Also, 3 Gold Bars are actually worth $1500, not $1000.

If you can get a 'Snake Pit' event early on in the Mines, you can blow up the ground beneath the two Rubys at the bottom to get a Mattock. Although it has limited uses on the floor you buy/find it from, if you take one to the exit of the level, it becomes unbreakable. Making it VERY easy to dig out all the buried gems.
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By BanditBanks on 13 Jul 2012 12:46
The above guide relates to the PC version. Those values don't apply to the XBLA version and you can't play as the Tunnel Man in the XBLA version.
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By RustyF on 13 Jul 2012 14:24
Thanks, I'll update the solution to the best of my knowledge.
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By mrbellek on 13 Jul 2012 19:39
I'd like to point out that you must have 500000 before you finish the game. I finished at 489550, got the 50000 after beating Olmec, and did not get the achievement. I recommend limiting your purchases from shops, or don't buy anything at all. Stealing the items might be the best option.
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By SummitViking on 16 Jul 2012 07:26
@Kenneth1250 I finished Hell just shy of 500K and the bonus 100K for beating it put me over the top and awarded me the achievement. Olmec might work differently though.
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By RustyF on 16 Jul 2012 20:29
Also i want to point out that the idols and scarabs increase in value as you get deeper
(idol)
Mines: 5,000
Jungle: 10,000
Ice Caves: 15,000
Temple: 20,000
Hell: 25,000

(scarab)
Mines: 5,000
Jungle: 6,250
Ice Caves: 8,750
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By Spelunkie on 19 Apr 2015 02:47
I mentioned that. Second sentence. Thanks for verifying though. :)
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By mrbellek on 19 Apr 2015 07:07
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Don't let the ratio scare you into not attempting this. It can be done, and you can do it.

Getting this achievement doesn't require you to play perfectly, you just need to play smartly. Don't take unnecessary chances. Other guides have pointed out gem/bar amounts, and the way to get to the city of gold, so I won't go into that. I'm going to provide you notes and tricks I used.

First of all, dedicate your run for going for this. Don't try and get to Hell, and go along with getting this unless you can get there easily. Focus on the money, and only the money. You WILL have to kill the shopkeepers, but that doesn't mean you need to start with the first one. If the first shop sucks, don't bother with it. In the mines, focus on getting the Udjet eye, a few extra health, and if possible, the kapala by donating your damsel.
For survival, climbing gloves, paste, and spike shoes will make your life easier. Either buy them early for a cheaper price, or start killing shop keepers if they have them. If you see a jetpack, or a ton of bomb, it is also worth starting to kill shopkeepers. Always buy the mattock, or if you get a snake pit in the mines, bomb the bottom to get a mattock. Only mine gems to maximize cash. Getting vault-keepers are not necessary, but will make the achievement much easier. You do NOT need to ghost the gems, but if you can, you can stack up cash much quicker. Once you start killing shopkeepers in the mines, always get the idol, in every level you see it.
Keep this strategy going through the jungle/blackmarket, ice caves, and the temple. Once you get to the city of gold, quickly decide if you're getting the book, and clear out all enemies. Then bomb, mine, or destroy blocks any way possible as fast as you can before the ghost appears. Leave yourself a good 6+ bombs for olmec. Once you get to olmec, immediately fly to the top(or climb/use ropes). Collect crates, gems, and chests. By this time you will hopefully be in the 400K-450k range. If you are above 450k, you just need to defeat olmec, as you get a 50k reward. DONT TRY AND GO TO HELL INSTEAD. You will mess up, and this run was supposed to be purely for money.

If you need more than 50k, decide if you can bomb gems on the olmec fight to get it. Otherwise it'll be much harder to get to 500k easily.

This achievement is hard, but requires careful planning and playing. It IS POSSIBLE.
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20 Feb 2020 15:42

500k in mines
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WzL0sGHoyHA

(Alien area mode) infinite $ alien mode glitch
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FzNiXJPSuFA
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08 Dec 2017 21:49

For this achievement you are not required to obtain the 500,000 gold in a full playthrough, but it is nearly impossible to collect that much without entering the City of Gold , which a start from the beginning is required to access (see City of Gold for info on how to access). There are multiple ways to approach this achievement, so I will explain the two best methods.

Ghost Running:
A ghost will appear if you wait for 2 minutes in a level. It is an immortal enemy who passes through terrain and can kill you instantaneously with one touch. You want a ghost to spawn, because it has a unique ability where when passing over gems, it turns them into valuable diamonds. Ghost running is very dangerous, but can result in a lot of money earned. A ghost will not spawn if you posses the Hedjet, so if you plan on doing ghost runs, do them before you pick it up in the Black Market. 

Having the Udjat Eye or Spectacles can show you where gems are inside the terrain so you can bomb them out. You'll want lots of ropes and bombs to manoeuvre around the ghost. One way to turn lots of gems into diamonds is to find one of those areas with chests and a shopkeeper running back and forth and work your way in there, killing the shopkeeper. The chests will drops lots of gems. Make sure to have an easy escape from the area.

Follow the steps to the City of Gold, along the way make sure you collect as many bombs as you can. If you earn 32 favor with Kali, you will receive 99 bombs, which is useful for the City of Gold. Paste for sticky bombs will also make getting money from the City of Gold easier. You can rob shops and the black market if you're up to it, but it is dangerous. In the City of Gold, find large bits of terrain and blow them up. Gold chunks will fly out and give you lots of money. Beware, a ghost can spawn in here.

Visiting Hell:
Play through from the Mines to reach the City of Gold. Collect as much treasure as you can along the way, but don't bother wasting bombs on collecting gems. You'll want paste and ideally a jetpack before moving on to the City. A good goal to have is 100k by the time you reach the city. Now destroy as many large bits of terrain as you can to get gold, but be quick because a ghost will spawn after 2 and a half minutes, also keep 10 bombs for later. Collect the Book of the Dead so you can access Hell and make sure you kill the Anubis II that spawns. 

Now you'll have to defeat Olmec. But first, use a rope or tool to reach the top of Olmec's stage where you will find a bunch of gold to help. You'll want about 250k by the time you enter Hell. Find the door below the terrain in Olmec's Lair and make sure you have Olmec die over it so you can enter.

Be extremely careful in Hell, move slowly, and choose your paths wisely. Collect gold and gems as you can, but don't risk putting yourself in danger for it. You'll want close to 300k when you reach Yama's Throne, which is the boss stage of Hell. See To Hell and Back for tips on this level. Once Yama is dead, carefully use your bombs to destroy his throne to collect the many gems inside of it. Place bombs in the centre and make your way down to through the top. Be careful because there can be traps around it. If you blow up one of the tiki traps, the rest will collapse. 

After you have collected all these gems, you definitely need at least 400k. Exit through the door at the top of the room where you will receive a reward putting you over 500,000 gold and unlocking the achievement. Watch the video for more help.

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To get the trophy you need to be able to do two things well: not get caught by the ghost and kill the traders.

1.When a ghost flies through any gem, it turns it into a diamond, the cost is $5000, so if there are a lot of jewelry on the level, then it is better not to collect them, but wait 2.5 minutes (it is after this time that the spirit appears) and perform the operation described higher. I once managed to score $120,000 in one level in a mine this way. And one more thing: think in advance about the paths along which you will run away from the ghost.

2. We need to kill the traders, at a minimum, because we need the treasures, which are guarded by one of them. By turning all the treasures from there into diamonds, you will receive about $65,000. Merchants also drop about $2000 upon death. I’m generally silent about items from stores... We never miss the black market! Ankh + tons of items.

For a victory over the head they give $50,000, for the Pit $100,000, but I would advise you not to go to hell during this trophy. The risk of dying is greater, and if you are in the temple with an ankh, then your confidence in victory will noticeably increase
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21 Feb 2015 11:31