Guild Wars 2

Zone 2 has fallen. On one hand, writing up a Bauble runthrough didn’t take quite as long as Zone 1 once I sat down and looked for everything. On the other, I sure spent a hell of a lot of time on Zone 2 before even finishing off Zone 1 and writing the guide for it, had already found almost all of the secrets there, and it’s certainly where I’ve had my most deaths. It’s also really really REALLY long. Ah well.

Anyways, same rules as before: breakables, enemy kills, Raccoon Stumps, etc. don’t count for Bauble Achievements. I cannot stress enough that you should do this run on Infantile. Sure, it’s possible on Normal, but you will likely hate yourself by the end of it, simply due to backtracking issues.

I’ll also be recording Assassin counts in each Area, for those looking to get the “Become the Master” achievement. Note that, unlike many other SAB Achievements, this one will be given to you as soon as you complete it. You do not have to finish the zone before you get it.

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Area 1
On the starting mountain, there’s [2 BLUE BAUBLES]: one behind the shop and another sitting in sight on a lonely pillar (jump from the tree to get to it).

Around the 2nd peak, there’s a [BLUE BAUBLE] in plain sight.

Behind the 3rd peak is another [BLUE BAUBLE].

On the final peak before the checkpoint, there are [2 BLUE BAUBLES], again rather easy to find.

Assassin Count:

• 2 Assassins (Red, White) on starting mountain
• 2 Assassins (2 White) behind 2nd peak
• 2 Assassins (2 White) around 3rd peak
• 2 Assassins (2 White) on final peak
  — A Red Assassin from the next area may charge through the Checkpoint

Area 2
The first [BLUE BAUBLE] is found on the roof of the first Pagoda, directly in front of you. The next [BLUE BAUBLE] is immediately behind the Dart Trap.

When you get to the second Pagoda, there’s another [BLUE BAUBLE] on its roof (use the Petal Thrower and push forward as you fly), and a [RED BAUBLE] in the chest. If you’re playing Infantile Mode, then you won’t have come across a shop yet — remember this chest for backtracking.

The final [BLUE BAUBLE] here is on the 2nd Peak before the Piranha Pool.

Assassin Count:

• 3 Assassins (3 Red) at 1st Pagoda
• 4 Assassins (Red, 3 White) around 1st Peak
• 6 Assassins (2 Red, 4 White) at 2nd Pagoda
• 2 Assassins (Purple, White) on 2nd Peak (use Bombs to get the Purple Assassin)

Area 3
There are no baubles in this small area. Just concentrate on the puzzle, or use the Shortcut Clouds to skip it.

Assassin Count:

• 3 Assassins (3 Red) by Piranha Pools

Area 4
As you climb the 1st Peak, look for a path to the left hugging the wall that leads to a [BLUE BAUBLE].

If you continue past the Petal Thrower, you should see a cloud to your right. Jumping across it leads to the Shortcut Eagle. You need the Glove of Wisdom to progress here, but we’re going to assume you got that on a previous run. If not, well, you’re going to backtrack anyways. There’s a [BLUE BAUBLE] sitting right in front of him. Once you’re near that bauble though, the Eagle will start talking. You have a very limited amount of time to grab the bauble and jump up to the mountain above! If you take too long, the Eagle will take you soaring off ahead, and we don’t want that quite yet!

Assuming you evade the premature shortcut, you can bomb the top of the Eagle’s mountain to find a shop. Perfect place to get that Key, and it’s one of the Secret Rooms you need to find in this Zone anyways. As for the Eagle, here’s the deal. You need to ride him to get some Baubles near the end of the Zone… but that means you have to backtrack after the ride. On the plus side, there is a way to backtrack from the very end of the Zone to here, even on Normal. This also allows you to unlock the Gong Pagoda’s shortcut from the rear. On the minus side, your Checkpoint will be set to near the end of the Zone, and any death will send you right back there. I’m going to assume you’re playing Infantile again, and that we want to unlock all the Shortcut Clouds. That means skipping the Eagle for now, and returning much much later.

Back to the Bauble Hunt. As you start climbing the 2nd Peak, look to the left for a [BLUE BAUBLE].

Once you get to the Pagoda, instead of crossing towards it, look behind and to the left for a Petal Thrower. Take it across to another [BLUE BAUBLE] and a Petal Thrower that will hurl you into a Secret Shop.

Assassin Count:

• 2 Assassins (2 White) while climbing the 1st Peak
• 2 Assassins (Red, White) while climbing the 2nd Peak
• 3 Assassins (Red, 2 White) patrolling the outside of the Glove Pagoda

Area 5
The only [BLUE BAUBLE] in this area is on the Upper Floor, along the required path through this area.

Assassin Count:

• Boss Fight with Glove Assassin
• 4 Assassins (2 Red, 2 White) on Upper Floor
• 1 Assassin (Red) outside Glove Pagoda

Area 6
Just one [BLUE BAUBLE] here: on the 2nd Floor of the Dart Pagoda, in between four deadly Dart Traps. If you’re playing Normal Mode, you’ll get this one on your normal route. If you’re playing Infantile Mode, it’s probably easier to just jump towards it and die immediately after collecting it.

The Glove Gate at the top of the Pagoda cannot currently be opened, and does not count towards the Secret Room tally. There is an Assassin hiding behind the gate, but he can be killed or lured out without opening it.

Assassin Count:

• 1 Assassin (Red) patrolling outside Dart Pagoda
• 2 Assassins (Red, White) on Top Floor of Dart Pagoda
• 1 Assassin (White) behind the Glove Gate (either hit him through the gate or lure him out)

Area 7
Before you progress onwards, go around the back of the Dart Pagoda to find some clouds that can get you to the roof of the Dart Pagoda. You can now jump back towards Area 5 and collect [9 BLUE BAUBLES] from the struts of the Bell and the roof of the Glove Pagoda.

The only other baubles found here are the [2 RED BAUBLES] in the Chest on top of the Piranha Pagoda. Don’t worry about a key: we’ll be seeing a shop very shortly.

Assassin Count:

• 3 Assassins (3 Purple) along Piranha Gauntlet
• 2 Assassins (2 White) on 1st Floor of Piranha Pagoda
• 4 Assassins (2 Red, 2 White) on 2nd Floor of Piranha Pagoda
• 4 Assassins (Red, 3 White) on 3rd Floor of Piranha Pagoda

Area 8
Bomb the top of the peak immediately after the Checkpoint to reach a new Shop. Inside that Shop is a bombable wall that allows you to look out the side of the peak. Maybe there’s a Dig Spot there… haven’t tested. Either way, bombing and walking through walls is always useful to try and get that Secret Area Achievement count up, even if some secrets don’t happen to count.

There are no baubles in this area.

Assassin Count:

• 1 Assassin (Red) on 1st Peak
• 2 Assassins (2 White) off side of Pillar Jump Gauntlet (kill with ranged weapons)

Area 9
Immediately after the Checkpoint is the Side Pagoda (I only call it that because it’s a small Pagoda with no distinctive features that is off to the side of two very easy to remember Pagodas). You should be able to explore under the main Pagoda to the right. If you do so and follow the path round to the left of the mountain, you’ll eventually find a wall you can bomb in a niche underneath a wooden platform. This leads to a shop that sells the Chain Stick, an upgrade to your melee weapon.

The only [BLUE BAUBLE] in this area is found in the Toad Pagoda, a one-room death trap immediately after the Side Pagoda. Kill all the Toads with ranged weapons. Don’t try to get the Bauble yourself — the area is surrounded by Dart Traps. Use your Whip instead.

Assassin Count:

• 5 Assassins (2 Red, 3 White) on Side Pagoda
• 1 Assassin (White) around back of Toad Pagoda

Area 10
On Infantile, this is a very short Area. On Normal, this is the dreaded Gong Pagoda. However, we’ll be spending a lot of time here since there’s a fair amount of secrets around. There are no baubles in the Gong Pagoda itself, so you only have to worry about going in there if you’re on Normal or you’re after the Assassin Achievement.

On Normal, you’ll have to complete the Gong Pagoda first. Otherwise, you can follow the hint arrows past an apparently non-functional Dart Trap. Either way, you should reach the rear of the Pagoda, where you’ll find a [BLUE BAUBLE] and a block you can push to activate the Normal mode shortcut.

Next, head to the side of the Gong Pagoda nearest the Toad Pagoda. You can hop over to the roof to collect [2 BLUE BAUBLES].

Now comes the fun part. Back over to the grassy area between the Toad Pagoda and the Gong Pagoda. You must climb up the outside of the Gong Pagoda using the trees and clouds. Don’t worry about Dart Traps — other than the 1st Floor, there aren’t any on the outside the Gong Pagoda. Take the Owl’s tree up to the 4th Floor, then jump from the 4th Floor to an outstretched branch of another tree. Use that tree to reach the 5th Floor. Head to the back of the 5th Floor to find Clouds that get you to the 6th Floor, and another set of Clouds to reach the roof. From the roof you can make one final jump to land on top of the nearby peak with a Petal Thrower on top.

Now, we’ve got three things we need to do. First, there’s the [BLUE BAUBLE] on top of the Side Pagoda. I’m not sure if there’s another route to it, but the only way I got to work was to Dodge Jump (Jumping and Dodging at the same time) off the nearest edge of the peak towards the bauble. Normal jumping didn’t seem to be quite enough (was very close though, so maybe a really pixel perfect jump could do it). If you find a better route, feel free to share!

Next, find yourself a Key and get back up on top of the mountain. Again, ignore the Petal Thrower, and instead bomb the top of the mountain. Drop down and avoid the acid water, and bomb the wall directly opposite where the Gong Pagoda is. You can now drop down onto a Chest containing a [PURPLE BAUBLE].

Lastly, get back up on top of the mountain, and this time use the Petal Thrower to hurl yourself across to the ledge on the opposite side. You can then follow the path to a Hillbilly Still and a Raccoon Maze. Once you find the Raccoon Stump, there’s a slightly depressed part of the ground that can be bombed to find a cave, and inside you will be taught the Gatekeeper Lullaby if you have a Flute. Immediately use it to reveal a side area that was hiding a [PURPLE BAUBLE].

Assassin Count:

• 2 Assassins (2 Red) on 1st Floor of Gong Pagoda
• 1 Assassin (White) on 2nd Floor of Gong Pagoda
• 3 Assassins (Red, 2 White) on 3rd Floor of Gong Pagoda
• 2 Assassins (2 White) on 4th Floor of Gong Pagoda
• 2 Assassins (2 Red) on 5th Floor of Gong Pagoda
• 4 Assassins (4 White) on 6th Floor of Gong Pagoda
• 3 Assassins (2 Red, White) on walkway to Checkpoint

Area 11
This area is essentially a Teleporter Maze. If you’re after the Assassin Achievement, you will be required to both successfully pass the Maze, and then return and fail it. The correct route is Left, Right, Right, Forward, Forward. The best path to failure is Forward, Left. Once you’ve killed all the assassins on both paths, then you’ll get the Assassin Achievement immediately if you’ve killed them all up til now. If you haven’t, well… time to get backtracking.

For baubles though, all we care about is the correct route, as described above. If you get spun around, remember that all directions are from the position of the Exit Teleporter (the one with the sparkles going up). At the end of the correct path, you’ll finally get a [BLUE BAUBLE]. You can also reach this bauble by falling down on to it from the Shortcut Clouds on Infantile Mode.

The Checkpoint showing the end of this area is only available along the Failure Route, but it does mean that everything after this is a new Area. It’s probably best not to trigger it at all though.

Assassin Count:

• 6 Assassins (Red, 5 White) along correct Teleport route
• 2 Assassins (2 Red) along wrong Teleport routes

Area 12
After all this, it’s time to backtrack all the way to Area 4 and enlist the aid of the Shortcut Eagle. If you succeed in the little minigame of dodging owls up there (note that the Eagle’s head offers a defensive barrier against both owls from the front and you getting knocked off from behind), then he’ll drop you off at the very end of Area 12 on top of the struts of the final Bell. There are [5 BLUE BAUBLES] to collect up here.

Area 13
Just about done now. All that’s left is the final [BLUE BAUBLE] before facing the boss. With any luck, you should be done.

You’re fantastic, thank you so much!

EDIT: I just followed your description but I didn’t get the achieve. have to try again I guess. I got the secret and master achieves though.
EDIT2: It worked this time! Don’t know what I missed the first time around, but your guide really was the best help I could’ve gotten.

Awesome guide thanks Just wandering how do you access the first chest in the second pagoda? Theres these 2 barriers i can’t seem to break

Thank you again.

I’ve updated the guide to take into account changes in the recent patch. I hope it still all makes sense — it was a bit tricky to edit some of the directions with some of the changes to the Shortcut Clouds. As always, I hope you find it useful.

TFMurphy.5136:

I’ve updated the guide to take into account changes in the recent patch. I hope it still all makes sense — it was a bit tricky to edit some of the directions with some of the changes to the Shortcut Clouds. As always, I hope you find it useful.

Hi there, just running through now and the second bauble in area 2 is now an extra life I believe, thanks again great guide