Chapter 9-2: Cauldron Keep

Clifftop

Collect some eggs, whatever you need, then head back to the warp silo and take your hide over to the Plateau.

< PLATEAU >
I almost forgot about this; you may have, too. Head up to Honey B’s Hive.

< HONEY B'S HIVE >
Yup, we’ve collected all honeycomb pieces now, so we’re able to trade in our pieces for an extension at last; a complete 10-honeycomb healthbar. Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do to double our health bar or make it red like in Banjo-Kazooie, unless we want to use cheats, however I strongly advise to beat the game without cheats on your first run, else you may spoil the fun of the game and the feeling of achievement you get by knowing you’ve beaten everything without cheating. Anyway, exit the hive.

< PLATEAU >
Warp to Quagmire. Honestly, I skipped this part when I was doing my test run of the guide’s route, but obviously this part is a lot more important to newer players. You’ll find that out for yourself all too soon, I promise.

< QUAGMIRE >
Head on through to Grunty Industries. The monster level has yet to be tamed properly… but we’re almost there.

Grunty Industries

Alright; back again for more. We’ve picked up the final Jinjo for this level so all that remains now is a Cheato Page and two final Jiggies. No more Jinjos, no more notes, no more honeycombs. The final stretch. Let’s finish it all off. Head inside the Industries for starters.

< FLOOR 1 >
As soon as you enter, head left and down the stairs into the air conditioning plant.

< BASEMENT - AIR CONDITIONING PLANT >
Head right and take the steel ladder up, then follow the vent down into the room with the giant fan. Head up towards it and into the corner, through a small doorway.

< BASEMENT - WASTE DISPOSAL PLANT >
Split up using the pads on your left, then use Banjo’s shack pack to grab the Jiggy (9) in the toxic waste below. Once you’re done, exit.

< BASEMENT - AIR CONDITIONING PLANT >
Take the vent all the way back to the steps to Floor 1 and head back up again.

< FLOOR 1 >
Head right around the room until you find the Worker’s Quarters, then head down.

< WORKER'S QUARTERS >
Blast open one of the toilet doors and you’ll find yet another old friend from Banjo-Kazooie; the toilet from Mad Monster Mansion named Loggo. Unblock him using the bill drill in his bowl (…yeck. The things we have to do in this game) then grab the Cheato Page (3) he coughs up before exiting the Worker’s Quarters once again.

< FLOOR 1 >
Head into the corner of the room to the battery powered Waste Disposal Plant. Climb the ladder up and head on inside.

< BASEMENT – WASTE DISPOSAL PLANT >
Use the split up pads below to switch to Banjo, then use your sack pack move to get across to the other side. Step on the switch to shatter the glass box containing a jiggy, then collect your prize (10). Congratulations – you’ve collected all items in Banjo Tooie! Sack Pack it back over to Kazooie again, then use a ladder to get back to Floor 1 once more.

< FLOOR 1 >
Just get out of here already. I’m sure you don’t want to see this place again. Well, not sure; it’s just about 90% of Banjo fans hate this place to death. I didn’t think it was too bad, but I dunno; I like all worlds in BK and BT, so I can’t really say anything.

< GRUNTY INDUSTRIES >
Out through the main doors, say goodbye to the purple sludge.

< QUAGMIRE >
Well, say goodbye to the sludge for a few seconds. Oh well. Follow the large white-grey pipe on the ground to the right of the area and
you’ll find some claw clamber boots at the end. Take them back down the length of the pipe, and at the other end of the area you’ll find footprints going up the wall. Head on up, then cancel the boots with B. Press the shock spring switch and you’ll activate a shock spring pad down below to make it easier to come back just incase you save and quit. Which, a lot of people may need to do. I’m just warning you, there’s some tough things coming up. You’ve been warned. Head on through the once-electified door by the Jiggy altar.

Cauldron Keep

I have to say it now; the music here is simply epic. Really sets the mood for what’s to come, and to remind you of just how far you’ve been since the start of the game. This is it, you’re finally here. Now, if only there was a way in. Aw… not this again.

First off, activate the warp pad. You may need to use it if you save and quit. Next, split up and use Banjo’s sack pack move to hop across the toxic pink waste to the other side. Step onto the switch with Banjo’s face on it, then press A to switch to Kazooie.

With Kazooie, glide over to the other side and land on her switch. The gate will drop down over the moat providing a nice bridge for later, however there’s still the problem of the electrical fence preventing you from getting inside.

Pair up the duo, then run around the back of the tower. Kill the Minjo that’s lurking back there, then step on the BK pad to deactivate the laser grid. Run back around once more and head on through into the Keep.

< CAULDRON KEEP - INTERIOR >
From the door, you’ll walk across a very reflective glass floor into a seemingly empty room. Until Kazooie notices the change in music, of course. That’s right, you’re in for another boss battle. Down from above drops Klungo in front of you once more. It’s easy to see he’s been treated quite well by Grunty, with two black eyes and several bandages adorning his battered body. Alas, the minion wishes to prove his loyalty to his master. On with the fight.

Boss Battle – Klungo: Career-Questioning Minion

It’s quite hard to rate the difficulty of this fight. Some people find it tough and end up losing a lot of honeycombs, whereas others can finish off Klungo without breaking a sweat. I tend to think the fight’s easier than some people make it out to be; at least if you know what to do.

The third Klungo fight isn’t too different to the other two; Klungo still possesses the same attacking patterns for the most part, but with some improved speed and accuracy when lobbing potions. His main strategy for the fight will depend on which potions he has used in previous fights.

As you should already know, Klungo has three different vials he will use against you in the game, not including the yellow ones he throws. The red potion is the easiest, and involves Klungo growing to super size then proceeding to attempt to crush you. You can hurt him as he’s growing and before he proceeds to leap around the room after you, which is what makes this fight so easy.

If Klungo uses the second potion, the green one, he’ll turn invisible. Again, this isn’t too hard if you’re close to him as he finishes throwing the yellow vials, since you’ll be able to roll directly at him as soon as the force field goes down and be able to hit him.

The third potion he uses is the hardest, the blue one. Klungo will create copies of himself; first two, then three and four. Remember that the real Klungo will remain standing still for the longest period of time, so don’t hit the Klungos that start walking around the room first.

Hit Klungo three times and you’ll finish him off, once and for all. Klungo will reveil that, through all of his dedication to Gruntilda, he still feels like he isn’t getting enough recognition for his work. No promotions from Grunty, no days off and no pay. One has to wonder why the guy signed up for the job for the first place, but at least he’s finally realising and quitting now, I guess.

Klungo walks out the door and down through the Cauldron Keep exit; saying he might get a new desk job making stupid games now that he’s not with Gruntilda anymore. Collect the three honeycombs Klungo leaves behind if you need them, then head through the dark doorway into the next room.

Tower of Tragedy Quiz

That’s right; if you’ve ever played Banjo-Kazooie through before, you’d know that Banjo games wouldn’t be a complete experience without the end-of-game quiz show. Obviously it’s important that you complete the game to its fullest and pay attention to each task in the game, as you’ll be quizzed on the things you’ve done here.

Grunty puts you up against her two sisters, Mingella and Blobbelda in the Tower of Tragedy. Each of you has a weight hanging above your head, which supposedly weighs one ton. When the timer of a round expires, Grunty checks to see who has the least points for that round, and, you guessed it, that person gets squished.

Pressing the B button after Grunty reads out a question will allow you to buzz in. If you buzz in, you’ll be able to select from three possible answers to the question – use the control stick to choose then hit the A button to finalise your answer. You’ve only got 5 seconds to make your pick after buzzing in, though, so pick wisely.

Getting an answer correct will gain you two points, whereas getting it wrong will lose you two points. If someone buzzes in before you and is unable to answer the question, you’ll be able to buzz in and answer yourself, however in this case you’ll only gain one point for getting it correct and only lose one point for getting it wrong.

Just one final note; every now and then Grunty will put up a screen from the game for you to look at. If she does this, analyse the picture but DO NOT BUZZ IN EARLY. The questions she asks on these pictures are quite random, not just ‘which level would you find this in’ questions. If you buzz in early, you’ll often find yourself with a few random numbers or colours as answers to pick from, but no question to guide you in your choice making. Play it safe
and just wait until the question is up before buzzing in.

< ROUND 1 - ONE GETS TONNED! >
Round one first; you’ll find yourself up against both sisters, so you’ll face the occasional problem of a sister buzzing in before you, but other than that you should go alright. Usually there’ll be one sister left with 2 points or left here, so as long as you manage to answer a few right, you’ll be okay.

180 seconds, or 3 minutes are put on the clock; just watch the timer carefully and make sure your score is at least the second best; although getting enough points for a clear lead is wise, too.

< ROUND 2 - WHICH GETS SQUISHED? >
Round two now. Funny how Grunty doesn’t just pull your switch right now instead. She mustn’t like her sisters very much at all, even if they
saved her.

Both players who are left have their scores reset to zero; which can be a good thing if you were behind, but not too nice if you were miles in front of the two sisters in round one. Another 180 seconds are put on the clock for this round, so just keep an eye on that timer as you go, and hold your nose in front to prevent yourself from getting squashed flat.

< ROUND 3 - BANJO LOST OR GRUNTY SQUASHED? >
Final round. Since there aren’t any more sisters to squash anymore, Grunty’s decided to change the rules up a bit for the final round. She won’t be showing the answers to the questions now until you buzz in, so make sure that you don’t buzz in unless you’re sure you know the answer. You can save time by skipping any questions you’re unsure of with the Z button before you buzz in, too.

Grunty’s put up a nice little score for you to beat within the 180 second time limit, so you’ll need to answer at least eight questions correctly in order to beat her score of 15. It shouldn’t be too hard since there aren’t any sisters to buzz in before you this time around, so just be sure to buzz in for questions that you actually know the answer to. Keep an eye on the clock though; you may have to take a few stabs if you’re behind in the last minute.

Once you finally beat Gruntilda, she’ll claim the win invalid due to faulty equipment and make up a whole bunch of other excuses. Just to prevent you from winning the game that easily, she’ll use the rocket boosters in her quiz stand to blast up to the top of the tower. Darn, if only beating her were that easy.

Banjo will hop off the stand and run through a door marked Gun Chamber. Then the camera will cut away to the Tower of Tragedy screen Grunty used to show you scenes from the game, and the credits will play. Don’t press start yet; enjoy the music and have a look through the staff list. Or go take a breather, go to the toilet, get a drink or whatever and relax before the next part; your hardest battle in the game is about to come.

Once the credits are finally over, another cutscene will play and you’ll see Banjo running down some stairs into the huge gun chamber, towards the panel Grunty used at the start of the game to drain Jingaling’s health from him. Apparently it’s time to revive our two unlucky friends from the start of the game.

After Banjo gapes at the panel for a few seconds, thinking of what to do and what to press, Kazooie becomes tired of waiting and decides to hit a few random buttons and just see what happens. Jamjars wonders how stupid the bird can get and just what she has done.

… but miraculously, Kazooie not only manages to target King Jingaling, but restore his life force once more. Now the Jinjo Village has been restored to its former glory… save for those poor grey jinjos; how could we ever forget them?

After Jamjars apologises to Kazooie, the breegull repeats her random button pressing and targets Bottles the mole, managing to restore his life force as well. we’ll never guess how, seeing as the witches never actually drained Bottles’ life force in the first place… perhaps Kazooie gave him half of Jingaling’s? Who knows for sure?

Anyway, after the cutscene is finished, you’ll be able to move around the gun chamber again. Pick up some honeycombs from Grunty’s Life force tank/shower thing if you need them, then go over into the corner of the room to find Dingpot, Gruntilda’s cauldron from the first game. Who knows why he hasn’t gotten up and left old Grunty yet like Klungo. Either way, talk to him and he’ll tell you to jump in for another surprise. He’ll refill all your items up to the max, which is quite handy as you’ll need a lot of eggs to take Grunty down in this fight.

Once you’ve got your eggs, head out under the gun to find a way out of the Gun Chamber.

Next: Final Fight