Items old and new in Spelunky 2 can aid you in your quest to the bottom of the ruins, but some are more obtuse than others. One of which is the Four-leaf Clover, an item new to the sequel. And it may be more useful than you think.
You may have been lucky enough to run into a pilfering Leprechaun by now during your runs, but it’s very possible you didn’t kill it if it scurried off with your stolen item(s) to somewhere you couldn’t get to safely.
The Leprechaun can be defeated, of course, and should you strike it down you will receive a Four-leaf Clover.
Reportedly, you may also obtain a Four-leaf Clover from some events, though I cannot comment on that myself for now.
The question is what does the Four-leaf Clover do exactly? The game doesn’t say outright, so what good does it do you?
What the Four-Leaf Clover Does in Spelunky 2
This nifty item brings a quality of life change to a run that some potential fans have been clamoring for since Spelunky HD: an elongation of the ghost timer.
With the Four-leaf Clover in your inventory, the ghost timer will be extended by a full two minutes. This means you have an extra two minutes per floor to explore before that big spooky guy comes and ruins your good time. Provided you don’t hit one of those ghost vases, anyway.
Having some extra time to explore is a boon for some, but for score chasers or particularly greedy players the Clover might not be so useful.
Just as in Spelunky HD, in Spelunky 2 the ghost turns all gems it passes through into valuable diamonds — though the ghost is extra aggressive here in the sequel, and the playerbase has yet to work out effective ghostrunning strategies for high scores.
Though the Four-leaf Clover might not be useful for score chasers, for the average player its ghost-stalling ability is a huge benefit not to be ignored. It’s worth the effort to chase Leprechauns down and give them a few good lashes to add this item to your inventory.
New to Spelunky 2? Check out our guide on how to cure poison.
