In Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair every Chapter can be played in two different ways: a normal and an altered state, called State Change. In this guide you will learn how to unlock each stage change.
What this means is that every Chapter has two levels. While the normal level is already available to you as you lower more paywalls and open up more areas of the Overworld, the State Change needs to be activated. To activate it, you need to perform certain actions, interact with specific NPCs, or use your Quills to get the requested items. Below is a list of what you need to do to unlock the State Change for every single Chapter. If you cannot unlock a specific State Change yet, you need to open up more areas of the Overworld (through paywalls and Pagie challenges) and then go back to the area to unlock the State Changes you’re missing.
Chapter 1: Capital Causeway – Chaos: to unlock this State Change, you need to find the fisherman. The fisherman is located south of the lighthouse when you get to this area later in the game. Then, go back to Chapter 1 and climb the bee’s tents to interact with him and activate the State Change.
Chapter 2: Factory Fright – Flooded: from the location where you found Tonic #8: Tri-Twirl (All Tonics Locations), go back up and cross the walled path to the left. Interact with the Pagie and complete its challenge to activate the waterfall and be able to access the State Change.
Chapter 3: Wild Web Woods – Wilder: near Chapter 5 – Gasping Glade is a water berry bush. Grab one and go north of the Chapter to find a flower seed. Water it to make a bomb berry bush appear. Grab a bomb and use it to blow up the wall next to the water berry bush. Enter the newly open area, use the crate on the switch and climb up to enter an elevated area. Use another bomb berry on the stone to drop the switch. Interact with the switch to activate the State Change.
Chapter 4: Frantic Fountains – Frozen: after completing the level in its unaltered form, Queen Phoebee will come talk to you and make an ice berry bush appear. Use it on the book to activate the State Change.
Chapter 5: Gasping Glade – Grown: to unlock this State Change, follow these steps: unlock the cage with the key inside north of the book opening Gasping Glade for 1,000 Quills. Then, use the key to open the gate that leads you to the river bed area. First, kill all enemies to get the key that unlocks the yellow gate. Second, do the same with the purple key. Now, swim under the ledge with the pile of rocks to go get one and cast it at the switch to access a green key. Use the green key to open the green gate with a bomb berry bush behind. Cast a berry bomb at the rocks that prevent the water from running.
Chapter 6: Sawblade Evade – Stuck: in the same room as Tonic #36 (All Tonics Locations) is a door leading to a tree. Buddy-slam on it to drop the honey, grab it, and then cast it at the cauldron.
Chapter 7: Production Path – Panic: accessible only after playing Production Path. After playing it, you’ll find yourself on top of the State Change.
Chapter 8: Windmill Way – Windy: you need 1,000 quills to unlock the nearby cages (500 Quills each) that contain the propellers that reactivate the fan.
Chapter 9: Urban Uprise – Updraft: unlock the key cage once you have 1,000 Quills found near the underground entrance left of the desert area. Use the key to unlock the door near one of the talking vents. Access the area and place the pipe piece back to its place. This will cause the other pipe pieces outside to come out of their locked positions. Go outside and put the pipe pieces back to their place to activate the State Change.
Chapter 10: Ropeburn Bridge – Rerouted: unlock the key cage once you have 1,000 Quills found near the underground entrance, left of the desert area. Use the key to unlock the door near one of the talking vents. Access the area and place the pipe piece back to its place. This will cause the other pipe pieces outside to come out of their locked positions. Use a water berry to quench the nearby fire, then head outside. Now you can enter the chimney. Keep entering the only doors available until you reach an area with a swinging platform. In the next section, make it across all swings until you reach a switch that lowers the platforms near the book. Now you can enter the State Change as you swing.
Chapter 11: Conveyor Chaos – Crosswire: complete the Pagie challenge to activate the red staircase found in the desert area. Then, buddy-slam on the switch in the pool to activate an underground tunnel. Enter the tunnel and use the fire berry to dispose of the stinging plants and access the flower on the crate. Move the crate, so that you can access the foreground area. On the right side of the foreground area, drop down the crate and move it next to the stones. Move the other crate with the flower on top next to the path to the right to access a bomb berry bush. Grab a bomb and use it on the stones to get to the water berry bush. Grab a water berry and cast it at the seed in front of you. Use the flowers to jump all the way up to the bridge.Walk onto the bridge and drop the crate down. Then, move the crate to the switch.
Chapter 12: Buzzsaw Falls – Frozen (for this level, the State Change can immediately be played since you find the lake in its frozen form already): start sliding on the frozen lake until you can hit the book.
Chapter 13: Cliffside Quest – Cold: first, unless you have already done so, use a water berry on the flower seed next to Nimbo the Cloud. Then, use a fire berry on him to defrost the lake. Next, you have to position the crate in a way that it blocks you from sliding further when you try to access the level when you turn the lake back to its frozen state. Then, freeze the lake back.
Chapter 14: Hazard Hanger – Hung: north of the trunks area (near the lake) are trees. You can walk under one of these trees. After the trees a Pagie challenge awaits you. Complete the challenge to access a new area. Now, use the switches to make a path out of the “bridges” that goes west, then smash the wall to drop the key from the ledge to open the cage with the Pagie inside opposite where you are. Unlock the cage, complete the Pagie challenge and then use the switch you can now access to flip the bridge and access the State Change. Now, use the switches one more time to access the flipped book.
Chapter 15: Turbine Trouble – Tidal: use a fire berry at the stinging plant surrounding the bomb berry bush, then flow the river bed by casting a bomb at the stone blocks, and lastly drop the bridge down. Grab a bomb from the nearby bush and cast it at the sandcastle near the two shopping carts. Enter the level when water flows over it.
Chapter 16: Queasy Quay – Climb: to activate this State Change, first use a bomb on the stone blocks in the river bed (found under the bridge itself) to fill it with water. You can access the bomb berry bush by casting a fire berry at the stinging plants surrounding it. Then, you can swim to the switch area. Flip the switch to lift the bridge and activate the State Change.
Chapter 17: Boom Bloom Blast – Breakthrough: enter the lighthouse from behind and interact with the switch to activate the platforms, then re-enter from the main door and use the cabled platforms to make your way through. Once at the top, push the shopping cart off the ledge to activate the State Change. To enter the State Change, you always need to climb the lighthouse and stand in the spot where you pushed the shopping kart off.
Chapter 18: Pumping Plant – Powered: to access this State Change, you have to carry the crate that is all the way to the right in the secret area to the same area where the talking crate is. Enter the door and position the cabled platform to activate the gate and access a new area where you need to solve a rather simple puzzle. Solve the puzzle to unlock the State Change.
Chapter 19: Scareship Shootout – Smoggy: once you’ve unlocked the secret area of the Overworld, one of the Pagies will bring down some ledges for you. Climb these ledges and use the crate on the switches to make a path though the wind shafts. Then, proceed and enter the first room north of you. From this room, go north until you can access a new room. Take the crate from one of the platforms and leave it atop the grid. Then, step onto the switch to drop the crate down the hole. This will tamper with the furnace, thereby activating the State Change. To enter the level, wait for the furnace to cough some smoke and for the smoke to cover the book.
Chapter 20: Scareship Scroll – Docked: all the way to the left of the Secret Area is a cart going in a circle on some rails. Jump on the book, then the flowers to enter a new area. Keep going until you can’t cross doors anymore and step on the right and left switches to drop a crate. Push the crate on the grid and use the switch to drop it down the hole. Go back from where you came from and position the crate near the platform with the switch. Use an explosive rock and cast it at the switch from atop the crate itself to be able to reach it. Then, repeat the same steps needed to drop the crate down the hole. Now enter the first room and position the crate on the left switch. Go south-east, grab an explosive rock and cast it at the switch from atop the crate itself to be able to reach it. Keep doing the same for all switches until the three lights on the cage are on. Then, repeat the same steps needed to drop the crate down the hole. Repeat the same in the last room. And one more time in the room with the cart. Position the crate in front of the cart to stop it and access the State Change.
More Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Guides:
- All Overworld Bee Team Guards Locations
- All Tonics Locations
- All T.W.I.T. Coins Locations
- Trophy Guide & Roadmap
For chapter 19 alternate, I did the required steps, but when he coughs he does not open his ‘mouth’ so the level doesnt get filled with smoke. Any suggestions?