Getting to Monkey Island to Rescue Elaine Marley

The Secret of Monkey Island is one of Lucasfilm Games’ finest works, a classic ’90s adventure game that spawned a series that is still being played 30 years later. Our hapless protagonist, Guybrush Threepwood, must become a pirate, journey to Monkey Island, and save the local governor from the evil undead pirate LeChuck. The game’s Pirates of the Caribbean-like setting and irreverent humor make it a journey you’ll enjoy the whole way through.

This particular guide concerns the journey to Monkey Island in Part Two of the game. Now that you’ve passed the three trials, Elaine’s been kidnapped, and you’ll need to get to Monkey Island to rescue her. Every reputable pirate captain needs a ship and a crew, so here’s how you make it onto Monkey Island’s warm sands.

Buying a Ship

After talking to the lookout and receiving the note from LeChuck, it’s time to get your ducks in a row and get a ship. No, seriously, you might actually need to use the ducks as a flotation device, considering what sits (and rots) in this shipyard. Go to the cluster of bright lights on the island map. You will immediately be greeted by the wild arm movements and enthusiastic spiel of Stan, of Stan’s Previously Owned Vessels.

After “walking this way” and taking a look at some of the ships, ask Stan if you can buy the cheap one in the back on credit. He hesitantly tells you that you could get a line of credit from the storekeeper in town if he will vouch for you. When you go to leave, he stops you and hands you his business card and a compass with his face on it.

Next, go back to the village and make your way to the store. Talk to the storekeeper and ask for a note of credit. When he asks you if you have a job, tell him that you do. Pirating counts, right?

Now, when the storekeeper goes to the safe, pay close attention to how he moves the lever, because it is different for every playthrough. He’ll come back to the desk with the note and ask what your job is, but no matter what, he’s not happy with your answer. He’ll put the note back, redoing the combination one more time.

When he comes back again, tell him to go find you the swordmaster of Melee Island, and he’ll tell you not to touch anything. Now you have a limited amount of time alone with the safe. Quickly repeat the combination you saw earlier by pushing and pulling the lever. Pull turns it counterclockwise, push turns it clockwise. Open it, take the credit note, and get out before the storekeeper comes back.

Once you have the note, return to the Used Ship Emporium. Your line of credit is worth 5,000 pieces of eight, so you’ll need to whittle the price of the cheap ship down. Begin haggling by telling Stan you have your line of credit now. Next, tell him, “Let’s talk extras.”

For each extra that he brings up, tell Stan that you can live without it. After all the extras are gone, ask Stan what the bare-bones ship is worth now. He’ll say 7,000. That’s not cheap enough! Try to walk, and Stan will call you back. Remove the extras again and his offer should now be 6,000. Make a counter-offer of 5,000, and the ship is yours.

Stan will meet you at the dock with the boat when you’re ready to set sail.

Recruiting Your Crew

Now that you have your vessel, it’s time to assemble your crew.

Carla

Let’s start with the easiest to recruit: Carla, the swordmaster. Her house now shows up on the map, so you don’t have to follow the storekeeper through the woods again! Simply go to her house, tell her about the situation, and she’ll agree to help you.

Otis

Our second member of the crew is Otis, the man in jail. We’re going to need to break him out first. Go to the Scumm Bar and pick up all the empty mugs you can see. After talking with the cook, go into the kitchen and use a mug with the barrel in the corner to get some grog. You’re going to have to be quick about this.

Make your way to the jail, but check your inventory often. If the grog is eating through the mug, transfer it to a different mug by using the melting mug on a new one. If you fail, go back to the Scumm Bar and pick up more mugs.

When you’ve made it to the jail, use the grog with the lock on Otis’s cell. Then ask Otis to join your crew. He’ll run away, but he’ll be back later.

Meathook

For your last crew member, you’ll need to pick something up in town. Go to the screen with the pirates that you got the treasure map from. There is a door below the sign with a voodoo mask on it across the street from them. Go through that door.

Pick up the rubber chicken (with a pulley in the middle!) from the table, and then talk to the voodoo lady for some information on how to defeat LeChuck. Ask her to read your palm and she’ll tell you about the voodoo root that can destroy him.

Now that you have the chicken, leave the village. Go to the northeast area of the map and click on the island. Take out your rubber chicken and use it on the cable to zipline across.

Once you’re on Hook Island, go into the house and talk to Meathook. Tell him the governor’s been kidnapped, and then tell him that you’re gathering a crew to rescue her. He’ll laugh at the idea of Guybrush being the captain, but you can prove him wrong. Open the door, then tease the murderous winged devil. This will impress Meathook enough to make him sign up for your crew.

The Journey to Monkey Island

When everything is taken care of, head back to the village. Stan and your crew are all waiting for you. Yeah, this might not go as smoothly as Guybrush hoped …

Now let’s set sail!

Aboard the ship, the crew quickly decides to shirk their duties and work on their suntans. So you’re going to have to pick up the slack and get to Monkey Island yourself. Start by picking up the feather pen and the ink in the captain’s room. Then open the drawer and look at it to get the previous captain’s journal. Read it by looking at it in your inventory.

Next, leave the captain’s room and climb up the mast to collect the Jolly Roger. Then go down to the lower deck through the hatch, which is somewhat hidden behind your mutinous crew. Go down through the hatch in the middle of the bunk room to reach the ship’s storage area. Pick up gunpowder from the barrel, wine from the chest in the corner, and the rope on the barrel.

Once you have all of this, climb up to the bunk room, then go through the door in the back to the kitchen. Grab the pot on the counter. Open up the cabinet to find some cereal, then open it in your inventory and eat it to get a prize. Open this prize to receive a key. Use this key in the captain’s room to open the cabinet. Open the chest inside the cabinet to get a piece of paper and some cinnamon sticks. Read the paper and you will get a recipe with directions to Monkey Island. Time to cook.

In the kitchen, put these items in the cooking pot:

• Cinnamon Sticks
• Breath Mints
• Jolly Roger
• Ink
• Fine Wine
• Rubber Chicken
• Gunpowder
• Cereal

When everything is in the pot, the fumes will make you lose consciousness. Several days later, wake up and use your Melee Island treasure map on the red-hot fire.

Next, go to the storage room and get more gunpowder. Climb out onto the upper deck to see that you’ve reached Monkey Island. Put the rope on the back of the cannon. Use gunpowder on the cannon nozzle, then use the pot. Guybrush will load himself into the cannon and shoot himself onto Monkey Island.

You made it! Time for the next chapter!

Did you enjoy Part Two: The Journey? Who in your life would you recruit to be on your pirate crew? Discuss in the comments!