Skylanders: Shrink Squad

Ancient Arkeyan Athenaeum Walkthrough

Chapter Gimmick:
Has lots of puzzle areas where you must find the Arkeyan Keys to put in the Arkeyan Activators which then open the great gates so you can pass through. Along the way you will fight many Arkeyan enemies that you may be familiar with from Giants, as well as some new Arkeyan enemies (See Ch. 9 intro for their descriptions)

Chapter Design:
Is a massive group of caverns linked together all to reach the center of the great island. Large Arkeyan style bridges run through the caverns, sometimes connecting to walls or even leading to large areas filled with book cases. Over the edge of the bridges is a long fall into the abyss. Great golden lights hang from the caverns roof, giving the area an eerily yellow glow over all the blue.

You begin the level on the large stone platform outside the great gates. The Brain is waiting next to the Arkeyan Activator just outside them. He opens up with this dialogue:

"Ah, Skylander. Aren't these gates just magnificent? If you listen carefully you can hear the hum of the power it's creating to form a protective shield. My word, the Arkeyans were such great innovators."

"Anywho, this panel beside me is what controls it. But the only way to use said panel is by getting one of the access keys. Otherwise there is virtually no way to enter the Athenaeum, not even brute force or frontal assault could do it... Ah... if only I could meet one of those innovators. There work is truly extraordinary. Bah, oh sorry, Skylander. I got lost in my thoughts once again. I can take a look to see if there's any way to short circuit the shield — I doubt there is — so you should be on the lookout for the key. That may be our only way in."

You can now explore the area. On both the left and right side of the grand gate is a cave. You head towards the cave in the right first. You enter it to find the tech elemental gate.

In the tech realm you find a bunch of spinning cog platforms that you have to parkour across. Multiple small suspended platforms stand directly next to each of the cogs. Great mechanical arms stretch out of them and smash down atop the cogs, dealing heavy damage and momentarily stunning you.

When you reach the end of the platforms, you unlock the areas hat and a teleporter that returns you back outside the tech realm.

Heading back outside, you cross to the cave on the left. Entering it, you travel down this long passage before coming upon a fork in the road. If you go left, you will come upon a lever you will need to pull. This unlocks a gate deeper in the cave.

Returning to the fork in the road, take the path to the right. This leads you to another fork in the road. You can go either left or right here. Going right leads you to the second switch, which opens the gates deeper in the area. Returning to the fork you were just at, take the left path.

You will pass through a gateway that was opened by that first switch before reaching one final fork in the road. Either side you take doesn't matter as they both lead to the same place. The second lever opened the gates to these paths that lead you into a large cavern.

This final cavern is guarded by an Arkeyan Servitor flanked by two Arkeyan Bombers. Behind them is the key to the activator.

You defeat them and grab the key, heading back out of the cave and over to the Activator where you place it. Using the joystick, you screw the key in on top until it emits a blue light. A short cutscene plays....

The light shines up the great Arkeyan Gates, causing the two orange beacons of power on the door to shine brighter. The light blue haze of the force field slowly disappears as the golden claw like mechanisms release the center and the gate begins to creep open.

Sharpfin and The Brain watch in awe together as the gate opens... it suddenly stops. A loud noise sounding like the engine to a sky ship that is trying to start, but just won't comes from the gate. Smoke flows from the top mechanisms and the orange light of the beacons to go out, leaving them in silence.