Rogue Legacy 2 guide: How to ‘hear a thousand whispers’

There are plenty of mysteries to uncover in the randomly generated dungeons of Rogue Legacy 2. For one of them, you’ve likely come across floating auras in your various runs that defy any explanation. These whispers seem like they may offer up valuable information, but until you find a certain item, their words will elude you.

In this Rogue Legacy 2 guide, we’ll show you how to hear a thousand whispers and explain how they can help you in your adventures.

How to hear a thousand whispers

Image: Cellar Door Games via Polygon

If you’ve come across a floating aura that reads …

????
(You hear a thousand whispers, but you can’t make out a voice…)

… you won't be able to decipher it at first. To understand these voices, which the game calls Memory Fragments, you need to gain the Power of Empathy through an Heirloom called Aesop’s Tome. Unlock that skill, and you can permanently hear Memory Fragments’ subconscious thoughts.

Aesop’s Tome

To gain the Aesop’s Tome Heirloom, you’ll need to find a special chamber that contains the entrance to a mini-dungeon. You’ll know you’re in an Heirloom room if the icon on your map shows an orange candle.

The room containing Aesop’s Tome is vertical, with multiple blue lamps you’ll need to Downstrike to reach the upper level. At the top, speak to the statue.

Image: Cellar Door Games via Polygon

The status offers you a chance to gain Aesop’s Tome. Your health and mana will be restored before you’re teleported to a different location where you must solve several physical puzzle with the aid of Memory Fragments. If you die within this dungeon, your run will end, but at least the mini-dungeon is the same each time you make an attempt for Aesop’s Tome.

At the start of this challenge, you’ll land on the top of a tower with two areas where you can drop down. Both of them would lead to your death. Listen to the Memory Fragment, which clue you in on a hidden, third place to drop down. Jump down to a lower platform in the center of the structure, fall through the building, teleport to a new area.

Image: Cellar Door Games via Polygon

Once you’ve understood that Memory Fragments can offer advice to hidden pathways, you’ll then learn another use for the Power of Empathy: the ability to calm down a special enemy called a Nightmare, which cast a circular area of effect around them. If you attack while inside their bubble, they’ll shoot a powerful ball of energy at you.

After their introduction you’ll have to make it through a few doors that force you to attack and dodge their projectiles. Then a Memory Fragment will let you know that, if you can get close enough to one, you can also temporarily shut down their ability to harm you.

From there, you’ll enter a few more chambers where you have to juggle between dodging Nightmare attacks, shutting them down, and fighting enemies.

If you manage to survive all the trials, you’ll receive the Aesop’s Tome Heirloom. From that point forward, all characters can listen to Memory Fragments, gain tips about hidden chambers, and read the memories of other characters in the story.