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Lagoon Layer SL101 contains fifteen Banandium Gems inDonkey Kong: Bananza, consisting of Gems 26-40 of the Lagoon Layer. Some of these are tremendously tricky to find, necessitating trips to the layer above or tunneling beneath sections of the stage to hunt them down. Since it’s one of the game’s earlier areas, it’s also likely that you won’t have upgraded Sonar yet, further complicating the hunt.
This guide will explain how to track down all fifteen Banandium Gems in Lagoon Layer SL101, inDonkey Kong Bananza. We’ll provide map images and detailed explanations of how to reach some of the trickier and better-hidden ones, such as those found above the Orang-Hang Highway, or the one that requires a fair bit of exploring on SL100 before you’re able to even reach it.
26 - Landed in Salvager’s Landing
This one is a freebie,becoming available when you break the Void Stake that blocks the path down to SL101.You’ll reach this one just by following the story and progressing through SL100. It’s worth three Banandium Gems for unlocking skill points.
27 - Shifty Smash: A Wall Hanging in Air
This next one is right behind you when you enter, though it may be worth waiting until you’ve reflooded the area so you don’t have to spend as long climbing back up if you mess up the jump. You’ll need to grab some terrain and use it to perform a jump shot,allowing you to reach the spot shown on the map in image 1. From here, you can punch a switch to cause a concrete wall to appear and a timer to start counting down. Tear off some of the explosive material nearby and throw it at the wall, rinsing and repeating until the entire concrete wall has been destroyed. If the timer runs out, you’ll have to start over, but the time limit is fairly generous. Once the wall is destroyed, the Banandium Gem will appear where the switch was.
28 - On the Ceiling of the Floor
This one is well-hidden but pretty easy to reach. You can find it underneath the area shown on the map above, but you’ll need to reflood the map so you can swim underneath and reach it. You’ll achieve this as you play through the level normally, so just remember to come back and take a little swim once the water level is high enough to get there.
29 - Over The Thorny Path
This Banandium Gem, along with the next two on this list, is found inside a special challenge called “Thorn-Choked Conveyor”. You can find this challenge at the spot shown on the map above, and enter it by performing a Dive Punch. Once inside, the first Banandium Gem is straight ahead, blocked by some thorns. Rip a chunk of stone out of the ground and swing it at the thorns to clear yourself a path to the gem.
30 - Into the Thorny Nook
This next one can be found a little further along the path,after using chunks of the explosive floor to blow away a wall of thorns.After passing the wall, look for a smaller wall of thorns blocking off a side path, which you can blast open in the same way to reveal this Banandium Gem.
31 - Through the Thorny Walls
Returning to the main path after grabbing the last Banadium Gem, continue blasting your way through the thorn walls to reach the end of the challenge, where one final Banandium Gem awaits.
32 - The Salvager’s Stash
This Banandium Gem is really easy to grab,since it’s in an enclosed underground room beneath the Style Shop.You can’t dig down into it, but if you head to the spot shown on the map above, you can find a path that leads right to it, underneath a house. There’s a Salvager NPC elsewhere in the level who will mark the gem’s location on your map if you talk to them, but this only shows the gem’s location and doesn’t help with finding the way down to it.
33 - Battle: Concrete-Wall Clash
To earn this Banandium Gem, you’ll have to head for the location shown on the map above, where you’ll find the entrance to a battle challenge. Your goal here is to take out two Crockoids within a very tight time limit, further complicated by the concrete walls separating sections of the area. You should grab some explosive terrain and hurl it at the first concrete wall to break it, then run through and grab another to throw at the first Crockoid. Once the Crockoid is just a golden skeleton, punch it to take it out. Throw explosive terrain to blast open the next wall, run through, and repeat the process on the second Crockoid to win. As long as you move fast, you can take this out really quickly.
If you have Kong Bananza unlocked, you could also use the empowered punches from that form to break the walls and crack the armor on the Crockoids, though it takes slightly longer than using the terrain if you haven’t upgraded the punches for that form.
34 - Up, Over, and Across
You’ll earn this one as you progress through the story for this area, when you set out to pull the second plug and continue reflooding the area. You’ll have to use explosive terrain to break a blockage on a climbable wall, before heading up and across a mesh ceiling to reach the gem.
35 - Within the Fast-Growing Grass
To get this one, you’ll need to finish reflooding the area, and then head to the spot shown on the map above.Swim under this island to find a mesh you can hang from.You’ll need to move fast once you grab onto the mesh, as thorns will grow on it as you climb and knock you off if they reach you. Move forward until you reach the fork in the path, then wrap around to the right and make for the gem as fast as you can.
36 - Hangin' on Orangu-Hang Highway!
Another one you’ll find just by following the story, you can track down this Banandium Gem after briefly returning to SL100 and diving back down a little further on. You’ll arrive at the start of the Orangu-Hang Highway after dropping back down to SL100, with this Banandium Gem right ahead of you.
37 - Concrete Wall on the Moving Floor
To get this one, you’ll first need to cross the Orangu-Hang Highway, after getting Banandium Gem 36. On the far side of it is a platform where an enemy that creates columns of explosive terrain can be found. You’ll want to grab a chunk of explosive terrain and throw it at the concrete wall above the Orangu-Hang Highway (see images 1 and 2). After that, bait the enemy into creating a pillar near the opening you created, climb to the top of it, and grab some terrain to perform a double jump and get up above the Orangu-Hang Highway. From here, you just need to head for the section with a moving platform and ride it to the Banandium Gem.
38 - Outskirts of the Fishing Village
Easily the hardest Banandium Gem to find in all of SL101, you’ll need to head up to SL100 to begin the search for this one.Teeleport to the fast-travel point shown in the first image, and make your way to the spot shown in the second image. By performing a Dive Punch to break through the ground here, you’ll find a hidden Void Stake that, when destroyed, releases this Banandium Gem. It promptly falls down a hole leading back to SL101, so dive after it and snag three points of progress toward your next skill point.
39 - Crossed to the Kong Elder’s Court!
Another one you’ll find during the story, this Banandium Gem can be found near the Kong Elder, who can be reached once you’ve reflooded the area and thus raised the bridge leading to him.
40 - The Ship Stern’s Snack
This final Banandium Gem is easy to reach once you’ve got access to the Kong Elder’s Court. Just wrap around the huge mound of Shipping Containers behind the Kong Elder, and make your way to the spot shown on the map above to claim the final Banandium Gem for SL101. You’ll have to do a little climbing, but it’s easy to reach now that the area is flooded.
