Comedy music-rhythm game Trombone Champ is full of surprises. Sure, it’s laugh-out-loud funny and wildly challenging, but did you know it’s full of wacky secrets as well? Beyond simply tooting your way through the main list of songs, it’s also possible to earn the somewhat secret “true” ending to the game’s bizarre storyline. Doing so is much easier said than done, however. It’ll take quite a bit of time to achieve Trombone Champ’s true ending, but in this guide, we’ll show you all the steps you’ll need to reach and complete the final battle.

Trombone Champ secret ending requirements

There are several steps you’ll need to complete to unlock Trombone Champ’s true ending. Thankfully, there aren’t any missable tasks, meaning you can mop up any objectives you might’ve skipped at any time.

These are the general steps needed to reach the true ending:

1. Earn S-rank on four songs
2. Earn the blue key
3. Earn the red key
4. Collect all cards
5. Face the final boss

1. Earn S-rank on four songs

This is a seemingly daunting task, but thankfully, you only need to earn an S-rank on four songs rather than all of them. Pick whichever songs you find the easiest, but we suggest “Warm Up,” “Ball Game,” “Zarathustra,” and “Trombone Skyze.”

S-ranking requires earning a specific score on each song, so it pays to keep your combo going as much as possible. You’ll likely earn this while accumulating Toot currency for the subsequent steps.

Earn the blue key

After that, click the Baboon option from the main menu and you’ll come to a dimly lit area with a weird trapdoor in the bottom left. Interact with it and click each of the four “S” tiles (one for each S-rank) to unlock the door. Note: Doing so will trigger a bit of a jumpscare, so be prepared.

You’ll then gain access to the Baboon, and from here, you can unlock the ability to pay “Toots,” which is a form of currency you’ll earn by completing songs. For this particular portion, you need to give 10,000 Toots to the Tootvessle to unlock the blue key.

Earn the red key

Earning the red key works almost exactly like obtaining the blue key, but instead, you have to speak with a different Baboon. You need to unlock the Bass Clef card for this step.

To unlock cards, you have to spend Toots in the Collect menu. As you earn Toots, make sure to always visit the Collect menu to buy stacks of cards. You’ll likely come across duplicates, but that’s okay (you’ll need duplicates for a later step).

Once you obtain the Bass Clef card, tap on it multiple times and you’ll unlock a dimly lit room, just like in the previous step. This gives you access to another hatch on the floor, so unlock it by interacting with the four “S” corners. Then you need to deposit Turds (we aren’t kidding) into the Turdvessel.

Turds are obtained by scrapping cards, so make sure you constantly check to see if you have duplicates. After you’ve deposited 3,000 Turds, you’ll earn the red key.

Collect all cards

This next step will take you the most amount of time. Keep spending Toots to unlock all 50 cards, which are comprised of many famous classical musicians.

You must then trade each card to a demon to unlock the true ending. Keep clicking on the candle in the bottom right of the screen to access the demon, who will request you give him one of each card.

When offering a card, the demon presents you with a minigame involving a chest, wherein you must tap on it to earn a trombone color. One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need 10 duplicates of the Hot Dog card (#37) for the final battle. You’ll also need a copy of Trazom (#46) to enter the final boss battle itself.

After giving the demon all 50 cards, you’ll earn the final trombone color needed for the true ending.

Face the final boss

After you’ve traded in all 50 cards, head to the Settings from the main menu and navigate to the Allegiance option.

Change your Baboon Quantity to Inferno and Baboon Preference to Hamadryas. Then, select the Trazom card from your collection and spam tap it to reach a segment that requires the use of the two keys you’ve earned.

This will unlock the final battle, but before you begin, change your character to Servant of Babi and your trombone color to Champ.

The final track is called “Eine Kleine (Champ Mix)” and it’s incredibly difficult. However, you don’t need to earn a specific score to pass it.

Simply make sure you have 10 Hot Dog cards in your collection and you’ll earn the game’s true ending. If you begin the battle without 10 Hot Dogs, go back and earn them before trying again.

Trombone Champ is available on Steam now.