Ghid: Sonic The Hedgehog 3 - Chaos Emerald (Giant Ring) Location Guide

[RonanN1]

Angel Island Act 1

First Ring, Location

The first ring is simple to find. At the top of the first hill you
come to, where a mean rhino-like bot storms up and down and two set
of imposing spikes stand, there is a platform that collapses as you
walk over it. Just drop down, turn around, and spin into the grey
rock that blocks the entrance to the chamber with the ring. Easy!

Second Ring, Location

The second ring is slightly less easy to locate, but it's pretty
straight-forward once you realise where it actually is. After the
flame-oh-bot (can you tell that I'm making up names!) comes down
and turns the environment into a fire hazard, proceed to your right
until you reach a set of springs (two facing up, two facing down).
Now, instead of choosing the springy route, drop down off the
platform you are on and, like with the first ring, turn around
and spin into the rock that blocks the ring room. Only this ring
chamber is a little taller (as it puts you back to the position you
where in after you watched the flame-oh-bot desecrate the
landscape. Just bounce on the spring and you'll fly into the ring!

Angel Island Act 2

First Ring, Location

I'm not sure if things can get much easier. The game practically
forces you to enter the first special stage by throwing you down
a tunnel, across the weak platforms and into the ring room.

Second Ring, Location

Towards the end of act 2 (after the spike traps with the extra
life), there's a large U-shaped bend that is filled with water.
Going over this feature are some disappearing platforms that take
you further into the level (or, more precisely, onto a platform
that'll break if you hang about for too long). Instead of going
higher, you want to drop down into the U-bend and spin up and down
the sides. Eventually you'll gain enough height to be able to roll
into the ring chamber on the right side of the U-bend.

Hidrocity Act 1

First Ring, Location

The first giant ring can be tricky to locate and find, as you only
have one shot at it. There's a section in the level where, after
using a lengthy sequence of conveyer belts and fans, you reach a
high-up slope that propels you into a loop-the-loop and, in turn, a
short tunnel that takes you up a very tall wall. (There's one of
those extra-speed-hand thingys in case you don't have enough speed
from the lope-the-loop.) At the top of this wall, you'll see one of
those rail-track-like platforms leading off. Stand on the very
first bit of this platform and it'll break, sending you downwards.
Now you need to push left to get as close to the wall on the left
as possible, and with a bit of luck you'll land just on the edge of
the entrance to the ring room that is situated halfway up the wall
on your left as you fall down from the collapsing platform.
With Knuckles, just climb up if you miss it. With Tails, fly.

Second Ring, Location

Right near the end on the act, before the final star post, there is
a place where two rail-track platforms (as I vaguely refer to them
as) converge. At the base of the lower rail-track platform,
there's a ring room built into the nearby wall (it's on the left as
you come down the rail-rack). It's relatively easy to locate this
last ring, since it's on the same height as the ground, and
sometimes you'll even find it by accident (if you spin dash after
you come up out of the underwater section where fans propel you up
to the surface, you fly straight into the room).

Hidrocity Act 2

First Ring, Location

There's a point about half-way through this act, when you fly down
a water slide (well, they look like water slides!) and at the
bottom is a speed boost hand-out-of-the-ground machine. Use this
speed boost to spin up the wall next to you, then land on the
moving grey-coloured block that should be directly above you. Wait
until the grey block gets close to the left wall, and once it does,
jump off at the left wall. Hopefully, you'll land in the entrance
to the first giant ring!

Second Ring, Location

The next ring is slightly harder to get. Near the end of level,
you're thrown through a loop-the-loop and down a spiralling water
slide. The speed you gain from this slide forces you to spin up
high between two close together walls. One you're at this height,
you need to land on the spinning blue columns that move up and
down next to both ides of the wall. Once you're on the column that
goes up the right-hand wall, wait until it is as high as
possible, then jump up and into the entrance to the ring room
(situated just above the column, but it's easy to see the opening).

Marble Garden Act 1

First Ring, Location

Early on in the level (If you take the upper route) you encounter
the drill-machine mini-boss and then a section with two of those
pulverising spiked machines. (You will get to this place from the
fourth ring too) Proceed past this slope and then spin dash your
way up the very steep slope you come across. Now use the vertically
moving platforms to make your way up the level and you should see a
flame shield monitor on your right. Get this shield and jump back
onto the platforms. Once you're at the highest these platforms go,
jump onto one of the three small ledges that are twirling on an
axis. Once you're at the highest point these ledges reach leap off
to the left and execute the shield's ability. With a little luck
you'll have flamed yourself into the ring chamber (it's easier to
get this ring with the other characters, as you might have imagined.

Second Ring, Location

Instead of jumping back on the twirling platforms when you get to
the ledge with the fire shield, go right. You should move past two
balloon-spikes (!) and see yet another set of twirling platforms
(I twirl, you twirl, the whole world twirls), and at the top of
these platforms is a ledge that leads to the giant ring. Through
hours of painstaking research I've discovered that these platforms
can't be reliably reached with Sonic (unless you spend hours trying
to get that blue twister thingy to move properly). Tails is your
best bet for this ring, then.

Third Ring, Location

There are two ways to get this ring:
First way is to fall down from the room where the fourth ring was.
You will be in a wide tunnel with lots of rings, one Ring TV, and
a lightning shield. Go to the left to exit from this tunnel. You
will fall into a 3 sided moving platform. To the right, there will
be some spikes, and an invincibility TV on a cliff.
The spike is really a badnik, so stand to the side of the cliff,
and spindash it! You will destroy the badnik, hit the TV, and
brake into the secret room where the Giant Ring is.

The second way: At the start of the level, at the middle of the
slides, there will be a yellow spring shooting you diagonally up
to the right. You'll have to stand on a 3 sided moving platform,
otherwise you will continue falling down. If you managed to stand
on it, go to the right till you can, and eventually you will find
the cliff described above.

Fourth Ring, Location

At one point in this stage you reach slope with a ball and chain
swinging vertically over it. Proceed past this section, down
another slope and over a platform with three sets of spikes. Now
jump over the gap that separates the platform you're on from
another one to your left and carry on going until you reach a fast-
sneakers power-up. Smash this monitor, then spin dash into the
plain column in the wall on your left. It should break, letting
you enter the ring room.

Fifth Ring, Location

You must take the below route for this one, at the beginning when
you are falling down, you have to fall as deep as you can.

At one point in this expansive level you reach an area with one of
those blue circles embedded in the ground. Spindash again it and a
column will rise in front of you. This column enables you to easily
reach a platform that is moving horizontally over a section of
spikes (a balloon-spike enemy is around here). Continue on using the
platforms to ascend to the top of the steep hill. Then proceed down
the other side of the hill and spin into the column to knock a
section out so you can continue your descent. You should see a blue
spinning top. Instead of using this drop off the ledge and you'll
fall into that sticky, sinking mud.
To your left will be the ring chamber.

Sixth Ring, Location

There's a section in this level where you travel along a ledge
heading right, then reach an opening with a flame shield monitor and
three platforms twirling on an axis, before heading back on yourself
via a higher platform that travels left. At the end of this platform
you come across a blue spinning top and an arrow that points
upwards. Jump on the spinning top, keep pressing left and you should
find yourself moving upwards against the left wall. Once you reach
the top you'll move through the wall and into the room with the
giant ring.

Seventh Ring, Location

This one is right after Ring #5
When you encounter one of those long blue poles that spin you
around, after you roll down a steep hill, try to exit the pole to
the left (from the player's point of view) by jumping off just as
Sonic twirls around to that side. Now proceed on up a small hill
(with two balloon-spikes nearby) and let the red spring you come
across push you up the quarter-pipe style slope to your left. At the
top of the jump (propelled by the spring's power) move right and
aim to land on the spikes sticking out of the ledge on the right.
Then simply walk into the ring chamber!

Eighth Ring, Location

After you spin through a room with three ring monitors (after
smashing a column with a huge spiked ball on a chain hanging over
it) you'll come to one of those ancient faces that spit arrows out
at you. Hit its red spot (the third eye?!) and the platform will
break under your feet. Now head left and you'll reach a row of
spikes with a platform moving horizontally over them (and a sign
pointing down at the end of the spikes). Leap onto one of the three
platforms spinning on an axis at the end of this ledge (over a steep
slope downwards) and then when they get near the top left hand
corner jump off to the left and you should land in the ring room.

Marble Garden Act 2

First Ring, Location

After you go through the 2 pull up things in the beginning of the
stage, you will encounter a place with two arrows, one pointing up,
the other pointing right, fly up and to the left. Then fly up past
the thing with the ball and chain. When you reach the ledge of the
floor, fly up, right a little, then left to the pull up thing. From
there on, go straight until you reach the loop that will make you
run down on the left and right sides of the ramp. When you are on
the left side, jump and head left. You will then see a little
passageway in the ground. Go through it and claim your ring.

Second Ring, Location

Go through the stage as normal, after Eggmans/Eggrobos first
appearance, the floor starts to break. If your with Knuckles, you
can go on a route behind the wall, don't take it, instead choose
the route below. Get on the flying plate thing and go through the
floor that only the plate can break. Keep going until you see a
little platform flying up and down. Jump down to the floor instead
of the platform, and go through the falling spikes and through the
wall and collect your second ring.

Third Ring, Location

Keep going through the stage until you reach a slope with a yellow
spring throwing you diagonally backwards. jump over it, and proceed
to the right, you'll find a flying automatic plate after one of the
moving 3 sided platforms. This the one crashes against a yellow
spring and throws you up onto a ground with a wall only the the
plate can destroy. When you are in the hallway, jump off and head to
your left. Go past the platform that breaks when you step on it, and
into the secret room in the left wall to collect the last ring in
this level.
If you are Knuckles, you will probably only find this ring if you
take Sonics route, it's described in the Second Rings location how
to do so.

[RonanN1]

Carnival Night Act 1

First Ring, Location

This one can be accessed by different ways with different
characters. With Tails, from the beginning of the level, use the
5 balloons in a row to reach a platform with 3 ring bonus TVs on it,
and a spinning black wheel. Use the wheel to jump up to the left.
After some jumping through the white/red cylinders, you will
eventually find yourself in a corner with a lightning shield TV, and
some spikes around. Fly up, avoiding the spikes in the wall.
You will reach a room with some rings above some spikes. jump over
the spikes, and you will find a secret room with the Giant Ring.

With Sonic, after the second vacuum tube (or first, depends on the
route you take) you will end up in a strange shaped room, it's like
the downer half of the letter S. The room has 10 rings right above
the vacuum tube. Go to the left to find a spinning black wheel,
and a "jelly platform". To the left there is the secret room with
the Giant Ring.

Second Ring, Location

After 2 moving spikes (one coming out of the ground, one coming
out of the ceiling) there will be a swirling red/white pole.
After you went down on that, turn back and go to the beginning of
the pole. Charge a Spindash to the maximum, and go up on the pole.
If you are lucky, you can jump to the moving cylinder from the
other side of the pole. From there, go left, and there is a secret
room with the Giant Ring behind the yellow wall.

Third Ring, Location

Two ways to get this one:
After the first vacuum tube, (you may miss it if you're taking
an other route) there's an ORANGE speed-up wall to the right, and
a spinning black wheel above. If you can jump on the black wheel,
then you can launch yourself to the upper right tunnel. To the
right, there is a secret wall with the ring.

If you miss this one, don't worry. After the first orange spinning
tube, if you get out of it on the left side, there will be an
invincibility power up, a spring, and a badnik. To the right from
that area there are special springs on the ceiling and on the
floor, shooting you to the right. After that run to the right,
and there will be a J shaped wall where you will run up, with a
closing door at the end of it, and a yellow spring launching to
the right. After that you will find some of those things that
will make you float (the middle one is moving). Below there is a
lamppost (or checkpoint) and a hole to the right. Fall down on
the hole and push to the right, to go into the hidden chamber
with the Giant Ring. If the spinning orange tube shoots you out
to the right side, then just go right, jumping through the
cylinders and balloons, and stay close to the downer part of
that area. Eventually you will reach the place.

Fourth Ring, Location

After Ring #3, go back to the things that will make you float.
Jump to the middle one, and you can get past them to the upper
side. After some running, there will be another spinning orange
tube. AVOID the orange tube and carry on past it, you fly into
one of those long white columns that twirl you around. Jump from
the first spinning column to the second spinning column (it'll be
on the right of the first column). Then, jump into the gap in the
right-hand wall and you'll be in the ring chamber.

Fifth Ring, Location

After Ring #4, when you fall down from the ring chamber you should
land on a red/white cylinder. Jump to the hole below the cylinder.
go to the right, and after some obstacles you will find 3 of those
white twirling columns. Go to the highest point you can, and jump
to the right. There will be a moving spike, and a water shield.
Behind the water shield there is the secret room with the Ring.

You can find this place if you don't avoid the spinning orange tube
before the fourth Giant Ring.

Sixth Ring, Location

At the end of the level, at the last lamppost, there's a hidden wall
to the right with the Ring.

Carnival Night Act 2

First Ring, Location

Again, there are two ways to get this ring. You can jump off the
swirling red and white pole onto the platform just above it at jut
the right time, but this is near impossible so I don't know why I'm
mentioning it! The best way is to use the jelly platform to reach
the platform, near the start of the level, with a cannon on it.
Instead of using the cannon, though, jump into the secret passage
built into the wall to the left of the cannon. Smash the power-up
monitors here and fall down through the gap. But make sure to move
very close to the left side so you land on the ledge by the side of
the ring chamber, otherwise you'll fall straight through the ring
room and back to the bottom of the swirling red and white pole!

Second Ring, Location

After the Third Ring, and some running (not much though), you will
be sucked up by a vacuum tube. to the left there will be a red/white
cylinder moving up and down. Wait until it moves up, then enter the
secret room behind the yellow wall to the left

Third Ring, Location

About half way through the level, you come to a corridor with three
expl-oh-do bots (silvery electric things)(one on the ground, one on
the ceiling, and another in the ground). Near the corridor is a
spinning red column. Use this column to reach the platform above
it, with the fire and ten-ring power-up (push up when the column
moves up and down when it moves down to get it to move higher).
Then jump off this platform and into the gap on the left wall and
you'll be in the ring chamber.

Fourth Ring, Location

Near the end of this level you'll fly up a vacuum tube and arrive
in an area with those spinning, 'tinging' bouncy circles and a load
of strategically placed balloons. You need to use these balloons
to bounce yourself up the narrow gap (use the speed from the vacuum
tube to reach the first one) and then you will be able to enter the
ring room at the very top of the right wall.

Fifth Ring, Location

Almost at the end of the stage, after two red/white cylinders and a
cannon white a spike trap on the wall, (you have to aim with the
cannon, or you will hit the spike on the wall) there will be some
running through the stage. After you run through a wall, pay
attention. You will hit a lot of "speed-up walls". Try to slow down,
because after this you will fall to a place with 3 TVs and no way
back, if you run too fast. Before running through this wall, try to
glide up on the upper route. If you managed to do it, just run to
the right. You will pass three bats, then some "speed-up walls".
Run to the right, and eventually you will fall to the secret room.
Just press and hold to the right, because you can fall through this
room easily.

Icecap Act 1

First Ring, Location

Near the really small ice-oh-chuck boss and the frozen switch at
the start of the level is a small gap in the wall on the right (or
is it a wall? I guess it's more of an ice barrier thing... but I'll
just use wall!). Go in this gap and find the ring. Simple!

Second Ring, Location

The next ring is harder to get. It's located on the never-ending
slope, just after the slope with the big ice barrier that you need
to break through on the right. You should be able to see the small
blue square marking the entrance, and if you'd you can just keep
going past it until you see it. Anyway, you need to jump just as
you get onto the correct slope, and hopefully you'll fly into the
ring room. But you do have an infinite number of chances to get it
right, as the sequence continually loops!

Icecap Act 2

First Ring, Location

After the first loop-de-loop where you have to dig inside the ground
you will land on an iceberg. Fall on the left side, you will find
a secret room in the wall. To get back from there, fall down, there
will be a spring right next to the wall.

Second Ring, Location

About half way through the level there's a loop-the-loop that sends
you flying through a tunnel which, in turn, sends you flying
through two more loops. Finally, you'll end up on a platform with
an ice-oh-chuck enemy. Proceed along this route until you reach a
platform with ro-boh-penguins on. Next to this platform is a small
iceberg type ledge that moves down when pressure is applied to it.
Simply jump on it and wait until it goes underwater, then jump off
into the right-hand wall and you'll find the big ring room. To get
back up to the surface after you've won (or lost) an emerald, fall
straight down the side of the wall and you should land on a red
spring that'll send you high above the water.

Third Ring, Location

The final giant ring is right at the end of the level. After you
spin round a series of loop-the-loops you'll race up a small ramp
(past an ice-oh-chuck; blink and you'll miss it!) and into a
catapult type device. Use this catapult to reach the platform
above you on the right and you'll soon see the ring chamber.

Launch Base Act 1

First Ring, Location

There's this big ugly grey cylinder early on in this level, and you
need to get underneath it. That isn't too hard a challenge,
admittedly. Anyway, now go left towards the wall and jump into the
tunnel built into the wall to access the first giant ring.

Second Ring, Location

On coming out of one of those Tardis-like tube (you're a fool if
you've never heard of the Tardis; I think of it every time I play
this level, bizarrely!) proceed into the speed boost thing on the
ground. (There's a frog sitting on a red frame above this speed
booster if you're not sure where I mean.) You should race right into
a spinning machine that'll take you to a high ledge. Instead of
jumping right here (like you're meant to), jump left and you'll
land on a narrow ledge. This is the entrance to the ring room.

Third Ring, Location

Later on in the level you'll see another ugly grey cylinder with
two non-ice-oh-chucks on. Again, you need to be on the bottom of
the cylinder so jump down and land on the platform below it (there
will be one of those flame spitting machines on your right). Now,
go left and jump across the gap into the ring chamber to get the
final giant ring for this act.

Launch Base Act 2

First Ring, Location

Jump off the pipe at the very start of the stage and then down and
off the platform you land on. Now you'll be underwater -- just head
left and you'll see the tunnel leading to the ring chamber.
For a final level, this ring is extremely easily found.

Second Ring, Location

Further into the level, you'll come to a section with a hoop that
pushes you up a wall and onto a platform with spikes that appear
and then disappear. From this platform jump into the spinning
machine and let it take you to the edge of the ledge, now jump
onto the platform and run back towards the gap and leap into the
left wall. You should land in the entrance to the ring room.

Third Ring, Location

Early at the level, there will be slope down to the right, and a
special speed-up thing. Avoid that thing, and jump over it to the
right, theres a secret room there. You can notice a platform there
that will crash if you stand on it for too long.
This room is before the first water tunnel slide.

Fourth Ring, Location

In this level you'll eventually come to a section with two ugly
grey cylinders, one above the other. (after one of the water
tunnels, and 2 of the laser-guarded gates) There are lots of
non-ice-oh-chucks here, too. But anyway, you need to land in the
middle of these ugly grey cylinders on the platform near the right
wall. From here you'll see the nest ring chamber.

Fifth Ring, Location

The fifth ring is right next to the fourth. Just jump down
underneath the bottom ugly grey cylinder and go right along the
pipe you land on. You'll easily notice the tunnel to the ring room,
as it stick out of the wall.

*Credits -> Janus Operative & TurboKiller