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Co-Op Guide

Portal 2's cooperative campaign is a separate set of puzzles designed for two players. You control Atlas (the short blue robot) and P-body (the tall orange robot), two Aperture Science testing robots. Each player has a full dual-portal gun, which puts four portals in play at the same time. The puzzles are built around this. Nothing in co-op is solvable alone.

GLaDOS oversees the co-op tests. She is more openly hostile than in single-player, pitting Atlas and P-body against each other with passive-aggressive commentary. Every death is met with a snide remark. Every success is met with faint disappointment.

warning

The co-op campaign spoils the single-player ending. Finish the single-player campaign first.

How Co-Op Works​

Controls​

Each player has an independent portal gun. Player 1 fires blue and purple portals. Player 2 fires orange and red portals. All four portals can be active at the same time, and any player can walk through any portal.

Communication Tools​

Co-op puzzles require constant coordination. The game gives you tools to communicate without voice chat, though voice chat makes everything easier.

ToolHow to UseWhat It Does
PingPoint at a surface and press the ping button.Places a visible marker that your partner can see through walls. Use it to say "put a portal here" or "stand here."
Countdown TimerActivate from the gesture wheel.Both players see a 3-2-1 countdown. Use it to synchronize actions: "jump on 1," "press the button on 1."
GesturesSelect from the gesture wheel.Eight default gestures: wave, laugh, hug, high-five, teamwork, dance, rock-paper-scissors, and the robot. An additional eight gestures are purchasable from the Robot Enrichment store, for 16 total.
LookPoint at something and press the look button.Directs a camera indicator at a specific object. Your partner sees an arrow pointing at what you are highlighting.
tip

If you are playing with a partner who does not have a microphone, ping every surface before placing portals. Point at where you want their portals to go, then point at where yours will go. The ping tool is precise enough to communicate complex setups without a single word.

The Hub​

Between courses, you return to a central Hub room. Doors on the walls lead to each course. New doors open as you complete courses. Lit panels on each door show which chambers you have finished within that course.

The Hub also contains the entrance to the Calibration Course (accessible via the pause menu if you want to replay it) and, after a patch, the door to the Art Therapy DLC course.

Calibration Course​

One introductory chamber. Teaches the basics: two-player portal mechanics, the ping tool, the countdown timer, and simple cooperative button pressing. You need to complete this before accessing the main courses.

The puzzle is simple: both players stand on pressure plates to open a door, then use four portals to cross a gap. It takes about five minutes.

Course 1: Team Building​

6 chambers. Focuses on foundational cooperation: cubes, buttons, portals, and timing.

What You Learn​

  • Coordinated button pressing. One player holds a button while the other passes through the opened door. Then switch.
  • Portal sharing. Player 1 places portals to create a path that Player 2 walks through. Then Player 2 places portals for Player 1.
  • Cube relay. Pass cubes between players using portal chains. One player portals the cube to an elevated area, and the other catches it and places it on a button.

Tricky Chambers​

  • Chamber 4 (Rat Maze). A maze of corridors with buttons and doors. One player watches from above and directs the other through the maze using pings. Communication is critical. Without clear directions, you loop through the same corridors.
  • Chamber 6 (Team BTS). Goes behind the scenes. The puzzles are larger, and the solution requires both players to portal between multiple rooms simultaneously.

Course 2: Mass and Velocity​

8 chambers. Built around momentum, flinging, and Faith Plates. The hardest chambers in this course require synchronized flings.

What You Learn​

  • Dual flinging. Both players fling at the same time to land on separate platforms that each have a button. Both buttons must be pressed simultaneously.
  • Faith Plate coordination. One player launches off a Faith Plate while the other places a portal at the landing zone. Timing matters: the portal must be placed before the flying player lands.
  • Cube flinging. Launch cubes using portals and Faith Plates. One player flings the cube, the other catches it mid-air or positions portals to redirect it.

Tricky Chambers​

  • Chamber 6 (Multifling). A multi-stage fling where both players must launch from different pits at the same time, cross paths in the air, and land on opposite platforms. Use the countdown timer. Jump on zero.
  • Chamber 8 (Fan). Introduces an air current that pushes objects. One player manages the fan while the other uses portals to navigate past it.

Course 3: Hard-Light Surfaces​

8 chambers. All puzzles use Hard Light Bridges. Players build walkways, shields, and platforms for each other.

What You Learn​

  • Bridge building for your partner. Player 1 redirects a bridge through portals to create a walkway. Player 2 walks across it. Then Player 2 builds a bridge for Player 1.
  • Bridge as a floor. Place portals to extend a bridge over goo or pits. Stand on it together, then reposition portals to move the bridge (and both players) to a new location.
  • Bridge as a shield. One player holds a bridge between the other player and a turret. The shielded player advances and disables the turret.

Tricky Chambers​

  • Chamber 6 (Turret Walls). Turrets behind every corner. One player manages bridge shields while the other flanks and tips turrets. Constant communication.
  • Chamber 8 (Wall 5). A large, vertical chamber. Both players need to build alternating bridges to climb upward. If either player moves a portal at the wrong time, the other falls.

Course 4: Excursion Funnels​

9 chambers. The longest course. Focuses on funnels, polarity reversal, and funnel-portal combos.

What You Learn​

  • Funnel riding. Float through funnels redirected by portals. One player controls the funnel's path while the other rides it.
  • Polarity coordination. One player presses the reversal button while the other is mid-funnel. The funnel reverses, carrying the floating player to a new location.
  • Object transport via funnel. Place cubes in funnels and redirect the funnel through portals to deliver the cube to a distant button.

Tricky Chambers​

  • Chamber 5 through 7 (Polarity). A three-chamber sequence focused on polarity reversal. Each chamber adds complexity: more buttons, more funnels, and tighter timing on reversal presses.
  • Chamber 9 (TBeam End). The course finale. A massive room with multiple funnels, portals, and platforms. Both players must ride separate funnels, press buttons at coordinated moments, and converge on the exit. The hardest co-op chamber in the base game.

Course 5: Mobility Gels​

8 chambers. Introduces gels in a cooperative context.

What You Learn​

  • Gel redirection. Redirect gel through portals to coat surfaces your partner needs. One player manages the gel flow while the other positions for the next jump or fling.
  • Combination puzzles. Chambers mix gels with every other mechanic: lasers, funnels, bridges, and Faith Plates. These are some of the most complex puzzles in the entire co-op campaign.

Tricky Chambers​

  • Chamber 6 (Paint Bridge). The climactic puzzle. Requires both players to manage gel, portals, bridges, and timing simultaneously. Multiple steps must happen in sequence, and the order is not obvious. Talk through every step before executing.

Art Therapy (DLC Course)​

9 chambers. Released as part of the free Peer Review DLC. Accessible through a new door in the Hub. These chambers are harder than the base game courses and assume mastery of all mechanics.

What to Expect​

  • Every test element appears across the nine chambers: lasers, cubes, funnels, bridges, gels, turrets, and Faith Plates.
  • The puzzle designs are tighter and less forgiving than the base courses. Fewer spare cubes, smaller margins on timing, and more steps per solution.
  • GLaDOS's dialogue takes a darker turn. The story within Art Therapy reveals what GLaDOS has been doing with the test data Atlas and P-body collected.
info

Art Therapy does not appear in the Hub until you have completed all five base courses. If the door is missing, finish the remaining courses first.

Co-Op Tips​

  1. Talk constantly. Silent co-op is frustrating co-op. Call out what you are doing, what you need your partner to do, and when you are about to move a portal.
  2. Use the ping tool for everything. Ping where you want portals. Ping where you want your partner to stand. Ping the cube. Ping the button. Ping the exit.
  3. Do not move your partner's platforms. If your partner is standing on a bridge or floating in a funnel that passes through your portals, tell them before you move anything. Moving a portal while your partner is mid-air kills them.
  4. Let the weaker player lead. If one player is experienced and the other is not, the experienced player should let the newcomer try to solve puzzles first. Solving a co-op puzzle for someone else is the fastest way to make the game boring for them.
  5. Use the countdown timer for synchronized actions. Jumping, pressing buttons, and entering portals at the same time is required in many chambers. The built-in countdown is more reliable than voice counting.
  6. Both players need to reach the exit. Every chamber ends when both players stand on the exit buttons simultaneously. Do not start solving the "leave" step until both players are in position.