This Guide made use of Unfiltered Perception technology, which allowed it to perceive and interact with any and all planes of existence, including at least 22 spatial dimensions, multiple temporal dimensions and the entire array of the axis of probability. The reasoning behind this technology was to enable the selling and distribution of multiple Guides with only ever creating one (since the Guide Mark II is present in all universes simultaneously).

The Vogons then created it in order to fulfil their goal of completely annihilating Earth. It used a process called Reverse Temporal Engineering to trigger a series of seemingly random events to cause a desired outcome in the present, and to this end, it destroyed every version of Earth in every universe. The Mark II had infallible prescient deduction abilities due to the omniscience and precognition that came with its omnipresence, as well as the ability to move and distort its physical avatar through multiple dimensions. It also seems to be able to manipulate the fabric of spacetime, altering its shape and behaviour.

While the original Guide looked like a largish electronic calculator, the Guide Mark II was a black featureless disc the size of a dinner plare. The original Guide had DON'T PANIC printed on its cover; the new Guide just said PANIC. The Guide Mark II also took the appearance of a pitch-black bird, while at the same time had a very vivid blue and pink colouration. Attempts to determine its size were apparently futile. It spoke with the voice of the Brantisvogan escort Lintilla, though toward the end of its lifespan—having maintained four virtual reality constructs for nearly a century—it spoke with the mechanical voice of Professor Stephen Hawking.