Requesting Opinions on Thoughest Strats

[Homeless]

For purpose I've yet to reveal; I would like to compile a list of the hardest and toughest strats, both in terms of learning the strat or little strats where consistency makes the whole difference. Basically a list of strats that require the most practice for consistency. Anyone should hopefully feel free to provide a list, be it if you're actively speedrunning yourself, have been or enjoy watching speedruns of LBA 1

It need not be a perfectly accurate list of only the absolute hardest ones and can list any small portion of the game that you feel needs a lot of practice from yourself or have seen others struggle with.

Preferably this should be listed chronologically, in order of appearance, and need not be listed by difficulty.

Admittedly I have not been active much for quite a while and it may be that I am missing certain current strats that have become the harder parts. I have added the Grobo Outside Mutant Factory (lack of better name for the strat, do you guys use any shorter naming for it?) as I read of it in Amnestis/MevXs guide but have not tried it myself, however it does seem like something that practice makes perfect. Anyway here is my personal draft:

• Zebra Crossing
• Gas Sign
• Museum Skip
• Hamalayi Meca-Jump
• Grobo Outside Mutant Factory (Strat whereby you lure him into the water)
• Mutant Eggs
• Clear Water Meca-Jump
• Hamalayi Pipe Trick
• Principal Fortress Meca-Jump
• Teleportation Meca-Jump
• Polar Island Gate Meca-Jump (Is this used in current runs or do we not have meca for it in current run?)

Thanks a whole bunch! I'll let you guys know later what the reasoning is behind gathering these opinions.

[MevX]

Originally Posted by Homeless

I have added the Grobo Outside Mutant Factory (lack of better name for the strat, do you guys use any shorter naming for it?)

We usually call it the drowning grobo

Originally Posted by Homeless

Polar Island Gate Meca-Jump (Is this used in current runs or do we not have meca for it in current run?)

Me and Freeman don't do the polar meca jump since we consider it too inconsistent and not worthwhile, however Doc does use it in his runs. Maybe it's just a matter of practice, it definitely saves time if you do it perfectly. Failing it makes it all the more punishing, since you spent time getting the meca earlier, and not getting the key for the door.

[MevX]

• Zebra Crossing
• Gas Sign
• First Cycle White Leaf
• Museum Skip
• Drowning Grobo
• Clear Water Meca-Jump
• Principal Fortress Meca-Jump
• Polar Island Gate Meca-Jump

These tricks are what i would consider very hard to pull of in a run. I left out some meca jumps like the teleporter jump and hamalayi jump, since they both have easy to spot alignments. I would say either the drowning grobo or the first cycle white leaf are the hardest, since they require precise timings. There is a difference to be made between hard tricks, and tricks that are devastating.

[MevX]

I will also add that the beginning of the game is really intense in that it's so optimized. Prison, which is supposed to be the easiest screen of the game, is actually kinda nerve wracking since if you hit a wall too many times, or throw a punch the wrong way, you will reset since that's unnecessary time wasted. That's why we reset prison so much, because it's so early in the game that we can afford to try it again.

Now if you manage to escape Citadel Island, through not failing the box puzzle, you will still have to do the zebra skip. Fail the zebra skip by just a few inches, and that's a reset. Fail the gas sign, and that's a reset. Even after that you have to do the trench jump (talking to the rabbit in prison), which is also precise. Be too close to jump and you will get shot at, which will be a 10 second loss. And what follows after Principal island is a 1 cycle island jump, that can save 10 seconds, but also ruin an entire run.

Now some of these tricks aren't necessarily hard, they are just really devastating if done incorrectly. So while there might be alot of hard tricks, some might screw you over even though they're easy. It pays off to be consistent on the things that matter, tricks that often get little attention (Bu statue for example). LBA is really ruthless in that a mistake can cost you everything, some tricks aren't that hard just really risky.

[Homeless]

Thank you a whole bunch MevX/Amnesti! I appreciate your feedback especially the point about consistency, I've updated the original post to reflect this.

If you think of any other portions where consistency is key and that needs much practice, don't hesitate to keep them coming! This is useful for everyone

[gravel22]

+1 for first cycle on White Leaf, it's so stressful!

Also the first cycle boxes is really hard and there's 2 box that if missed you loose a lot of time. To explain briefly: You run on the first box and turn right to get of it exactly when the box is place a te good place. This definitely saves time but is so hard to do in a run.

[MevX]

Originally Posted by Homeless

MevX/Amnesti

Doesn't matter that much what you call me, i guess calling me amnesti would work better since thats what my channel is called

[MevX]

Polar Island is throughout a hard place, since it has a lot of death traps and difficult enemies. Sometimes you will get stuck from ranged drill attacks, and sometimes you will get run over by a truck that will instantly kill you. For me when i first started running, it was an area that i totally underestimated, and that in turn ended many run attempts i would be making. Also worth noting the last part of the game where you will have to climb the peak, that if you fail the climb either by timing or wrong placement, it will cost you your life, or over 20 seconds if you manage to reset the screen for another attempt.

[Styx]

If you fuck up on any of these steps, does that mean your run is most likely down the drain if you're attempting a WR?

[MevX]

It depends on what kind of run i'm having, or what part i screw up. If you're talking about screwing up just one thing would ruin an entire run, i don't think the record is quite at that point yet, that we would be fighting over tens of seconds or something. With that said, if i had a decent run and died in polar, i would most likely restart since it takes ages to get back. If you manage to screw up any meca, that's most likely a reset (except if it were to be the clear water jump). Although in some rare cases were you have a really good run, losing an important meca jump will still make you 3 seconds close to the world record (yes this happened to me). It's all about judging the time lost, and from there make your mind up if you wanna continue. Completely fucking up any of the hardest tricks i listed above would almost certainly for me ruin the run and net a reset. In the end it depends on how far i am into a run, and at what pace i'm running at.

[MevX]

Now if i managed to hit my dream target of a sub 53 time, things would be much different when it comes to missing a trick.

[gravel22]

Originally Posted by MevX

will still make you 3 seconds close to the world record (yes this happened to me).

I think that at this point we both have the WR

[MevX]

Originally Posted by gravel22

I think that at this point we both have the WR

In the end it's your run that managed to make a greater time. What is the point in me being fast, when you can be much more consistent through out