[center]** This is a work-in-progress, lemme know on discord if you want to contribute clips or add notes**[/center]

The goal of this document is to provide examples of each level done well, including the best RTA strats and safer alternative movement wherever relevant. I'll also mention which stages have cutscenes and power-ups. Refer to the Squid's guides for tutorials on doing the tricks.

The (x,y) by the level name denotes the powerups (x - bombs, y - firepower) that you should have by this point in the run assuming no deaths or missed pickups.

[section=Planet Bomber Area 1]

**1. Battle Room (1,1): **

• Example:
• Pickups: Bombs, Health

**2. Hyper Room (2,1): **

• Safe:
• Fast:
• Pickups: Bombs (technically faster to skip these)

Fast movement skips bombs, risks taking damage by accident

**4. Heavy Room (2,1): **

• Example 1:
• Example 2:

**5. Sky Room (2,1): **

• Example 1:
• Example 2:
• Cutscenes: Two after the level

[section=Planet Bomber Area 2]

**1. Blue Cave (2,1): **

• Safe:
• Faster:

"Faster" movement does less left/right movement than safe movement

**2. Hole Lake (4,1): **

• Example:
• Cutscenes: One Before
• Pickups: Bombs, Firepower (optional: Bombs, Full Health)

Avoid taking damage, boost off of ledges by pushing down as you move over a ledge

3. Red Cave (4,2):

• Example:

• Optional: Full Health

**5. Dark Wood (4,2): **

• Safe:

• Fast:

**6. Dragon Road (4,2): **

• Example 1:
• Example 2:
• Optional: Health

With precise jump placement you can jump through geodude's arms without taking damage. Can grab health after killing the big geodude before level ends

**7. Nitros I (4,2): **

• Example:
• Cutscenes: One After, One Before

Throw bomb as soon as camera straightens. Watch Squid's guides for nitros strats.

Goal IGT: 8880

[section=Planet Bomber Area 3]

1. Clown Valley (4,2):

• Example :

• Optional: Health

2. Great Rock (4,2):

• Safe:
• Fast:
• Optional: Health

Can destroy the turret for safety. Farm health for Endol if needed.

3. Fog Route (4,2):

• Safe:
• Fast:

Wall jump saves around 4s over watching the cutscene.

4. Endol (4,2):

• Example 1:
• Example 2:
• Cutscenes: One Before

Ideally, take damage twice during the fight. Taking damage ends Endol's invincibility frames. If low on health, adjust accordingly.

GOAL IGT:

[section=Primus Star Area 1]

**1. Groog Hills (4,2): **

• Example:
• Cutscenes: One Before

Can walk into the remote after the warp if you find the jump awkward.

2. Bubble Hole (4,2):

• Safe Ending:
• Fast Ending:
• Bad Ending RNG:
• Optional: Full Health

Can throw bombs at ending bubbles to ensure they won't be in the way

3. Erars Lake (4,2):

• Part 1:
• Part 2:
• Pickups: Health x 2
• Cutscenes: One Before

Attempt boosts, avoid taking damage. Main thing in this level is to stun lock the manta so he doesn't push you backwards. You should get pushed back only once ideally

**4. Waterway (4,2): **

• Example :
• Optional: Health

[section=Primus Star Area 2]

1. Rock N Road (4,2):

• Normal Ending:
• Fast Ending:
• Cutscenes: One Before

If less than full health, opt for safe ending. Conserve health for warp room.

2. Water Pool (4,2):

• Normal:
• Fast:

**4 Warp Room (4,2): **

• Safe:
• Fast:

Instead of damaging yourself onto the warp pad can simply warp and warp back to conserve health. Can also avoid the barrel at the end.

**6. Dark Prison (4,2): **

• Backup:
• Normal:

Can sometimes clip the cell leading to the 2nd crystal as it's opening and save time. If you miss the jump for the 3rd crystal, follow the above movement.

**6. Nitros II (4,2): **

• Example:
• Cutscenes: One Before, Two After

Goal IGT: 8880

[section=Primus Star Area 3]

**1. Killer Gate (4,2): **

• Example 1:

• Example 2:

• Example 3:

• Pickups: Firepower

• Optional: Full Health

• Cutscenes: One Before

Pick up full health if low.

**2. Spiral Tower (4,3): **

• Example:

Don't just hold right, push upright when past each corner and go to right

**3. Snake Route (4,3): **

• Example:
• Pickups: Firepower
• Optional: Bombs, Health

If late to the last cycle it might be better to ride it back rather than jumping for the shard and going around

**4. Baruda (4,4): **

*Example: https://clips.twitch.tv/AwkwardPhilanthropicTapirPipeHype

• Optional: Health
• Cutscenes: One Before

As fight fades in, hold B to hover until 9870 then rise w/ A. Baruda should always dive under you. Stay above and shower with bombs til dead. Can try to grab a heart before level end screen pops up.

[section=Kanatia Star Area 1]

1. Hades Crater:

• Example:
• Optional: Firepower, Health
• Cutscenes: One Before

Can press c-up to see better. Grab firepower or health if needed. Want two hearts or more going into Magma Lake.

2. Magma Lake:

• Example:
• Optional: Full Health

**3. Magma Dam: **

• Safe:

• Example 1:

• Example 2:

• Optional: Full Health

**4. Crystal Hole: **

• Example:
• Pickups: Health

[section=Kanatia Star Area 2]

**1. Death Temple: **

• Normal:

• Fast:

• Cutscenes: Two Before

**2. Death Road: **

• Example:

• Pickups: Health

4. Float Zone:

• Example:

If you have the health, bumping into an enemy is faster than waiting for the bubble to pop. After two seconds or so, it's probably not worth running into an enemy.

**5. Aqua Tank: **

• Normal:

• Pickups: Health

• Cutscenes: One After

**6. Aqua Way: **

• Example:
• Pickups: Firepower, Health
• Cutscenes: Two Before

Avoid getting hit, grab the health or firepower if needed.

**7. Nitros III: **

• Normal:
• Double-Hit:
• Cutscenes: One Before, One After

Can get a double hit on Nitro III as his force field disappears.

GOAL IGT: (w/o double hit: 8880)

[section=Kanatia Star Area 3]

**1. Hard Coaster: **

• Part I:
• Part II:
• Optional: Firepower
• Cutscenes: N/A

walk a bit and small hop onto first platform jump to second platform a bit before it reaches the corner jump to third platform as it reaches the corner jump to the middle platform a bit after it passes the corner jump to warp as rainbow diamond passes the platform

2. Dark Maze:

• Example:

About 3s slower to ride the platform around

**3. Mad Coaster **

• Example:
• Pickups: Healthx2
• Optional: Bombs

**4. Move Stone **

• Example:

• Optional: Firepower

5. Bolban:

• Example:
• Cutscenes: One Before

Three bombs to the face --> force field up Two bombs to the tail (stay close) --> force field down Two bombs to the tail (move away)

GOAL IGT:

[section=Mazone Star Area 1]

1. Hopper Land:

• Example:

• Optional: Health

• Cutscenes: One Before

2. Junfalls:

• Example:

**4. Cool Cave **

• Example:
• Pickups: Ice Bombs
• Optional: Health

Neck monsters are on a cycle from when they loads, so presumably going fast only matters for the very beginning as long as you don't mess up majorly.

[section=Mazone Star Area 2]

**1. Snowland **

• Example:
• Cutscenes: One Before

2. Storm Valley:

• Example:

If you miss first jump, restarting stage faster than the backup. Getting the skips mostly depends on height and position of your wallkick, the angle is fairly easy to get. Faster second skip may be more precise with regards to the angle.

3. Snow Circuit:

• Example:
• Cutscenes: One Before

Fastest start: Be holding left/right as level fades in, switch to holding forward for a few frames and do a jump + spin and hold left or right during the spin. This is the fastest way to reach max speed non-tas. Every time you jump you decelerate so avoid jumping.

**4. Heaven Sky: **

• Example:
• Optional: Health, Firepower
• Cutscenes: One Before

Avoid hitting the heads of the boss as it causes him to cover up his weak spot.

5. Eye Snake:

• Example:

• Optional: Health, Vest

[section=Mazone Star Area 3]

1. Nitros IV:

Cutscenes: One Before, One After?

GOAL IGT: 8880

2. Air Room:

• Example:

• Optional: Health

**3. Zero G Room: **

• Example:

• Optional: Firepower

4. Mirror Room:

• Example:

Pause + Exit after finishing level

5. Natia:

• Example:
• Cutscenes: One Before

Phase 1: Direct main attacks at Cronus, throw bombs at Natia while waiting for Cronus' invincibility frames to wear off. Knocking Natia off her platform skips an animation before the second phase

Phase 2: Stand on the corner and use the rolling bomb attack til she's defeated.

[section=Garaden Star]

**1. Endol II: **

• Example:
• Cutscenes: Two Before

GOAL IGT:

2. Baruda II:

• Example:
• Optional: Health, Firepower

GOAL IGT:

3. Cronus:

• 2-cycle:
• 1-cycle:

Cronus can take multiple hits at once if more than one bomb hits him on the same frame. Hence, you'll want to go for a rolling bomb attack whenever you don't lose time doing so.

GOAL IGT:

4. Nitros V

• Cutscenes: One Before, One After

If you're fast and precise you can get two hits at the same time when his shield disappears. Your health and powerups will be restored after this fight.

GOAL IGT: (w/o double hit: 8880)

**5. Bolban II: **

• Example:

Move up up and down periodically to avoid getting hit. An easy strat is to shoot thru Bolban before his inv frames wear off, the missiles will explode behind him and he'll move thru the explosion as the frames wear off, hitting him again asap.

GOAL IGT:

**6. Natia II: **

• Example:

Avoid taking damage, keep the Natias on the ground if possible.

GOAL IGT:

7. Bagular:

• Cutscenes: One before each phase

Phase I:

Charge - Hold B to prime a bomb and toss it at him to make him teleport (which ends his invincibility frames) Teleport - He'll reappear a certain distance from you, stay near edges so he'll appear sooner Beam Attack - Toss a bomb at him, time second bomb for when invincibility wears off

Phase II:

The real bagular's shadow appears one frame before the fake ones. It's kind of hard to notice this but if you do notice it, it's very distinct.

Phase III:

Stay close and move clockwise. If you go too far away he'll use the laser attack which is harder to dodge. Be careful to not hit yourself. Some times health drops will appear, grab if needed.