i am by no means a speedrunner, but while playing the game i kept thinking about this type of category

it would specifically be trying to get the fastest time with the fewest unique echoes learned, i.e. if you only ever learn the table, box, and spear moblin, that would be 3 total echoes learned.

there are somewhat similar categories in other games (odyssey has a fewest captures extension which is somewhat similar), and i think this type of run could be really unique here to optimize which echoes are the most versatile!

I think there was talk on the discord about a "minimum echoes" type category. But I'm pretty sure the moderators are preparing the main board first before any category extentions or anything

I do agree though I think it could be a fun category

I Already started a casual playthrough like this, and I think it’s really fun. I managed to beat the first dungeon with only 3 echoes.

The whole game would only need 4 echoes if wrong warping is allowed

Required Echoes:

Table for escaping the jail cell

rock for damage in the first rift

sign to wrong warp into Null's Body

bed to reach a switch which you then throw a rock at to activate

This could also be incorporated as a Low% Speedrun

We could add all Echoes% as a Speedrun

This video shows that it is possible to beat the game using only 5 echoes and warps.

• Table
• Bolder
• Bed
• Sea Urchin
• Sign

@Kraiglyndor in the comments theorize the minimum echoes needed without warps. The comment posted by the user is as follows:

If you want to beat the game without wrong warping you need:

• The table to leave the first room
• Something to weigh down the boxes (other than the boulder the shrub works, people are saying the table could work somehow)
• Some way to damage enemies
• A source of fire
• The mole to dig into the secret passage
• Two statues in the Gerudo dungeon
• Bombs
• Underwater damage
• Some way to glide in the Elden dungeon (optional)
• Ice to damage the Lanayru dungeon bosses
• Electricity to solve Faron dungeon puzzles and damage the boss
• The orb for the Eternal Forest
• The wind blower or Tornado enemy may be required if there’s sand puzzles in Gerudo
• Anti-air damage

The minimum theoretical list (assuming the tables work) with 9 entries would look something like this:

• Table
• Ignizol
• Mole
• Elephant Statue
• Hawk Statue
• Bombfish
• Ice Keese
• Electric Wizrobe
• Floating Orb

With wrong warping it is actually possible to beat the game with only the table and sign echoes. You can break crates and kill Link by dropping tables from a large enough height. The wrong warp also allows you to keep the sword during the final boss. I've seen it done in a video but don't know who the first one to do it was. You can also beat the game glitch-less with 10 echoes: Table, a fire echo, wind cannon, an electric echo, holmill, an ice echo, bombfish, 2 Gerudo statues, and the orb at the end. I also don't know who achieved this first but have seen it done.

You can beat the game without sign... you can WW via chest, pausing and a bunch more methods.

I would really like this category, just a cool idea

So if you can beat without the sign, it sounds like you only need the table for a WW run? I think both 1 echo WW and min echo glitchless would be interesting!