Something that could fix load times is that we switch to IGT (In Game Time). This means we only count the time we're able to act in. But seeing how active the mods are (no offense intended), I doubt any of this (no AB included) will happen soon.

I highly doubt that you'd be doing exactly what auto battle does. Having no auto battle means the runner makes the tactical decisions as with most RPG speedrunning games. I can guarantee I will not use the same inputs if I run a Klein / BLyn / 2 Dancer team on Chapter 1 as auto battle would do.

Also, I'm not proposing a "No Auto Battle" category for every category, just specific ones in which I feel like auto battle takes out a lot of skill. Loading up maps with good units and letting the AI do everything doesn't seem like a legit speedrunning game to me.

Even with all the conflict, I think I'm still going to Main Story (New Game+) runs without auto battle.

I've gained interest in speedrunning this, specifically the "Main Story (New Game+)" category, but what seems odd to me is the use of auto battle. I can see why this is allowed, but I feel like this takes a lot of the skill out of the category. It comes down to who can build good units that can run through auto battle and who can press the buttons when they appear. I feel like speedrunning for a game like this should be made using the player's choices in the gameplay rather than AI playing the game. I'd propose a new category for this, in which Auto Battle is banned. I'd really like to speedrun FEH with my main team, while I control them and not AI. Thanks for reading.