Preliminaries

This category focuses on obtaining all 120 cards one can get with a single cartridge, without having 113% on the in-game percentage counter. The idea to go fast in this category is to do most of the "slower" minigames only once and buy the cards you would get for beating those minigames 3 times in a later shop.

What is new about this route is that we now have ways to manipulate the RNG which, in turn, eliminates all the randomness from all of Moneybag's shops. The way it works is explained here, but in a nutshell restarting or soft resetting (= A + B + Start + Select) always sets the RNG value to 1, and only a few things in the game advance the RNG:

Normally to fully complete the game you have to complete every level three times, and on each of those visits the level increases in difficulty. Between world 4 and world 5 the game will check if you met this criterion and if not you cannot enter the final world. However we will make use of the limbo giltch and the resulting warps to bypass this barrier (see video below)

• For the limbo glitch to activate you enter the Party Mode screen, change the world tab (with L or R) and hold 'A' right after that. If done correctly you should load into a limbo version of the overworld, right at the portal which leads to the previous world. So if this guide says something like "Enter limbo world 3" it means to activate the limbo glitch on the Fire Mountains (= world 3) tab

The other main movement techniques for the overworld are

1. the "menu warp" (which refers to quitting out to the save slot menu and going back in, this will spawn you at the beginning of the respective overworld). Be aware that menu warping also refills your HP
2. the "light menu warp" (quit out to the story mode screen—and not to the save slot screen—and go back in to spawn in at your last checkpoint). The light menu warp is useful if you're about to die because it will spawn you at the checkpoint without losing 10 gems.
3. skipping post-level cutscenes with START (i.e. the same button that opens the menu)

The Run

Right in the main menu, hold L+R to enter cheats:

• V4N1LL4 (Stone Riptoc card)
• S0YB34N (O Sheep card)
• V1S10NS (100 gems)
• T4P10C4 (200 gems)

Be aware that a number behind a level name in this guide (e.g., "Level: Tech Tug (3)") tells you how often to beat the level in question before moving on.

World 1 (first half)

• Go right collect the green gem on your way to Level: Castle Cruisin' (1)

• Continue on, enter the shop and buy all 4 cards (if you held right the whole time, the fastest combination of cards to buy is slot: 2, 1, 1, 2)

• Further to the right is Level: Fall in, roll out (1). After that advance to the second half of Dragon Castles

World 1 (second half)

• Stay on top and play Level: Rumble on the Ramparts (1)

• Drop down to the right and go on to Level: Altitude Adjustment (1)

• Below the platform you are currently on you will find a purple gem. Collect it and go right to the next shop

• Level: Castle Chaos (top right of the map)

• Menu warp and go to the World 2 Portal

• Boss Fight: Crash. After beating Crash go back to world 1---we will collect the non-red overworld gems to get the resulting trading cards early but, more importantly, in order to get money. Here's also where we do our first RNG manipulation

• After you spawned into World 2, soft reset

• Enter the portal to get back to world one. For what follows it is important that you only use your flame breath when this guide tells you to (else the RNG value is not what it should be)

• Go to the right to the shop. There are two pits right before the shop. When jumping over each pit, flame once while you're in the air

• Directly enter the shop. If you did things correctly you will get the following rewards (in this order):

• TNT crate (pull with strength 4 = right side of light green), Bouncy crate (strength 2), 10 gems (strength 1; no problem if you miss this one), Wood crate (strength 3), Nitro crate (pull with strength 5 = left side of yellow). The current RNG manip ends here

• Exit shop & use the elevator to the right. Follow the path top left to collect 3 green gems

• Go further left and double-jump up the left pillar. Go left while collecting 3 more green gems. To the top left is a blue gem and below it is another blue gem.

• Menu warp and go top right. Where the purple gem is go top left to get 3 green gems.

• Then follow the top right path. Collecting the purple gem, two green gems, and finally the blue gem gives you the world card.

• Menu warp to get back to World 1 (first half)

World 1 (first half, 2nd time)

• Go left and up the pillar (above the shop). One yellow gem is there, another yellow gem is on the pillar to the left

• Go the top right path and collect the three yellow gems there.

• Menu warp to spawn at the beginning of world 1. Get the two green gems above the first stone-throwing riptoc

• Next to Bianca do a flame-extended double jump (setup) to get to the purple gem platform early. Get the lower gems to the right (green & purple) and go up the elevator

• To the left and to the right is a blue gem, respectively. These should give you the world card. Be careful up there because getting hit by either of the upper Riptocs will kick you back and make you fall down. Now it is time to set up the first limbo warp

• Exit the game and enter the party mode. Change the tab to the Arctic Cliffs and mash 'A'. This will spawn you into world 2 limbo. Enter the portal to Dragon Castles and exit the party mode again. Directly entering the story mode spawns you at the world portal. Enter it to get back to world 2

World 2 (first half)

• Go right and up to get to Level: Blizzard Balls (1)

• From the elevator to the left do a flame-extended double jump (setup video) to get to the blue gem. After collecting said gem light menu warp to spawn back at Blizzard Balls

• Fall down the first gap to the right and walk to the very right side of the map while collecting the two green gems on your way---headbutt the ice platform with A+R, collect the gem and hold jump right after to get back onto solid ground. If you fall down quickly light menu warp to the portal and repeat

• Eventually you will get to Level: Arctic Attack (1)

• From the portal go top right and fall down to collect one green and two yellow gems. This should give you the world card. After that menu warp to get back to the world 2 portal

• Go right and down to play Level: Snow Steps (1)

• Continue right to the shop. Buy all 9 cards (Basket, Black Sheep, Crystallized Dragon 1, Crystallized Dragon 2, Crystallized Dragon 3, Dragon Egg, Dragonfly, Talisman, Vase).

• Soft reset your console; it's time for more RNG manipulation (=only flame when this guide tells you to!)

World 2 (second half)

• Limbo warp to spawn at the world portal which connects world 2 and world 3

• Double jump to the right where the Arctic Riptoc is and fall down holding left to enter Level: Tread Lightly (1)

• Afterwards fall straight down, all the way to the bottom. A bit to the left is Level: Ice Chopper (1)

• Go further left to the shop. Before you enter do a double jump from where Moneybag stands to the right to collect a blue gem. Then enter the shop; if you did everything correctly you will get the following rewards:

• Aku aku crate (middle vase), 46 gems (middle vase), Mystery crate (left vase), Spring crate (right vase), Iron box (middle vase)

• You should now have at least 265 gems. If you don't you can play the vase shuffle game two more times, there will be 48 and 46 gems, respectively (both times in the left vase)

• Exit the shop and limbo warp and enter the world 2 portal

• Boss: Crush & Gulp. The pattern of Gulp's ice balls is 1-4-2-3-2. The optimal route goes: 1-2-3 (Headbutts) 2-1-4 (Flame). It is also documented and shown off in this video.

World 3 (first half)

• Go to the top left as soon as possible to do Level: Fire Fight (1)

• Continue on right (be sure to collect the blue and the two green gems next to the level) and enter the shop to set a checkpoint

• Exit the shop & go up left the stairs. Move further up & left to collect the two yellow gems (and the blue one on your path). After that light menu warp to respawn at the shop

• In the shop buy all 10 cards (Ember, Fire Riptoc, Frozen Riptoc, Gnorc, Ice Riptoc, Riptoc, Sheila, Sorceress, Sparx, Zoe)

• Go up left and let the stairs lead you to Level: Ring of Fire (1)

• Go to the right (using the upper platforms feat. two yellow gems) until you get to Level: Turn up the Heat (1)

• Get the purple gem to the right (world card) and soft reset. RNG manip time!

• Limbo warp into (for example) world 2, enter the portal to the previous world, exit party mode, enter story mode. You should now be at the portal in world 3-2

World 3 (second half)

• Go straight right and collect the five yellow gems on your way as well as the green gem. Fall down the pit and get the two blue gems

• Light menu warp back to the portal. Go to where the yellow gem was, then go straight left to the mystery shop (make sure to collect the 2 green gems on your way). If you did everything correctly you should only get gems and cards with the following pattern, starting with 139 gems

• Do the following sequence (here "R" is short for "play the mystery game and pick the RIGHT vase". Similarly, "L" is left and "M" is middle): R R L M L R

• Exit the shop, and jump flame once

• Do the following sequence: R M M M L L R M

• Exit the shop, and jump flame once

• Do the following sequence: M L M M L L M M L

• Go to the edge directly left and flame 3 times

• Do the following sequence: M R R

• Go to the edge directly left and flame 6 times

• Do the following sequence: L L R R. You should now have at least 900 gems. This ends the current RNG manip

• Exit the shop, go all the way left and enter Level: Pull of Lava (3)

• Get the two purple gems next to the level, limbo warp back to the end portal

• Fall down to the left. Enter Level: Hot Wings (1)

• Limbo warp and enter the world portal

• Boss: Nina

World 4 (first half)

• Level: Riptocs and Rockets (1)

• Go to the right, enter the shop and buy all 8 cards (Falling Ice Shards, Floor Spikes, Level Portal, Moneybags Shop, Blinky Dig, Hunter Bow, Rocket and Club, Sgt. Byrd Rocket)

• Exit the shop and go right. Pass Treetop Flight (do not enter!) and fall down the right of the level into the secret corridor. Following this path all the way up and around---get the three green gems on your way---gets you to

• Level: Falling to Pieces (1)

• Go left, get the purple gem, and enter

• Level: Treetop Flight (1). Go up left to get all colored gems. After you got the blue one next to Crash you should get the world card

• Exit to the main menu so your progress is saved. Then soft reset; time for RNG manip

• Enter world 4 limbo, enter fire mountains portal. Go to the right until you collected the 5 yellow gems. Then exit party mode, enter story mode. You should now be at the portal in world 4-2. Note that these gems correlate to gems in 4-2 so you will get the world card later on without physically collecting all gems in 4-2

World 4 (second half)

• Go straight right (collect the yellow gem on your way) and enter the shop

• Get the four Crash cards: Crystal (pull with strength 4 = right side of light green), Clear gem (strength 3), Wumpa fruit (strength 4), Checkpoint crate (strength 2)

• A bit further right is Level: Dragon Assault (1)

• Fall down to the left, collect the green gem on your way and eventually enter Level: Riptoc Repellent (1)

• Jump and flutter to the left to collect the green gem below the portal:

• Limbo warp and to enter Boss: Cortex. You can land the first hit despite his shield and save 9 seconds, cf. this video

World 5

After defeating Cortex you will spawn in the room where the game checks if you're allowed to enter world 5. At this point you should have at least 414 gems. If you don't, you can always play Portal Rush in W5 to replenish your gems

• Soft reset: RNG manip

• Enter W1 limbo and exit during the sheep's turnaround animation

• Go to limbo (any tab in party mode works) and enter the portal where you spawn. Exit party mode, enter story mode. You are now at the Tech Park boss portal

• Go left and stop at the edge right before the shop. Flame 6 times

• Play the vase shuffle game. You should get Spyro Pose 1 (right vase), Spyro Pose 3 (left vase), and 89 gems (left vase)

• Exit the shop, jump flame twice. Be careful that your flames do not hit the platform to the right

• Enter the shop. You should get 195 gems (left vase), Spyro Pose 2 (middle vase), Spyro Pose 4 (middle vase), and Spyro Pose 5 (left vase). You now have all yellow cards; current RNG manip ends here

• Go top right and enter Level: Tech Deflect (3)

• Below you to the right there are two yellow gems, then walk off to the left to collect a purple gem. Menu warp to get to the entry portal of Tech Park

• Drop down right and collect the green gem to the left. Then go right from there

• Level: Tech Tug (3). Long double jump to the top left (not free but also not too hard). This lands you at

• Level: Gravity Well (3). Go to the top left of the world and play

• Minigame: Portal Rush (Tech Park). Beating this minigame gives you 100 gems each. Do this until you have at least 624 gems

• Go right and play Level: Space Shoot (3). Double jump to the right, collect the blue and the green gem. This gives you the world card. To the right is

• Level: Sky Walker. This level is a bit difficult to learn. To assist, here are videos showing a damageless first pass / second pass / third pass

• Take the platform stairs up to the top right to get to

• Boss: Ripto & Cortex. After defeating them, as soon as the cutscene plays you can soft reset. Time for the final RNG manip

• Enter world 4 limbo, go right to the shop and enter

• Look at the cards exactly 4 times

• Go to limbo (any tab in party mode works) and enter the portal where you spawn. Exit party mode, enter story mode. You are now at the Tech Park boss portal

• Go left and stop at the edge right before the shop. Flame 17 times. Then enter the shop; you should now have at least 773 gems

• If you did everything correctly you should now get the following rewards: Gnasty Gnorc (left vase), Lava Fountain (right vase), 132 gems (left vase), Grendor (middle vase), Crash Crate (left vase), Slot Box (right vase), 195 gems (right vase), Steel Crate (left vase), Firefly (middle vase), ! Box (left vase), Freeze Crate (middle vase)

• Menu warp and enter the portal back to world 4. Now it is time for the:

Backtrack

• Fall down to the right and continue right to Level: Gem Hop (collect 100 gems in one sitting to win). This level is unlocked by collecting all unique gems in Tech Park—it does not require beating any level in Tech Park, let alone the final boss! This info is of importance if this run is done by more than 2 players, because the optimal route is different then.

• After beating Gem Hop (collect 100 gems in one sitting to win), to the left you find Level: Sheep Chase

• Menu warp and go left to World 4-1

• Menu warp & enter the portal to world 3. Go all the way right to play Level: Sheep Shakedown

• Menu warp twice and enter the portal to world 2

• Go to the Arctic Riptoc on the right and fall straight down again, all the way to the bottom. The elevator above the icy surface to the left takes you to

• Level: Sheep Shearin'

• Menu warp twice and enter World 1. The second level to the right is Level: Death from Behind

• Time ends as soon as you collected the 120th and final card