Much of this may apply to other versions as well, but I don’t have enough experience with them to know exactly what translates over. I know this is an overly detailed guide, but I wanted to include information about buffering and where which skips can be used, since it took a fair bit of trial and error to figure out what was text, cutscenes, and so forth.
I recommend Non-Slim_Jim’s EGA Draft List for what drafts are possible at each point, particularly for the three random draws at the end. I also recommending taking notes of drafts as you go, particularly for those that are used more than once (Night Vision, Dye, Gold to Straw, Twist/Untwist, Terror, and Heal). Open will always be ECED, and Transcendence will always be C’FGC.
Some introductory information: Loom EGA allows buffered inputs, so that cutscene and period skips can be prepared in advance, and drafts can be played all at once. Period and cutscene skips are the biggest timesaves in the run. Pressing and holding the period key during text will advance the text as quickly as possible, and holding the escape key will skip cutscenes at the earliest possible time. Note however that when preparing to skip a cutscene after a draft, you must wait for the draft to complete and the image of the draft target to disappear to press escape, or escape will cause the draft to cancel.
Now, on to the guide proper.
Start to F: Time begins upon selecting the difficulty. Expert is slightly faster due to removing animation time for drafts (a few seconds over the course of the run) and also places your cursor more conveniently for the first set of movement. Immediately cutscene skips and move left. You will find that after each area transition both within and between screens that you will want to mash movement to reduce time standing still. Using both mouse buttons can make this easier. Move down to the main Loom tent and down the corredor. Buffer a cutscene skip at the end. Pick up the staff, Open the egg, cutscene skip after Open, leave the tent. Climb the mountain again, Open the sky. The sky can be targeted before you reach the top, allowing you to draft as soon as you reach it at the top. Cutscene skip after Open, climb back down. Enter the forest, walk to the graveyard, interact with the brambles, cutscene skip after interacting. Walk right, collect Night Vision, return to the village. Enter right tent, collect Dye, Dye the upper basket of sheets, leave. Enter middle tent, Night Vision the darkness, collect Straw to Gold, Gold to Straw the gold, obtain F, leave.
F to G: Go to beach, enter the water, mount the branch, buffer a cutscene skip. Collect Twist, Untwist twister, continue left, buffer a cutscene skip. Obtain G.
G to A: Go to forest, walk left. Remember Invisibility (the reverse of what you hear the shepherds use to reveal themselves). Period skip through the long dialogue, walk back toward beach, buffer a cutscene skip. Continue to beach, go to city, Invisibility the tower workers. Enter and immediately exit the tower, buffer a cutscene skip. Enter teleport crystal, period skip Bobbin’s text, go down opposite bell, collect Terror from crystal ball. Return to shepherds the way you came, period skip their dialogue, Terror shepherds, cutscene skip after Terror. Walk to shepherd’s house, interact with lamb. Period skip and buffer a cutscene skip, interact with lamb again. Period skip through text, collect Heal, leave. Walk to sheep, Dye sheep once screen pans, period skip dragon. Gold to Straw the gold, period skip, obtain A.
A to B: Terror dragon, exit room, Night Vision the darkness. Enter first opening, walk right, down hole after screen transition. Second opening after screen pans, walk left until fall. Collect and remember Reflect from pool, cutscene skip after identifying which version (only one or two notes are necessary for this, depending on version). Exit right, enter opening, leave cave. Untwist stairs, continue right. Reflect Rusty, cutscene skip, Reflect Rusty, exit right. Buffer cutscene skip, enter city, walk right to next room. Walk right and buffer cutscene skip. Interact with hay, cutscene skip, pick up staff, Open door. Walk downstairs, move right to be above conversation, interact with conversation. Period skip conversation while moving to sword. When the smith lifts the sword, Twist the sword. Cutscene skip. Open cage, cutscene skip, interact with crystal ball, cutscene skip. Exit room, talk to Mandible, cutscene skip. Pick up staff, go back into room and immediately exit. Close or Heal hole, enter next hole. Walk to Rusty, cutscene skip, Heal Rusty, cutscene skip, exit hole, Close or Heal hole. Enter and immediately exit next hole, Close or Heal hole. Repeat for last hole, obtain B.
B to C: Walk to lake, buffer cutscene skip, enter hole, walk right, buffer cutscene skip. Enter Loom chamber and immediately leave, buffer cutscene skip. The next three drafts are random, as we will be skipping the cutscenes that teach them. Go through Unsilence possibilities on Hetchel, preparing to cutscene skip after success. Do the same for Unshape on Hetchel. Then do the same for Unmake on the Loom, obtain C.
C to End: Exit hole, period skip text (I haven’t actually timed if this makes things move faster). Move mouse to where Bobbin will be, Transcendence Bobbin. Time ends when the final note of Transcendence is complete.
