Hi there folks!

This guide is for current patch (Update 21)

So I was getting bored and I thought "Why not make Relic Hunters Zero guide?" So let's get to it! First of all let's check every character:

• Jimmy: Basic speed, stamina, HP and shield. Nothing special. Easiest character to learn in my opinion.
• Pinkyy: Better speed, stamina and HP. She has Super shields instead of grenades which is acually really good especially when fighting a boss. Not bad character although her melee abilities aren't useful that much in a run.
• Raff: Worse HP than Jimmy otherwise Basic. Has a Keytar gun that can shoot through walls, but in my opinion it's too slow to be useful in run. When playing as him you need to be little more careful about environment and enemies.
• Biu: Slowest character in a game, Doesn't have a shield but has highest HP in whole game. Has a "pocket shield" which reflects bullets, but that is just slow play, because you need to wait for an enemy to shoot at you at that usually slows you down, I would not recommend this strategy. With HP + relic this character is acually pretty good but he's speed is still a little con.
• Panzer: Bad HP, Good speed and shield. Panzer have a flamethrower. Yep, a flamethrower. This character is a "glass cannon" that means a lot of damage but bad survivability. With good strategy it can be deadly.
• Ace: Everything is bad with him. Except speed, he's speed is basic. He gets more bounty which is completly useless in runs. Worst character for speedruning, when playing as him you need to watch out for every bullet, every granade and everything that can deal damage to you, because it can and it will kill you.
• Red: Good HP, bad shield, Best speed in the game. Red can instead of throwing grenades summons kamis (dogs) which can be good decoy for enemies and they do pretty decent amount of damage. Very fun character to play, personally my favorite.

So now it's time for weapons I will get over them quick:

• Pistols: Just use something else.
• Submachine gun: Pretty decent but really fast ammo consumption.
• Highmag: Personally one of my favorites guns. Has medium ammo consumption but with Ammo Regeneration relic it can be really good. Overall pretty balanced weapon.
• Shotgun: Just use Heavy Shotgun.
• Heavy Shotgun: One of most powerful weapons in adventure mode. It can be very useful especially in a boss fight.
• Rocket Launcher: Has highest damage in whole game but with very little ammo and slow projectile speed. I would not recommend using it for a speedrun.
• Assault Rifle: Decent damage but have a burst fire.
• Machine Gun: Better version of Highmag but with less ammo in the mag and slower shot speed.
• Sniper Rifle: High damage and accuracy when using precision. But has small mag and poor shot speed. It can also penetrate through enemies.
• Plasma Pistol: It's slow, not good damage, medium mag. Boring and pretty weak weapon overall.

My set is usually Highmag and Heavy Shotgun, except on Panzer, all you need as Panzer is a Flamethrower.

Now let's get over Relics:

• The Pineapple Pudding: Doubles your HP.
• The Infinity Battery: Faster shield regeneration.
• The Yottabyte Drive: Doubles your shield.
• The Midnight Beer: increases your damage.
• The Watchful Eye: Allows you carry more ammo.
• The Crystal Bacon: Regenerates 2 HP per kill.
• The Alcoholic Carrot: Faster stamina regeneration.
• The Dev Potion: Regenerates ammo in mag.

My personal setup for most characters in 3 Relic category is: Midnight Beer, Alcoholic Carrot and Dev Potion. On Biu: Midnight Beer, Pineapple Pudding and Dev Potion.

Last part, Stages:

Stage 1: Approach enemies as soon as possible and try to memorize spawn of eniemies. Stage 2: Same as in the last one, When playing as Panzer and Ace be careful of grenades thrown by ducks. Stage 3: Same as in the last one, Try to approach flying kamis in the first order because they can fly away wasting your time, especially on Stage 3-2. Stage 4: You know the drill already. On stage 4-3 there are 2 eniemies with Rocket Launcher. Be careful of them, they can do a lot of damage to you and when playing as Ace they can one shot you. When approaching a boss try to find (or just use when playing as a Pinkyy) Super shield. As soon as Boss hatch, he will shoot 3 rockets at you. Super shield makes you invincible for short amount of time, that means you can attack without worring about rockets. Still he can kill you with he's gun so you need to be extra careful about that.

So there you have it! I hope it will help someone that wants to speedrun this game. If you have any questions feel free to DM me.