(Not sure if this is already known) If you have good RNG, you can perform a triple jump off the back of a seagull in the second screen of Tutorial 1, allowing you to jump on top of the huge cliff thing, skipping ground pounding the blocks and the swimming bit. Saves like 2 seconds if done right. [Video coming soon]
This is something we knew but as you say is incredibly RNG-dependent and a whole lot more frustrating than the bird skip at the end of the level.
You can say that about the skip at the end too. In this case I'm pretty sure the RNG is much less likely to work out.
I tried it a couple of times, but it is really hard to have a good RNG Brid tho. I haven't even got the good RNG For it after 20 tries...
If as soon as you enter the room, you jump, then just before you land, you hold right, jump when you land, do a third jump when you land from that to triple jump then to another 3 jumps after that, the third will be on a seagull (if you got good RNG), and occasionally it'll even be high enough to get over the wall. You can go left out of that room then back right to practise it.
Do you think Hoverless (or even FLUDDless) is possible? Not having reached the endless stairs myself I can't say whether it would be possible.
TheMilkGirl47 has done a 100% run FLUDDless. I think some other people have too but I do not know any other names.
Runs which are • Sub 6:45 in Any% • Sub 26 in NMS • Sub 52 in 100% • WR in any other main game category will be required to have audio. Background music doesn't have to be enabled, but sound effects should be audible in the video.