Any% Route for New Runners

This route is several minutes slower than the optimal Any% route, but it's considerably safer so I think it's a great place for new runners to start. As you improve, you can start replacing the slower hearts (the collect-a-thon minigames, 100 Shards in Timberdale) with more difficult ones (Above the Sand Temple in Neverglades, Sumo 2 in The Below, and Above the Arena in Daggercrag, Jars in Summit of the Sages).

The general principle is to order the hearts such that you can obtain a full rage bar when it's needed without going out of the way to find enemies.

Hearts that require a full rage bar for the optimal strategy are flagged with ¤¤ for a double jump, and ¤¤¤ for a triple jump. Most of these hearts can also be done without rage; where this is the case, I have estimated how much time the rage jump saves. If a time saving is not listed, then that heart should not be done without a full rage bar.

--Intro
Collect Rock Suit Power-up

--Timberdale
Three Rings
Soccer
Jars (build rage by juggling the three grimkins on the platform above the final jar)
Top of the Tree
Rock Suit
Floating Platforms
100 Shards
Sumo
¤¤Sundial Portal (rage saves ~10s)

--Dragonreach
Jars
Dragon’s Finger
¤¤¤100 Shards + Collect Air Suit Power-up
Hop 'n' Drop
¤¤¤Skip the Block Puzzle (rage saves ~15s)
Fly to the Island
Rock Suit

--The Neverglades
Inside the Sand Temple (NOT the one high above the structure)
Shoot Statue's Eyes (and remember to refill your rage bar before collecting the heart)
¤¤¤Waterfall (if you miss on your first try, go to Electric Fish and then collect this one with the Air Suit)
Electric Fish
Rings Minigame
Jars

--Tempest Peak Manor
¤¤¤Inside the Piano
¤¤¤Lunchbox (set sundial)
Sundial Portal
¤¤Top of the Clock
Breakout
Jars

--The Below
Upside Down
Jars (set sundial)
¤¤Sundial Portal (can be done without rage, but you're relying on the camera to be nice)
¤¤Top of the Volcano (rage saves ~5s)
Pirate Ship Checkerboard Game
¤¤¤Stop the Beam
Pirate Chest (A-X-B for GameCube version)

--Daggercrag
Collect glass smashing heart from inside the monastery
Kill enemies for one-eyed dude (set sundial)
¤¤Sundial Portal (rage saves ~10s)
Mummy Boss
¤¤¤Block Puzzle (can be done without rage, but you should plan ahead and figure out your favorite way to solve the puzzle)
¤¤¤Jars (alternate route with rage double jump instead of triple is ~5s slower)
¤¤Smash the Glass (yes, it will count twice, as long as you collect it from inside the monastery first and you're not using a memory card!)

--Summit of the Sages
¤¤Kitchen Drain (a heart from Tempest Peak Manor, but we collect it from here)
¤¤Machine Head (it's possible to make the jump without rage, but it's tight)
Hop 'n' Drop
Tilted Maze in the Vexx Head
¤¤¤Water Head (rage saves ~15s)
Six Rings

--Frostblight Mill
The Princess’ Secret Slide
Top of the Windmill
Underground Lava Area
Skydiving (good to have a full rage bar here for insurance)
¤¤¤Flipping Platforms (rage saves ~20s)
Rock Suit
Snowballs

--Citadel of Shadows
¤¤Cube Puzzle (do Right Track first if you're more than ~10 rage points short of a full bar when entering the level)
¤¤Right Track
¤¤Middle Track
¤¤¤Left Track (rage saves ~20s)
Under the Entrance

--The Shadow Realm
Yabu (use rage to kill one wave of the little bad guys that he sends out while lobbing fireballs at you)

Currently Optimal Any% Route

The general principle is to order the hearts such that you can obtain a full rage bar when it's needed without going out of the way to find enemies.

Hearts that require a full rage bar are flagged with ¤¤ for a double jump, and ¤¤¤ for a triple jump.

--Intro
Collect Rock Suit Power-up

--Timberdale
Three Rings
Soccer
Jars (build rage by juggling the three grimkins on the platform above the final jar)
Top of the Tree
Rock Suit
Floating Platforms
Sumo
¤¤Sundial Portal

--Dragonreach
Jars
Dragon’s Finger
¤¤¤100 Shards + Collect Air Suit Power-up
Fly to the Island
¤¤¤Block Puzzle
Rock Suit

--The Neverglades
¤¤¤Above the Sand Temple
Inside the Sand Temple
Shoot Statue's Eyes
¤¤¤Waterfall
Electric Fish
Jars

--Tempest Peak Manor
¤¤¤Inside the Piano
¤¤¤Lunchbox (set sundial)
Sundial Portal
¤¤Top of the Clock
Breakout
Jars

--The Below
Upside Down
Jars (set sundial)
¤¤Sundial Portal (can be done without rage, but you're relying on the camera to be nice)
¤¤Top of the Volcano
Pirate Ship Checkerboard Game
Sumo (you should have a full bar going into this -- you can use it to save yourself if you get knocked off)
¤¤¤Stop the Beam
Pirate Chest (A-X-B for GameCube version)

--Daggercrag
Collect glass smashing heart from inside the monastery
¤¤¤Above the Arena
Kill enemies for one-eyed dude (set sundial)
¤¤Sundial Portal
Mummy Boss
¤¤¤Block Puzzle (can be done without rage, but it's several seconds slower)
¤¤¤Jars
¤¤Smash the Glass (yes, it will count twice, as long as you collect it from inside the monastery first and you're not using a memory card!)

--Summit of the Sages
¤¤Kitchen Drain (a TPM heart, but we collect it from here)
¤¤Machine Head
¤¤Demolition/Jars (without collecting any jars!)
Maze
¤¤¤Water Head
Six Rings

--Frostblight Mill
The Princess’ Secret Slide
Top of the Windmill
Underground Lava Area
Skydiving (good to have a full rage bar here for insurance)
¤¤¤Flipping Platforms (can be done without rage, ~20s slower)
Rock Suit
Snowballs

--Citadel of Shadows
¤¤Cube Puzzle (do Right Track first if you're more than ~10 rage points short of a full bar)
¤¤Right Track
¤¤Middle Track
¤¤¤Left Track
Under the Entrance

--The Shadow Realm
Yabu (use rage to kill one wave of the little bad guys that he sends out while lobbing fireballs at you)

Name	Author
Any% Route for New Runners	FaxMeAppleJuice 7 years ago
Currently Optimal Any% Route	FaxMeAppleJuice 5 years ago