In case you haven’t seen yet - Peanut Butter the dog will be running [Gyromite Game B](https://www.speedrun.com/gyromite?h=Game_B_-_Dog_Assistance&x=wdm1w7xd) with his owner, @JSR_ at AGDQ 2024 in January!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ySApo1QRqE

@JSR_ taught his 3 year old Shiba Inu over the course of 9 months to take over the secondary role in the game Gyromite.

![](/static/blob/oeo152ng.jpg)

James and Peanut Butter, or PB & J for short - are able to do this run with a modified gamecube fight stick for PB, which supports A, B, Start, and a macro for more complex inputs.

If you would like to catch the run live, tune into [GamesDoneQuick](https://m.twitch.tv/gamesdonequick?desktop-redirect=true) Tuesday January 16th, 2024 for a historical run!

For localized date & time, check out the [AGDQ 2024 schedule](https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule/46)

[Also check out this interview with JSR_ from IGN! ](https://x.com/ign/status/1737333403417276458?s=46&t=dCbPZeronSyq-XRKHcpwbA)

Tune in January 16th for a historical speedrun by Peanut Butter the dog and his owner JSR_ as they tackle Gyromite!

The Worlds First Speedrunning Dog At AGDQ 2024!

That is right, ULTRACHARITY is back! An all Ultrakill charity event raising money for Outright Action International. Tune in **December 31, 10:00am PST**, 1:00pm EST for Speedruns, Developer Interviews, and more all centered around Ultrakill!
[https://www.twitch.tv/yellowswerve](https://www.twitch.tv/yellowswerve "https://www.twitch.tv/yellowswerve")

### ![](/static/blob/3ekmqmzx.jpg)

# About Outright

Outright International works with partners around the globe to strengthen the capacity of the LGBTIQ+ movement. They document and amplify human rights violations and advocate for inclusion and equality. More information can be found here: [https://outrightinternational.org](https://outrightinternational.org)

**Donations Are Fuel.**

**Stream Is Full.**

Charity Id: OutRight Action International
Location: Twitch.tv/yellowswerve/
Current Objective: Collect Donations
Time Of Day: December 31 10:00am PST

The Return Of ULTRACHARITY!

Between December 7th and December 9th, Epic Games unveiled three new titles from studios it has acquired in recent years. The lineup includes Lego Fortnite, a remarkably well-executed survival adventure game developed by Epic Games, Rocket Racing, an arcade-style racing game created by Psyonix (the minds behind Rocket League), and Fortnite Festival, a rhythm game crafted by Harmonix (the developers of Rock Band).

While Fortnite Festival hasn’t really attracted any kind of speedrunning audience (perhaps for obvious reasons, I mean the run would be mostly autoscroller) the community for speedrunning both Rocket Racing and Lego Fortnite is growing *fast*. I wanted to learn some more about these runs, so I spoke with some runners for each game to hear their thoughts.

# Rocket Racing

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/HrTnfr2Yw-mmZ_TyvKBQIT1dPJxOSIlr8HBUj4JCPCiJGaUUezoXjAKGngn_EvLfoTOa5sVMS5lhFAbwbbrsP_0T48nlXXj_7oRVfK2qcTCfVLko0cImVjfaGWbFSuaYiHdHndeNWP2wFrlc5vvXiqk)

There’s something so beautiful about the simplicity of speedrunning racing games, it’s really as pure as speedrunning gets - just *go fast.* With this simplicity of course comes little variation between games, at least in comparison to other genres. So what makes Rocket Racing stand out? Well according to @nathan_uwp, it mainly comes down to the Boost Management:

> “The drifting makes it so much fun for running too. Like how you can drift more and then use those to plan when to do ur boosts.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhK73hKWcDQ

For some context, the way you increase the charge in your boost meter in this game is by drifting. You’ll notice speedrunners like Nathan drifting almost non-stop, switching directions to still keep a relatively straight line while also ensuring the boost is charged as often as possible.

![](/static/blob/5ngvx6nq.png)

As far as my own opinion, the addition of certain Rocket League elements into a racing game is honestly kind of genius. You can air dodge in specific directions to stick to walls or ceilings (which makes for some pretty sweet level design might I add), and you can also fly a little bit into the air which lets you cut corners much tighter than you normally would be able to - and even “cut corners” on certain hills.

# **Lego Fortnite**

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/T0JVt9ZS4-5GWmZYxQxQAhOI62W4-fJdPWkC33b-YJbMAHqDxzOGa1hbC3uNJn6ke0cKHiziOWnpkHGIcn_Dwg5QETBv3PDfIQNrHtZnE44Aukellp5imDqKWsflcVCftUEz0csJW3-eUs14lZ23ZNg)

Speedrunning an open-world survival adventure game without (as far as I’m aware) a proper ending may not seem like an obvious choice to some of you, but in cases like these, it really comes down to the category structure. In this case, it’s quite similar to what you may have seen before on the Minecraft or Valheim leaderboards, with categories focused on completing specific Builds or killing specific bosses, with sub-categories for number of players, random or set seed, and starting biome.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/TY6xgErzYvcgV3D3LyF27RNnwDeOtUXzKqRg8SKu04UCDtwMTighZRe5SRFkBLMQ8yRTBT1M1O5ZzOwWss0CT0IYbbUzr00c5rxGU2ltqaAXLXg7Errj8olHVcFLtWa--zhkGYWDm_tKkhG3rVB2hPE)

To learn some more about what makes Lego Fortnite speedrunning interesting, I spoke with @shovelclaws who has been grinding both Solo & Co-op for the default category, Common Village (Grasslands).

> “The default category is really simple, it’s collecting the necessary resources and building things. In my mind there are 2 big "skills." 1) Positioning: getting your village in a nice place to reduce travel time, and 2) Decision Making - deciding where to go and when. There’s also 3 big skill checks 1) building the shack, 2) getting lumber mill for planks, and 3) getting your "village level" up high enough which there are a variety of strats for”

The relationship between village level and biome is quite complex and interesting, but I don’t want to get bogged down in the details during this article - however if you’d like to learn some more about that you can follow this link into the conversation inside the [Fortnite Speedrunning Discord](https://discord.com/channels/1005846129470083142/1182732735312306247/1183158808567095338).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ald2WqnAc_w

As an example, the fastest strategy for Common Village in the Grasslands biome is to [spam the candle decoration](https://youtu.be/Ald2WqnAc_w?si=_RFaP-ivTCkjTJFJ&t=398) all over the ground because they require 1 vine which is a very common resource, making it the most efficient decoration for leveling your village in the short term. Shovelclaws mentioned that it believes in the longer categories (ie. Epic Village) it may be more efficient to invest in beds, which are 10 wood each - too expensive for a short category like Common Village but potentially worth the timesave in a 1 hour+ speedrun.

# ![](/static/blob/3ekv5kzx.jpg)Conclusion

After researching and playing some myself for this article, I can definitely see the speedrunning appeal for these two games - Rocket Racing for its clever integration of Rocket League movement mechanics for a new spin on the racing genre, and for Lego Fortnite (who would have thought) for its satisfying collect/build gameplay loop and Candle strats (of all things) - not to mention up to 8 Player co-op. I personally would LOVE to see a 4-8 person speedrun of Epic Village up on a marathon stage some day.

Epic Games released three new games INSIDE of Fortnite, two of which turned out to be pretty neat for speedrunning - let's take a look.

Rocket Racing & Lego Fortnite Speedrunning

No Holidays Allowed 2023 by No Glitches Allowed benefits Go Rescue Pet Adoption Center located in Norfolk, VA. The event will run Wednesday, December 6th-Saturday, December 9th, 2023. Watch the event at [https://www.twitch.tv/noglitchesallowed](https://www.twitch.tv/noglitchesallowed)

Go Rescue website, [find out more about this amazing shelter!](https://www.gorescuedogs.com/) 

[Find the schedule here!](https://horaro.org/nha23/schedule)

Donations/Open Incentives & Bidwars: [https://tiltify.com/+no-glitches-allowed/no-holidays-allowed-2023](https://tiltify.com/+no-glitches-allowed/no-holidays-allowed-2023)

### **W**hat is Go Rescue?

In 2011, a local woman named Georgia Obenaus lost her home and her only focus became how to prevent her family dogs from going back to animal control. Starting out with just an empty shell of a building, GO Rescue soon became not just a place for her current rescues, but a shelter that has grown to rescue over 2,000 dogs to date with no signs of slowing down. They work to provide a haven for homeless dogs, giving them the time, care and love they need to find not just any home, but the right home. **GO Rescue is a state approved 501c3 Non-Profit, which means your invaluable donations may be tax-deductible and your employer might also match your donations.**

Last but not least! Join the [No Glitches Allowed Discord](https://discord.gg/WfcvgPv) to find out when the next event will be, and to volunteer/run for future events!

No Holidays Allowed 2023 by No Glitches Allowed benefits Go Rescue Pet Adoption Center located in Norfolk, VA. The event will run Wednesday, December 6th-Saturday, December 9th, 2023.

No Glitches Allowed 2023 is now Live!

Awesome Games Done Quick 2024 is right around the corner, and they've just accepted a few more runs during their secondary submission period. This period primarily serves the purpose of providing newly released games with the opportunity to get on the big stage. Let's explore what's new on the schedule and get excited for AGDQ 2024!

### [Skull Island: Rise of Kong](https://www.speedrun.com/Skull_Island_Rise_of_Kong) - Any% | [SweedOla](https://www.speedrun.com/users/Sweed)

### https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGQ0ANDGSdw

### [Risk of Rain Returns](https://www.speedrun.com/rorr) - Any% |  [scaz](https://www.speedrun.com/users/scaz.zaf)

### https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkdRJ6q5bxU

### [Starfield](https://www.speedrun.com/starfield) - Any% | [Harcacola](https://www.speedrun.com/users/Harc)

### https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sSIAN_e4-8

### [Super Mario Bros. Wonder](https://www.speedrun.com/smbw) - Any% | [JankPickle](https://www.speedrun.com/users/JankPickle)

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1987668362

### [COCOON](https://www.speedrun.com/cocoon) - Any% | [Sunnymuffin](https://www.speedrun.com/users/Sunnymuffin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO2uvXljACs

### [Bluey: The Video Game](https://www.speedrun.com/Bluey_The_Videogame) - Any% | [Phillie](https://www.speedrun.com/users/Phillie)

### https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1986581940

### [Dinobreak](https://www.speedrun.com/Dinobreak_) - Any% NG+ | [Gnydsmelt](https://www.speedrun.com/users/Gnydsmelt)

### https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLnuFK5Qb6I

### [Resident Evil 4 Remake: Separate Ways [DLC]](https://www.speedrun.com/re4r?h=separate-ways-any-pc-professional&x=7dgepwg2-rn1jrq1n.1w4vyovq-dlo9wqrl.qoxmrj2q) - New Game Professional | [CaptainEzekiel](https://www.speedrun.com/users/CaptainEzekiel)

### https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g93d5M5jtHw

### [Lies of P](https://www.speedrun.com/lies_of_p) - Any% | [blanxz](https://www.speedrun.com/users/blanxz)

### https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM7ENSSvi5s

### [Armored Core 6](https://www.speedrun.com/acvi?h=ng-true-ending-pc&x=q25pw6jd-j84vz228.q8k2483q) - NG+ Any% True Ending | [Raine_BT](https://www.speedrun.com/users/RaineBt)

### https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdOoicHhCQQ

### [Baldur's Gate 3](https://www.speedrun.com/baldurs_gate_3?h=any-no-gale&x=7kjyoe4k) - All Acts | [maeeeeee](https://www.speedrun.com/users/maeeeeee)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf0uWqvwj58

Quite a few new additions! Congrats to all the new runners, I wish you the best of luck and I look forward to seeing your runs in January!Now that the [schedule is complete](https://gamesdonequick.com/schedule/46) - what runs are you looking forward to most?

The 2nd submission period for AGDQ 2024 is over - let's dig into what's new on the schedule!

AGDQ 2024 Schedule Updated W/ 2nd Submission Period Runs!

Hey everyone! Today, we're excited to announce a new feature heading into beta today that adds a little extra flavor to user profile browsing – introducing User Profile Popovers!

### ![](/static/blob/oeo8k4zg.png)

### Profile Popovers

Profile Popovers are our latest beta feature, and we're eager to gather feedback from our Supporters initially so we can improve and iterate based on feedback.

So what is the popover? Clicking on a username will bring up the popover which provides a quick summary of their profile where you can learn more about others without navigating away from your current page.

Supporters will enjoy an additional personalized touch with animated borders, and the new Supporter Badge.

That's not all either, there's more to come - more customization will be coming soon to the Profile Popover.

Supporters! If you have ideas for what you would like to see in the popovers or anything else, please let us know in the [Supporter Forums Popover Feedback Thread](https://www.speedrun.com/forums/supporter/corzl) - we want to hear it all! We look forward to adding and tweaking profile popovers based on feedback in the coming days :)

### What's Next?

We're still hard at work on other long-requested features for Speedrun, including improved moderator tools (such as Arbitrary Variable Mapping, and Mass Run Management) as well as bringing more quality of life and aesthetic changes into beta for our Supporters :)

Let's discuss the new User Profile Popover, a new cosmetic feature in temporary beta for SRC Supporters

User Profile Popover - New Supporter Beta Feature

The 7th Souls Charity Marathon takes place December 1-3rd!

# **What is Souls Charity Marathon?** 

Formerly known as 'SpeedSouls Charity Marathon', this is the Souls Speedrunning community's beloved charity marathon. It consists of 3 days of back-to-back Souls speedrun content, but is not exclusive to just those games! During the event you can expect high level speedruns, randomizers, and our yearly tradition, the community relay race. The marathon benefits [Save the Children](https://www.savethechildren.net/) and has fundraised a total of $126,000 to date.

# **What is the relay race?** 

The relay race consists of two teams of speedrunners who will race through the entire Souls series, and for the first time including Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Every year the relay race features a different category for this race, this year teams will speedrun the Any% Glitchless category of their games. This entire race is projected to be approximately 7 hours, and is not to be missed as it is truly the highlight of the event.

# **When is the marathon?** 

The marathon is December 1st-3rd, find the schedule [here](https://oengus.io/marathon/scm2023/schedule).

# **Where to find us:**

**Twitch**: [SoulsSpeedruns](https://www.twitch.tv/soulsspeedruns)
**Twitter**: [@SoulsSpeedruns](https://twitter.com/soulsspeedruns) 
**Website**: [soulsspeedruns.com](https://soulsspeedruns.com)

Don't miss out on our 7th annual marathon! Come for the Souls runs, stay for the community.

Souls Charity Marathon is a community speedrun event filled with Souls series speedruns, randomizers, and our special feature relay race. Come join this one-of-a-kind event in efforts to raise funds for Save the Children.

Souls Charity Marathon is back for its 7th year this December!

# It begins!

The developer of **Soccer Online: Ball 3D** - *Maniek*, has announced on the official Discord server of the game a competition in his title.

The competition started on 18 November and will last until the first day of 2024.

### What is this game? Are there rewards? Allow me to explain.

Ball 3D is a physics-based online sports game of which the main gamemode is football/soccer with heavy emphasis on PvP aspect of the game. But of course that won't stop us, speedrunners...

- *Steam* page - [https://store.steampowered.com/app/485610/Soccer_Online_Ball_3D/](https://store.steampowered.com/app/485610/Soccer_Online_Ball_3D/)

It all started in 2012 when it was released as a browser game heavily inspired by *HaxBall* - a "2D top-down Ball 3D" also playable on your browser. Our game has experienced a lot of major updates and changes and is now on *Steam,* since 2017. Not very long ago B3D stopped being free-2-play. The price now is around *€1/$1.1* with frequent discounts.

In-game items were introduced with chest and key drops and that's when we start speaking of **rewards**.

The winners (world record holders) who'll have a WR by **01.01.2024** get **100 in-game keys** used to open chests with epic items.

![](/static/blob/4zj8vlek.png)

Ah right, the goals of the competition:

- Top 1 in *Racing (1 Lap)* category - real time attack of all 4 tracks available in the Racing gamemode (played on a private server)
- Top 1 in *Single Goal (Expert difficulty, Default map)* - timed with IGT (played on Bots)
- Top 1 in *10 Goals* - same as above but you got to score 10 as a team (no, own goals don't count)
- Top 1 in *Tutorial* - real time attack of game's tutorial

Everyone is most welcome to join in on the fun. Think you can do better than current WR and get yourself a brand new set of in-game rewards? Prove it.

Let ending of the year be truly ballin'.

### Useful links:

- *Racing* run from *McRaeathon 2021* - [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/997183906](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/997183906)
- *10 Goals* run from *Mini InstaSpeedathon 2023* - [https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1979244053](https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1979244053)
- Soccer Online: Ball 3D Discord server - [https://discord.com/invite/ball-3d-soccer-online-266243131853373440](https://discord.com/invite/ball-3d-soccer-online-266243131853373440)

In-game rewards to win in Soccer Online: Ball 3D speedruns.

Official Ball 3D Speedrun Competition

The Callisto Protocol (referred to simply as Callisto from here on out) is a survival horror game developed by Striking Distance Studios. Released in December of last year, you play as intergalactic cargo pilot Jacob Lee whose spaceship crash lands on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/N7rQhJqTDNTdVxVJPoUBLQbdAU7GO5XvV6PdpOf-6jD4N9GLHp2wj5lEwrvJhrht_fuXnCseIV7srzu5suirsJdxR5SgrS5TukljM6wcLP_7cige4dp2JXW3Lr_JxHiwItwAW7KqWnlaHN5FH6lDljQ)

Callisto’s 5th level, Lost, is one of the most hated levels among the Callisto community. Before the developers added cutscene skips in an update earlier this year, this level would clock in around **30 minutes** glitchless. Lost features several lengthy cutscenes, frustrating combat sections, autoscrollers, and **lots** of downtime.

# Lost I, II, & III

In Callisto, checkpoints are only loaded once the corresponding map file is loaded in memory, meaning it is not possible to skip from one map to another, even if the coordinates in the game world overlap. Skipping from a checkpoint earlier in a map to one later on is fair game.

Lost is broken up into three map files.

- *Snowcat_Persistent* (Lost I)
- *Hanger_Persistent* (Lost II)
- *Europa_Tunnels_Persistent* (Lost III)

*Snowcat* is the first and longest section, *Hanger* is the second section and is mostly unskippable cutscenes and story stuff, *Tunnels* is only a single cutscene. For this piece, I will only be talking about the first section of Lost, *Snowcat*, as it is the only notable section of this level.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/iYDUcwmz2a8bF02YP9jo-9_R9EsUh_ebQAE-V7Yz-8m-zxbltYNsbIXol4GVoY0bCjZDaMijYK5k5bLBjoTKm0Uiw5cNe6apKd3yERSBe5yVh5RViFph1EG8jIQ60IhH9Otgq2MhfogcF7hMkQTMUiY)

# Early Days of Lost Skip

On December 7th 2022, less than a week after Callisto was released, community member @Symystery would unknowingly post the first step to Lost Skip. Symystery had found a way to walk out of bounds before the first frustrating fight scene. He said that he thought it wasn’t useful. He would be correct, this discovery wasn’t useful yet. Little did the community know that this would open the door for one of the biggest skips in the run.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/hv0ISEOIdXbrpdCP7cFnqITP4cqC5NCd9AWoVB1vohB719KQQ14Z7gwIeCZplL_u5FfWVJPtVdQQeRfCtcINEPiDwZvaoAvo2VE2dZuYUESa1aiGPlHjQNyG2WkLNSQmBS0L2hx7GyWgVWjI57q-txo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgpPAG9hdiw

# New Tech 

A month later, on January 4th, @Looney would find a new tech called Inventory Hovering.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/n90pFmAH3p0gYWkjGrYBl_P1fY2ROxeo9DVlq6Z9rWBkSayAxFiH4gL1cFftKNO_xiaP9JnPG2uEyhW9jeI5wD-OBhIvsTh6GDFDPSGLkjfdRr_SWspZsP3UwiRg9q74ouiJkhypixa01eTGMmswYdo)

Jacob has an inventory that he can open by pressing TAB where he can view his arsenal and gear up for combat. Once you press TAB, Jacob’s momentum starts to slow down and then comes to a halt a second later. Once stopped, his coordinates in the game world become frozen until he is either attacked by an enemy or closes the inventory. By opening the inventory as soon as you hit certain collision while dropping from an elevated surface, Jacob is able to maintain the frozen Z coordinate (The player's height) but his X and Y will continue to move in the direction of the collision. This allows the player to fly through the air in the direction the collision sends them.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/JoMYfmMBqNyjs4_cnQ04_fa5jrK_DvfiFatQNzhKdozAVNaazC_0ykojnUwu_3FfkdO2hSPTVvq47BnXRGcTsezr5X68omT8mxGzmcuxFzM1KfaT_tFIbnHzAYFxr9xqIJroNbnGMouOKNWyHVC_yzc)

You may think that this sounds really broken, and it is, but it has its problems. For one it doesn’t work on every piece of collision, you usually have to hit some kind of sloped or angled surface. Hovering through the air is also much slower than running speed so you have to make sure whatever you are skipping by doing the hover is faster than just running through the level.

# The First Breakthrough

A few days later, Looney would find a way to use the new Inventory Hover tech combined with the out of bounds Symystery had posted a month earlier to fly into the out of bounds space to hover over a large death barrier which would instantly kill anything that touched it.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/RBZgjLYcxzUMJZaIW2zutyjT3InnyJF1FCpVtnMjnsWwPY7csbVBbfdr1SFvKQQ8OOhT58rzmaxNSM_ONeFQIUa0IpEOAiLWZfIfgktCVDwVUTPiwA2Fav39Zn-WfyuwrMH4irfX-sYl8dV2ZJuo_cI)

Once out of bounds, he found a way to scale the large mountain in front of the player.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/-MxkHHeQt-D0g9SsFupXLOikNgRPliZuXWM9z_rGjX4aHnFQsvRObztONpvPmTWw7IZUkSQz9ykh0Hn01GpagMXta3gY8prkYW2uDrFotVWskZGsKqXNAozGLIY6b847IlH7UU2z5Dw6-K2IkTcP1CM)

Navigating the out of bounds space is very difficult because everything is extremely low detail to save on resources. Most of the textures do not match the actual collision that is present in the game world, meaning in some instances you are able to walk on what seems like thin air. If you stray too far from the path up the mountain the level will also unload. Additionally, there is invisible collision all over the out of bounds space, and you need to do some certain camera movements to unload them. All of this combined made finding a good path to take to the top of the mountain difficult, but not impossible.

From the top of this mountain you can do a precise setup to get stuck inside of a rock and do another piece of tech called a Stomp Launch to fly **thousands** of coordinates towards Jacob’s ship which has the final cutscene required to complete the first part of Lost.

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/NUMBNOv6bBVTz-L7yfnIygumuK1Q3qAPU2RwfTUzPGbpXp8tKbqFR7Strb7SBg0BmOjBp9WXEPBdhPRpKjknMB8pXq4CUEM6zBjKXEauyxtIPmDWoxW1QNyoQp89WkEalmWAkPTzpdH8b_0qrFRdHkU)

# Stomp Launches

If the player stomps into certain collision, Jacob will go flying through the air backwards. We can use this to cross decently sized gaps or holes. We do this in a few other parts of the game, like the start of Outbreak to skip the entire level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emvNsAohWtw?t=49

If Jacob is stuck inside of collision, the collision unloads, and then the player stomps at the same time - Jacob will fly thousands and thousands of coordinates backwards. You can aim where he will launch if you aim Jacob’s back in the direction you wish to fly towards. Once in the air Jacob will only stop if he hits a wall, a floor, or if the player reloads the last checkpoint.

There are many factors that determine how far of a Stomp Launch you will get. Some of these things include:

- The player’s angle towards the object
- The timing on when the player stomps (how early/late)
- How deep the player is in the collision
- The current framerate/FPS (higher = farther launches)

Due to stomps being determined by the framerate, the Callisto community decided to put a cap of no higher than 120 FPS to try and mitigate hardware discrepancies between runners.

# Patch 1.8

In April, Striking Distance Studios released patch 1.8 that allowed the player to skip almost all cutscenes in the game. This saved almost 1 hour in glitchless. You might think that this would have a big impact on the run, but you would be wrong

![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/WR-KevvAx-oRSfg7AXGjl2a6DYTLkH6HxG3xZxmrV5Cv5ocM0xZBylmL7f0C9BZsyIEH7NMj48G2LHfDCOV6dY73BeTXcRJsJ5py78I0a8bxZTqpUc-GybhWfhQjiXgYLGTHR7tpxPFXXmI9cOG9Qbg)

In the same update Striking Distance Studios fixed the very first out of bounds that made Lost Skip possible in the first place. They raised the invisible wall, meaning it was no longer possible to get out of bounds the same way we used too.

A few months prior, Striking Distance also patched Aftermath Skip, which saved around 15 minutes with cutscene skips. This was no problem for the community, as we would simply play on the fastest version by downpatching - but this was different.

Since Lost Skip saved around 12 minutes with the cutscene skips combined with the fact that they had patched Aftermath Skip in a previous update (which saved nearly 20 minutes) this made the patch with cutscene skips slower than the one where you had to sit through all of the unskippable cinematics.

The community was pretty upset. They had released an update to skip almost all of the down time and optimally it wasn’t even faster to play on this version. Some community members returned, and we saw @sharkhat lower the world record by a few minutes with cutscene skips, but the community knew it could go much lower on the old patch![](https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/m7ZNnHkVwyen1-GLyT5_eN0MIttmF81oZ077PTgeQ0LhIzchwFMQmvwnDP6rQdLVtmfiFLEHGnBmBqH1VnKQuRl5FmndHQlcDc2Uc8eUbw5soCmpH-gLxlWNyuZJHR0_NncWT-BGEXfQT0ZQFfuvFRw)

# Early Leads

The community wasn’t ready to give up. We knew that if we found any way to get out of bounds again it was possible. Looney, Sharkhat, and Symystery would go looking for Lost skip again on the cutscene skip patch. Symystery [had posted a theory](https://discord.com/channels/1040028798432845831/1040028799041032211/1098307092646985849) only a day after 1.8 was released, where you could get a stomp launch earlier a little earlier in the level.

![](/static/blob/5ng5r4zq.png)

Unfortunately - nothing ever came from this particular discovery.

# Where We Are Today

Thankfully, a few days later Symystery would find a way to do Lost Skip on cutscene skip patch, which officially made the version with cutscene skips faster than without.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIThtSrns8s

Currently Lost I sits around a comfortable 8 minutes, significantly better than the 30 minute grind it used to be before Lost Skip and the addition of skippable cutscenes.

I want to give a big shoutout to @Looney and the rest of the Callisto speedrunning community, because without everyone working together we never would have been able to find as much as we did in Callisto.

Is the game solved? Definitely not, there are certainly discoveries yet to be made and sub 1 hour seems like it is within reach - but only time will tell.

Let's dive into how Callisto speedrunners took a 30 minute level down to just 8 minutes.

Callisto Community Breaks The Longest Level - Lost

Before beginning, I should mention I already covered some important discoveries from the demo period of the game which will be referenced in this article - if you want to read up on that first you can do so [here!](https://www.speedrun.com/news/wo83ee5m-ghostrunner-community-tackles-new-demo) Also, obvious spoiler warning for Ghostrunner 2.

The Ghostrunner 2 $10,000 Speedrun Challenge lasted two weeks, from October 26th to November 9th. In that time, the run time for the best runners has gone from around 1.5 hours to under an hour.

### The First Night (October 24th)

GR2 was first released around 11 am Eastern on October 24th, 2023, and over the next 11 hours a whopping 34 strats were shared amongst the community, with 200+ threads in the strats channel to date - let’s go over some of the larger discoveries and highlights from day one and beyond.

**Speedtech: Jump Start**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMHs6PSS3p4

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166395624841818224/1166395624841818224](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166395624841818224/1166395624841818224)

Bike movement was pretty fun before with rhythmic boost management, but the addition of new levels that allow you to dismount the bike led to the discovery of the Jump Start speedtech. To Jump Start, all you need to do is dismount the bike, and grapple back to it. There is a timing to it, and it works better when leaving certain geometry/ramps which brings a new interesting skill to master.

**Pillars of Creation: Pillars Skip**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc5tfs1z_bw

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166435088276406282/1166435088276406282](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166435088276406282/1166435088276406282)

Pillars is the largest skip to date, bringing a 20+ minute level down to just 50 seconds. Very simple, but satisfying.

**Elevator Maintenance: Initial OOB Route**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPXL3mwHi90

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166439007970934784/1166439007970934784](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166439007970934784/1166439007970934784)

First draft for an OOB route of Elevator Maintenance, routing in the Tempest Boost tech which becomes possible after collecting enough Memory Shards throughout the game and purchasing the Pressure Booster upgrade after Danse Macabre.

**Too Close To The Sun: Initial OOB Route**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK0n7nReBB8

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166449888066805760/1166449888066805760](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166449888066805760/1166449888066805760)

First draft for an OOB route of Too Close To The Sun, including a flux strat that clears out half an arena in one satisfying sweep.

**Winds of the Desolate: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Gate Skips**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSOQw2fcaZk

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166451792310194296/1166451792310194296](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166451792310194296/1166451792310194296)

With the room with the lever that opens Gate 2 visible from the outside, LongerWarrior figured out that if you can wallclimb (or tempest boost in NG+) up to the chainlink fence, you can use the Blink ultimate ability to “clip through” (more like teleport past) the fence using the enemy and simply open the gate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmWmyllp2YA

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166452821386854470/1166452821386854470](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166452821386854470/1166452821386854470)

The initial version of 3rd Gate Skip, also known as rooftop skip. In an even earlier version, we would get over the roof, lower the lift, drive the bike onto the lift, bring the lift up and keep going - but it was discovered that you could instead DSJ your way to the next checkpoint, reload, and spawn the bike right on you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQZKMCqTTXc

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166454987707138128/1166454987707138128](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166454987707138128/1166454987707138128)

This one is as simple as they come, simply wallclimb (or tempest boost in NG+) over the gate and hit the button on the other side to open it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP7HvEBpL6Q

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166455710603817073/1166455710603817073](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166455710603817073/1166455710603817073)

By riding the bike up high and driving right off the wall at an angle, you can land right by the 5th gate and then take a small trip OOB to the right of it to hit the button.

**You Shouldn’t Have Peaked: Rahu Phase Skip**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ_uzE1wy_E

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166458517054562345/1166458517054562345](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166458517054562345/1166458517054562345)

The pathing has changed since this initial discovery, but the basic idea is the same - DSJ out and down to the area below you, skipping from Rahu’s phase 1 down to phase 3.

**Behind The Curtain: Shadow Skill Skip**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svODlwKTPEQ

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166467035207831643/1166467035207831643](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166467035207831643/1166467035207831643)

GR2 would normally require you to take a detour into the room to the left, grab the Shadow Skill, and then do an arena fight. However, instead we can do some parkour to get up and out of the room right into the next one. Following this, there are some strats/skips to get around the rooms that would otherwise require the Shadow Skill.

**Setting The Stage: Pipes Skip**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu5p8NjCAD0

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166478394117074985/1166478394117074985](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166478394117074985/1166478394117074985)

This ended up being slightly slower than just moving through the inbounds space - but was the first step in something bigger.

**Can Anyone Hear Me?: Challenge Warp**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX9EM6YPLnU?t=6

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166479955165712464/1166479955165712464](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166479955165712464/1166479955165712464)

As it turns out, by starting the challenge terminal (a sort of minigame) the game gives you a checkpoint that warps you to the END of an otherwise very dense arena fight. This is by far one of my favorite strats because it's just so silly.

**Speedtech: Flow Surge Strats**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWCuFnAa05E

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166513818239766539/1166513818239766539](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166513818239766539/1166513818239766539)

In Danse Macabre, Taartin found that the Flow Surge ability allows you to immediately break through The Dismantler's green shield phases. As of the latest WR at the time of writing, Pasiflora executed the strategy flawlessly, completing the entire fight in an impressive 1m20s.

**A Price To Be Paid: Won't Pay The Price**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUVk4AUaR8

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166493807882276904/1166555574931034132](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166493807882276904/1166555574931034132)In the level “A Price To Be Paid”, it’s possible to get out of bounds almost immediately and finish the level in under **20 seconds** - skipping the boss fight.

### **Day 2 (October 25th)**

**Speedtech: Speedforce / Permanent Flow Boost**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=708lay4OSQU

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166858536005931029/1166858536005931029](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166858536005931029/1166858536005931029)

By equipping the Flow Booster upgrade, slicing some enemies, and then *unequipping* Flow Booster you can **permanently** (for the current level) keep the speed boost. By getting a 10x combo, we can keep 10% bonus speed - if we were somehow able to get an extremely high combo very quickly, we could get much higher than 10% ;)

**Monolith of Inhumanity: Mitra Fast CV Phases**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKRl8g7E324

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166827929339179078/1166827929339179078](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166827929339179078/1166827929339179078)

The Mitra bossfight is broken up into 6 phases, 3 of which are traditional sword fight phases, and 3 Cybervoid phases which involve a bit more platforming. @Blaidan discovered if you managed to get a swing in on Mitra before he moved further into the Cybervoid, you could skip the rest of the phase - and then shared how to do that on all 3 CV phases.

**You Shouldn’t Have Peaked: Rahu Phase Skip 2**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD-gHVlRQ_g

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1167272679225692190/1167272679225692190](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1167272679225692190/1167272679225692190)

Probably one of the hardest skips in the game to get consistently for beginner and even intermediate speedrunners - this one requires you to do some wallclimbing up some VERY awkward geometry but skips yet another 2 phases of You Shouldn’t Have Peaked

**Setting The Stage: Drain Skip/Water Basin Skip**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpENtbtvQw4

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166883923876388894/1166883923876388894](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1166883923876388894/1166883923876388894)

The next evolution of the original Pipes Skip - skipping the Water Basin room entirely!

### **Day 3 (October 26th)**

**Elevator Maintenance: Pest Control Skip**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOYY6yu3PU0

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1167585055527411762/1167585055527411762](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1167585055527411762/1167585055527411762)

In the intended route, you’re meant to clear out the elevator shaft of the Biter enemies, backtrack a bit, power up the elevator, and then go back to exit the level - however if you instead trigger the power from out of bounds and just avoid the biters you can skip all that.

**New World Record: [1:31:28](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/ywn3d72y) by @Blaidan**

After a couple days of the community finding, sharing, and learning strats, @Blaidan completes the first legitimate (no Trainer/practice tools) Any% speedrun, clocking in just over 90 minutes.

### **Day 4 (October 27th)**

**Something Lurks In The Sand: Start OOB Shortcut**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO8hkaidTgQ

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1167899182330286180/1167899182330286180](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1167899182330286180/1167899182330286180)

Definitely the hardest skip in the game, even for the most experienced of speedrunners - this one is a big-time run killer. Thankfully, it only saves about 15-20s - so unless you’re going for world record it's not really necessary.

**New World Record: [1:20:04](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/zpp9ljnz) by @Blaidan**

### **Day 5 (October 28th)**

**Speedtech: Railboosting (Input Stacking)**

https://clips.twitch.tv/TardyRockyElkAllenHuhu-5tP39zOyG6w--3p5

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1168083074744070165/1168083074744070165](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1168083074744070165/1168083074744070165)

In Ghostrunner (and many 3D platformers) there is a system called Coyote Time. Essentially, the game gives you a 0.3s grace period after leaving a platform to input a jump. In Ghostrunner 2 specifically, there is an oversight that allows you to stack as many inputs as you can fit into that 0.3s, increasing your jump speed and distance.

**Can Anyone Hear Me?: Bike OOB Shortcut (Edge Bounce)**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAJeOI5HJ-E

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1168205950847569961/1168205950847569961](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1168205950847569961/1168205950847569961)

The geometry on the side of this building is really interesting and gives you a nice bounce if you hit it right. There are a few other variants of this skip that don’t require the bounce - but where’s the fun in that?

**New World Record: [1:10:03](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/mkqk863m) by @BladeLMAO**

Blade gets his first GR2 record, smashing the previous one by ALMOST ten minutes - just one second shy!

### **Day 6 (October 29th)**

There was a fair bit of testing on Day 6 in particular with Can Anyone Hear Me? and You Shouldn’t Have Peaked - but nothing major was found and no records were broken.

### **Day 7 (October 30th)**

**Elevator Maintenance: OOB Route 2.0 (Zumo + Blade)**

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1964584090

EM gets a new OOB route, shaving off another minute or so!

**New World Record: [1:07:53](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/zxw7d1gm) by @Blaidan**

Blaidan strikes back, lowering the record by another 2 minutes.

### **Day 8 (October 31st)**

**Elevator Maintenance: Tube Skip (OOB Route 3.0)**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6zU8RFW-7g

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1169030921106767942/1169049163347017758](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1169030921106767942/1169049163347017758)

The final (so far) iteration of the EM OOB route, now with minimal movement in between the required loading triggers for the level to progress properly. Surely more things will be found over time, but from the first route sitting around 5 minutes - this one is doable in just over 2!

**New World Record: [1:05:32](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/zqd74l9m) by @Blaidan**

### **Day 9 (November 1st)**

**Winds of the Desolate: 3rd Gate Bike Jump Skip[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTh79qRF4N8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTh79qRF4N8)**

Obsoleting the Rooftop version of this skip, @JanisSG and @Blaidan discovered you can ride the bike out slightly OOB to the left of the play area, and launch jack right onto the highway where you can safely DSJ to the checkpoint, respawning the bike.

**Hackers Den: OOB Shortcut**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAlKtjKRRb4

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1169424646274297906/1169424646274297906](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1169424646274297906/1169424646274297906)

By dashing backwards after passing through a doorway with very precise timing, you can get back through before the door closes and the previous area (you’re now standing in) deloads. This lets you take a much shorter route through OOB space to the first cybervoid.

**New World Record: [1:03:14](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/y6q0r1qz) by @Blaidan**

Blaidan continues lowering the record, inching closer and closer to the sub-hour mark!**Day 10 (November 2nd)**

**Behind The Curtain: Panda Skip**

https://clips.twitch.tv/CourageousSilkyFungusPogChamp-s6aL54XdM-hVNkF1

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1169791428667392000/1169791428667392000](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1169791428667392000/1169791428667392000)

PandaInTheGame who does not consider themselves a speedrunner, managed to find a very fast strat in BTC! The community decided to name the trick Panda Skip, after its founder :)

### **Day 11 (November 3rd)**

Not many big new things were found on Day 11 - but @WiggleyWiggley posted a “backup strat” that ended up being slightly faster than the previously used strat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlvQ-GT_f0U

### **Day 12 (November 4th)**

**Will Bushido Allow It?: Ahriman Cheese**

https://clips.twitch.tv/FragileEasyOcelotCoolCat-Jw8tJmZHNNbqkOpu

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1170323187414876192/1170323187414876192](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1170323187414876192/1170323187414876192)

@7RayD discovered that by maneuvering in a specific way around Ahriman, you can keep him constantly spinning and unable to attack for the entirety of his third phase.

**New World Record: [1:01:08](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/znep3n9z) by @Blaidan**

Almost there!

### **Day 13 (November 5th)**

**Setting The Stage: Droneless Basin Skip**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-H9hieFGE0

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1170939684319404082/1170939684319404082](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1170939684319404082/1170939684319404082)

The final iteration (so far) of Basin Skip, now taking a more direct line through the OOB space just *narrowly* dodging a kill plane, and skipping the drone ride entirely.

### **Day 14 (November 6th)**

**New World Record: [59:41](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/yll7v82y) by @Blaidan**

Blaidan achieves the world's first sub-hour run, with a ridiculous sum of best sitting at 55:45!

### **Day 15 (November 7th)**

**Mindgames: Permanent Flow Booster**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYOCYq67oas

[Discussion: https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1144461454393753652/1171384092152053811](https://discord.com/channels/707647729043636276/1144461454393753652/1171384092152053811)

Finally, LonEliteNV finds a practical use for the Permanent Flow Booster glitch in runs!

**New World Record: [59:19](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/yoop337y) by @BladeLMAO**

**New World Record: [58:48](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/zg8pv50y) by @Pasiflora**

Blade and Pasi both get their own first sub-hour runs!

### **Day 16 (November 8th)**

The grind for top 3 (and top 10) went on all day on Day 16, but no new records were set.

### **Day 17 (November 9th)**

**New World Record: [57:12](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/zg8pvvvy) by @Blaidan**

**New World Record: [56:39](https://www.speedrun.com/Ghostrunner_2/runs/y2kpd1wy) by @Pasiflora**

On the final day - Pasiflora snags first place with the world's first 56!

I would like to congratulate everyone who participated and/or won a prize once again. I also want to say thank you to everyone who participated in runs, routing, glitch hunting, or just followed along. You made this challenge a truly memorable experience!

We recently hosted a $10,000 Speedrun Challenge for Ghostrunner 2 lasting two weeks, let's dive into how the run progressed!


Ghostrunner 2 $10k Challenge Highlights

Gyromite

Dark Souls

ULTRAKILL

Ball 3D

The Callisto Protocol

Ghostrunner 2

xwpw4y0l

B.G.B.

Symystery

Chottue

Ashewyn

TheRealGRBow

A Difficult Game About Climbing

Leaderboard will be closed for moderators to prepare for full game release.

The Outlast Trials

The leaderboards will open 2 weeks from launch to allow discussion about the categories we want to start out with.