General Information

MrCab's Youtube Walkthrough

This is an outdated any% guide from 2015, however much of the information is still useful for beginners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdcikNZqSXA&list=PLBWX5b2ZflulM-7Buo0gH7K4NG6vJ_XYC

Route Information

This information applies to New Game Runs.

Character Choice

There are two general character concepts to the routes.

Zero Route

The main principle of the Zero route is acquiring the Glaive and Zero Fly as soon as possible. The glaive makes it very easy to score double hits on bosses (4HP each), speeding up the fights dramatically. Zero Fly is just game breaking movement.

X Route

Slower than the Zero route, the X route focuses on acquiring the quick charge and charge-level upgrade armor parts. This makes the buster do full-charge damage with half-charges, which avoids triggering extended boss iframes. It's mostly slower than the Zero route due to a required revisit to the intro stage.

This heading is in loving memory of an Axl route concept.

Vile Locations

Most stages have at least one room with a required challenge. One of those rooms is potentially a Vile fight room.

Since these rooms vary in length for whatever lies within, and most bosses are defeated using base character attacks and not weakness weapons, the routes are designed to place Vile in the longest such rooms.

These rooms are

Vile cannot appear in the city or snowmobile levels.

 

Speedrun Item Locations

In case you're looking for them.

Sub Tank (Life Tank)

The sub tank in Sunflower's stage is the one that's "in the way".

You can get it by missing one "A Rank" in the stage and getting the large metal at the end. This comes as a Rare Metal - you have to buy the resulting item at the shop.

Zero's D-Glaive

This is in Mantis's stage. It requires Gigavolt's weapon, Axl, and Zero.

Zero's Shock Absorber

It's at the end of Yeti's stage, pretty much straight up when you get to the end.

X's Armor Parts

If you're on the X route, you want a buster part to upgrade charges, and a quick charge part.

These are the capsules at the end of Yeti's stage (requires Sunflower's weapon), and in the intro stage (revisit)

X8 Weakness Order

While neither route focuses on weaknesses, it's valuable to know the weaknesses as a backup.

Most Mavericks are stunned for prolong periods by their weakness, making it a valuable backup strat when using X if Zero is unavailable.

Weakness Loop

  1. Gigabolt (get Lightning)
  2. Yeti (get Ice)
  3. Rooster (get Fire)
  4. Panda (get missiles)
  5. Sunflower (get light)
  6. Mantis (get shadow)
  7. Gravity (get black hole)
  8. Trilobyte (Get pillar)

Castle Bosses

Vile is always weak against Ice (in all appearances including atop the Jacob elevator)

Sigma 1 (in the refight stage) is weak to Mantis's weapon

Sigma 2 (the demon on the moon) is weak to Sunflower's weapon

Lumine 1 is weak to the weakness of the maverick whose attack he is using. The exception is Rooster and Yeti, he is not vulnerable at all in these attacks.

Not sure on Lumine 2

Weapon Notes

Some of Zero's attacks change based on the melee weapon he is using. For example

Trilobye's weapon permanently changes Zero's sword (and all weapons). Simply swinging it will do weakness damage to Gigabolt.

Trilobyte's weapon, when charged with X, is needed to discover several "buried" rare metals. This is not useful for any%, but required for 100%

Bamboo Pandimonium's weapon has Piercing - it will destroy enemy shielding (such as making a Met vulnerable, or helping remove Lumine 2's final phase's block)