Best Tips For A Fast Speedrun Elden Ring

Games from Software's Soulsborne series have always been a favorite among the speedrunning community, thanks to their wide-open design that allows for countless strategies and techniques to be developed over time. Elden Ring was no exception when it was introduced in 2022, attracting speedrunners from around the world to find the quickest ways to complete the game. Despite being FromSoft's most ambitious game and requiring a significant investment of time to finish, it has surprisingly produced the fastest completion times in the company's history. This is due to the game's vastness and the variety of challenges it offers. Strategies range from mastering epic boss battles to exploiting complex glitches. With a wide array of classes to choose from, players must select the most effective one. While all starting options are playable, Samurai is the top choice for speedrunning. Samurai offers the best equipment for achieving record times, including the Uchigatana - a highly potent weapon with a strong Ash of War and a built-in Blood Loss status effect, a broad range of starting stats, a bow for extended freefalls without damage, and most importantly, a shield that can both block incoming attacks and enable cancels.

Different Motor Skills: Strategies To Move Faster In Runs

Clearly, weaving through the Regions Between requires swift movement in a timed game. The primary method for moving around the area is by using Torrent from Melina, but there are moments when it's necessary to walk, and advice on how to move will be essential then too. Significantly, a quick dash cycle while aboard Torrent will lead to increased pace rather than just accelerating. Every time Torrent starts to decelerate, activating the dash pad ensures journeys are more efficient. Hopping repeatedly while ascending slopes aids in attaining greater speed compared to merely walking.

Master The Map: Efficient Navigation for Faster Speedruns

Mastering the map in Elden Ring is crucial for speeding up your runs, as the game's expansive world can initially feel overwhelming. To optimize your speedrun, it's essential to memorize the locations of vital items and power-ups. Knowing where to find items like Talismans or rare upgrade materials enables you to head directly to them, thus cutting down on unnecessary exploration. Additionally, leveraging in-game shortcuts and bypasses can save considerable time. For example, Leyndell features specific routes that allow you to bypass extensive areas and reach objectives faster. Similarly, using Torrents to ascend cliffs not only avoids lengthy sections but also helps you navigate through the world more efficiently. Mastering these shortcuts and familiarizing yourself with item locations ensures that your speedrun remains smooth and fast, ultimately contributing to a more impressive completion time.

Plan Your Route: Structured Pathways Enhance Speedrun Efficiency

Planning your route in Elden Ring is vital for optimizing speedrun efficiency, especially given the game's expansive world and complex level design. Developing a well-thought-out plan involves mapping out key locations, item pickups, and crucial objectives in advance. This preparation helps in identifying the most direct paths and avoiding time-consuming detours. For instance, knowing the locations of critical items and shortcuts, such as those in Leyndell or the Raya Lucaria Academy, allows you to strategize your movements and make real-time adjustments as needed. Additionally, incorporating known skips and leveraging advanced techniques can significantly impact your overall run time. Even experienced speedrunners benefit from revisiting and refining their routes, as new discoveries and strategies continuously emerge. A structured plan not only enhances your efficiency but also builds confidence, allowing for smoother, more focused runs.

Learn The Big Skips: Key Techniques for Accelerating Progress

Understanding and mastering significant skips is essential for achieving faster speedrun times. For instance, the Raya Lucaria Academy jump skip allows players to bypass extensive exploration by performing a precise jump to skip a large portion of the area. Similarly, the Radahn Arena skip involves a specific fall to respawn directly in the boss's arena, skipping the lengthy travel required otherwise. The Elden Ring speedrunning community frequently updates with new techniques and skips, so staying informed about these advancements is crucial. Additionally, some skips rely on exploiting game mechanics, like specific terrain interactions or character positioning, to circumvent obstacles. Practicing these skips until you can execute them consistently will greatly improve your run efficiency and overall speed.

Use Powerful Weapons & Ashes Of War: Maximize Damage Output

In speedruns where defeating bosses swiftly is crucial, selecting top-tier weapons and utilizing Ashes of War is key to maximizing damage output. Weapons such as the Bloodhound’s Fang, renowned for its high damage and bleed effect, and the Golden Halberd, which boasts a strong balance of power and reach, are highly effective. Combining these weapons with well-crafted builds that focus on enhancing their strengths—like increasing strength or dexterity—can drastically reduce boss fight durations. Strategic use of Ashes of War, such as the Flaming Strike or Bloodhound's Step, can provide additional advantages by inflicting extra damage or enabling evasive maneuvers. While sorceries and incantations offer considerable power, their reliance on mana and slower casting times can be a disadvantage. Therefore, leveraging powerful weapons and efficient buff-stacking techniques—such as using items that temporarily boost damage or enhance weapon effectiveness—often proves to be a more reliable and direct method for accelerating encounters. This approach simplifies the combat strategy, allowing for quicker boss defeats and a more streamlined speedrun experience.

Know How To Fight Bosses: Exploit Weaknesses for Faster Defeats

Understanding boss mechanics and exploiting their weaknesses is essential for efficient speedrunning. Each boss in Elden Ring has distinct vulnerabilities that can be strategically targeted to reduce fight durations. For example, Morgott is notably weak to Lightning damage, making lightning-based attacks or weapons particularly effective against him. Similarly, Starscourge Radahn’s susceptibility to Scarlet Rot can be leveraged to inflict significant damage over time, speeding up the encounter. Additionally, precise timing is crucial to prevent bosses from transitioning into more challenging secondary phases. For instance, with Godrick The Grafted, breaking his poise just before he enters his second phase ensures a quicker defeat and prevents additional time-consuming resets. Mastering these tactics requires practice and keen observation, but effectively exploiting these weaknesses can substantially enhance your speedrun performance.

Save Time Efficiently: Optimize Actions and Minimize Delays

Effective time management is crucial for optimizing your speedrun in Elden Ring. Leveling up should be approached with precision; focus on upgrading your character only when essential for progression, such as when receiving the Rold Medallion from Melina. This strategic approach minimizes unnecessary delays. In addition to smart leveling, consider the timing of your actions. For instance, use consumables like Crimson Flasks while riding elevators to avoid wasting time on healing during transitions. Opening chests efficiently can also save valuable seconds—perform a well-timed jump and interact with the chest in mid-air to accelerate the process. Additionally, when navigating through areas with frequent item pickups or key locations, employ quick looting techniques to avoid prolonged pauses. Adapting these practices ensures you maintain momentum throughout your run and achieve faster completion times.

Utilize Glitches & Exploits: Enhance Speed with Advanced Techniques

Utilizing glitches and exploits is crucial for optimizing speedruns in Elden Ring, as they can drastically reduce completion times. Advanced techniques, such as cheesing bosses by exploiting environmental elements, are highly effective; for instance, knocking the Draconic Tree Sentinel off a cliff results in an instant kill, significantly cutting down the fight duration. Another valuable technique is block canceling, which involves using blocking actions to maintain speed or immediately change direction, thus bypassing slowdowns typically encountered during jumps or maneuvers. Although some glitches may be patched in updates, techniques like the 'Wrong Warp' glitch, which allows players to teleport to unintended locations, continue to be essential for swift completions. Regularly reviewing speedrunning forums and communities will keep you updated on current glitches and exploits, ensuring that your strategies remain cutting-edge and effective.

Quitting & Loading Back In: A Tactic for Time Savings

Speedrun time is measured only when you are actively controlling your character, which makes the quit and reload tactic an effective strategy for saving time. By quitting and reloading, you can bypass lengthy animations, such as those for opening doors or activating Sites of Lost Grace, thus reducing wait times. This method also proves beneficial for resetting fall damage, as it allows you to avoid the typical delays associated with respawning. Additionally, this tactic can be applied to quickly skip through cutscenes or loading screens that are otherwise unavoidable. By mastering this technique and incorporating it strategically into your runs, you can achieve faster completion times and streamline your overall speedrunning process.

Practice Speedrunning: Speedrunning Elden Ring Can Take A While

Mastering speedrunning in Elden Ring requires considerable practice and persistence. The game's expansive world and intricate mechanics necessitate memorizing numerous details and refining various strategies. Speedrunning involves not only understanding complex routes and techniques but also executing them with precision. Frequent practice is crucial to develop muscle memory and adapt to different scenarios that arise during runs. To aid in this process, numerous resources are available, including dedicated YouTube channels that offer detailed tutorials, Twitch streamers who showcase live strategies, and community forums where players exchange tips and insights. Engaging with these resources and staying up to date with the latest gaming news can provide valuable perspectives and keep you updated on the latest techniques and optimizations, enhancing your speedrunning skills effectively.