This guide assumes you know the general route through each level. For more information on general level routes, see Ian's NG ASL Guide.

In case you’d rather have a timestamped video:

Wharf District: ITEMS: Cael Hammer, Fang Repeater, Bullhead Shield, Breaker's Bow, Whirlwind, Something Stringy, Something Heavy, Crystal Barrette Play the level normally, picking up each collectible along the way. You may want to dupe at least one of the upgrade materials and avoid killing the turrets on the barge in order to get a level up on Workmen Ward. Dupe the core

Bastion Do Dialogue Glitch as you would in Any%

Workmen Ward ITEMS: War Machete, Squirt Lure, Something Sharp, Ragged Hood Dupe the core, then, on the way back, pick up the Ragged Hood. Head southeast to the big Scumbag (Gershel). The faster you do this, the more chances of hitting him with the level up before the Scumbags on the path suicide and make you waste it. If you’re short on XP, bait Gershel towards the Squirt spawner and hit them both with a Whirlwind. That should make you level up. If you miss the level up, try to drop him off. Pick up the Something Sharp that spawns once you get back to the Skyway area, then grab both the Squirt Lure and the Machete on the southwest path.

Bastion Build Distillery middle left

Sundown Path ITEMS: Hand Grenade, Something Burnt, Bronze Spyglass Clip the gates instead of fighting the turret or the Scumbag, grab the Bronze Spyglass and the Something Burnt. You need to break some debris in order to reveal the Skybridge to the Something Burnt; it’s right at the end of the level, to the left of the Grenades. Remember to grab the Grenades as usual.

Bastion Equip Werewhiskey

Cinderbrick Fort ITEMS: Scrap Musket, Marshal's Badge Grab the Scrap Musket. Dupe the Core. You will need to do the last fight rather than clipping the gate in order to grab the Marshal’s Badge. Killing anything in the last arena other than the two big Gasfellas and Scumbags is unnecessary, but hey, you have nothing else to do until they spawn.

Bastion Do Pipe Glitch, build Forge middle right

Pyth Orchard ITEMS: Something Coarse, Plush Pyth Grab the Something Coarse on the way in, down from the area with the fruits and the petrified Caels. Kill Pyth and interact with the shrine as usual, then make your way to the first mechanical Pyth and head down to get the Plush Pyth. You may grenade the Stabweeds that spawn blocking your way to the Skyway before getting the Plush Pyth.

Scrap Yard ITEMS: Something Heavy, Something Wrong, Stunning Wallop Ignore the big pillars.

Zulwood Grove ITEMS: Something Coarse, Something Foul, Scrap Salvo Round up the Gourds and use knockback to throw them off.

Windbag Ranch ITEMS: Something Sharp, Something Pointy, Ghost Blade Immediately after picking up the Machete, go to the middle of the area and focus down the green Squirts that spawn. Any Squirts that you don’t kill will flee and you’ll have to hunt them down

Breaker's Barracks ITEMS: Something Stringy, Something Fancy, Breaker Volley A powershot deals 30-34 damage depending on how long you hold it and targets have 31 health. Shoot the last isolated target from next to the cages (That prevents the autosplitter from splitting and is also faster)

Trapper Shingle ITEMS: Something Nasty, Something Greasy, Snooze Dart

Hanging Gardens ITEMS: Ura Sigil Dupe the Core. This is the last dupe on the route.

Bastion Do Dialogue Glitch with Zulf by using Ura Sigil into City Crest (I can't seem to open the second menu the other way around). Don't try to time the second core, just scroll the wheel like you would on Pipe glitch, else you're forced to both build and upgrade. Build Lost and Found top left.

Roathus Lagoon ITEMS: Brusher's Pike, Sneaky Decoy, Something Nasty, Something Pointy, Anklegator Egg Grab the Sneaky Decoy, use Musket rather than Vine Clip. Once you’re on the Pike clearing, ignore it since grabbing it spawns a Lunkhead that will make Anne ignore you. Instead, go up, grab the Something Nasty, then go back down and grab the Pike. Then get Anne boosted to the next platform, get Anne boosted there too and, instead of clipping into the fight like you’d normally do, get boosted to the right one more time (or clip the gate to the right. Anne is inconsistent in this clearing). Once here, go right and kill a Stinkweed to grab a Something Pointy, then go down and grab the Anklegator Egg. Enter the fight, get Werewhiskey by falling the needed times while Anne makes her way to the Shard. One cycling her is impossible, killing her or leaving her alive on the second cycle is irrelevant to the route. Grab the shard and leave.

Bastion Upgrade Distillery. Buy Pike Vault from the Lost and Found. Equip Black Rye.

Prosper Bluff ITEMS: Hidebound Journal Since you have 5 tonics and 4 required Vaults, you may want to Vault over the second gate too. However, this saves very little time so I personally like having the backup tonic. Do whatever you want.

Bastion: Build Memorial top right

Wild Outskirts ITEMS: Dueling Pistols, Something Greasy, Something Foul Remember to grab the Dueling Pistols. Since you don’t have the Musket after grabbing the Pistols, you should probably leave this for after killing the three pincushions. You also want to get Werewhiskey at some point before the big Pecker spawns. After getting the core you can either do a blind Pike Vault ( ) or walk out either the casual way or by clipping, both are about the same speed. Grab the Something Greasy that is above the clearing, then interact with the Sandbag that is before the Skyway to grab a Something Foul. Duping the Something Greasy here or on Mount Zand is needed if you mean to upgrade the Pistols.

Bastion: Upgrade top right

Point Lemaign ITEMS: Army Carbine, Something Sharp, Something Fancy, Sealed Note Kill the Wallflower with a Pike Vault and roll into the Stinkeyes. Grab the Carbine. Play the level normally up to the Arsenal, where you need to go left to grab a Something Sharp. From this point on, play the level as you would on ASL, making sure to grab the Something Fancy that is on the tracks.

Bastion: Upgrade top left

Mount Zand ITEMS: Galleon Mortar, Something Greasy, Fine Gramophone Grab the Something Greasy that is to the right on the area where you can’t see the Kid due to the vegetation. Once again, you’ll need to dupe this one or the Wild Outskirts one if you mean to upgrade the Pistols. Grab the Mortar, then go right towards the Arsenal and grab the Gramophone. Finish the level normally, with or without Pike Vault

Bastion Upgrade middle right

Melting Pot ITEMS: Trip Mines, Something Nasty, Ancient Spices Go down, activate the switch. Wait down here while clearing waves. Once you’ve cleared the ones that matter time wise (Scumbags, the wave immediately after, Elephant Squirts), clip out (this is a really hard clip. Thankfully, the time you spend doing this virtually doesn’t matter since the level is an autoscroller). From this point on: Make sure to grab the Ancient Spices and the Trip Mines, aside from the Something Nasty that you’re clipping out for. Do not grab the core by accident.

Bastion Build Arsenal bottom right and open and close it to get a text skip.

Colford Cauldron ITEMS: Fire Bellows, Something Heavy, Something Pointy Play the level normally up until Bellows. Ignore them, but go right from here to grab a Something Heavy. Continue through the level up until the Pincushions. You’ll need to kill every Pincushion that spawns in this area so that the Pecker’s Nest drops. Abuse Trip Mines with Black Rye. The Wallflower is irrelevant but kill it if you want to. Once you’re done with the fight, destroy the brambles to the right and make your way to the Arsenal. There’s a Something Pointy right next to it. Grab the core, then grab the Bellows on the way back.

Bastion Upgrade bottom right

Urzendra Gate ITEMS: Something Fancy, Something Wrong You’ll need to grab a Something Fancy, right before the barge, and a Something Wrong, to the left of the second patch of rocks. Do the fight with the Mortar emulating the Grenade strat, maybe plant some safety Trip Mines

Bastion Build bottom left

Zulten's Hollow ITEMS: Calamity Cannon, Something Burnt, Something Foul, Something Wrong, Child's Drawing Grab the Calamity Cannon. Explaining Zulten’s with writing is real hard so here’s a clip instead:

Trigger Hill ITEMS: Something Fancy, Something Coarse, Trigger Blitz

Boundless Bay ITEMS: Something Burnt, Something Heavy, Bomb Barrage

Bastion Redeem the Memorial, then upgrade Pistols (Spread, Damage, Whatever, Damage) on top of Bellows (Flames Spread, DOT) and Cannon (Knockback, Charge Speed).

Slinger Range ITEMS: Something Greasy, Something Stringy, Slinger Storm To make this challenge very easy, rebind your secondary fire to Mouse Wheel. Don't scroll quite as fast as you would when trying to dupe a core.

Camp Dauncy ITEMS: Something Pointy, Something Nasty, Brusher Sweep Just get werewhiskey.

Grady Incinerator ITEMS: Something Foul, Something Sharp, Ring of Fire

Mancer Observatory ITEMS: Something Wrong, Something Burnt, Calamity Rockets

Burstone Quarry ITEMS: Something Stringy, Something Coarse Grab the Something Stringy that is a close to the Arsenal (You’ll have to go down where the Stinkeyes are) and the Something Coarse that is in the spot where you Lunky Drop.

Invasion ITEMS: Harp Guitar Run up to the gate, go to the left and pick up the Harp Guitar. Do not skip the Invasion, else the Harp leaves your inventory; just use the Skyway and then die.

Bastion Finish the game, remember that Evacuation is best ending