Beginner's Guide to Speedrunning We Were Here Too

The guide is presented below in plain text but if you want images and additional information, see the Google Doc at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tcg-j1d30vuuJQN-ZkvsC16GaZ8zJF0QvpllUCy9v74/edit

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Beginner's Guide to Speedrunning We Were Here Too

This is a beginner’s guide to speedrunning We Were Here Too Any% Glitchless on the launch patch.

Written by Katosepe
Contributions by: AdrianSimple, SteffoST, Jeph
Current WR Run: 4:58:660 by Malamber and ttpprr

Pre-Game:

First, make sure you are using the correct patch for this category. The game is currently run on the release patch due to it being significantly faster and easier to memorize than the current versions. Here are some basic steps to follow:

1. In Steam, install We Were Here Too.
2. Right-click the game in your library, go to Properties > Updates and change Automatic Updates to “Only update this game when I launch it”.
3. Download the RealPatch.rar, listed as Launch Patch at https://www.speedrun.com/we_were_here_too/resources 
4. Find your Steam game folder for We Were Here Too and delete everything inside.
5. Extract the files from RealPatch.rar and place them in the We Were Here Too folder.

From here on out, ONLY open the game by going to the game folder and clicking the .exe file there. Don’t open it from Steam or it will update to the current version. You may even want to hide the game from your Steam library so you don’t accidentally open it.

Settings:

Most settings are personal taste but we recommend having the FOV (Field of View) up as high as you can manage it since this will allow you to spot clues quickly.

When starting the game, always have Lord host the lobby. A skip in Maze relies on Peasant having some amount of lag between the players. 

General Tips:

-WWHT requires communication. While the game has a walkie talkie system, it is better to be on a call with your partner in some other application like Discord or Zoom.
-The puzzle answers are below but you will need a way to quickly communicate these answers to your partner. The system you use is up to you but the faster you can make it, the better. Remember you have to not only communicate quickly but also process the information quickly so balance memorization with efficiency.
-Having notes available during your run is great to start. Memorization is hard. That said, going off-book as soon as possible should be the first goal for all new runners to improve times.
-Each player must have both movement and puzzle skills to complete this run. That said, the Peasant role does require more quick movements and actions than the Lord, particularly in the Weapons and Windows sections. Assign roles accordingly.
RNG is a factor in WWHT but a small one relative to most other games. The community does not currently have times for optimal RNG so don’t give up because one puzzle doesn’t go your way.
-Have both players record each run. That way you can better compare and determine where time can be saved.

Slots:

PEASANT - There are two possible combinations. The numbers are how many times to rotate each slot based on which combination the Lord tells you. Enter the combination and pull the switch to open the door:

5-0-3
OR
2-5-5

LORD - There are only two combinations possible here and they do not repeat symbols so you only need to see the symbol above a single coffin to know the full combination to give to Peasant. The symbols and the combination are:

Turtle = 5-0-3
S = 5-0-3
Candle = 5-0-3
Flower = 2-5-5
Hourglass = 2-5-5
Cat = 2-5-5

Tips:
-The game can randomize where you start off facing, which can be incredibly annoying. Try and face straight forward as quickly as possible.
-Lord, coffins can spawn in different spaces and the symbols are not always the same at each space. Have a mental priority list of spaces to check for a coffin. Once you have one, that’s all you need.
-Peasant, if you find yourself waiting for the combination, you can move the first slot twice as preparation for the number to come.

Candles:

PEASANT - There are 5 possible candle combinations. With the top candle (12 o’clock) being labeled #1, and going clockwise. Light the candles in order based on Lord’s instructions.

LORD - Once the door opens, run to the book and give the candle order to Peasant. The possible combinations are:

364521
421635 
452361
615432
623415

Tips:
-This section has the Peasant waiting on the Lord since Lord has to run down a long hallway to get to the answer book. There is a 1 in 5 chance that Peasant can guess the combination without waiting on Lord which would save time but also would mean a lot of wasted runs.
-The Lord should continuously click on the book while running up to it. They can click onto the book long before the cursor indicates the book is clickable, saving valuable time.
-Instead of hunting for the number 1 candle in the answer, it may be faster for the Lord to immediately look for what number is in the 12 o’clock spot and use that to determine the pattern. Out of five possible solutions, only two have the same number in the 12 o’clock, at which point you can move to the second candle to determine the solution. 

Banners:

LORD - As soon as the candle order has been given to Peasant, look at the banners to see which pattern is on the banners. None of the patterns repeat so looking at one will allow you to tell which solution to give Peasant. There are three possible solutions to this puzzle. See the Google Doc linked at the top of this guide for screenshots of each solution.

PEASANT - Enter the correct combination into the tapestries based on the solution Lord tells you. The solutions are presented in screenshots on the Google Doc linked at the top of this guide.

Tips:
-Lord does not have to wait for Peasant to complete candles before determining the solution. Each pattern is visible on the banner right from the start so finding this solution while Peasant is working on entering the candles can be a great time saver.
Floor Symbols

Floor Symbols:

LORD - Once banners are completed, a symbol will appear inside the gazebo. The patterns are as follows with 1 being the 12 o’clock symbol and ordered clockwise:

1432 5876
1543 6278
4721 8563
5261 4837
7326 5184

PEASANT - In the center of the room, click the symbols in the order provided by Lord. 1 represents the symbol at 12 o’clock as seen from the position of the book podium and ordered clockwise.

Tips:
-Memorizing rote numbers can be tough. Associating each pattern with an image can help speed up your recall and improve your time.

Cubes:

PEASANT - There will be three roadblocks going up the spiral staircase. You need to take note of where on the cross the compass image is located. Lord will tell you which door opened up. If the door is left or right, give Lord the first cube number listed below. If the middle door opens, give the second cube number instead. 

Top
6

Exact Middle
1

Left Arm, bottom pentagram
2

Left Arm, bottom square
7

Third Row
3
5

Bottom Row, pointing up
4
3

Bottom Row, pointing right
5
4

LORD - Once the Peasant makes it onto the spiral staircase, the doors around the room will begin opening one at a time. There are only three doors that open, one on the left side of the room, one on the right, and one behind the book in the middle of the hallway. Tell Peasant which door has opened (left, middle, or right) and they will give you a number. Left and right are functionally the same while middle can be different. In each room, there are 7 cubes. The number they give you is which cube to grab and put on the central altar. They are numbered left to right.

Tips:
-Peasants, make sure to move as quickly as possible after entering in the symbols as Lord will be waiting on you to make it to the spiral staircase. This continues to be true each time a gate opens. Hug the inside of the staircase to shave time off.
-Lord, from when the checkpoint message appears in the corner, it will typically take between 2 to 3 seconds for the door to open. This is where it can be helpful to have an increased FOV setting, since you will be able to keep both the left and right doors comfortably in view from the book podium.
-Lord, getting the cube into the altar for each room is the priority here since the next door will not open until the Peasant runs further up the spiral staircase. It may be worth using suboptimal movement to get the cube in the altar as quickly as possible just to get that door opened quicker and prevent you wasting movement going to the wrong door.

Weapons:

PEASANT - There are 20 items, either shields or weapons, that can be placed in the four suits of armors' left or right hands. The items are the same between playthroughs and are always in the same place. There are also 7 possible animal crests denoting each suit of armor. These are random and do not stay in the same location each time. You will need to memorize the locations and come up with a solid communication method with Lord to communicate the answers here as quickly as possible. We have a possible key on the Google Doc linked at the top of this guide.

LORD - Run up the stairs quickly and communicate the answers to Peasant. There are 20 possible items that can go in the left or right hand of each suit of armor and 7 possible crests. We have a possible key for you to use on the Google Doc linked at the top of this guide.

Tips:
-This is the run killer and is where solid communication is the most important between players. Come up with a system that you both can memorize and communicate quickly to shave time off your run. It doesn’t have to be the one presented here so long as it works.
-That said, we recommend using the same general format every time to cut down on needing to do things like specify which hand each weapon is in. In our runs, we always say “right hand, left hand, crest” in that order. If the armor isn’t holding anything, we say “0”. i.e., “zero, axe 3, badger”
-Peasant, you have some time in this room before the Lord is able to give answers. It is worth grabbing a weapon and putting it in each suit of armors’ hands to see if you can get a lucky combination before the Lord is even ready. We call this “getting a freebie”.
-Remember that dropping a weapon will make it respawn back in its original place. If you grab the wrong thing, don’t waste time trying to put it somewhere you’ll remember it. Just drop it and move on.
-Currently nobody has cataloged all combinations and it’s unclear if this may provide a benefit to the run or not. There seem to be too many permutations to memorize.

Windows:

PEASANT - The stained glass solution is the same every time, and the original position of those pieces remain the same. Peasant will need to memorize and complete the pattern.

Tips:
-Glass can be picked up and placed from a ludicrously far distance but being accurate from far away may prove difficult, especially when grabbing the bottom pieces. This may be a good place to adjust your graphics and mouse settings to find what works best for you.
-Movement is extremely precise in this section. Watch the runs on the leaderboard to get an idea of how to move optimally in this section. 

Game Boards:

LORD - There are 3 possible game board patterns. Memorize the path required for each of the 3 rounds in each rock formation. Legend is L = Left, U = Up, R = Right, D = Down. See the Google Doc linked at the top of this guide for screenshots showing which solution is which.

Solution 1 (player starts in 4th column, one rock two spaces up from player):
L1,    U3,    R3,    U3,    L4
L1,    U3,    R1,    U2,    L1,    U1,    R1
L1,    U3,    R1,    U2,    L1,    R2,    U3,    L1,    U1

Solution 2 (player starts in 4th column, one rock diagonal up and left from player):
U4,    R3,    U2,    L5,    R2,    U3
U3,    R1,    U4,    L1,    U1
U3,    L1,    U1,    R2,    U2,    L2,    U2

Solution 3 (player starts in 5th column, rock 1 space up from player):
R2,    U6,    D2,    L4,    U1,    D2,    L1
R2,    U5,    L1,    U2,    L1
L1,    U2,    L2,    R3,    U4,    L1,    U1,    L1,    U1

Tips:
-This is one of the biggest time sinks for the Lord in each run. Memorizing each game board and learning to recognize which one is being presented to you will save you tons of time on each run.

Maze:

PEASANT - There are 2 different maze patterns. In casual play, Lord would be expected to guide Peasant through the maze but in a speedrun, Peasant will need to have the maze memorized. These are tough to describe so here are runs demonstrating both patterns:

Pattern 1 (Run performed by Malamber and ttpprr. Maze starts at 3:37):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cu1zirQelg&t=3s

Pattern 2 (Run performed by Entire_Benny and kikell. Maze starts at 4:25)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b00Hwv4ZLjc 

Tips:
-There are two skips to be aware of and each requires that the Peasant lag slightly while playing. This is why Lord should always be the host of the lobby. The first can be done on either pattern and has the Peasant sprint from the entrance door to the starting point and then try to jump over the wall as it is coming up at about a 1 o’clock angle. If done correctly, you will be able to start on the other side of the wall right away.
-The second skip is only available on the first pattern and is done at the 3rd checkpoint. As soon as you step on the checkpoint, back up and jump to get over the rising wall behind you. This will put you right next to the 4th checkpoint and save several seconds.
-Both skips can be seen during this run by Malamber and ttpprr. Skip 1 occurs at 3:39 and Skip 2 is at 3:57.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cu1zirQelg&t=3s

Symbols:

LORD - The combination lock for Peasant’s prison cell is the same each time. Below is the combination. 

Right lock (top to bottom): 2-5-4

Left lock (top to bottom: 5-4-4


Tips:
-There is a glitch that can cause the wheel to not spin properly when clicking on it. To avoid this glitch, do not immediately jump to the combination lock when entering the room. Instead, run further into the room, close to the first staircase and then jump over the banister to enter the combination. See 4:28 on this run for a demonstration. https://youtu.be/5cu1zirQelg
-The wheels move quite slowly so we recommend spinning the wheels simultaneously so you aren’t waiting for one to finish. Get these clicks down in muscle memory and you shouldn’t be wasting any time waiting. Listen for the audio cue to make sure you got the combo correct.

Ending:

LORD - Run straight to the elevator and press the up button immediately after entering the combination lock in the last section. When you reach the top, head to the exit. Time ends when the screen goes dark before the cutscene.

PEASANT - Once the prison cell is open, head into the next room and hold the wheel open so Lord can escape.

Tips:
-There is an extremely small time save here where the Lord can jump just as the elevator is starting to reach the exit. This gets the player out of the elevator slightly quicker and may save a fraction of a second on the final time. 

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Congratulations on completing your run of We Were Here Too! I hope this guide was helpful in getting you started. For more detailed information or if you have any questions about this game, join the community on the Discord server where we're always happy to welcome new runners to the game.

If you have something you would like added to the guide, please let us know on Discord or by leaving a comment on the Google Doc, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tcg-j1d30vuuJQN-ZkvsC16GaZ8zJF0QvpllUCy9v74/edit#heading=h.wvx6uhjomyw3.

Old Patch

We run on release patch, due to the grab range on the glass section being greatly lowered on the most recent patch, that patch can be found under the resources tab. The older patch is currently quite a bit faster than the current patch, though it's not forced you play on the older patch

Name	Autor
Beginner's Guide to Speedrunning We Were Here Too	Katosepe 1 year ago
Old Patch	Sepulus 6 years ago