Ultimate Any% Guide

**Current Any% route consists of 7 parts, each one representing a path to a certain item or a locked door. Those destinations are:  
* Extra charge
* Door to engineering bay
* Jetpack
* Extra fire rate
* Supercharge
* Extra charge 2
* Trash room**

Here is a map with all parts marked with colors in the rainbow order:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/662200024532254723/839970583210229821/tqmap121route.png

This guide will review the current WR (as of 05.01.2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW_ai5Hw4QI
and discuss advanced strats and skips used in it. If I mess something up in the video, there will be an [M] sign at the corresponding point in the guide.
Harder strats will come with videos of their own.

# Extra charge
* 0:02 In the first (spawn) room jump as soon as possible but don't hit the ceiling. Hold right.
* 0:04 In the next room jump right after the transition. Don't jump too high, you can regulate height of your jump by releasing at the right moment. You should be able to pass this room without crashing into walls while holding right the entire time.
* 0:07 In the next room fall and turn left so you end up on top of the square block.
* 0:10 In the next room perform small jumps so you don't lose time falling from greater heights.
* Next 2 rooms are trivial.
* 0:18 In the next room you need to squeeze in right after the 2nd shuriken, if you go too fast you will crash into it.  
* [M] 0:22 At the end of the next room shoot once.
https://youtu.be/C1D_r0W1jwk
* [M] [hard] 0:25 Your shot will break the first crate in the next room. Jump and shoot, if you're precise enough, you will break the upper crate. Fire again while falling, if you didn't break it, it's your second chance. Hold fire regardless of the result and jump once all crates are broken.
* The next room is trivial.
* 0:30 In the next room make 3 small jumps: after your 2nd jump you should land in front of the robot without touching it. Jump again and shoot the robot on the long platform while you are in the air. The robot will stop for awhile, giving you enough time to land in front and jump over it. You can easily avoid the last robot after it. Make sure you're holding left the entire time!
* 0:35 In the next room hold left and down. Holding down allows you to literally ignore fall-through platforms, this feature will be very useful later on. Jump before falling so you don't bump your head into a wall.
* 0:37 In the next room make a small jump into the spikes and jump off of them. This is the first spikejump in the route. This one doesn't save much time, so you can skip it, however it is very early into the run and serves as a good practice. You can't buffer spikejumps and they are very precise, make sure to practice them properly.
If you don't want to do this spikejump, just jump in the air after falling from the platform and then jump again from a platform to the right.
* 0:39 In the next room there is a line that shows exactly where you need to fall. You might even try to save your horizontal speed after falling by not bumping into a wall, although this will save a couple frames at most.
* 0:42 In the next room as soon as you get the ability, turn right and jump 2 times from air.

# Door to engineering bay
* [M] [hard] 0:47 In the next room make a small jump right away to land on the small ledge on the floor. Jump 2 times straight up. Then climb to the top with 2-2-2-1-1 jumps. While climbing on fall-through platforms you can actually elevate continuously without moments of falling by jumping on air right above the platforms, the same mechanisms as with spike jumps works here, however I will call it air jumps from now on.
* 0:52 In the next room just jump over the spikes with your double jump. Try to enter the transition as close to the right as possible.
* The next room is trivial.
* 0:57 In the next room jump 2 times and land near the corner. Jump once more and land behind the first robot. Make 2 big jumps starting from the very end of the platform so you don't touch the corner.
* 1:01 In the next room just hold right and down.
* 1:02 In the next room jump right after the transition.
* 1:05 In the next room make 2 big jumps to the first floating platform and 2 smaller ones to the second one. You can pass this room without releasing right and crashing into walls.
* [M] 1:07 In the next room bump into the ceiling to land on the first platform. Fall off of the second platform and switch to holding left as soon as you have passed the spikes. Make a full jump at the very end of the platform so you can jump over the spikes and hold right, completely ignoring 2 platforms at the left.
* [hard] 1:13 In the next room use air jumps to ignore the ledge at the left.
* [hard] 1:18 In the next room bump into the ceiling to land on the platform and go to the upper room. You can do a double jump out of the transition, it's very precise though. If you're not going to do that, make a small jump, so it doesn't take that long to fall on the floor. Activate the door and jump from the ledge into the transition for extra vertical speed. You can make air jumps on platforms from that room.

# Jetpack
* The next room is trivial.
* 1:25 In the next room jump over the first robot, jump over a bullet and the second robot and then another bullet and the last robot. Fall in the hole at the left and buffer a jump.
* 1:30 In the next room jump to the second platform, make 2 big jumps to land to the left to the walking robot, make another 2 jumps and land to the left of the shooting one.
* [M] 1:35 In the next room make the last jump in a way not to bump into a wall.
* 1:40 In the next room make your jumps as soon as possible. This way you won't need to stop and wait for the platforms to regenerate. At the second set of platforms jump to the left instead of right and perform a spike jump. The rest of the room can be done with two double jumps. You don't need to touch the last platform.
* 1:47 At the boss stand on the platform and shoot constantly. The goal for all bossfights is to miss as few shots as possible, since *every miss is a timeloss*. The Block has three attacks: turret, line and scatter.  
## Turret:
A turret appears on the ceiling following you and shooting 5 pairs of bullets vertically down with a constant interval. There are two general ways to deal with this attack: go forward in small steps, small enough for bullets to fly right behind your back. This method pushes you closer to the boss, which is dangerous, and requires to miss several shots if you want to run back to a safe position. Use this when The Block is at low hp and you have at least 2 hp left. The second way consists of dodging bullets in 2 cycles (you will better understand it after watching the videos below). This way you lose 2 bullets and remain in one place.
## Line:
The Block moves vertically up or down depending on player's position and fires 5 somewhat scattered shots. At first, make sure that you can't dodge every bullet by just standing in place. Unironically it is often the case. It takes some practice to be able to tell whether or not you are going to get hit by one of those bullets. Try to dodge them without breaking the line of sight with the boss. If you need to turn around, stop shooting, so your first shot in the right direction will come out as early as possible. If you are at 3 hp and it's hard to dodge all the bullets, you may tank a hit in order to keep firing.
## Scatter:
The Block moves down and then scatters 5 shots while returning to the middle. None of these bullets will probably hit you. The same advice as for the Line attack works here, but this one is also much easier to dodge.
Here are 3 examples of battles against The Block using these strategies:
https://youtu.be/C1D_r0W1jwk?t=3
If the health bar of the boss is fully covered in yellow, you're doing fine.
When the fight is over, jump into the door as soon as it opens. That's why it's better to come closer when The Block is at low health.
In the WR I missed with only one bullet at 2:05 and bumped the wall at the exit.
* 2:09 In the next room touch the Jetpack and warp to the spawn.

# Extra fire rate
* First two rooms are trivial.
* 2:16 At the end of the next room make a full-height jump into the transition.
https://youtu.be/C1D_r0W1jwk?t=75
* [hard] 2:18 In the next room use gained height to jump again and land on the ledge at the left. Make a small double jump and spike jump off of the first row of spikes, spike jump again on the second row (this second spike jump should be a full-height one) and then make the second jump into the transition. Grab the trinket and fall back down. You can avoid the first spike jump by jumping on the platform itself (loses time).

# Supercharge
* Next room is trivial.
* 2:27 In the next room use jetpack at the first platform. Normally you would need to use it 2 more times, but fall down instead, make a small jump near the ground and then a spikejump. If the second jump is not low enough, you will have another chance, so this strat is easier than a normal spikejump.
https://youtu.be/C1D_r0W1jwk?t=82
* [hard] 2:33 In the next room jump onto a platform with the first robot, wait for the second robot to shoot and jump right behind the bullet after 2 jumps, double jump off of the third robot on top of the crate, as seen in the video. If you get hit by a bullet on top of the crate, start jumping a bit later. If you fail the jump, break the crate and use one of the floating platforms instead.
* 2:39 In the next room jump onto a ledge with your second jump after transition. Jump over the projectile and hold left. Jump off of the last platform so you don't touch the ledge at the end and fall to the bottom instead.  
* Next room is trivial.
* [hard] 2:46 In the next room you can do a very precise double jump out of the transition to the right. Make an air jump at the very right of the platform and make it to the end without using jetpack.
* Next room is trivial.
* [hard] [M] 2:52 In the next room climb with 6 double jumps via platforms at the left, you can make it with air jumps.
* [M] Next two rooms are trivial.
* [M] 3:03 In the next room jump once a bit after the transition and then again after some time. You should be able to dodge both robots and their bullets. Don't get stuck at the ledge. Fall down, jump over bullet fired by the 3rd robot and then jump over it. You will fall right into the transition.
* 3:07 In the next room hold left.
* 3:10 In the next room use air jumps to climb the staircase.
* [hard] 3:13 In the next room do a double jump out of the transition to the right, then an air jump. Climb at the right side and fall from the last platform right under the sawblade. Jump two times while moving to the left.
https://youtu.be/C1D_r0W1jwk?t=88
* [M] 3:18 Approach the boss as shown in the videos depending on its first attack. Run behind it and kill it from the back, you deal 3 times more damage this way. Make sure you don't miss with any of your bullets.
In the next room grab the Supercharge and warp back to spawn.

# Extra charge 2
* 3:33 This time go left.
* 3:35 Cross the chasm with 2 jumps, jumping from air both times. While running to the left, shoot 2 times when your trail is yellow. This way you'll break both gates in advance.
* [M] [hard] 3:39 Climb via platforms at the right, you can use air jumps and skip the upper platform. Get the trinket and die to a sawblade to appear at the room entrance.

# Trash room
* The next room is trivial.
* 3:48 Jump before falling into the transition for extra vertical speed.
* 3:50 Use the door you opened in the part number 2 and jump from the ledge into transition for extra vertical speed.
* The next room is trivial.
https://youtu.be/C1D_r0W1jwk?t=133
* [hard] 3:54 In the next room you'll need to perform a babysitter skip. Fall into spikes but quickly press jump before touching them. Jump will send you into spikes at the ceiling so press hover. Then fall down, spike jump and hover again. Repeat as long as there are spikes underneath. You can try to press hover two times for extra consistency. You need to learn the timings and visual cues. Make sure to practice this skip well, since it is very far into the run.
* The next room is trivial.
* [M] [hard] 4:00 In the next room climb at the left side with 2, 3, 3 and 3 jumps, you can use air jumps.
* [M] [hard] 4:05 Jump on the ledge right out of the transition, then make a triple jump forward, but make sure not to hit a projectile from the flying robot. Land behind the shooting robot and cross the rest of the room with a triple jump. Don't bump into a wall.
* [M] 4:10 In the next room fall down, make 2 jumps and then a spike jump, continue with a tripple jump and an air jump form the middle platform into the transition.
* 4:16 Follow the jump with 2 small ones landing on the platform. Jump 3 times starting with an air jump and go left. Make a full jump into the transition.
* The next room is trivial.
* 4:21 In the next room make two jumps and land on the first platform, then jump once more and turn around, jump on the platform beneath with your second jump. The rest is trivial.
* 4:28 In the next room hold right for its entirety. You can pass it with 3 series of triple jumps. Make a full jump at the end.
* [M] [hard] Land on the ledge. 3 jumps to the 2nd platform, 2 to the 3rd, 2 to the 4th and hover, 3 full jumps to the right and you can skip the last platform. Don't stop, sawblades won't get you. Don't fall like I did.
* 4:40 At the boss land at one quarter of the arena length and start firing. The fight consists of firing constantly while standing on the ground, releasing as soon as you jump for whatever reason, and firing again a moment before you land. Remember that the goal for all bossfights is to miss as few shots as possible, since *every miss is a timeloss*. The Gateholder only moves horizontally along the floor and starts all attacks while standing in the right corner. It has 4 attacks: pillars, shower, splash and dash.
## Pillars:
3-2-3 or 2-3-2 (depending on where you stand) columns appear near the ceiling and crash into the floor. There is no way to dodge this attack without moving, however you don't need to jump. Columns block your shots. To deal as much damage as possible, you need to stay at the right side of the arena close to the boss. Stop shooting when you're turning your back to the boss to dodge the column.
## Shower:
The Gateholder pulls a shower to 3/4 of the arena height above itself and starts firing bullets that fly from up there to the bottom with some scatter. The boss moves to the right and back 2 times. Fire constantly and make small jumps just to jump over the boss and change your direction when it passes beneath. Don't look at the boss, look at the new bullets it fires, the earlier you see them, the more time you will have to react! To dodge bullets move forward so you can keep hitting the boss while dodging. Sometimes you may need to jump while moving forward.
## Splash:
The Gateholder points its cannon into the sky, alarming you. Then it fires 6 bursts of bullets in certain directions. To dodge them all and deal maximum damage stay about 6 tiles away from the boss, jump over the first burst, land, fire one bullet, make a small jump over the horizontal burst so you don't get hit by a diagonal one, fire 2 bullets and jump again, then continue firing.
## Dash:
The Gateholder moves to the center, fires a homing projectile, then dashes to the left corner, returns to the center, fires, dashes right, returns, fires, dashes left, returns, fires, and finally returns back to the right corner. You can dodge this from anywhere not too close to the center. Just make a jump right when the boss dashes in your direction.
When The Gateholder is low on hp and you have at least 2 hp left you may tank a shot and move closer to the right (if you're not there for some reason), just don't overestimate your attack power.  
You can see all those strats in action in this video (double boss health, no misses):
https://youtu.be/VOllV-_dzRU
* 5:20 Finally a gate where you don't need to jump to get into. In the next room jump 3 times while holding right, then make a normal jump.
* 5:23 In the Trash room don't jump and just fall on the ground since credits trigger at a certain height above the ground. Congrats, you got the WR!

Those strategies took tens of hours to invent and master, don't feel bad if you can't do something perfectly after five minutes of trying. Hope you found something for yourself in this guide and if you read up to this point and haven't yet tried to speedrun this game, do it, it's very fun.

Credits for some of the strategies go to Theta (trinketskip, etc.), Ampberg (consistent babysitter skip), Yog Dzewa (spike jump before The Block, full jumps out of transitions), Hurricane and others. And thanks to Francis Vace for making the game and updating it to be even more speedrunner-friendly.

If you have any suggestions or questions about the guide, you can ask them in this forum thread:  
https://www.speedrun.com/trash_quest/thread/fye0e/1#guk3j

> fun fact, 'next room' was mentioned 54 times in this guide

QuasiStellar

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1.3.1 Game Patch

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Ultimate Any% Guide Discussion

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