(pastebin of the post, cleaner format, I can send you raw .txt file too : https://pastebin.com/asDjWkQr ) This post is going to explain the intended route of my 44:37 run. The splits I will use are the same in my run, so you can use them as reference.

Before I start, shoutouts to @Chicken, lot of this is based on his work, and I use a lot of his tricks.

General Plan : The goal is to reach level 10 while losing as little time as possible, because Mordra is locked behind a level 10 restriction. This will lead us to complete as many map challenges as possible in order to level up. I also want to buy the "Dancing Scythe of Vampirism" from Irene after killing Vail The Immortal. It brings survivability while having a great DPS. You should always have enough money after the "Wraith fight" in the Defiled Chapel, but having it before this part makes the fight trivial and faster. We also need to loot a Boomerang and a Diamond as our demonic powers. The Boomerang will be used everywhere except for the final fight, where I will use the Diamond. Early in the game, the hammer will be used to execute a minor skip in Watchtower Ruins. Our main weapons will be the Shotgun (ranged, and the second spell gives speed) and the Scythe (great AOE spell + great solo DPS. If timed well, a critical hit chain is guaranteed, so Moon cards will deal damage asap.). As for the outfit, I use the "Vigilante's Outfit". It gives great Overdrive (on Crits only). Combined with Scythe, it means fast reload time for your Overdrive spell.

TLDR: -Level 10 using mainly map challenges. -Weapons : Shotgun and Scythe, Hammer needed for one skip, buy Dancing Scythe of Vampirism asap. -Demonic Powers : Boomerang, and Diamond for Gabriel fights. -Outfit : Vigilante's Outfit. -Destiny Cards : Stack Moons, The Runner if looted.

General Tips :

-They see me rolling, they hatin'. Spam that roll key. Spam it to hell. You go much faster using it. -You don't need to collect Exp Orbs that comes out of challenges flags, they will automatically be collected after a while. Beware, if you leave the zone before Exp Orbs come at you, you will NOT get them AT ALL. That means if you complete a challenge before leaving a zone, you MUST collect the orbs if you want the exp. -Above tip does not apply with other loot such as gold or items. You need to collect wanted items and gold at any time. -Use the Shotgun second spell as much as possible. It gives a great speed boost. -You CAN jump over that damned hub table. It saves quite some time, since you will dodge the wandering guards every time. -You cannot be displaced when using your ScytheE spell. Use it to dodge displacement attacks through the game. -When completing "kill X monsters with Ranged attack" challenges, unequip your "The Sun" or "The Moon" Destiny Cards. If killed by those cards, the monster will not count towards the map challenge. -You can walk and use spells during loading screens. It may cause the loading screen to be longer. Use this is if you know where your character will be / if you know the map you're in.

Run explanation / Intended Strat :

Hub : Pretty straight forward. You can hit two dummies at the same time, so your Overdrive bar fills faster. You can hit more than one skeleton at a time if you roll a critical hit, so having them stacked up is a good thing to do.

Adrian The Fallen: Royal Gardens : -Rush to the labyrinth. Kill the spider nests to complete the challenge. I open the secret chest for some loot and kill the champion spider that throws Boomerangs at you. I found it has a high chance of looting a Boomerang, so I can secure one here. I also try to kill more spiders for some quick Exp. -After doing all of that, I leave the maze and go on. I stop to kill the champion spider that uses Diamond Shield. It can loot Diamond, but at a lower success rate. It also gives a fair bit of Exp, so even if I can not secure a Diamond, it is not entierly wasted time. -Talk to Irene and rush to Sepulcher of the Damned. Sepulcher of the Damned : -We need to Overkill 15 Skeletons. You can easily do this by killing the first ones you encounter, jumping over the fence, and kill the next ones you meet. Let the Exp fall down, there is enough time to let auto-collect do its work. -Head to first secret. Head then to the second one, but this time collect the Exp Orbs. We are leaving the zone soon, and there will be no time for the auto-collect to work. Get out asap. -Head now to the Befouled Tomb. On the way, jump over the hedge to access Argus the Dreaded Mage faster. Killing him completes a map challenge, so let's do it. Grab the Exp Orbs. Befouled Tomb : -Grab the left secret. When you open the chest, use the "Restart Area" function in the Pause Menu. -Grab now the right secret. This completes a map challenge, grab the Exp Orbs. Keep going by jumping over the wall. -Exit the area. -Reach the Royal Crypt so you Discover it, and Return to HUB using Pause Menu. Talk to the Queen, and go back there using the map. Royal Crypt (Upper Levels) : -First map challenge will be to Slay 50 Monsters in 120 seconds. The first monsters you encounter + the first squared area filled with skeletons should be enough, but you can kill more monsters on your way. Leave the Exp Orbs. -Next we should kill 3 Ravenous Souls. Go on the left, you should find 2 on the way, and 2 more a bit further away, and might need you to backtrack a bit. Collect the Exp Orbs. -Leave the area. Royal Crypt (Lower Levels) : -Blaze through the area to grab the first of three secrets. -Keep blazing to reach the second secret. -We will need to access the last secret area to kill the Dancing Skeletons. Jump through the window before the Health Shrine, you might need to destroy the table that is in front of the window. Kill the Skeletons while avoiding hits. They make you dance, which stuns you for a while, losing some time. You should complete two map challenge, leave the Exp Orbs there. -Leave the area and rush to Adrian. -Boss Fight : Hit the goddamn boss again and again. Do not kill the Vampiric Totem, since Adrian will do an attack that will make you lose time. You should be able to hit him non-stop, using potions to survive. Adrian basic pattern is Hit-Hit-Big Hit. The last hit knocks you back. You can stun him using your ScytheQ spell to cancel the third attack, or use your ScytheE. You can not be moved while using your ScytheE. You can also jump to dodge the knockback. You will lose some time, but it is more effective than being knocked back. You should be able to dispose of him easily. Grab some loot and go back to the Hub.

Vail The Immortal : Hunting Grounds : -We need to reach the Watchtower Ruins. But we also want to complete the "Kill 5 Fire Essences with Ranged Attacks." challenge. Remember to unequip any Moon or Sun Destiny Cards. Walk straight to find the first two essences. Kill the third essence at the embranchment, choose the right path, you will find the last two on the way. If you choose to not collect the Exp Orbs, you might need to wait a bit in front of the Watchtower Ruins. Watchtower Ruins : -Equip the hammer. After the very first left turn, jump to the left from the top of the stairs, aiming between the wall and the huge stone block. When there, use the HammerE spell to climb on top of the block. You can now unequip the hammer, and trigger the quest. You might kill the miniboss for some loot, and exit the area. -Head to the Frostteeth Grotto. Frostteeth Grotto : -Go straight forward, and backtrack a bit when passing by the first monster group. Two Essences of Frost will spawn. Kill them, and keep going forward. Kill the Essence of Rock. Kill the Essence of Plague thats follows and end the challenge by getting rid of the Essence of Rock located behind the stalagmite. Collect the Exp Orbs and exit the place. -Take a sharp right turn after getting back in Hunting Grounds. We need to Discover "The Tangle", and we will do so by going up north while follwing the road. Discover the place, and go back to reach Widow's Mine. Widow's Mine : -Choose the left path. Have you reached the deadend, you will now execute a wall-jump starting from the right wall. You will end up on the top of the "wall", and you can now jump towards the end of the zone, near the Health Shrine. -Run to dialog with Irene, and go back to the Hub. High Quarter : -Run in a straight line until reaching Bart, Bundy and Berta. Get rid of them (do not forget to use the Double Damage Shrine) to complete a map challenge. Do not grab the Exp Orbs, and go towards the Forlorn Château. You might need to wait a bit for the Orbs if you were not slowed by essences on the way. Forlorn Chateau : -Kill the first champion monster you see. -Go through the door behind the champion monster. Start a wall-jump on the left wall, you should go above said wall. -Go in the room on the left to kill the second champion monster. -You can now go upstairs. Go through the arch, walk a bit until you reach the two benches against a wall. Destroy the benches (at least one), and execute a wall jump. You should go over the opposite wall, and end next to Volkov's room. -It should prevent all the trash-mobs from spawning, and you should be left with a few gargoyls, a few berserkers skeletons, and the last champion. Kill them all and the Volkovs. -Read the book, grab the Exp Orbs, and go to the Hub. Cemetery Grounds : -Rush through a huge part of the Cemetery. Do not forget to charge up your Overdrive bar on the way, as we want to complete the "Kill 20 monsters with Demonic Powers" challenge. We can complete it easily when reaching a double-alley filled with sleeping gargoyles. Get the aggro on both alleys, pack them up, and use your Demonic Powers. -Do not grab the Exp Orbs. Discover the Onion Quarter zone, and go to the Mausoleum of Bones. Mausoleum of Bones : -Vail the Immortal. Hit him while dodging the death-column-of-doom. You should get rid of him easily. -Phase one done. Do not take the stairs to follow the intended path. Instead, go through the crack, and reach the spot where the path above you is broken. Start a walljump on the right wall, and you should end on the fighting area of the second phase. -You should have plenty of time to destroy the Phylactery and the Sentinels without having Vail destroying your butt. When Vail returns, apply the same strat used earlier. Do not forget to use the double damage shrine. Grab the loot and go back to the Hub.

Rachnoss The Host : Hub : -Depending on your run, you might have enough money at this point to buy the Dancing Scythe of Vampirism from Irene. It is great to buy it here, it makes the next part way easier. If you can not buy it now, you should be able to buy it after the "Wraiths Fight". -Go to the Onion Quarter using the map. Onion Quarter : -Straight forward. Go to the Defiled Chapel. Defiled Chapel : -Straight forward too. Kill the Archivist if you want in a chance to grab a better Demonic Power. Kill the Wraiths as soon as possible (do not forget to use the Overdrive Shrine), grab loot if needed to buy the Dancing Scythe of Vampirism, and go back to Hub. The Tangle : -Spiders, here we go again, even if this is the first we kill. Pretty straight forward boss. Use the Lava Creepers to destroy the columns faster, you can also use your Boomerang to destroy them. Use your ScytheE to prevent spiders from displacing you. You can complete the "Slay Monsters" map challenge to grab some more Exp, in case you are not level 10 already. -Boss ended, go back to Hub.

Mordra the Broodmother: -Straight forward. Go to the Den of the Broodmother, and blaze through the place. -Do not forget to use the Double Damage Shrine, and use your ScytheE to cancel the repeling effect. -Boss killed, go now to Hub.

Apocalypse : The Merchant Quarter : -When you reach the second turn, go right of the stairs. You should be able to walljump on the larger part of the stairs, going above the fence and ending lower. -Go straight forward until you reach the little tower containing a secret chest. -Go past it, but jump over the wall to reach the bridge. -Straight forward, reach the Heart of Frost. Heart of Frost: -Blaze through the place, kill Elsa, talk to the Tsar, and back to the Hub. Hub : Apocalypse boss fight: -Dodge the sweep attacks. -You want to use your Boomerang Power to either kill Aspects of Apocalypse or kill Apocalypse himself. -You should be able to kill him when he spawns the third wave of aspects. -Boss killed, skip the loot, talk to the Tsar and go to the Royal Crypt.

Wa Lee The Solicitor : Royal Crypt : -Rush through the place, go to the Well of Worlds. Well of Worlds : -Reach the bottom of the place. When you can not move further, you will need for Gabriel to make a bridge for you. -You need to wait the end of his voicelines quite far from the bridge, to trigger the script. Staying in front of the bridge will not work. -Activate the portal. It is a timer based section. So you can chill out, and kill monsters without using Powers/Potions to grab some Exp, and maybe gain a level of that. Demon Realm: -Take the shortest route to Wa Lee, and blaze through the place. -Wa Lee Boss Fight : -Easy boss fight. Use your Boomerang Power to kill the Demon Seeds easily. You could just go through Wa Lee's Diamond Shield without killing the Demon Seeds, but it is waaaay slower. -The only "hard" part is the final moments of fight, where Essences of Plague spawn and fill the map with high damage creep. You should be able to end the fight, talk to Wa Lee, and teleport back to Hub before dieing.

Lord Gabriel : Steam Quarter : -Take the first stairs you will see on your right. Keep going until you reach a deadend. -Go on the left of the wall, and start a wall jump on the iron structure. You should go above it and end near the bridge. -Straight forward after that. Go in the Shunned Manor. Shunned Manor : -You do not need to trigger the "Find a way into the mansion" quest mark to advance. You can skip a bit of time. -Go to the mansion. -Past the Ethereal Dinner, go upstairs to the left. Start a walljump on the opposite wall, so you can end on the otherside. You should be near the Sanctum Sanctorum. Sanctum Sanctorum : -Switch to the Diamond Power. -Lord Gabriel First Phase : -Smash the dude to death. Destroy one of the Totems, but left the other one up. -You can Diamond-loop over and over again. Use your health pot when needed. -The charged attach will repel you. Either ScytheE to dodge the spell or jump to dodge the wave. -Kill. -Aether Guardians : -You need to wait for Gabriel to end his voicelines to fight. Kill the Aether Guardians as soon as possible. -You can jump to the center of the arena to save some time between each crystal. -You can switch back to Boomerang to clear the fight faster. I like to stay on Diamond Shield, it is a lot safer. -Lord Gabriel Second Phase : -Same as First Phase. Smash that.

END

Level Ups : 2 : Strength. 3 : The Rogue. 4 : Scythe. Even if the Hammer is needed to execute a skip, fights are much faster with Scythe. 5 : The Moon. 6 : Explosive Flask. 7 : Health Flask. 8 : Diamond Shield. Must have for the last fight. 9 : Does not matter. 10: Does not matter. 11: Does not matter. 12: Explosive Flask (I can add more if needed, my 44:37 run ends at lvl 12.)

That's about it. Feel free to ask away any question you have. Also feel free to make suggestions/fix me on this post. I may have missed typos/grammar errors.

Cheers =)

This is an amazing post - on the note of the Hub table - on Console the button to jump and the button to access the table are the same so we have to go around it. Everything else in this post applies to all versions of the game though. Fantastic post!