Ah, Elden Ring. The name alone brings to mind vast landscapes, fierce demigods, and the delightful sound of shattering runes. For some, conquering the Lands Between is not enough. They seek a challenge that’s faster. Welcome to the world of Elden Ring speedrunning, where the goal is to finish the game as quickly as possible. Forget savoring lore and exploring every inch. Speedrunners want to see credits roll, and roll fast.
Elden Ring Speedrunning: Why Walk When You Can Zip Glitch?
Speedrunning is about completing games quickly. It’s a sport, a challenge, and a way to exploit game mechanics in unintended ways. Elden Ring, with its big open world and intricate systems, attracts speedrunners. It offers a mix of skill and some comically broken glitches.
Curious about this frantic side of the Elden Ring community? Great. Let’s explore. This includes wild world records and the quirky jargon that speedrunners use.
World Records: Blink and You’ll Miss It
The ultimate goal in speedrunning is holding a world record. These times make others weep into their controllers and rethink their choices. In Elden Ring, world records break often, improved by mere seconds. New strategies and glitches emerge in an arms race against the clock. It’s mesmerizing.
Fastest Time: Sub-Four Minutes? Seriously?
You may wonder, “How fast is the fastest Elden Ring run?” Get ready to have your mind bent. The unrestricted world record for Elden Ring is 3 minutes and 56 seconds. Yes, you read that right. Three minutes and fifty-six seconds to “beat” a game that many played for hours. It feels insulting to our Tarnished journeys. Yet, it’s undeniably impressive.
Unrestricted Speedruns: Glitches Galore!
This 3:56 record belongs to speedrunner “HYP3RSOMNIAC,” on August 15, 2022, for PC. How did they fit such an epic game into the time of a pop song? Glitches are the answer. Specifically, the “zip glitch.”
Unrestricted speedruns mean anything goes. Glitches, exploits, and wall clipping are fair play. These runs showcase the speedrunning community’s creativity in mastering unintended mechanics. It’s digital parkour, phasing through obstacles.
Sub-Seven Minute Clear: A Landmark Achievement
Before the sub-four minute craze, breaking seven minutes was significant. Speedrunning titan Distortion2 achieved the first sub-seven minute clear with a record of 6 minutes and 59 seconds. This was a milestone, proving how efficient Elden Ring speedruns can be. Watching this feels like juggling torches while solving a Rubik’s Cube.
Any% Unrestricted Completion: The Wild West of Speedrunning
Speedrun Categories & Types: Choose Your Flavor of Fast
Unrestricted runs are flashy but not the only way to speedrun Elden Ring. If you prefer a different challenge or want less glitchiness, there are other categories to explore.
No Glitch Speedruns: Pure Skill, (Mostly) Honest Strats
If you want to prove your skills without glitches, no-glitch speedruns are for you. These runs aim to beat the game using only intended mechanics. Imagine speedrunning in its purest form. No-glitch runs are fast, requiring skill and route optimization. They show mastery of combat and navigation.
Strangely, there isn’t one universally agreed name for these runs. Called “Glitchless” or “No Major Glitches,” the core remains: minimal reliance on exploits.
Low% Speedrunning: Minimalist Mayhem
Low% speedrunning changes the challenge focus. It’s not just speed; it’s about minimalism. Beat the game with the least percentage of collected items. This may involve skipping areas or fighting bosses with starting gear, making it more difficult.
A low% run in Elden Ring focuses on grabbing only essential items to progress. It tests resourcefulness and mastery of core game mechanics, devoid of any aids.
No Hit Speedruns/Hitless Runs: Perfection or Bust
No Hit runs serve the truly masochistic or those with incredible skill. Complete the game without taking damage from enemies or traps. One wrong move, one missed roll, and it’s back to the start. This requires reflexes, patience, and superhuman consistency.
Remarkably, No Hit runs are possible, with speedrunner LilAggy completing a randomized No Hit run after “over 1,000 attempts.” That’s pure dedication, maybe even madness.
No Reset Runs: Embrace the Chaos
Envision speedrunning but with a twist: no resets allowed. That’s what a No Reset Run means. Failed a boss fight? Keep going. Fallen off a cliff again? Walk it off, Tarnished. These runs force adaptation to mistakes and perseverance through challenges, even when the RNG gods (or enemy placement) conspire against you.
No Reset runs embrace the “ironman” spirit. Some grinding is acceptable, but completing the run uninterrupted is key, no matter how messy it gets.
RTA (Real-Time Attack): The Clock Doesn’t Stop
When speedrunners mention “RTA,” they mean “Real-Time Attack.” This is how speedruns are timed. RTA timing begins as the game starts and continues until completion. It includes loading screens, cutscenes, and real-world time spent during the run.
RTA is popular because it reflects actual time spent finishing the game. It’s a straightforward method for measuring performance. Think of it as the stopwatch of speedrunning.
Tool-Assisted Speedruns (TAS): When Humans Need a Little Help
At the other end from RTA are Tool-Assisted Speedruns, or TAS. TAS runs are not timed in real-time. Instead, runners use software to manipulate the game frame by frame. This reaches impossible precision and speed levels. TAS runs show the theoretical fastest time possible, pushing game-engine boundaries.
TAS runs are impressive technically but generally not competitive like RTA runs. TAS examines the game limits, not human skill.
Glitches & Exploits: Breaking the Game for Fun and Profit (of Speed)
Glitches are vital for speedrunning.
Elden Ring speedruns showcase glitches in unrestricted categories. Runners exploit these flaws in the code to bypass challenges and skip sections. This allows them to race through the game at amazing speeds. Let’s look at some infamous glitches in Elden Ring.
Hyperglitch: A Genre of Its Own? (Not Really, But Still Cool)
The term “hyperglitch” isn’t a specific glitch in Elden Ring. It seems to borrow from a music genre of the same name. Hyperglitch music features experimental, chaotic sounds. In speedrunning, “hyperglitch” describes runs that rely on several glitches for speed. It’s not a defined glitch but a vibe.
Chainsaw Glitch: Invisible Blades of Fury
The Chainsaw Glitch combines two weapons to create an invisible weapon with extended reach. It’s like wielding a phantom chainsaw. While it sounds cool, it is mainly for cheesing enemies and bosses from afar. This contributes to quicker clear times in certain speedrun categories.
Uncertainty exists about whether FromSoftware will fix the Chainsaw Glitch. In the world of Elden Ring speedrunning, glitches frequently change, reshaping the meta based on developers’ decisions.
Zip Glitch: The King of Speedrun Skips
The Zip Glitch enabled HYP3RSOMNIAC to achieve a sub-four minute run. This glitch allows players to teleport short distances by manipulating game mechanics. In speedrunning, it skips vast map portions, bypassing entire dungeons. This makes incredibly fast unrestricted runs possible.
Bleed Dog Glitch: Small Dogs Become Existential Threats
The Bleed Dog Glitch focuses on small blood dogs in Elden Ring. Typically, a large dog’s attack registers as a single hit. Yet, when small dogs lunge, their attacks register multiple times per frame. The result? Instant death from tiny puppy bites. This glitch turns annoying enemies into pixelated gods of death.
Speedrunning Terminology: Decoding the Lingo
Like any specialized community, speedrunners use unique jargon. Understanding this language is essential for grasping Elden Ring speedrunning discussions.
Gold Split: Personal Bests Within a Run
A “split” marks a segment of a run, often at specific checkpoints or after defeating bosses. A “gold split” means a runner completed a split faster than before, even if the full run is lacking. It’s a small victory inside a larger attempt, a flash of personal best performance.
PB (Personal Best): Your Own High Score
PB means “Personal Best.” When speedrunners achieve a PB, they beat their previous fastest time for a specific category. This shows personal improvement and progress. PBs are crucial for speedrunning advancement, small steps toward faster times.
WR (World Record): King (or Queen) of the Hill
WR stands for “World Record.” It represents the fastest time in the world for a game and category until someone breaks it. WRs are fiercely contested, showing the pinnacle of speedrunning performance. Think of it as the Olympic gold medal for digital skills.
RTA (Real-Time Attack): Important Reminder!
We’re back to RTA. It’s that crucial. RTA measures the actual time from game start to finish, including everything like loading screens and cutscenes. It is the standard timing method for speedruns.
IGT (In-Game Time): The Game’s Perspective
IGT stands for “In-Game Time.” This metric uses the internal timer, often ignoring loading screens and cutscenes. IGT can help compare runs and analyze efficiency but is less common as the main competitive metric.
LRT (Load-Removal Timer): Removing Waiting Times
LRT stands for “Load-Removal Timer.” This timer attempts to remove loading times from RTA. It’s useful for games with long loading screens to show actual gameplay time more accurately. However, LRT may be complex to implement and not always precise.
Difficulty & Challenges: Beyond Just Beating the Clock
Speedrunning isn’t merely about speed; it includes difficulty pushing and self-imposed challenges. Elden Ring is known for being challenging, making it ideal for tough runs.
Beating the Game Without Dying: A True Skill Test
Imagine beating Elden Ring quickly and flawlessly. This is the challenge of finishing without dying. One mistake could end the run, resetting the death counter and forcing you to try again.
Twitch streamer ItzCBD has completed Elden Ring eight times without dying or leveling up. Starting as the Wretch class adds to the challenge. This demonstrates an impressive mastery over game mechanics.
God Run 3: The Ultimate FromSoftware Challenge
The “God Run 3” is not just an Elden Ring challenge; it’s a marathon of seven difficult games without any hits. Yes, seven games: Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring.
Streamer Dinossindgeil finished a “standard” God Run 3 in four months. Meanwhile, Nico tried “The God Run 3” at level one for all seven games. It’s an absurd challenge that reaches beyond gaming into performance art territory. This demonstrates dedication unclear of self-preservation.
Elden Ring Completion: Beyond Just Credits
For some, speedrunning aims for more than ending credits. It’s also about completion and trophy hunting, but quickly. This leads us to categories focusing on full completion.
Time to 100% Completion: Speedrun Style
What is the fastest time to 100% Elden Ring? “100% completion” in an open-world game like this can be subjective. Is it every item, location, or enemy defeated? Speedruns for full completion target comprehensive playthroughs while keeping an eye on speed.
A “normal” run for full completion takes about 134 hours. However, a speedrun to 100% completion is significantly shorter but remains a time-consuming task. It’s still a marathon sprinting at a fast pace.
Getting All Trophies in One Playthrough: Efficiency Matters
Is collecting all Elden Ring trophies possible in one playthrough? Yes, some speedrunners pursue this efficiently. They gather every trophy while aiming for a fast completion time.
This balance requires thoughtful planning to reach all trophy-related content without detours. A cautionary note for trophy hunters: If you don’t grab the Bolt of Gransax before reaching Leyndell, you risk missing the Legendary Armaments achievement unless you trade with other players.
In trophy speedruns, route planning and attention to detail are vital. Thus concludes a whirlwind tour through Elden Ring’s speedrunning chaos. From quick world records to no-hit challenges, this community always pushes boundaries in the Lands Between. Whether you want to try speedrunning or enjoy watching, Elden Ring speedrunning remains an exciting spectacle.
