I always find the speed-runs fascinating. And I do a little bit of it myself, not recorded or anything. But if I’m trying to plow through a playthrough I kind of figure out my own quick ways through the game. Often I’ll ninja my way into somewhere to complete the objectives and then ninja my way out (some characters make this easier than others).
So anyhow, I started this run to generally discuss any interesting shortcuts in the game. From a legit point of view mostly. (not using external save game editors or anything like that, but other things like overpowerful skills or guns are acceptable)
I discovered one by accident today. In the eye to eye mission on the lunar launching station map.
For this objective: Disable force field power sources: 0/3
…without making any of them explode (optional)
I found that you can blow up at least one of the power sources from underneath. I happened to get a quasar via the grinder earlier in the game and I have been enjoying destroying everything with it. So as I was passing under one of them I happened to throw one of my Quasars. However, I suspect that certain tesla grenades might be able to do it too. This could potentially save 30 seconds to a minute or more depending on how tough the mobs make things up there for you.
My fastest run was with a Jack. Basically give him a contraband skyrocket at level 1 and a million bucks from my other toon and spec directly down the left hand tree in the first play through - buy whatever gear upgrades you from the vendors and sell whatever crap. You can plow right through the story missions + the convenient and quick ones that are on the wayish (i.e Janey’s missions that don’t require backtracking / Hyperion Hub of Heroism / R & D / Lunar Launch station) and it was a breeze.
I think I gifted him a level 20ish homing bonus package from one of my previous toons that lasted until sentinel.
Wilhelm’s really good for speed running the story missions (if that’s what you mean?) – throw out Wolf & Saint on the run and enemies stay behind battling Wolf, not chasing you. At those points where you have to kill a bunch of enemies before a particular door will open then Nisha can probably clear the room quicker but otherwise, Wilhelm!
The bridge to Bosun’s ship. The one he retracts and then blows up, I feel like there could be a way to rocketjump across the gap. I got launch pretty far over it by accident once. But I suspect you can’t save much time with this because the objectives will probably still want you to do the other things on that map first.
The Putti glitch for constantly regenerating shields is definitely a great tool for the speed runners. If it ever gets patched out then I’m sure there will be speedrunners running old versions like they did for BL2’s initial glitches.
You aren’t invincible with it, but you almost are. Or feel that way. For example. We were trying to get Iwa to spawn again and I was essentially wading in his lava trying to die to go back to the fast travel. I also did very well with the sentinel of course.
I don’t even really try to get the glitch. I just fought everything on Eleseer and there I was: shields with what feels like 0 seconds recharge delay and faster recharge.
I started a fresh Jack on Saturday and played him straight to the end of the game (playthrough 1) as a sort of speedrun experiment. And for bonus, the holodome.
Took 11 hours, and I tried to keep things as speedy as possible. But I am human so… I had to take bathroom breaks, eat, etc…
I did some side quests to get the tools and/or xp I needed.
I ran with a money is power build as soon as I could get it.
I opened the game to public and let anyone join as long as they were close in level to me.
In the veins of helios I got to 400 stacks of money is power. The part of the level where you have to blow up the 3 reactors and the room sucks you into space? Yea, I got sucked out there and landed on one of the beams. I convinced my team to go to the entrance of the map as my health was draining (no way back up from where I was). So we fought our way back through the veins of helios but then I died and lost the stacks anyhow.
I soon specced out of it because I felt I couldn’t get to 999 before the end of the game anymore. But I was on my way and I think it’s easily possible from level 14 (when you get enough points) and possibly a good way to go. There are 4 player coop speedruns of BL2 where they build up a Gaige’s anarchy stacks and use her to overpower things as needed.
The money is power stacks add up no matter who picks up the cash. I am pretty sure that buying things with moonstones didn’t drain the stacks. That’s easy to test soon after speccing into it though. It’s a good loophole to avoid buying ammo.
Upon running that “experiment”, I think a team of 2 or 3 Doppelgangers running money is power, plus one or two Athenas would be an excellent speedrun team. Athena’s role would be to use “Clear!” to revive the Jacks if they are down. If claptrap’s revive team function was more consistent or choose-able I’d suggest that too. The reason for multiple doppelgangers is for insurance. And possibly so that you might have even more damage output.
Someone in the public game dropped a 3dd1.E which was an excellent asset. Definitely made the rest of the game easier. But that would be a long set of missions to spend time on during a speedrun.
For some reason, the past two times I did this mission I didn’t have to visit scav-tp the first time. (next time perhaps I’ll try not visiting him at all).
So, basically, as soon as I got to triton flats, I drove straight over to the fast travel of Triton Flats and the game gave me the Darksider prism objective. I didn’t take the bridge. I didn’t drive to the claptrap. I got in a buggy and drove/jumped the gap and landed on the other side. Then drove up to the fast travel spot. In single player I suspect this saves a good minute or two. In coop, if the players aren’t all together, this might be negligible.
Some day soon I plan on running a new character up to level 50 via my split screened in secondary xbox profile level 50 Jack. I’m curious how long the game will take that way (and at the same time I will essentially be powerleveling that character.) Only the story missions. This will give me a better idea of how quick a speedrun can be. My 1 day playthrough of Jack from 1 to the end of playthrough 1 took about 11 hours. I had to do some side quests and grinding to be strong enough. And I had to use vendors and such too. I think I could get one playthrough to be 8 hours or less.
AND I’d like to know what level this character will be at when it’s not the one doing the killing and when it doesn’t need to reach certain levels in order to be strong enough to beat anything. My guess is that it will end up at around level 15 to 20 upon beating playthrough 1. And level 32 to 40 upon beating playthrough 2.
Third benefit. Even though I already have one of each class going, it will be nice to raise another of each so I can play with other builds without even respeccing/regearing. I could setup a melee Athena for instance. I already have a shock/fire Athena going. I know I could respec/regear but I think I’d rather have a whole other Athena to play with for dedicated melee.
without any side missions i can get thru a playthru in 7-8hours with a competent partner. for example during Intelligences one person runs to bridge and gets it to retract and release the methane while the next person runs to the pumping station, when the first player is done they run straight to the redirect while player 2 is hitting the flow thingy. doing that kinda teamwork is clutch to a fast run. even better with 3-4player team regardless of class. to bad your on 360 buddy…
and 22-24ish for playthru 1
42-46ish for playthru 2 going from what ive done
when you say bypass do you mean i can go right “over” (figuratively and literally) the infected area after the jump pads and go right for the thingys we have to shoot so he can blow stuff up with reckless abandon?
dude thanks! i know the pad im gonna use too. the second platform when you come to the jump pad area can take you right to the waypoint or over if you boost properly. never tried that figured id have to go back to the airlock with the waypoint so i never went around.
