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Eldin Volcano
Behind the Temple Reverse BiTWarp into Eldin
This is usually used combined with the Early Eldin Pillar Faron BiT technique, in order to skip placing the ruby tablet on the run file. After placing the ruby tablet on the early game file, activate BiT. Go to Faron BiT and BiTSave your run file at the Behind the Temple Statue, then go back to the Sky. Fly to the Eldin Pillar and Reverse BiTWarp by starting your file at the correct timing. This will spawn Link out of bounds on top of a cliff. From there many places can be reached early. For exemple you can run over the arch to reach the Volcano Ascent Statue and skip the Digging Mitts Cave. You can also drop behind the boulder blocking the access to the air vent, which allows you to blow it up early. You can also scale up the volcano on both its Eastern and Western side, although scaling the western side is faster to reach the temple entrance.
This is usually only used when there is no trip back to Eldin later not during Back in Time. Note that you can also save in Eldin and perform a regular Behind the Temple BiTWarp instead for the same result, however it might not be faster anymore to do this.
Skip to Digging Mitts Cave
Discovered by Abahbob
Save at the Volcano Entry statue, then activate BiT (using the Red Chu is the easiest way). Perform a BiTWarp using the Bazaar Statue; the positioning is important here. The Bazaar Statue should be centered in front of Link, and you should be about two steps away. Done correctly, you'll use a Goddess Cube to clip through the floor OoB, and fall into the Mogma Turf loading zone.
This skips the area leading up to the Digging Mitts cave in Eldin. This trick is not used in 100% because you must drain the lava anyway to get a Goddess Cube.
Note: A Bazaar Reverse BiTWarp into Elding Volcano would grant you the same result.
Digging Mitts Fight
The best strategy for the Digging Mitts fight involves gathering all of the Bokoblins in a small area and destroying them with a single Skyward Strike. Start by running through the room diagonally towards the back right corner. Climb onto the wooden platform and move back along, charging a Skyward Strike. Once you get the attention of the Bokoblin leader in the corner, drop down and run towards the wall, then turn and shoot a horizontal Skyward Strike. If the Bokoblins have gathered correctly, they will all fall to that Skyward Strike.
If some Bokoblins are left alive, you can continue to jog back towards the Mogma, charging a second Skyward Strike to finish off the stragglers.
Bokoblin Attack OoB
Discovered by peppernicus
Near Temple Entrance, you can lure a bokoblin and make it attack Link while running up a wall in order to get OoB on top of a cliff. This is useful in order to get to the fourth key shard quicker, and to get to the upper Eldin cave early using lava hops.
Skip Key Shard Collection
Using Reverse BiTMagic, it is possible to avoid collecting the key shards to enter Earth Temple, and instead trigger the cutscene to enter Earth Temple early.
The corresponding flag is 5x02. On Skyloft it is set when pushing the gravestone at night to open the shed leading to Batreaux's house. This can be done as long as an early game file exists that allows access to nighttime BiT without crashing. Unlike most RBM tricks, this flag does not have to be committed with an environment change; rather, the cutscene will play as soon as Link enters the trigger area, which encompasses the Temple Entrance statue. This is because there are always zone flags that set or unset near Eldin statues.
Also note that if you do this trick after blowing up the boulder blocking one of the key pieces on the last slope section, you will also be performing Early Thunderhead.
Eldin Extending Blow
Performing the Extending Blow technique in Eldin is a very fast method of reaching the Volcano Ascent Statue from the Temple Entrance. It is also useful to reach the mogma cutscene that sets scene flag 9x04 without having the Impa bridge activated. That is useful to enter Batreaux's house in Back in Time. This technique if often used combined with the Behind the Temple Reverse BiTWarp into Eldin.
Early Din's Silent Realm
Discovered by gymnast86
The trial gate to access Din's Silent Realm can be loaded into Eldin using Reverse BiTMagic. This doesn't save time on Eldin, but does allow you to skip completing the Sandship, as Din's Flame automatically grants you Nayru's Flame if you do not already have it.
The corresponding flag is 9x40. On Skyloft it is the five crystal reward conversation with Batreaux. The final textbox of his conversation (which is the second after the Medium Wallet textboxes) can be cleared at the same time as starting your file. In order to access Batreaux in BiT, we use BiTMagic to unlock both the shed door leading to him and the door to Batreaux himself; this is most easily done by a file saved in Eldin after beating Earth Temple, which has talked to the Mogma right outside the Digging Mitts cave. More generally, you need scene flag 9x04 to unlock Batreaux's house, and optionnaly scene flag 5x02 to unlock the shed.
While this RBM can be done on the first visit to Eldin, the gate will not appear until after the Amber Tablet has been placed, due to Eldin being on the wrong layer until that point.
Douse Second Flame Wall
The second flame wall leading to Fire Sanctuary normally require Clawshots, as you need to use them to feed water to the second frog. Thankfully, this flame wall can be doused using Reverse BiTMagic instead, allowing access to the Fire Sanctuary without Clawshots.
Video forthcoming
The corresponding flag is Dx08. It is the Shiekah Stone cutscene near the Sparring Hall. In order to achieve this during BiT, you must save a file in BiT that has obtained the Practice Sword already, usually done at the Lower Academy statue.
Water Basin Skip
Using Reverse BiTMagic and Faron BiT, it is possible to enter Fire Sanctuary without obtaining the Water Basin from the Water Dragon to douse the final fire wall. This also skips the entire Scrapper Escort sequence.
The corresponding flag is Dx10. There are three ways to perform this RBM.
Method 1: Lumpy Pumpkin Gratitude Crystal
This method uses the outdoor gratitude crystal on the Lumpy Pumpkin to perform the RBM, and is by far the fastest method. Go to the Lumpy Pumpkin in BiT within the loftwing tutorial, then sleep to night. Exit the Lumpy Pumpkin at night and perform the RBM with the crystal. Note that this method requires that one of your file has talked to Batreaux (either in BiT or in gameplay).
Method 2: Water Dragon Dispells Ancient Cistern Waterfall
This method uses the Water Dragon dispelling the Waterfall in Lake Floria. Normally, to trigger this event, you would need to bring sacred water to the Water Dragon. However this is not possible in Back in Time. But this event can, perhaps surprisingly, be triggered in a different way in Back in Time. For this, you need 2 files:
- File 1: Has Beaten the Ancient Cistern, but not talked to the Water Dragon outside afterwards
- File 2: Hasn't beaten the Ancient Cistern
Enter the Floria Waterfall area with File 1. Target the Water Dragon and talk to her. Then switch to File 2 during her dialogue. Her dialogue will look like the normal event after beating the Ancient Cistern, but at the very end of it the Dispelling of the Waterfall event will start for unknown reasons. Start your file anytime during the Waterfall dispelling to perform the RBM.
Method 3: Fi Intro Text in Farore's Silent Realm
This method uses the Fi Text at the start of Farore's Silent Realm, which can be accessed using a file that has the gate ready. Land in Faron during Back in Time, then enter Faron Woods with the file that has the gate ready. Enter the trial with the Run File selected, then start that file at the same time as clearing Fi's final textbox, which is the third one after the text option.
If you do not have the gate opened legitimately on a file saved in Faron Woods, you can still open the trial using BiTMagic combined with a death to reload the area.
This method is the slowest of the three and should be avoided.
Enter Fire Sanctuary without the Fireshield Earrings
See the Early Boss Rush page.
Early Bokoblin Base
See the Early Boss Rush page.
Bokoblin Base: Timesavers with Early Items
Small Cutscene Skip before Gust Bellows tower
With items, you can get past the gust bellows tower by blowing it up, or by shooting a seed at the bokoblin at the top. This means you can take a different path to the gust bellows chest. On this path there is a short cutscene that can be easily skipped by jumping over its trigger.
Bomb Boost to the Whip
Discovered by azer67
With a bomb, it is possible to bomb boost on top of the fence blocking the access to the whip area, and slide off on the other side. This is the fastest way to reach the whip area after obtaining the clawshots by 20 seconds (less if you need to heal).
Note that this bomb boost is possible both ways.
Bokoblin Base: Early Platform Cycle
If the first part of Bokoblin Base goes nearly perfectly, it is possible to reach the moving lava platforms between the Clawshot and the Whip area one cycle earlier than usual. The window for this is quite small; one minor mistake or delay in the first segment and you will miss this early cycle. There are several small timesavers in the first segment to aid you:
Skip first Bokoblin Guard
It is possible to use a sidehop to skip the first Bokoblin guard. After talking to Plats, climb the ledge and run to the fence corner at the very edge of the lava. Turn to face the fence and sidehop. If you have the right angle, you'll land next to the fiery ash on the lower level and can run to the next digging spot.
Skip a bomb underground
In the first underground segment, it is possible to hit the first bomb downward, then crawl past it, turn around, and hit it back upwards. This saves having to wait for that bomb to respawn again.
The key here is to stop when Link's left hand (our right) is forward, essentially one crawl away from the bomb, then hit it from there.
Sprinting Past Bokoblins
When Bokoblin Guards are stationary, it is possible to sprint past them without being caught. This is particularly useful on the two Bokoblin guards after the Gust Bellows; they can be run past, avoiding having to wait or use the Gust Bellows.
Bokoblin Base: Whip Area Timesavers
Discovered by Venick
There are two small timesavers in the area around the Whip in Bokoblin Base.
Cutscene Skip
It is possible to skip the cutscene that pans around the Whip area when you first enter it. By climbing the ledge with the fence on top of it and using the correct angle, you can sidehop over the trigger for the cutscene.
Peahat Skip
After obtaining the Whip, you can skip using the peahat to get over the gate near the Volcano Ascent statue by jumping off the right-hand side of the bridge at the right angle. Done correctly, Link will land on a small ledge, then jump again and grab the ledge on the other side of the gate.
Bokoblin Base: Early Cutscene near ET
Discovered by Nimzo
In Bokoblin Base, there is a small camera-panning cutscene when you first reach the Earth Temple area. It is possible to trigger this cutscene and still make the first platform cycle going to the Slingshot. You need to use the Clawshots on the peahats to catch up to the floating platform and drop onto it before it floats too far.
If you are too late, you'll either fall into the lava, which with 2 hearts will cause you to respawn all the way at the bottom, or have to wait for another platform cycle, losing about 20 seconds.
Segmented or TAS Tricks
Lava Hop in and out of the Upper Eldin Cave
Using the lava hop trick, it is possible to get in and out of the upper eldin cave, before beating Bokoblin Base. This trick requires being able to strike Goddess Cubes (which means the first Goddess Cube in Deep Woods must have been hit) to hop out, and bombs to hop in.
To lava hop in, you first need to get out of bounds in Eldin. This can be done by using an Extending Blow or the Behind the Temple Reverse BiTWarp, but the best method is to use a bokoblin to damage boost onto the cliff near the Temple Entrance (see Bokoblin Attack OoB).
To lava hop into the cave, throw a bomb towards the explodable wall on the final slope, and run towards the cave. A good lava hop will allow you in. To lava hop out, you must use the Goddess Cube on the other side of the lava river. This lava hop is incredibly precise, almost every input is frame perfect.
This trick theoretically saves many minutes in an any% speedrun, because this cave gives the entrance that allows performing the Gate of Time Skip. The other entrance that works for it can only be accessed after beating the Earth Temple and also requires the harp. This trick is however not currently RTA-viable, as it takes multiple minutes to setup, and both lava hops must be done first try as you only ever have one chance at both of them. A Tool Assisted Any% speedrun would however use this trick to skip a large portion of the game.
Early Fourth and Fifth Key Shards
Method 1 - Bomb Push
Using precise Brake Sliding it is possible to push a bomb flower all the way over to the rocks blocking the air vent to the upper level of the volcano, thus gaining you access to the fourth and fifth key shards early.
While this saves about 40 seconds, it is clearly a TAS-only trick.
Method 2 - Extending Blow
It is possible to use an Extending Blow to skip to the fourth and fifth key shards from the first Bokoblin huts. After collecting those, you can resume your normal climb to collect the first three key shards.
While possible in real-time, this trick is quite inconsistent, and only saves about 2 seconds over the normal route. Thus, it is generally considered to be either unusable or a segmented-only trick. A TAS would use the above method instead.
Skip the Slingshot
Discovered by ZFG
It is possible to skip re-obtaining the slingshot during Bokoblin Base. In order to get the Bombs without the slingshot, first use the Gust Bellows to pass the first two Bokoblins and reach the searchlight. Climb onto the ledge with the fence and sidehop to get to the other side of the light. Then sprint into the light and immediately dig into the ground. If done correctly you'll end up underground and can continue to the bombs.
This trick is extremely difficult, as there is no known setup for the very precise sidehop, and the timing to get into the burrow spot is also very precise. At the moment it is generally considered to be a segmented or TAS only trick.
Drawbridge CS Skips in Volcano Summit
At the end of the Bokoblin Base segment, it is possible to skip the cutscenes showing the drawbridge lowering through a series of short jumps.
These jumps are extremely precise and save only a short amount of time; thus this would be considered a TAS-only trick.
Unused Strategies
Bomb Throw to Drain Lava Early
Discovered by Aruki
It is possible to use the bomb flowers near the first Pyrup to drain the lava surrounding the Mogma Turf early. First throw a bomb flower up on the ledge near the two skulls, then pick it up and throw the bomb over the wall to destroy the plug. You can then immediately enter the Mogma Turf.
The angle and positioning on the second throw is precise; you need to be about three steps away from the wall on the right, and the angle should be as close to the wall as possible.
This trick can be used in 100%, but is only just faster than going around the long way. In any% and All Dungeons it is obsoleted by the above BiTWarp.
Sidehop down to Volcano Ascent
Discovered by peppernicus
If you've managed to make it to the Temple Entrance without blowing up the first bokoblin tower, going back down can become difficult. It is however to sidehop from above and reach the other side of the lava pit where the tower is to still reach Volcano Ascent.
A consistent way to get the angle is to grab the ledge, climb up, go in the corner and sidehop left.
Fast Scrapper Escort
Strats by Aruki
Doing the Scrapper Escort quickly is the optimal strategy, being about 7 seconds faster than the Scrapper Escort Skip. It is also the only way to access Fire Sanctuary if you are skipping Clawshots, but not doing the Water Basin Skip.
Escort Half-Skip
Upon arriving at the Volcano Entry with Scrapper, return to the sky by the nearby bird statue. Land back down at Temple Entrance, then deathwarp with bombs. This will warp Scrapper to you, allowing you to skip the first half of the escort.
Reaching the Summit
To reach the Volcano Summit from Earth Temple, use your bow to kill the front left Blue Bokoblin, then move to the left of his hut; the others should leave Scrapper alone. Hit the Iron Shield Moblin with four charged bow shots, then run up his shield and jump over him. Seven slashes and two spin attacks will defeat him.
Make sure Scrapper is following you here, then hug the right wall of the tunnel while jogging (not sprinting) forward. Once the Bokoblin Archers see you and cry out, start sprinting and pass on the left side of the Iron Shield Moblin. From there, good movement to the Volcano Summit should let you reach the loading zone before the enemies destroy Scrapper.
Passing the Summit
Once in the summit, hug the right wall, then briefly duck into the archway on the right before continuing. This activates a small group of Fire Keese between the entrance and the two Lizalfos ahead; the movement is designed to have Scrapper avoid the first larger group of Fire Keese at the entrance and get stuck on the smaller group. You can then sprint as quickly as possible to the loading zone leading to the Fire Sanctuary, and should reach it before Scrapper is destroyed. This is the most inconsistent part of the escort.
Video Guide
Skip the Scrapper Escort
Discovered by Aruki, BiTWarp by Kazooie
While this method is about 7 seconds slower than the optimal escort strats, it is much more consistent.
Once you have arrived at the Volcano Entry with Scrapper, go over to the bird statue and return to the sky. Land back down Outside of the Fire Sanctuary and activate BiT. Perform a BiTWarp using the Upper Academy Statue; the positioning is important here. One position that works is next to the statue on the right side; the left side also works.
Link should land on a ledge at the edge of the Sanctuary's roof. Carefully move forward, draw your clawshot and aim for the vines near the Lizalfos, then dodge or kill the Lizalfos and clawshot across to the ledge with the Goddess Cube. You can now run back to the Volcano Summit, where Scrapper will appear. Head back to the Fire Sanctuary entrance to lower the firewall.
The reason the BiTWarp is required is that there is a Fi trigger encircling the bird statue that does not allow you to normally leave that area.
Whip First in Bokoblin Base
Discovered by Aruki
It is possible to open the whip chest while the searchlight tower is still up. This is not faster, especially since both the gust bellows and the clawshots are required items in Sky Keep.
Using Gust Bellows on Bokoblins
Once you obtain the Gust Bellows in Bokoblin Base, you can use it to distract Bokoblin guards. Z-target the Bokoblin and blow the Gust Bellows in its face, then circle around it and back away. When you're far enough from the Bokoblin you can continue on normally.
This is not used in runs because any guard you need to avoid, you can just sprint past, which is both faster and safer than this method.
Early Bokoblin Base BiTWarp
Discovered by azer67
Save inside the Volcano in Eldin, and go to Faron in BiT. Use either the Clawshots or a combination of the Water Scale and the Gust Bellows to reach the top of the Great Tree in Back in Time. Now BiTWarp using the Great Tree Statue in a precise position. This will warp you very high and you will land near the water pods, and from there you can enter the Fire Dragon's Room.
Once you've entered the Fire Dragon's Room, you can do two things:
- You can go straight to the Fire Dragon and learn his song. This ends Bokoblin Base, completely skipping all of it.
- You can go back into the Summit. You will now be in Bokoblin Base early. You can obtain all of the items you want early, except for the Bow, the Bug Net, the Beetle and the Master Sword.
Important note: Learning the Fire Dragon's Song changes Levias' text. This means that obtaining that song before meeting Levias for the first time locks you out of the Faron Song of the Hero and the Lanayru Song of the Hero quests. As such, this trick should be done before Bokoblin Base with the only goal in mind being to obtain items early. This trick does work without dead-ending the song of the hero quest if done after meeting Levias, for exemple if done during the Faron Song of the Hero or the Lanayru Song of the Hero, when entering Eldin normally does not trigger the volcano eruption.
Skip Blowing up Rocks
Discovered by everalert
After retrieving your adventure pouch in Bokoblin Base, head over to the right and climb up the walls until you get to the boulders blocking the sand slope. Sprint towards the wall on the left to climb it and jump back down near the bird statue.
This is not used in runs because a deathwarp after the adventure pouch is faster.
