Elden Ring‘s vast and deadly open world offers nearly endless potential for exploration, containing over 100 hours of content for the average player aiming to complete all quests and defeat all 165 bosses. Speedrunners have blown past these normal human limitations to conquer the game at a pace once thought impossible. Recently, a series of shocking speedrun World Records have left fans marveling at the skill ceiling for navigating Elden Ring. Let‘s dive into the bleeding edge innovations around Elden Ring speedrunning and glimpse into what future feats remain on the horizon.
Overview of Critical Elden Ring Speedrunning Milestones
Here is a reference of notable speedrun achievements for Elden Ring and how they have progressed over time:
| Category | Runner | Time | Date Set | Patch Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any% Glitchless | Blanxz | 56m 27s | March 2023 | 1.02 |
| Any% Glitchless (Previous WR) | Distortion2 | 56m 55s | March 2022 | 1.02 |
| Any% | Distortion2 | 18m 58s | July 2022 | 1.02 |
| Any% Unrestricted | HYP3RSOMNIAC | 3m 56s | August 2022 | 1.06 |
As shown above, strategies allowing glitches and sequence breaks have pushed any% completion times to under 20 minutes. However, most spectators focus on glitchless categories which better encapsulate pure mastery of Elden Ring‘s intended design. This is where Blanxz recently made history.
Blanxz Blazes Ahead of Established Veterans
On March 13th, 2023, a relatively unknown Elden Ring speedrunner named Blanxz astonished viewers by completing a glitchless any% run in 56 minutes and 27 seconds. This incredible time beat one of the most seasoned competitors, Distortion2, by nearly 30 seconds to claim a new World Record. Given Distortion2 had held the top spot for over a year since setting his previous record in March 2022, Blanxz‘s run signals a new era of optimization in Elden Ring speedrunning.
Perfecting the Craft Through Meticulous Practice
While Blanxz had only around 1,000 YouTube subscribers prior to this viral run, he was no amateur when it came to Elden Ring. His flawless control and decision-making against bosses like the Fire Giant demonstrated the countless hours he invested mastering every encounter. Despite admitting there was still room to save time in certain segments, Blanxz‘s efficiency awed viewers as he defeated late-game bosses like Maliketh with ease.
Blanxz progressed through sections up to 10 minutes quicker than average players would take. This superhuman consistency results from methodical grinding to polish tiny intricacies within Elden Ring‘s combat, movement, and routing. Top speedrunners like Blanxz play far beyond what casual gamers consider possible.
Pushing Established Records to the Brink
For over 12 months, Distortion2‘s glitchless record seemed virtually unbeatable. Many speculated no other competitor could dethrone his time. Blanxz shattering this perception reminds us that there are always diligent players striving to explore uncharted territory in games, even long after launch.
While individual dominance lasts for eras in some speedrunning scenes, Elden Ring‘s active ecosystem and complex design ensures the competition never sleeps for long. Blanxz rising to prominence presages the next generation of talent primed to shock audiences and stretch our concepts of human limits in gaming.
Distortion2: A Pillar of Innovation Across Elden Ring Speedrunning
Despite no longer being the glitchless record holder, Distortion2 remains one of Elden Ring‘s most versatile and decorated speedrun pioneers. He burst onto the scene just days after launch, claiming World Records across multiple categories over the past year. Let‘s break down some of his most seminal achievements.
Any% Dominance – 49 Minutes to 18 Minutes
When Distortion2 first entered the fray in March 2022, he rapidly improved on the any% record‘s time, lowering it from 59 minutes to 49 minutes in his debut run. This foreshadowed his ability to master sequence breaks and glitches that warp normal Elden Ring progression.
Over subsequent months, Distortion2 continued optimizing his any% routing and exploited tricks like the Zip glitch to blink across the map. He managed to get his completion time down to an astonishing 18 minutes and 58 seconds, removing 40 minutes off his original record. This run requires deep familiarity with Elden Ring‘s technical quirks to bypass entire early and mid-game sections.
Pushing Other Categories to Their Limits
In addition to any%, Distortion2 also put up World Record times across Elden Ring‘s spectrum of categories:
- Any% Unrestricted (PC) – 6 minutes, 59 seconds
- All Remembrances – 5 hours, 34 minutes
The 3 minute any% unrestricted run employs debug mode to warp instantly between checkpoints and bosses. Meanwhile, the all remembrances category entails defeating every main boss in sequence, showcasingastery of combat mechanics. Distortion2‘s versatility in both tightly controlled and combat-focused categories proves wide-ranging excellence.
His cumulative contributions have unequivocally shaped the Elden Ring speedrunning landscape. Distortion2 built critical foundations of routing and technique that new runners reference when charting their strategies. His lasting impact separates him as one of Elden Ring‘s foremost speedrunning authorities.
An Inside Look at Speedrunning Validation and Governance
For outsiders, the authenticity of these blinding Elden Ring completion times seems dubious. How can we trust the veracity of these supposed "World Records"? Let‘s explore how the speedrunning community validates and administers records.
Speedrun.com as the Governing Body
While no official speedrunning organization exists, the website Speedrun.com serves as the community‘s canonical archive for record times across games. Elden Ring speedruns must provide video evidence to be ranked on Speedrun.com‘s leaderboards. Moderators rigorously check submissions to ensure no manipulation or cheating facilitated the runs.
By crowdsourcing this review process, consensus forms around which accomplishments demonstrate actual human skill rather than tool-assistance. So while Speedrun.com lacks official mandates, its reputation and curation make it highly influential. Both Blanxz and Distortion2‘s runs appear on its Elden Ring leaderboards as undisputed records.
The Wrinkle Around Game Patches
One nuance is that game developers often release patches after launch which can alter mechanics and enemy behaviors. Early Elden Ring runs were performed on version 1.02 from February 2022. However, FromSoftware recently deployed significant updates in patches 1.06 and 1.09.
As a result, strategies from patches prior to 1.09 exist in an outdated game state. Modern runners playing on the latest patch cannot precisely replicate those routes. However, historical records still retain importance by representing astonishing skill ceilings for their era. Community opinion is split, however, around whether old patches should still qualify for recognized records.
Bracing for Another Wave of Prodigies
Even outdated records provide critical infrastructure for newcomers iterating on established strategies. According to eminent runner Distortion2 himself, he anticipates brazen new glitches could propel any% times below his stale 18 minute record. Elden Ring‘s vast possibility space ensures groundbreaking innovations still lurk around the corner.
Creative and tenacious players continually reshape assumptions around Elden Ring‘s completion pace. While individual dominance lasts for seasons, unknown contenders like Blanxz can still emerge to topple giants. With more nascent talents honing their skills each day, further shockwaves in Elden Ring speedrunning likely loom on the horizon.
Hopefully this breakdown has provided perspective into the bleeding edge accomplishments at the pinnacle of Elden Ring speedrunning. Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions around Elden Ring records or speedrunning in general!
