RBO
 World Record Holder:
ShinyZeni
WORLD RECORD RECORDING
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Category Details
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RBO is the category with the most route variations. The one you will want to use depends on how safe you wish to be, and/or how fast you are capable of being in a run.
Contents
Routes and Methods
When running RBO, there are many considerations to make for which route you want to use. The route used typically depends on the runner's skill level and preference. This section drives to outline many of the route choices available to the runner.
Double Norfair Visit
Double Norfair Visit route has classically been the RBO route. This route involves the runner visiting Norfair twice throughout the entire run. Typically the runner collects the Brinstar Reserve Tank and at least 2 Energy Tanks and immediately heading to Norfair to do an early hell run through Norfair, collecting Speed Booster, Wave Beam, Power Bombs, and Grapple Beam. After this the runner backtracks to Brinstar and Crateria for more item collection before returning to Norfair for a second time and heading to Lower Norfair to fight Ridley.
Advantages to Double Norfair Visit Route
- Allows collection of Crateria Super Missiles
- Allows collection of Big Pink Water Energy Tank
- Allows early Maridia route
Disadvantages to Double Norfair Visit Route
- Requires an early hell run, which is easy to die in
- Route is overall slower than a Single Norfair Visit
Single Norfair Visit
Single Norfair Visit route involves the runner collecting all the needed powerups in Crateria and Brinstar before ever entering Norfair. This route requires picking up early powerbombs, whether it is Red Tower powerbombs or etecoons powerbombs (via moondance), and collecting many powerups without usual items. The Big Pink E-Tank gate needs to be opened with the Super Missile trick since the runner doesn't have wave beam, Gauntlet can't be cleared with Speed Booster, and other differences.
This route is typically considered a more advanced route as you have a much lower ammo count going into Ridley and aren't able to pick up as many Energy Tanks either.
There were two variants of this route: (1) continuing up the Red Tower Elevator after collecting Power Bombs, looping back through Gauntlet and the rest of the Brinstar powerups; or (2) Doing Gauntlet immediately after picking up Bombs, and then backtracking through Brinstar for item collection after picking up Red Tower powerbombs. From research both routes are roughly identical in time.
However, there are more efficient variants of single Norfair visit, such as: replacing the Gauntlet Energy Tank with the Norfair Reserve Tank, or not getting either tank and go into Lower Norfair with only 7 tanks (6 energy tanks and 1 reserve tank); and doing moondance to get access to the etecoons area without powerbombs to get powerbombs earlier.
A newbie to the category simply looking to complete a run could do this route, then go back to collect the Crateria Supers, Big Pink Water Tank, and do early Maridia after collecting Norfair items. This route would technically be a Double Norfair visit, but leverages the advantages of both Norfair visit routes at a large cost of time.
Advantages to Single Norfair Visit Route
- Provides ample energy tanks for the regular Norfair hell run to pick up Speed Booster, Wave Beam, and Grapple Beam
- Route is overall faster than a Double Norfair Visit
Disadvantages to Single Norfair Visit Route
- Crateria Super Missiles and Big Pink Water Energy Tank can't be collected
- Does not allow for Early Maridia
Early Maridia
An option new runners to RBO typically want to take is to visit Maridia early on in the run (before killing Ridley) and collect Super Missiles and Energy Tanks there. A runner could potentially collect as many as two extra Energy Tanks and two extra Super Missile powerups, making the rest of the run much more comfortable to complete. Typically, only the Mama Turtle E-Tank and Crab Supers are collected. The runner could go further into Maridia and collect the other Supers at the top of Maridia, and the E-Tank after Botwoon.
Advantages to Early Maridia
- Allows the collection of up to two more E-Tanks
- Allows the collection of up to two (or three) more Super Missile powerups
Disadvantages to Early Maridia
- Requires Ice Beam (and preferably wave beam) and maybe Grapple Beam to do
- Consumes a large amount of time
Screw Attack/Golden Torizo Skip
Another option the runner has in order to save time is to skip Golden Torizo, or both him and Screw Attack altogether.
Fighting Golden Torizo typically involves farming Super ammo back to full and picking up Screw Attack before going into the fight. The only reason to fight GT is to collect the Super Missile powerup in the room.
Advantages to skipping Golden Torizo
- Saves time to not have to perform the fight
- Doesn't require refilling Super Ammo needed for the fight
Disadvantages to skipping Golden Torizo
- Missing collection of a Super Missile powerup
- Missing out on opportunity to collect power bombs from drops
Additionally, the runner can skip going to the left altogether and skip both Golden Torizo and Screw Attack. While this saves a great deal of time, the runner is missing out on the helpfulness of Screw Attack and a Super Missile powerup. Skipping both Screw Attack and Golden Torizo should be considered an extremely advanced move and is recommended as one of the last route changes made in order to save time.
Advantages to skipping Screw Attack/Golden Torizo
- Saves a huge amount of time
- Don't have to deal with the Green Gate Glitch
Disadvantages to skipping Screw Attack/Golden Torizo
- Loses Screw Attack, making the LN Escape much more perilous
- Missing collection of a Super Missile powerup
- Missing out on opportunity to collect power bombs from drops
- Missing out on opportunity to fill up Supers
Tutorials
Foosda - Beginner RBO Tutorial, focused on safeties and completion rather than a good time.
Foosda - Item listing for an "Early Maridia" route, which makes RBO a slower run, but an easier run to complete, primarily due to the acquisition of "Crab Supers," "Pancake Supers", and "Turtle ETank."
Foosda - Item listing for a route without "Early Maridia", which acquires 8 Energy Tanks (along with Brinstar Reserve Tank), 50 Missiles, 20 Super Missiles, and 20 Power Bombs before entering Lower Norfair.
Foosda - Aqueduct Grapple Jumps
Foosda - Fastest Draygon Strat
ShinyZeni - Comprehensive tutorial video series
Theory TASes
Dessyreqt v1 - First theory TAS created by Dessyreqt back in 2013. RTA is 1:01:28. Route used includes a double Norfair visit.
Dessyreqt v2 - Second theory TAS created by Dessyreqt, released October 2015. RTA is 57:04. Route used includes a single Norfair visit, limiting the number of missiles picked up to 25 and does a lot of RNG manipulation on farming drops in Lower Norfair. LN escape is also done without a Crystal Flash.
Straevaras v1 - First Theory TAS created by Straevaras, released December 2015. RTA is 1:00:43. Route used includes a double Norfair visit, and Screw Attack/Golden Torizo skip. This theory TAS is not as optimized and approaches a more realistic methodology that a runner would actually encounter in the run and does little to no RNG manipulation.
Straevaras v2 - Second Theory TAS created by Straevaras, released December 2015. RTA is 58:41. Route used includes a single Norfair visit and Screw Attack/Golden Torizo skip. This theory TAS is more optimized than the first, but still approaches a more realistic methodology that a runner would actually encounter in the run and does little to no RNG manipulation.
