Max% No Powerbombs analysis

Max%-No-Powerbombs analysis (inbounds, without Spazer+Plasma beam combinations): (last update: 02.12.2023)

The maximum for PAL and NTSC (with the help of Taco's left-side Green Gate Glitch at the gate to the right of the glass tube) with tool-assistance is: 80% (RTA proven), or 82% (TAS conditions). This can be increased by 1 if it is allowed for Samus to be softlocked at the end (with two different options for TAS).

This count excludes power bomb packs. If power bomb packs are allowed, this adds seven items (under both RTA and TAS conditions).

The items that can be collected are listed below. They are flagged as follows:

• TAS: Only proven in TAS conditions, i.e., has never been replicated RTA.

• Softlock: Collecting this item leads to a softlock, i.e., it cannot be escaped from without using a power bomb.

Crateria:

• Bombs

• Gauntlet-E.-Tank

• Crateria-mushroom-path-E.-Tank

• left Gauntlet-Missile

• right Gauntlet-Missile

• Moat-Missile

• upper Ocean-Missile

• middle Ocean-Missile

• lower Ocean-Missile

• Parlor-tunnel-Missile

• old-MB-room-Missile

Brinstar:

• Ball

• Charge

• Spazer

• Varia

• Brinstar-R-Tank

• Blue-Brinstar-E.-Tank

• Kraid-E.-Tank

• right Charge-room-E.-Tank (TAS)

• Etecoon-E.-Tank

• early SuperMissile

• SporeSpawn-SuperMissile

• Etecoon-SuperMissile

• 1.Missiles

• Blue-Brinstar-E.-Tank-Missile

• left Top-Blue-Brinstar-Missile

• right Top-Blue-Brinstar-Missile

• early-SuperMissile-Missile

• left Brinstar-R.-Tank-Missile

• right Brinstar-R.-Tank-Missile

• upper Charge-room-Missile

• lower Charge-room-Missile

• Waterway-E.-Tank (Softlock)

• Brinstar-blue-gate-Missile

Norfair:

• Ice

• Wave

• Highjump

• Speedbooster

• Grapple

• Screw Attack

• Norfair-R.-Tank

• HighJump-E.-Tank

• Crocomire-E.-Tank

• Fireflea-E.-Tank

• GT-SuperMissile

• GT-Missile (TAS)

• HighJump-Missile

• upper Norfair-path-Missile

• Bubble-Room-Missile

• Norfair-pre-R.-Tank-room-Missile

• Norfair-R.-Tank-Missile

• Speedbooster-Missile

• Wave-Missile

• Crocomire-shaft-Missile

• Grapple-Missile

• Crocomire-return-path-Missile

• left Norfair-Missile

• Mickey-Mouse-Missile

• 1st-LNF-Exit-Missile

• 2nd-LNF-Exit-Missile

Wrecked Ship:

• Gravity

• WS-R.-Tank (Softlock, TAS)

• WS-E.-Tank

• left WS-SuperMissile

• right WS-SuperMissile

• WS-R.-Tank-Missile

• WS-shaft-Missile

• right WS-Missile

Maridia:

• Plasma

• Spacejump

• Maridia-R.-Tank

• left Maridia-Beach-Missile

• right Maridia-Beach-Missile

• Maridia-R.-Tank-Missile

• Maridia-Powerbomb-Missile

• Mainstreet-Missile

• Turtle-Missile

• Snail-Room-Missile

• Draygon-Missile

• Maridia-Beach-SuperMissile

• Mainstreet-SuperMissile

• Snail-Room-SuperMissile

• Turtle-E.-Tank

• Botwoon-E.-Tank

Items that cannot be collected:

First, note the above list does not contain any power bomb packs. If the goal is instead max% without using power bombs, note seven power bomb packs can be collected: Alpha Power Bombs, Beta Power Bombs, Etecoons Power Bombs, Mission Impossible Power Bombs, Crocomire Power Bombs, Jail Power Bombs, and Maridia Power Bombs.

The following cannot be collected:

• X-Ray (due to the powerbomb door in the way: the power bomb blocks can be avoided)

• Springball (due to a powerbomb block wall in Shaktool's room)

• Ridley-E.-Tank (because of the yellow door shell on the way down to Ridley's lair and the powerbomb block statue in the room before the Ninja-Pirates)

• Crateria-SuperMissile (because of a yellow and a grey door blocking the room off, and X-Ray-Climb not being an option without X-Ray)

• early PB-Missile (since it is behind a powerbomb block wall in Red Brinstar)

• Kraid-Missile (because it is behind a powerbomb block wall)

• Retro Brinstar Power Bombs (due to a power bomb door on the left and power bomb blocks on the right)

• Crateria Power Bombs (due to a power bomb door)

• Power Bombs of Shame (due to the power bomb door at the bottom of Red Kihunter Shaft)

The following have not been replicated RTA:

• Pink Brinstar Wavegate Energy Tank: This requires 6 frame perfect freezes, which all have to be done blind as the enemy is embedded in the door so it can't be seen.

• GT Missile: TAS has two methods, of moonjump or a clip using a Reserve Tank (for double knockback off of GT) and a stored shinespark. Neither seem very possible RTA.

The following lead to a softlock if collected (and thus in a run, only one may be collected):

• Waterway Energy Tank: Although a Grapple supersink can be used to get past the power bomb block on the way in, there is no method to get out without power bombs.

• Wrecked Ship Reserve Tank: Although an ice moonfall may be performed in Attic and a slopekiller allows carrying this to then fall onto the Reserve Tank from above, escaping requires power bombs. Note this has not been replicated RTA (to my knowledge at the time of writing this), but there is no reason it shouldn't be possible.

For players without tool-assistance, 72% currently is the current best achieved as a run, where PAL was used. With recent setups, the same is possible in NTSC, although it would be considerably more difficult.

Demonstration videos for the PAL case with 72 collected items:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyIfiSHc9Dg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi2rVhhGx9w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IrTCLSmkTs