14% xPb
14% xPb is one of the theoretical low% categories that is yet to have a known, recorded, RTA completion. A total of 14 items are picked up during the entire run and focuses on using the Power Bombs and X-Ray Scope for level progression.
This is a unique theoretical 14% category, in that neither Draygon underflow nor L+R Walljumping is required.
Prerequisites
To finish this run, you need to know how to:
- Mockball
- Shinespark
- Infinite bomb jump
- Continuous walljump and/or horizontal bomb jump over the moat
- R-Mode pre-botwoon clip
- Generate an R-mode CF suit with a maximum of 10 power bombs
- Navigate Maridia without Gravity Suit, Hi-Jump Boots, or Ice Beam
- G-Mode
- Zebetite skip with a stored spark
- X-Ray climb
Collected Items
- Morphing Ball
- Bombs
- Charge Beam (for bosses)
- X-Ray Scope (to escape Draygon's entry chamber and to clip pre-Botwoon)
- Varia Suit (to survive MB2's rainbow beam)
- 1 Energy Tanks (to survive MB2's rainbow beam)
- 2 Reserve Tank (to do R-mode and G-mode and to ensure Draygon carries Samus to the top of the room)
- 2 Missile Packs (Awakening and Moat) (to open red doors and defeat MB1)
- 2 Super Missile Packs (Early and Wrecked Ship (Left)) (to open green doors and defeat MB1)
- 2 Power Bomb Packs (Red Brinstar Elevator (Lower) and Red Brinstar Elevator (Upper)) (to open orange doors and to generate flash suits)
Theoretical Route
Since this category does not require L+R Walljumping, the route below will discuss this method. If one wants to use L+R walljumping to simplify the category for completion's sake, then one could instead copy 14% xAmmo up until Tourian (but making sure to NOT collect ANY energy tanks, and collect two reserve tanks). So skip up to step (27) below.
The completion of this category is dependent upon generating flash suits using X-Ray Scope and a maximum of 10 Power Bombs, via an R-mode forced stand during a crystal flash. All RTA setups for this that have been found seem to require having zero energy tanks. Therefore, the entire run (up until the way end) must be completed without any Energy Tanks. Thus, two Reserve Tanks should be collected: Brinstar Reserve and Norfair Reserve are the most convenient.
Two different methods for generation of a flash suit are used. Outside of Maridia, this method is very consistent:
Past Mt. Everest, this method is used to generate a spark to get up Halfie Climb Room:
This second method has a much tighter window, and also is dependent upon crab RNG.
The route is as follows:
(1) Play normally through Bombs.
(2) Skip Terminator Energy Tank.
(3) Get Early Supers, Brinstar Reserve, and Charge Beam.
(4) Get Alpha Power Bombs and Beta Power Bombs.
(5) Get Moat Missile and go kill Phantoon (this does not have to be now, but we are close by and it won't really be any easier later). Moat Missile is the most convenient second missile pack (which we need so we can crystal flash), as it allows easier methods of crossing the Moat.
(6) Get Wrecked Ship Left Supers.
(7) Get X-Ray Scope. This could be done later (after getting the second Reserve Tank and Varia), but is fastest now.
(7) Go back down Red Tower, and go to Kraid to get Varia Suit. This does not have to be done now, but makes Maridia considerably easier. It would technically be faster to put off Kraid until later. Note one could go down to kill Kraid before Phantoon (so one has Varia for Phantoon), which would only be mildly slower (since one has to go up to get Power Bombs and then back down to get X-Ray Scope).
(8) Go down into Norfair and get the Norfair Reserve.
(9) G-mode into Lower Norfair and go and kill Ridley: We have all items we can have at Ridley, so it won't be any easier later.
(10) Go back up Red Tower, cross Noob Bridge and Green Hill Zone back to Green Brinstar Main Shaft.
(11) Perform the max 10 power bomb R-mode CF suit in the Etecoons Beetom Hallway, as in the above clip.
(12) Convert this to a blue suit with a max 10 power bomb Crystal Spark. This would technically be faster to do later, but doing it now makes it easier to not lose it.
(13) Go to Caterpillar Room.
(14) G-mode into Maridia (this is why we need it to be a blue suit).
(15) Spark across Mt. Everest.
(16) Perform a max 10 power bomb R-mode CF suit in Crab Shaft, as in the above clip.
(17) Convert this to a blue suit with a max 10 power bomb Crystal Spark.
(18) Use this blue suit to go through the Botwoon Hallways, killing Botwoon (with 10 Supers, after farming back to full).
(19) Spark up Halfie Climb Room.
(20) Cross Colosseum by jumping across the spikes.
(21) Snipe kill Draygon.
(22) X-Ray climb escape Precious Room.
(23) Door gravity jump into IBJ to climb Colosseum (or X-Ray climb again).
(24) Cross Colosseum right to left by jumping across the spikes.
(25) G-mode through Botwoon Energy Tank Room.
(26) Either damage boost across West Sand Hall, or generate another max 10 power bomb R-mode CF suit to spark across it.
(27) Climb Red Tower again. Go back to Green Brinstar Main Shaft again.
(28) Generate another max 10 power bomb R-mode CF suit in Etecoons Beetom Hallway. It does not need to be converted into a blue suit, but this would make it harder to lose.
(29) Go into Tourian with at least 9 power bombs.
(30) Defeat three metroid rooms. Go back to the elevator, and spark out. Farm power bombs for remaining metroid room.
(31) Go generate another max 10 power bomb R-mode CF suit in Etecoons Beetom Hallway. Again, convert to a blue suit if desired.
(32) Go collect Terminator Energy Tank (finally). Note leaving Tourian to get power bombs and generate another spark can be skipped if you want to gamble on getting two power bomb drops from the metroids. This is a 28.7% chance, that if you fail requires a reset to before spark generation (because you now picked up the Terminator Energy Tank and cannot generate another spark).
(33) Enter Tourian with enough power bombs to complete remaining metroid rooms, full reserves, full supers, and the stored spark. Complete Tourian up to Mother Brain (probably don't bother with baby skip, since we are maintaining a spark). Note you cannot save in Tourian, since we are maintaining a spark.
(34) Use your stored spark to Zebetite skip.
(35) Kill Mother Brain as in any category with no beam upgrades and 10/10 ammo.
(36) Win.
Hopefully the above explains why this category has yet to be done.
