RTA Guide/16 Star

The goal of the 16 Star category is to beat the game as quickly as possible using MIPS clipping to skip the 30 star door. It is a popular category for beginners since it is short and the basic route/strats can be learned in a few hours even with no casual knowledge of the game.

Category Rules

• SBLJ is banned
• Any method to skip the 30 star door other than MIPS clipping is banned

Suggested Routes

It is important to note that although tricks are featured more prominently in this category than in 70 star, better movement and consistency is still what makes the biggest difference. As a beginner, it is recommended to start with a route that does not do LBLJ and improve on your fundamentals before switching to a less consistent, more reset-heavy LBLJ route.

• Beginner - No LBLJ Route without DW Reds
  • Recommended for beginners with minimal experience
  • Same as intermediate except replaces Dark World Reds with Swimming Beast in the Cavern.
  • Dark World (No Reds)
  • Swimming Beast in the Cavern
• Intermediate - No LBLJ Route
  • Recommended for newer players around the sub 20 level
• Advanced - LBLJ Route
  • Recommended for advanced runners going for low 16/sub 16.

No LBLJ Route

Standard Route (No LBLJ)

1. Lakitu Skip
2. Bob-omb Battlefield
   • Behind Chain Chomp's Gate
3. Whomp's Fortress
   • Cannonless / Cless
   • Wild Blue
   • Whomp King
   • Tower
   • Owl Star
4. Cool Cool Mountain
   • Wall Kicks Will Work
   • Li'l Penguin Lost
5. Bowser in the Dark World
   • Bowser in the Dark World Red Coins
   • Bowser Fight 1
6. Shifting Sand Land
   • In the Talons of the Big Bird
   • Shining atop the Pyramid
7. Lethal Lava Land
   • 8-Coin Puzzle with 15 Pieces
8. Hazy Maze Cave
   • HMC Toad (spawns at 12 stars, get this before entering HMC)
   • Emergency Exit
   • Rolling Rocks
9. MIPs Clip
   • MIPS Clip Guide
10. Dire, Dire Docks
    • Board Bowser's Sub
11. Bowser in the Fire Sea
    • No Red Coins
    • Bowser Fight 2
12. Backward Long Jumps
    • BLJ Guide
13. Bowser in the Sky
    • (No Red Coins)
    • Bowser Fight 3

Beginner Route (No Dark World Reds)

This route is mostly the same as the standard route, but with the omission of Bowser in the Dark World Red Coins. If you plan on taking this game seriously, it is recommended to learn DW Reds sooner than later as it helps a lot with fundamentals. The differences with the standard route are listed below.

• Bowser in the Dark World
  • No Red Coins
• Hazy Maze Cave
  • A-maze-ing Emergency Exit
  • HMC Toad (spawns at 12 stars, do not get this last or MIPS will not spawn)
  • Emergency Exit
  • Rolling Rocks

Advanced No LBLJ Route Variations

There are several route variations for the No LBLJ route which are faster but generally much harder. In almost every instance, these variations are only faster if you do the most optimal strats for each star, hence they are recommended only for people running the No LBLJ category extension for top times (i.e. sub 16 minutes). If you are simply looking to optimize your 16 star route for the main leaderboards, it is recommended to switch to an LBLJ route.

WF 100c (CCM Skip)

If you can do the Expert WF 100c cycle, it is technically faster than opening CCM to collect Wall Kicks with Work and Li'l Penguin Lost.

Replacing Stars

Ignoring lobby (where you are bound by the 8 star door requirement), the slowest stars in the standard No LBLJ route are:

• In the Talons of the Big Bird (16-17s)
• Watch for Rolling Rocks (15-16s)

You can save a few seconds by replacing one or more of these stars with one of the following stars:

• Log Star / Sidehop (12-13s)
• Tama Pless (~13s)

LBLJ Route

Standard Route (LBLJ)

1. LBLJ
   • Lakitu Skip
   • LBLJ (Lobby Backwards Long Jump)
2. Bowser in the Dark World
   • Bowser in the Dark World Red Coins
3. Whomp's Fortress
   • Cannonless / Cless
   • Owlless
   • Wild Blue
4. Shifting Sand Land
   • Pillarless / Pless
   • Talon Star / Klepto
   • Pyramid Top
5. Lethal Lava Land
   • Red Coins
   • Log Star / Sidehop
   • Big Bully
   • Choose one of the following two stars:
     • Lava Boost (~1.2s faster using optimal strats)
     • Elevator Star (recommended unless proficient at optimal lavaboost)
6. Haze Maze Cave
   • A-maze-ing Emergency Exit
   • HMC Toad
   • Watch for Rolling Rocks
   • Swimming Beast in the Cavern
7. MIPS Clip
   • MIPS Clip Guide
8. Dire, Dire Docks
   • Board Bowser's Sub
9. Bowser in the Fire Sea
   • No Red Coins
   • Bowser Fight 2
10. Backward Long Jumps
    • BLJ Guide
11. Bowser in the Sky
    • No Red Coins
    • Bowser Fight 3