RTA Guide/45 Star

The goal of the 45 Star extension category is to complete the game as fast as possible while collecting 3 stars from each main stage.

Category rules

• Collect 3 stars from each main stage
• SBLJ is banned

Suggested routes

Standard route (no LBLJ)

1. Lakitu Skip
2. Bob-omb Battlefield
   • Behind Chain Chomp's Gate
3. Whomp's Fortress
   • Blast Away the Wall
   • Fall onto the Caged Island
   • Shoot into the Wild Blue
4. Jolly Roger Bay
   • Plunder in the Sunken Ship
   • Through the Jet Stream (open the cannon while doing this star)
   • Blast to the Stone Pillar
5. Cool, Cool Mountain
   • Wall Kicks Will Work
   • Li'l Penguin Lost
   • Slip Slidin' Away
6. Bowser in the Dark World
   • No Red Coins
   • Bowser Battle 1
7. Tower of the Wing Cap
   • No Reds
8. Bob-omb Battlefield
   • Shoot to the Island in the Sky
   • Big Bob-omb on the Summit
9. Big Boo's Haunt
   • Go on a Ghost Hunt
   • Big Boo's Balcony
   • Secret of the Haunted Books
10. Shifting Sand Land
    • Inside the Ancient Pyramid
    • In the Talons of the Big Bird
    • Shining Atop the Pyramid
11. Lethal Lava Land
    • Red-Hot Log Rolling
    • 8-Coin Puzzle with 15 Pieces
    • Boil the Big Bully
12. Hazy Maze Cave
    • A-Maze-ing Emergency Exit
    • Watch for Rolling Rocks
    • Swimming Beast in the Cavern
13. MIPS Clip
    • MIPS Clip Guide
14. Dire, Dire Docks
    • Chests in the Current
    • Board Bowser's Sub
    • The Manta Ray's Reward
15. Bowser in the Fire Sea
    • No Red Coins
    • Bowser Battle 2
16. Wet-Dry World
    • Express Elevator--Hurry Up!
    • Shocking Arrow Lifts!
    • Top o' the Town
17. Tiny-Huge Island
    • Five Itty Bitty Secrets
    • Pluck the Piranha Flower
    • The Tip Top of the Huge Island
18. Tall, Tall Mountain
    • Breathtaking View from Bridge
    • Blast to the Lonely Mushroom
    • Mysterious Mountainside
19. Snowman's Land
    • Snowman's Big Head
    • In the Deep Freeze
    • Chill with the Bully
20. 50 Star Door BLJ
    • BLJ guide
21. Rainbow Ride
    • Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow
    • Tricky Triangles!
    • Swingin' in the Breeze
22. Tick Tock Clock
    • The Pit and the Pendulums
    • Roll into the Cage
    • Get a Hand
23. Endless staircase BLJ
    • BLJ guide
24. Bowser in the Sky
    • No Red Coins
    • Bowser Battle 3

Route variations

SL Whirl

Beginners can consider replacing Snowman's Big Head with the easier but slower Whirl from the Freezing Pond.

Island Hop

Rather than doing Shoot to the Island in the Sky after Bowser in the Dark World, you can save time by doing Island Hop to get all the stars in Bob-omb Battlefield in one trip instead of two. This also allows Tower of the Wing Cap to be skipped.

1. Lakitu Skip
2. Bob-omb Battlefield
   • Shoot to the Island in the Sky (Island Hop)
   • Big Bob-omb on the Summit
   • Behind Chain Chomp's Gate
3. Whomp's Fortress
4. Jolly Roger Bay
5. Cool, Cool Mountain
6. Bowser in the Dark World
7. Big Boo's Haunt (route converges here)

JRB cannonless

To avoid having to open the cannon in Through the Jet Stream, you can do cannonless instead.

LBLJ

LBLJ (Lobby Backwards Long Jump) into Whomp's Fortress or Jolly Roger Bay can be used to get hard stars like Blast Away the Wall or framewalk out of the way early, and save a small amount of time in castle movement.