Whomp's Fortress

Whomp's Fortress
Course Info
Abbreviation	WF
Setting	Day
Water	Almost None
Course Items
Coins	106 (  ×70  •   ×8  •   ×4)
Enemy Coins	35 (  ×20  •   ×3)
Stars	×7
Caps	×1
Star Navigation
Overview

Whomp's Fortress is the second course in Super Mario 64. It can be accessed from the painting in the room located in the right side of the lower first floor of Princess Peach's castle. This course is typically fast and is often the first course completed in runs (due to BoB's near requirement for wing cap).

Access

Whomp's Fortress door typically requires one star to enter, however, using LBLJ in the lobby gives access to the level without either the door or the star requirement. Entering this level can also be done without the use of the A button, and most likely 2 presses for the ABZ/Buttonless Challenge. Entering this level the first time also triggers textboxes, which costs the ABZ/Buttonless Challenge at least 4 presses. (This has been yet to be shown on video.)

Course Versions

This course has three versions-

• Version 1: Accessed by selecting Star 1. This version contains King Whomp at the top of the course.
• Version 2: Accessed by selecting Star 2. This version contains a fortress built on top of the course.
• Version 3: Accessed by selecting Star 3 through Star 6. Bob-omb buddy is present to open the cannon, and an owl can be summoned from the tree near the starting point. The fortress is still present.

Coins

Whomp's Fortress has a total of 141 coins collectible without the utilization of glitches, with most most coins coming from coin spawners. This course has two different coin duplication glitches, however, that push the maximum beyond 141 coins- cloning and the breaking-disappearing cork box glitch. Both of these utilize the cork boxes in the level, and can both take the maximum over the max in-game coin score of 255. The breaking-disappearing cork box glitch pushes the bounds a bit farther, though, and allows 999 to be collected in course.

Location	Count
The two throwable cork boxes (near start/blue coin block)	6
Coins around the flower near the start	8
Line of coins near the beginning	5
Line of coins on bridge past the falling bridge	5
Coins around the rotating plank	4
Ring of coins on the floating isle	8
Arrow of coins on the floating arrow	8
Line of coins on slope leading from the water	5
Ring of coins in water	8
Line of coins near the bob-omb buddy	5
Ring of coins above the "Shoot into the Blue" Star	8
2 Whomps	20
Red Coins	16
Blue Coin Block	20
3 Piranha Plants	15
Total	141

Course Objects

Below is a table of all objects loaded in when the level loads. Processing order doesn't necessarily mean the slot they would occupy, just a reference for what objects come before and after that object.

Table of Course Objects

Object	Number	Processing Order	Location			Notes
			X	Y	Z
Grounded Horizontal Coin Line Spawner	4	1	3760	960	2740
		2	-1400	1160	3900
		3	1254	2586	2299
		8	3396	1380	3280
Grounded Horizontal Coin Ring Spawner	3	4	-2500	1795	-260
		6	4611	256	141
		7	1558	922	2329
Grounded Coin Arrow Spawner	1	5	1215	3600	-2609
Floating Horizontal Coin Ring Spawner	1	9	3234	3345	-1787
Chcekered Elevator Spawner	1	10	1035	2880	-900
WF Falling Block Spawner	1	11	1792	2496	1600
Blue Coin Block	1	12	-2500	384	-250
Metal Cap Block	1	13	-2750	1370	-3400
Sign	8	14	4200	256	5160
		15	-2540	2560	-900
		16	1600	2560	2600
		17	-2705	2560	59
		18	3460	2304	-40
		20	-2932	384	-157
		21	4800	256	3000
		22	2930	1075	-3740
Cannon Lid	1	19	-1844	1026	3893	Only present prior to opening cannon.
King Whomp	1	23	0	3584	0	Only present in Star 1
WF Tower Breakable Block	1	24	-511	3584	0	Only in stars 2-6
WF Tower Platform Spawner	1	25	0	3783	0	Only in stars 2-6
Bullet Bill Blaster	1	26	1280	3584	896	Only in stars 2-6
WF Tower	1	27	0	3584	0	Only in stars 2-6
Whomp	2	28	189	2560	-1857
		29	-1545	2560	-286
Thwomp	2	30	3462	1076	-3314
		31	3462	1940	-1545
Floating Island	3	32	2688	3584	-895
		33	3200	3328	-1791
		34	2304	3584	-2303
Falling Plank	1	35	13	3584	-1407	Only in stars 2-6
Blastable Corner (without Star)	2	36	-1023	2176	2944	Without star
		37	512	2176	2944	With star
WF In-and-Out Platform	3	38	3330	1075	-2815
		39	3330	1075	-767
		40	3330	1075	-1791
WF Rotating Bridge	1	41	-255	2560	2304
Large Bomp	1	42	3330	1070	641
Small Bomp	2	43	3330	1070	1281
		44	3330	1070	1
Checkered Elevator	2	45	932.47	2880	-1002.53
		46	1137.531	3530	-797.47
Tree	1	47	2560	256	4608
Hoot	1	48	2560	700	4608	Only present stars 3-6
Pole	1	49	-2495	1331	-256
WF Big Pole	1	50	-2560	2560	-256
Mario	1	51	-	-	-
Butterfly (Spawns Others without Bombs	1	52	4574	300	1130
Bob-omb Buddy (Opens Cannon)	1	53	-1700	1024	3500	Only present in stars 3-6
Bullet Bill	1	54	1280	3712	968	Only present in stars 2-6
Piranha Plant	3	55	689	2560	1845
		56	4625	256	5017
		57	1822	2560	-101
Grabbable Cork Box	2	58	4320	256	1880
		59	-2940	384	-1320
Blue Coin (for Block)	4	60	-2500	450	-1150
		61	-2500	450	-900
		62	-2500	450	-650
		79	-2500	450	-1400
Yellow Coin	4	63	0	2650	2900
		64	500	2650	2900
		65	250	2650	2800
		66	-750	2650	2800
1-Up & 1-Up Activator Spawner	1	67	-2500	4560	-256
1-Up Activator	2	68	0	2650	2900
		70	-500	2650	2900
1-Up	2	69	-250	2650	2400
		85	-384	3584	6	Only in stars 2-6.
Red Coin	8	71	-250	2650	2970
		72	1746	3620	-3120
		73	1277	2600	1350
		74	1585	2595	-80
		75	3350	3000	-1520
		76	2700	3600	-900
		77	3770	1380	650
		78	-270	1720	2250
Power Star (Yellow)	4	80	590	2450	2650
		81	2880	4300	190
		83	-2500	1500	-750
		84	300	5550	0	Only present in stars 2-6
Red Coin Star Spawner	1	82	4600	550	2500
Teleporter	2	86	2548	1075	-3962
		87	-2925	2560	-947
Cannon Base	1	88	-1844	686	3893
Landscape Visual	12	89	3584	154	4864
		90	4608	256	1792
		91	-2499	1792	-261
		92	-2661	384	640
		104	1408	2522	2431
		105	3840	794	2688
		106	1757	3519	-3151
		107	0	0	0
		108	3840	0	-1279
		109	3840	0	-2303
		110	3405	1664	-1791
		111	2305	2432	-255
Butterfly	10	93	4608	256	128
		94	4608	256	0
		95	4480	256	128
		96	4736	256	128
		97	4608	256	256
		98	4480	256	4992
		99	4608	256	4864
		100	4608	256	4992
		101	4608	256	5120
		102	4736	256	4992
WF Water Level Checker	1	103	-856	922	3819
Mario Spawner	1	112	2600	1256	5120
WF Pole Ball	1	113	-2560	4710	-256
Star Marker	1	114	4600	316	2500
Cannon Shaft	1	115	-1844	512	3893
Piranha Plant Sleeping Bubble	3	116	869	2632	1845
		117	4445	328	5017
		118	2002	2632	-101

TASes

Star 1: https://youtu.be/NamWHywBEBY

Star 2: https://youtu.be/NamWHywBEBY?t=32s

Star 3: https://youtu.be/3ymjsb513PQ

Star 4: https://youtu.be/XDR68FZdihE

Star 5: https://youtu.be/fvJxQp6kaXE

Star 6: https://youtu.be/8WCdtGT6CF4

A Press Counts

In the A Button Challenge, it takes no A Presses to collect all seven stars, though the Wing Cap and the Metal Cap need to be unlocked to complete To the Top of the Fortress.

Star	A Presses	Minutes
1	0	2
2	0	8
3	0	1
4	0	2
5	0	2
6	0	1
100	0	0*
*100 coin star already used to collect Star 2.

Entering Whomp's Fortress (0x)

Video: https://youtu.be/mlHzqJn2SMs?t=33s

This part is easily done without pressing A by using a dive recover into the painting.

Chip Off Whomp's Block (0x)

Video: https://youtu.be/7ZwwAemsbYQ

The trickiest part is collecting the star, since the star is 296 units high, which is too low to be reached by dive recovering. While it might seem impossible to reach the star unless an A press is used to jump, Mario can fortunately collect it by cloning. By bringing a fake cork box up and defeating King Whomp, Pannenkoek is able to clone the star and collect it by holding Vacant Slot 41 (VS41).

To the Top of the Fortress (0x)

Main article: To the Top of the Fortress

Video: https://youtu.be/M4M_OyUorRQ

Before entering the stage, the HOLP needs to be set at a specific location in Bob-omb Battlefield.

Upon entering the stage, Mario starts collecting many coins in order to spawn the 100-coin star at the right moment. The Metal Cap is collected twice to activate the hat-in-hand object displacement glitch. Using the glitch, Mario carries the cork box up the mountain (during which he throws the cork box multiple times and catch it while it is falling down from the HOLP to speed up the process). Using clever tricks, he is then able to pick up the cork box during the time he is ascending from the elevator, and he collects all the coins from the floating island. At this point, Mario has 99 coins. The box is then thrown to appear from the HOLP and break next to the tower, exposing the 100th coin at the desired location. Mario collects it, spawning the star next to one of the tower's steps.

Mario dives down to the lower part of the course, grabbing the second cork box, and bringing it upwards. At the top floor, With precise movements, Mario remotely throws the cork box, stores 26 vertical speed on the elevator by canceling a dive recover on the steep part of it, allowing the cork box to push him off to reactivate the stored speed, ground pounding to gain height next to a platform of the tower (where the 100-coin star is), and then grabbing on the ledge while collecting the 100-coin star using Star Dance Clip. After the collecting the star, Mario then climbs up the rest of the tower and collects To the Top of the Fortress.

For both times going up, Mario has to hold a cork box frame-walking up a slope. With very precise movements, Mario can carry the box and bounce on the ground to reach the elevator, instead of having to drop the box at the HOLP and pick it up later on the arrow platform.

Shoot into the Wild Blue (0x)

Video: https://youtu.be/CA-EZx_kunY

The star can be collected by going from the top. Using the secret teleporter at the corner of the platform where the Metal Cap is located, Mario can teleport to a higher floor above where the star is located. Mario then drops down to collect the star.

Red Coins on the Floating Isle (0x)

Video: https://youtu.be/E6J71oX8o78

All coins are reachable without pressing A, though getting to the floating islands requires using a Whomp enemy as help to get on the ascending elevator. Using series of diving and dive recovers, with help from the teleporters, Mario is able to get all red coins in the course and collect the star.

Fall onto the Caged Island (0x)

Video: https://youtu.be/mXy8Wlw3sRU

This star is done without pressing A by using Version 1 of the course where King Whomp is present (Chip Off Whomp's Block). By manipulating the location and angle of King Whomp, Mario can land on top of Whomp and perform a slide kick onto the caged platform.

Blast Away the Wall (0x)

Video: https://youtu.be/CA-EZx_kunY

With a ledge-grab glitch very well-known in speedrunning, it is already known that using the cannon to shoot open the wall is completely unnecessary. All Mario has to do is grabbing the ledge where the star is located using a specific angle.

WF 100 Coins (0x)

Video: https://youtu.be/anKoV6eZBi8

In a full game run of 120 stars, this star will already be collected while doing To the Top of the Fortress. That being said, the star can still be collected without pressing A when done in isolation, with no difficult tricks required.

Other Challenges

In a CCC Challenge, excluding coin missions, all stars can be collected, with Blast Away the Wall completed less conventionally by using a precise ledge grab in order to avoid the use of cannon.

In a No Buttons Allowed challenge, Find the 8 Red Coins and Behind Chain Chomp's Gate can be collected using only the joystick and the C buttons (to turn the camera).

In a No Joystick Allowed challenge, Chip Off Whomp's Block, To the Top of the Fortress, Red Coins on the Floating Isle and 100 coins star can be collected without using the joystick.