RTA Guide/120 Star

The goal of the 120 Star category is to complete the game as fast as possible while collecting all 120 stars.

Category Rules

• Collect all 120 stars.
• Beat the game.
• No gameplay restrictions. (As such, all forms of BLJ and methods of skipping star door requirements are allowed.)

Recommendations

It is generally recommended to learn 70 Star before 120; most stars performed in that category are performed the same in 120, allowing you to focus more on the longer, 120-specific stars.

Routing

There are several routes for 120 Star regarding stage order and castle movement. The biggest distinction is whether the harder LBLJ trick is done at the beginning.

The route below is the most common route variant of both the LBLJ and non-LBLJ routes; it aims to reach the basement as early as possible since it contains some of the most difficult stars in the run. Bob-omb Battlefield is typically done before the basement (to get to 30 stars to access the basement), but may be swapped with Cool, Cool Mountain, or both back-to-back (if one doesn't mind delaying going to the basement).

Once you have learned all of the stars separately, you will be able to adapt to other routes fairly easily.

Route

This route has an option: with LBLJ vs no LBLJ (as explained above). The only difference in star order is swapping BoB: Behind Chain Chomp's Gate with Bowser in the Dark World (Reds) + Bowser Battle 1, and then there are the castle movement differences that that entails (including LBLJ itself).

The square brackets "[option]" below show parts of the route that are only done on the specified route option.

Lobby

1. Bob-omb Battlefield (1) [No LBLJ] / Bowser in the Dark World [With LBLJ]
   • BoB: Behind Chain Chomp's Gate [No LBLJ]
   • Bowser in the Dark World (Reds) [With LBLJ]
   • Bowser Battle 1 [With LBLJ]
2. Whomp's Fortress (all stars)
3. The Secret Aquarium
4. Jolly Roger Bay (all stars)
5. Castle Secret Stars
   • The Princess's Secret Slide (first star)
   • Tower of the Wing Cap
   • The Princess's Secret Slide (second star)
6. Bowser in the Dark World [No LBLJ] (skip on With LBLJ)
   • Bowser in the Dark World (Reds) [No LBLJ]
   • Bowser Battle 1 [No LBLJ]
7. Bob-omb Battlefield (2 on No LBLJ / 1 on With LBLJ)
   • Behind Chain Chomp's Gate [With LBLJ]
   • Big Bob-omb on the Summit
   • Footrace with Koopa the Quick
   • BoB 100 Coins + Find the 8 Red Coins
   • Shoot to the Island in the Sky
   • Mario Wings to the Sky

Basement

1. MIPS (first star)
2. Shifting Sand Land (all stars)
3. Hazy Maze Cave (all stars)
   • Cavern of the Metal Cap
4. HMC Toad
5. Lethal Lava Land (all stars)
6. MIPS (second star)
7. Vanish Cap Under the Moat

Middle Segment

1. Cool, Cool Mountain (all stars)
2. Big Boo's Haunt (all stars)
3. Dire, Dire Docks (1)
   • DDD 100 Coins + Pole-Jumping for Red Coins
   • Chests in the Current
   • Board Bowser's Sub
   • The remaining stars are saved until after Fire Sea so the submarine, which causes lag on N64, is removed. You can opt to do DDD in one segment if you do proper lag reduction, or if you play on emulator or VC.
4. Bowser in the Fire Sea
   • Bowser in the Fire Sea (Reds)
   • Bowser Battle 2
5. Dire, Dire Docks (2)
   • The Manta Ray's Reward
   • Through the Jet Stream
   • Collect the Caps...
   • Afterward, re-enter Bowser in the Fire Sea, pause and exit the stage, and head upstairs.

Upstairs

1. Wet-Dry World (all stars)
2. Tiny-Huge Island (all stars)
3. Upstairs Toad
4. Tall, Tall Mountain (all stars)
5. Snowman's Land (all stars)

Tippy

1. Wing Mario Over the Rainbow
2. Tick Tock Clock (all stars)
3. Tippy Toad
4. Rainbow Ride (all stars)
5. Bowser in the Sky
   • Bowser in the Sky (Reds)
   • Bowser Battle 3