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Advanced Information

Advanced information for those who want to delve deeper.

Advanced Strats​

Please keep in mind that the routing is very specific and has been perfected based on our current knowledge. Every piece has its place and moving them around could very easily break other parts, so please do not mess with it until you understand how and why it works.

Full Run examples from Artacer

Use mouse to click the Back button on the Race Options screen during lap glitches to skip some menu delay.

Use mouse to click the Challenge Rival button while in the Safe House to skip menu delay.

Use mouse to click the left side of the Continue button even when you are not boss skipping to skip the defeated animation.

Frame perfect opening of the blacklist or pause menu can prevent messages from appearing when entering free roam after a race, camera or chase. SMS skips save 2 seconds each time.

Generic​

Alley reset glitch: It's possible to reset your car inside the wall at the common alley cooldown spot in Rosewood by facing east on the small path outside. This is only useful with front wheel drive cars like the Golf as rear wheel drive cars like the Elise get stuck inside the wall and cannot get out.

Alley reset glitch examples

Traffic doesn't spawn in free roam while looking behind (including pursuits). Can be used during Camera Strat on Sonny or any area where traffic jams are common like Stadium Boulevard.

Look Behind disables the entire UI, which makes it possible to prevent messages from appearing after finishing races or cameras while looking behind. Doesn't work after pursuits. Can be used after Ming Race 3.

Block Milestone Glitch: If you have a roadblock milestone that requires one more to be completed and you escape the chase while a roadblock is still spawned nearby, there is a chance the milestone will be completed just after the chase ends. You are not credited for completing the milestone until entering another chase. Example: Escaping with 3/4 blocks and a block spawned while on Baron would complete upon starting the Jewels chase. This only works for existing milestones. You can't complete 6 Blocks from a Baron chase or 8 Blocks from Jewels. This glitch can be inconsistent as it doesn't work with roadblocks that have been marked for removal or despawned any of their cars.

Sonny​

After buying the Golf, reset your car at the end of the loading screen or after closing Mia's message. This puts you in the correct direction, saving up to 0.5s.

You can carry some speed when turning around at the end of Race 1 by making it a big hairpin. Slow down, tap speedbreaker and barely graze the finish line while destroying the water barrel. This saves about a second compared to coming to a full stop.

Camera strat (~5s): Destroy all remaining cop cars on the western stadium pursuit breaker while driving east, then turn around and head south towards the camera to complete it just after the chase ends. There is a chance a cop will spawn on the highway towards the camera. If you messed up, a cop will be waiting for you at the exit of the stadium. Main pitfalls are: not destroying all remaining cops, for example only 4 out of 5; less than 10 seconds have passed since the last cop spawn when destroying the pursuit breaker; driving east too slow or turning around too early. Make sure you are still driving east the moment the last cop car is destroyed and only turn around after that.

Milestone Glitch (~13s): If an AI racer is being chased, some of your milestones are shared with them, including Pursuit Length. This allows the milestone timer to keep running while the player is in cooldown. First make sure your Pursuit Length milestone timer is not glitched - the glitched timer is switching very quickly between two different times. If your timer is glitched, try and make out the lower time. You can destroy the cops at 1:40 on the milestone timer while doing camera strat. If everything worked correctly, you will complete the Pursuit Length milestone just before escaping the pursuit.

Advanced Sonny Strat examples

Taz​

With the Sonny cash marker it is a couple tenths faster to reverse into the performance shop.

Without the Sonny cash marker it is faster to reset when exiting the performance shop then going for Camera 5. Downside is, you can no longer do Taz Cure as a backup.

Tuning -3 handling is faster specifically for Taz Races. The timesave is minimal because it is recommended to retune to -1 handling on Izzy Race 2.

Recommended tuning spot is the exit of the hairpins in Race 4. You can keep more speed in the slow corners with 0 handling.

It is possible to skip a Taz camera if you had insane Sonny and Taz chases.

Advanced Taz Strat examples

Izzy​

You can skip Camera 5 at the start and generate so much bounty during the pursuits that you won't need it.

Getting cops in race on both Race 2 and Race 7 is Double Izzy, the best strategy currently. Optimally you want to do the long pursuit first, but if things don't go as planned you can dip for a quick escape and try again on the other race.

It can be worth staying in the chase for longer by 20-25s if you are able to generate enough extra bounty to skip a camera. Spending too much extra time is not worth it, as the heat gain is slow.

In case of Double Izzy, it is not worth going for safe house escape unless you find a way to do so in both pursuits.

If you received the challenge SMS, return to Free Roam after Lap Glitch before challenging Izzy to save a few tenths on menus.

Advanced Izzy Strat examples

Baron​

The Pro Transmission upgrade helps, but isn't guaranteed. Optimally you received a cash marker from Taz, otherwise you have to sell a car to have enough money for the upgrade.

You can get away with doing one less cooldown strat at the start of the Baron chase, but it leaves no room for error. This means doing 1 at 3 bars, 2 at 4 bars or 3 at 5 bars.

It is possible to skip the 5 minute milestone if you get 4 blocks and 117k bounty. The most likely scenario for this is 3 heat 2 blocks and an instant heat 3 light block.

If you get a light block towards the end of the chase, it can be worth it to try and take some of them out for additional bounty. However, keep in mind that you are not earning heat past 3 on Baron.

If you managed to perform a safe house escape after completing two races, make sure to start the next race from safe house for an sms skip.

Most full game runners are not good at drags, making them think beating Baron is up to luck. This is false, as it is possible to win this race without a miss, provided your execution is correct. A lot depends on getting a good launch! The difference between a good and a great launch is already 0.3s, more than enough for Baron to slip past.

Baron drag examples

Jewels​

While unlikely, the game can crash on the highway and stadium after starting the chase from Race 4. However, the stadium pursuit breakers are good enough to be worth the risk. The chance of crashing increases after 60 seconds as roadblocks can spawn.

The Jewels chase can be much shorter than 6 minutes, but it isn't always worth escaping early. Do not escape early after 5:35. If you need a quick escape, it is not worth escaping early after 5:15.

Double Jewels is usually not worth it. The main use for it is gathering missing bounty in case the first pursuit went wrong. It is possible to save time with it, but only with some luck as heat gain is much faster on Ming.

Jewels' drag race has a broken lua script. There is a garbage truck in the alley, a pickup in the driveway and a news van at the stadium, all of which hardly ever move. However, occasionally they work but we don't know why, so take care.

Advanced Jewels Strat examples

Ming​

Use Jewels Camera 5 if you spawned at the Safe House to enter the upgrade shop faster.

If Race 3 is your third completed race and you didn't encounter cops, you can hold Look Behind from the finish until you hit the camera in the intersection to skip an sms.

If you want to reduce World Level of Detail earlier, then do it at the end of the Ming Chase.

If you received the challenge SMS, return to Free Roam after Lap Glitch before challenging Ming to save a few tenths.

Advanced Ming Strat examples

JV​

Upgrading the brakes is not necessary, mainly preference. We don't have timing data on this currently for either car.

If possible, complete the JV chase in under 3 minutes without requiring an additional quick escape.

You can use Kaze Camera 5 spawn and turn around for JV Camera 5 with the Elise. While the Golf can do this, it requires delayed nitrous usage due to the lower acceleration.

Advanced JV Strat examples

Bull​

Elise only: You can start Ronnie Race 9 and Quit to Free Roam for Cameras 7 and 5. This is faster by a few seconds, but harder as you have little room for error when turning left for Camera 5.

Advanced Bull Strat examples

Razor​

It is faster to complete Ronnie Cam 5, Razor Cam 7 and 6 after Race 10, but slightly more difficult due to traffic. You need to save some nitrous at the end of the race. If you've generated too much cost to state, you'll receive a 911 call which can cause cops to show up.

Ronnie Cam 5, Razor Cam 7 & 6 backup: Ronnie Race 4 or JV Race 11

Camera 7 & 6 backup: Camera 7, Ronnie Race 4 or JV Race 11

Camera 7 backup: Razor Race 4 or Bull Race 11

Camera 6 backup: Razor Race 10 & turn around

Best Chase routing options:

  • Radio Tower, Gas Station, Donut, Water Tower
  • Turn around, Gas Station, Donut, Water Tower, (Radio Tower)

Elise only: If you are low on bounty, you can get both Ronnie Camera 7 and Webster Camera 6 after Race 9.

Advanced Razor Strat examples

Pursuits​

SH, heli, etc.

Racing​

Visit Artacer's sheet to learn optimal racing lines and nitrous usage.