Crash Bandicoot Warped 105% Routing/Masks Guide

This is a basic guide for most skill levels to get a decent understanding of 105% routing. I will point out what's important, what to do in several situations, different options, what's preference, and more.
*Keep in mind this guide is not about listing every possible route just important info and reasons behind common route decisions and stuff.*
I would assume anyone reading this has a decent understanding of crash 3 speedrunning, but if you don't, know these things:

- Third mask form/invincibility is really fast. Get it as much as possible in platforming levels.
- Plane levels (3), Hot Coco, N. Gin, and Cortex take away your masks.
- Grabbing the time trial clock takes away your masks, however you can keep any masks you get out of the level after completing it.


WARP 1

Optimally, you want to start with an any% visit to 2. This is because you can reset the global cycles (in this case the spinning turbines) by dying before starting the run. If you do this, you also need to do the box gem one cycle later in the warp, which is fast because you don't have to worry about the crystal. If your swimming movement is not yet good enough to catch the reset cycles on the first visit and/or complete the box gem one cycle, you should not go for this yet and instead do the two visits the intentional way which is box gem on first visit then relic normally. Also, level 3 can be a rough level, which is another reason some people do not do the one cycle so they can get the level out of the way early if they need to reset from missing a box.

Level 2 relic has 3 masks but if you are doing the relic, though beware one of them is kinda out of the way which may make you miss the two turbine cycles near the end of the level. I usually prefer to use level 3 relic to get masks for the platformers.

Level 1 time trial is a very easy two masks (though beware that it only has two masks, so if you lose one you will only leave with one) and I like to leave it for the cleanup part of the run if I have 2 masks upon completing everything else in the warp. So, I only need to do this in warp 1 if I lose a mask in level 5 relic.

Some new runners like to do level 5 relic earlier in the warp as it can be easy to fail if you aren't good with jetski or wave reaction yet.

It is desirable to leave this warp with 2 masks, but it's actually not a big deal thanks to the extra mask at start of 6.  Entering with only 1 mask only loses the amount of time it takes to body slam that one stack of boxes at the start + waiting for the changing box.


WARP 2

The reason we start with level 6 is because the relic is a free 2 masks. Runners who come to this category after running Any% (No Item Glitch) may be confused by this at first, since level 7 is a more important invincibility, but if that's the only relic you have available then you're in trouble if you are going for yellow gem early since you need to wait until you have the double jump for that.

If you are not going for Tomb Time one cycle, it might be a good idea to leave level 9 relic for any time you need it, such as another platforming level in warp 2, though at the same time, death tornado spin can be helpful here and it's a free 2 masks for the box gem visit later in the run.

Keep in mind that both level 10 visits make you leave the level with <=1 mask as long as you are doing the cuddle skip.
*As such, when you lose a mask in warp 2 you should go do BOTH level 10 visits and then get your masks back with level 6 time trial.*

IMPORTANT: If you enter level 10 box gem visit with two masks, you need to take damage immediately or boxes may despawn or spawn in unreachable places like inside the floor (if you do all platforming levels without getting hit you will have to do this). If you miss boxes on the first visit and are going for the one cycle in the relic, you should take damage after getting the first mask, but keep the second one so you can still do cuddle skip.

Level 8 relic will take your masks and not let you leave with any because of the clock (otherwise you can't lose/gain masks in these types of levels) so beware of that.

It's been forever since I haven't done yellow gem early in my runs, but my understanding is that if you are not doing yellow gem early/hang em high one cycle, you can complete every relic in the first 2 warps (you can skip bone yard to do the one cycle) and then go to warp 6 and do 26 which will bring your relic total to 10 which is enough for 27 to get the yellow gem. Beware that 11 requires the yellow gem so you should have that before doing it.

WARP 3

Despite this being the longest warp in the run, this is the warp that probably has the most consistent route. Most of the time, you don't have to reroute if you follow these notes.

Level 11 has a special route that involves getting both gems/crystal in 11 then death abusing and taking the pterodactyl to level 32. This death abuse, as mentioned before, resets the global cycles. If you play level 32 decently well, you can get fast wave/bomb cycles in Hot Coco. This is why this warp usually starts out with 11-32-31. Since you lose your masks after death abusing in 11, hot coco takes your masks, and the 14 relic also takes your masks, that's why we start with all that stuff. So 11-32-31-14(1)-14(2). Best way to get masks again after those levels is 11 relic.
Note that 11 relic, just like level 1, only has two masks so if you lose 1 you will leave with 1, at which point I'll usually do 12 first visit and do 1 less damage abuse in the red gem path.

After 11 relic, we do level 15 first visit. This level has a gimmick where we want to destroy every nitro manually as the nitro detonator is very out the way and slow to get. Third mask form blows up all the nitros at the start. There are 2 nitro jumps that need to be done on some nitros near the bonus (one of the jumps blows up 2 nitros). For the last 2 nitros, you need to damage abuse which makes you leave the level with 1 mask, which is fine because level 12 is done after this.
You will gain that mask you lost back at the start of the level. Save the damage abusing for the red gem path. You do not need to damage abuse on the TNT before the red gem path, as you can manually blow it up and escape it very easily.

To gain masks back, do level 15 relic, then finally do level 13 first visit. The reason level 13 first visit is the last thing we do before the boss is because it's the only level that, optimally, you can leave with 2 masks which are to be used for 2 damage abuses in N. Tropy. You may remember that we left level 11 relic with 2 masks, but then we would have had to leave whatever else we do before N. Tropy with either not enough masks for 2 damage abuses or having lost time to saving masks.
Note that this does not apply if you are not doing level 13 one cycle. If you aren't doing this one cycle, you probably won't do the N. Tropy damage abuses anyway.

All that's left after N. Tropy is two relics. Level 13 relic is usually done first here. Sometimes you have to damage abuse on a scorpion in the death route.
Level 12 relic is filled with masks. So many that getting the first mask doesn't change anything and is slower. Three damage abuses can be done here. Beware that you will have to skip the water cycle before the part where the last checkpoint was maskless.


CLEANUP

To make this guide less messy I'm going to mention everything regarding cleaning up levels that have more stuff to get now that you have more coloured gems in this section of the guide. You can do this stuff after warp 4 if you choose.

In warp 2, we can now finish up Tomb Time since we have the purple gem. If you don't have masks for the box gem you can do the relic first or go to warp 1 cleanup first. If you are doing the one cycle then you don't have to worry about any of that. If you have left level 8 relic for here beware the clock will take your masks.
Note that if you are not going for Tomb Time one cycle, it is faster to do separate visits for the box gem and relic rather than doing the bonus, getting the boxes in the time trial, then restarting trial to the get the relic.

In warp 1, we can now finish up Bone Yard since we have the red gem. If you are not doing the one cycle, it is faster to still get the clock then restart trial once you have the red gem path gem. Don't forget level 1 relic if you left it for here. It can be easy to lose masks in level 4 if you don't know the red gem layout yet, so it's nice to have masks from level 1 for before warp 4/5.

*If you want bazooka for more leeway in any one cycles you're doing in cleanup, it should be left for after warp 4 instead of 3. Just watch your relic count for Future Frenzy (20 required).


WARP 4/WARP 6 FIRST REQUIRED VISIT

Warp 4 has a lot of flexibility with the route.

You should start with 20 if you have 2 masks or 18 if you have <2.

If you leave 20 first visit with 2 masks you should immediately go do 16.

20 and 16 one cycle are both very easy and any skill level should be able to do them.
20 one cycle has a damage abuse in the death route on some nitros get over some water so keep that in mind for routing.
It can be easy to forget that you need the blue gem for 16 one cycle, so make sure both 20 visits are done before doing this level.

Usually if you lose ONE mask, you can do 18 for 1 free mask then finish 16 first visit.

Personally, I like to leave 18 relic until I really need it. 16 one cycle is a fine way to backup masks before using 18 relic..
**Level 17 is a plane level so it takes away your masks. If you are doing relics in warp 6, you can leave this as the last thing to do before going to warp 6 or just do it when you've lost masks.**

It is actually good to leave 26 and 28 for the end of the run to be done with level 30, but a lot of people don't do this because they don't want to choke 26 at the end of the run. Level 28 is a bike level with a clock so beware that you will leave it with 0 masks, but this won't matter if you do 26 after because that has masks.
Basically, when go to warp 6 make sure you have a plan to enter 29 with 2 masks, whether they'll come from Ski Crazed or a warp 4 level.

N. Gin is right after 29/19 first visit so don't worry about keeping masks out of it, as the boss will take them. 19 relic is usually done right after N. Gin to get masks back for warp 5 or any cleanup you plan to do here.

WARP 5/REMAINING WARP 6

21 requires the green gem which influences some of the routing here. 23 is often done first because of the same theory as warp 2, it has a relic with free masks after it and the other available relic doesn't as long as you're doing the one cycle.

23 doesn't have a mask on the first visit so you can't get third mask form but masks are still nice for safety and also a damage abuse in the bonus. Relic is done right after the first visit for masks.

21 has a damage abuse in the bonus. Relic is done right after the first visit for masks.

In 25 you can bring the third mask form to the stack of three masks without it going away. If you will not be getting the first third mask form and you get to the first door with it being open then closing, you will have to damage abuse on the next enemy to keep the next door open. If you arrive to the first door and it opens when you reach it, you shouldn't have to damage abuse with ok movement.
Sometimes you have to damage abuse to keep the last door in the level open, which isn't a big deal since at this point in the run keeping masks doesn't matter if you're following this kind of route.

22 both visits and 24 first visit are usually done after the platforming levels (expect 25 relic for reasons I'll explain next) are complete so we don't have to worry about masks.

24 relic and 25 relic should both be done after exiting Cortex because the added Cortex button pushes them closer to Crash after finishing a level.

Make sure your last level before Cortex is a warp 6 level or else you will lose time to having to go back to the center of the warp room to get Coco's gem (this gem is unlocked after collecting 30 gold relics, nothing else).

If you are doing more than just 30 in this warp 6 visit, make sure you do 30 first as this places crash closer to 26 and 28.

If the buttons in the warp room are present after finishing your last level before Cortex, it means you missed something.