Zone of the Enders 2 Speedrun Notes & FAQ

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Zone of the Enders 2: The Second Runner HD
Any% Normal Speedrun Notes & FAQ
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General info & moves
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Spamming dash is faster than holding it
Burst (R2, powers up throwables)
DSL - Dash Slash (Dash close-range)
DS - Dash Shot (Dash long-range, hold for more targets)
BSL - Burst Slash (R2 still close-range)
BS - Burst Shot (R2 still long-range)

Hold L1 to swap sub-weapons (menu opens)
Dpad to swap sub-weapons


Decoy fucks with Inhert's AI to the point where he's both less aggressive & less evasive of your attacks, plus the obvious perks of Decoy making you invisible and diverts projectiles. Attacks also land much more consistently because he doesn't know where you are as long as you keep decoy up. While this is in no way a consistent loop like Phalanx, it's the most consistent manipulation of his AI we have yet.

Plus, even if you make mistakes with this strat, it's always faster than if you mess up V.Cannon and try to compensate while keeping subgauge for phase 2, barring monumentally bad RNG/play. So not only is it faster, it's safer.

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Notes
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Intro
-Jump, dash x2, repeat

-BS Raptors, skip tutorial
-Dash Shot/Burst Shot the Mosquitoes
-Dash through the area (L2 to remove lock-on)
-Hold left and grab a Raptor to throw
-L2 to release lock-on, fly through the area
-Burst Shot the wall

BOSS: Ardjet
-Spam Burst Slash
-Dash Shot the missiles
-Burst Slashes to finish

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Bahram cruiser
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-DS Spiders (OHKO in mid-air)
-BS Raptors
-Skip tutorial
-Grab pillar, attack Cellar
-Grab Mummy, attack Cellar
-Grab Raptors, throw

BOSS: Nephtis 1
-Grab pillars on the left, throw them

-Descend and shoot at Anubis to get grabbed


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Deimos station
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-Charge & release BS
-Grab Cyclops and throw them into each other or walls
-Destroy enough enemies to level up

-Go to container room, destroy enemies

Hallway
-Grab Cyclops on the left, whack Cellar
-DS and grabs, Mummies first

Big hall
-Charge BS, spam DS and grab mummies or spears and destroy Cellular
-Charge BS between waves
-Get Metatron

-Go left in hallway to activate cutscene
-Find Taper: 5 or 6, shoot any box but 5123-0 (bottom-right) or 6915-0 (top middle), go to room B
If it's 1, go to room C, shoot anything but 3810-B, go to room B, shoot 3810-B
Optimally it's 5 or 6, shoot a box, go left, then right at the end of the hallway, shoot top-middle blue box
Do not shoot the ones he is in the 1st room to skip a fight: 5123-0 (bottom-right) or 6915-0 (top middle)
-Grab him and drop him in the hallways to fight enemies

-Drop Taper next to doors
-Hallway 1: Cyclops and bats
-Hallway 2: Destroy Cellular

-BS after cutscene, destroy the commander
-Repeat for next wave


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Mars
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-BS at start, DS and throw Naritas
-Grab Mummies and throw (don't let them heal)

BOSS: Vic Viper
-DS when he's in plane mode
-Burst when he transforms
-Bait him to the exit, BSL him between the exit and you

-Gauntlet Naritas

Maze
-Go right, spam Gauntlet & DS, grab Mummies, use Phalanx when they're closely knit
-Dash past enemies, get Metatron
-Grab Mummy and attack Cellular
-Destroy the 2 towers
-Dash to boss

BOSS: Nephtis 2
-Grab panel on left, block Nephtis' attack
-Combo x2 (3 hits, BSL)
-Repeat x3

-Dodge her dash, Combo, Gauntlet her into the walls


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Vacilia
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-Go straight, Gauntlet the Spiders
-Go on bridge, DS, Gauntlet
-Go back to 1st spawn and repeat
-Middle start -> middle end


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Train
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-Gauntlet the Narita and Cyclops
-Stay low, DS the turrets
-Stay behind carriages when destroying them to retain speed
-BS the last carriage


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Energy Supply Facility
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-Have Gauntlet and grab in quick-switch

BOSS: Nephtis 3
-Grab Cloud, spin, throw it at Nephtis
-Combo x2, BSL
-Repeat

-Parry her attacks (2 hits, 3 hits, afterwards 4 hits), grab
-Block missiles

Swap to Wisp
-Destroy 3 enemies with keys (Raptor, Mummyhead, Clod)
-Grab Ardjet, go up, keep killing enemies until you can pass


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Minefield
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-Forward, between lights
-Wisp enemies

-Forward, between lights through the balls
-Between 2 sets of lights, then the outer lights
-Wisp enemies, Halberd Clouds
-Go forward


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Fortress City
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-Decoy the Cellar, Wisp the rest

-Wisp enemies, abuse crushers if possible
-DS the turrets

-Grab Cloud to break Cellar with

-BS the Mosquitoes

BOSS: Inhert
-2 hits, cancel with Comet, (console = 3 hits, cancel with Phalanx)

-Lock-off, repeat 3 hits cancel with Phalanx

-DS to bait him, then DSL


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Bahram fleet
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-Open 1st ship's gun
-Get on the back of the 2nd ship, charge Vector Cannon
-V-Cannon the 3rd ship
-V-Cannon the 1st and 2nd ships (turn to 2nd when you receive energy)
-Use Missiles and combo to destroy 4th gun, then V-Cannon the 5th ship
-V-Cannon 4th ship

BOSS: Zakat
-Wisp the shields, use on Zakat
-When it goes to formation 2, get on top of it, V-Cannon (if it does black hole, break it)


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Field battle
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-Missile the first ones
-Halberd the rest, back away and fire


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Underground base
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-Missile enemies, DS Mosquitoes
-Use 0-shift to move

Cannon tunnel
-0-shift x4, grab shield
-0-shift x5, grab shield
-0-shift x3, throw shield, grab it
-Missile (hold), Halberd to destroy the cannon
-0-shift forward
-V-Cannon

BOSS: Copy Anubis
-0-shift after his attack, avoid projectile


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Space tunnel
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BOSS: Anubis
-Avoid projectile, 0-shift, Combo 1 BSL
-If he is staggered, BSL


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Phobos
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-BS, then 0-shift enemies
-Go into the crevasse

BOSS: Aumaan Anubis
-0-shift attack
-If he blocks, BSL
-When he regens, DS and BS