SotN all bosses peculiarites

SotN all bosses peculiarities

Mechanics


Alucard Shield spell length: The spell will remain active for about 72 seconds of the shield being out, or if you run out of MP. The latter is a much greater risk of happening during the run when doing optimal strats, but should mostly be manageable.

Alucard Shield invincibility (with the spell active): You can buffer holding shield out of a transformation animation, and as long as the shield would make contact with an enemy on the first frame, you will stay invincible. This is useful for boss kills like Galamoth and Beelzebub.

Diagonal gravity boot and gravity boot chains: You need to either double jump or come out of a transformation in order to chain gravity boot jumps or do them diagonally. Note that if your head is brushing against a ceiling when coming out of a transformation, you will not be able to execute the move.

Double Mist: Whenever you see an experienced runner cancel out of movements with a mist, they are likely hitting the mist button twice with a timing similar to the "mist-bat" and "mist-wolf" transformations used in any%. This double mist can reduce the MP cost and shorten the animation of the mist transformation, just like with any other transformation.


Skips


Olrox statue skip: Going from the Chapel to Olrox's Quarters, you can abuse the Chapel doorways' poor coding to misplace Alucard's position. For the simplest setup, go down to where the statue is blocking the path and barely exit the doorway, backdash and immediately pause buffer. If you have the map buffer up and you are in the doorway (but not in the statue's screen yet), then your position is fine. Buffer the shield rod spell (both attack buttons) out of the map, and then once the transformation finishes, hit right and backdash on the same frame. This should put you near the left ledge of that room if you did it properly, but the game already thinks you're in the statue's room. Position yourself with a double jump or a fall and turn into bat, and then if you wing smash to the right you should be soaring past the statue and loading door for Olrox's Quarters.

Cavern skip: Watch Sockfolder's video
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/49295311

Scylla death skip: Switch to Buffalo Star in place of your Mana Prism, and then use the middle platform to shoot and kill Scylla. You must be positioned on the far right of the platform. If you are about halfway onto it, you will spawn the door behind Scylla. After she dies, wait until the flames beneath you spawn, and then either bat kick (divekick into bat) or wing smash to the left. If you do it before the flames spawn, you once again risk the door spawning. After you make it into the next screen, fly back to the right through the screen transition. The door should be respawned and zipping you downward. Hold left after the screen transition to minimize flicker and stay in bat form after the zip.



The remainder of the tech in the run can be learned from the any% tutorial and watching all bosses runs from experienced runners. I would highly recommend learning any% before all bosses, since you do the entire any% first castle route (with the exception of grabbing the shield rod) to start all bosses runs.