Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! Any% F.A.Q.

Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! Any% NMS F.A.Q.

Q: What are you trying to do?
A: I am trying to complete Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! as fast as possible without using Mount Skips

Q: What is your best time?
A: My best time is 3:05:14

Q: What is the World Record?
A: The World Record time is 2:59:31 by Etchy

Q: That's not you!
A: I know :(

Q: Where can you save time?
A: Idk the run is old and I'm bad at Pika tbh

Q: What does NMS mean/What are Mount Skips?
A: NMS stands for No Mount Skips. There's an oversight in the game where Rapidash and Aerodactyl move fast enough to where it's possible to pass through a trainer's vision without them seeing you. With the current route, this means that the 4 "compulsory" trainers in Victory Road can be skipped. There are setups for these skips, however they require using specific controllers (or getting pretty lucky), so they are separate categories. You can see these skips here: https://youtu.be/GnJoiGUQzis?t=9787

Sometimes, I'll be doing "dual" runs (check the stream title to see if I am). Since the two runs are *almost* identical until the final 20 minutes of the run, I like to do runs where I don't decide which category I'm doing until well into the run. In general, if the happier with the time I am, the more likely I am to do an NMS run (since it's the more competitive category). The easiest way you can tell which run I'm leaning toward is by looking at my Planned catches. If I have Aerodactyl marked as Planned, then I'm doing Any% (as it's required for the current skip setups)

Q: What's your PB and the WR in Any%?
A: I don't have an Any% PB yet in Pikachu. The World Record time is 2:57:25 by Etchy

Q: Does player model/gender matter?
A: It does not

Q: What Pokémon do you use in the run?
A: I start with Pikachu, which (with help from friends like Oddish, Abra, Growlithe, Nidoking and Nidoqueen) I use until I reach Fuchsia City, where I get Sea Skim and surf down to Cinnabar Island to get a Staryu. Then I use Starmie until the end of the game

Q: Do you reset for stats on any of the main Pokémon?
A: Only Pikachu, and for Pikachu it's just the nature. Pikachu is guaranteed to have perfect stats across the board, but if it's either -Attack or -Sp. Atk, then we want to reset it (though sometimes I will take -Sp. Atk... depends on mood and what the + stat is). The other stats don't matter enough to reset. For Pikachu's "help", the stats are much less important. Starmie's stats are pretty important, however we're able to guarantee a Modest nature (via Madam Celadon). Aside from that, Starmie's Sp. Atk and Speed are pretty important (as well as the defenses), however they aren't worth resetting for 2 hours into the run

Q: Can you do this run on Let's Go, Eevee!?
A: You can! It is its own category though

Q: Which game is faster?
A: Currently, Eevee has a faster WR

Q: What are the differences between the two games for the speedrun?
A: This is a loaded question for sure, but I'll break down the biggest factors for you
- Oddish (a Pikachu exclusive) is a Special Attacker, which makes it solo Brock very quickly. Eevee needs EXP, Double Kick, and 5 turns to do what Oddish can do in 2-3 turns
- Both Eevee and Pikachu learn Headbutt, but Eevee's Headbutt has STAB (same type attack bonus). This makes Eevee OHKO many more things early game than Pikachu
- Both Eevee and Pikachu learn move tutor moves in Cerulean City, however Eevee gets far better coverage from its moves. Eevee OHKOs every Oddish, Gloom, Sandshrew and Rhyhorn that it faces, while Pikachu does not
- The downside to this is that Eevee learns four total move tutor moves, so Pikachu saves time by learning one
- Pikachu struggles alone during the mid game (specifically, Route 9 through Lavender Tower). This means Pikachu gets some extra help from specific catches during this section that Eevee doesn't need (and doesn't benefit from as much)
- Champion has a Jolteon in Pikachu rather than Raichu, often needing more setup than in Eevee

Q: Why do you have a PokéDex on screen? Is this Catch 'em All?
A: No, this is Any%. The PokéDex is counting the Pokémon I have caught because the requirement to enter Koga's gym is to catch 50 unique Pokémon

Q: Gym requirement? Are there others?
A: Yes! Each gym has it's own requirement, though only one of them is really time consuming:
Brock - Have a Grass or Water Pokémon
Misty - Have a Level 15 Pokémon
Lt. Surge - Use Chop Down on the bush outside the gym
Erika - Have a "cute" Pokémon
Koga - Have 50 Pokémon registered in the PokéDex
Sabrina - Have a Level 45 Pokémon
Blaine - Retrieve the Secret Key
Giovanni - Have 7 badges

Q: What are the colors on the PokéDex?
A: The colors on the PokéDex Counter correspond to information for me and the viewers. Blue = Planned Catch | Orange = Caught | Dark Gray = Not planned or caught but marked for info (Bonuses, etc) | Black = Not planned or caught

Q: What are the numbers next to your splits?
A: The first half of my splits will appear like this: Split Name [XX]. This means that on my PB, I owned XX Pokémon (colored Orange). This allows you and me to see not only how far ahead/behind I am in time, but also in Pokémon count as that is arguably more important in some cases. It's important to note that these numbers are not a GOAL number of catches for a split. The run doesn't really make sense to have a goal catch count at any part of the run, given how fluid the catch route and evolutions can be

Q: What does using 2 controllers let you do?
A: 2 controller is used in two ways. The first is it allows you to catch Pokémon using 2 controllers which makes the Pokémon more likely to be caught as well as boosts the EXP you gain by almost double. Secondly, it allows you to summon another trainer for battles which gives you a 2 Pokémon to 1 advantage

Q: Wow, 2 on 1 battles sounds super OP! Why don't you use it on every fight?
A: It's slow. In general, you need to be able to save a move select in order for it to be worth it. For example, take a fight is normally something like Headbutt x2. You could do that as a 2 controller fight, however it'll take about the same amount of time, which makes it slower (summoning and de-summoning the other controller takes a few seconds)

Q: Is sub 3 possible?
A: Not for me!

Q: What is your goal time?
A: I want a PB