Pokemon Red Glitchless Routes Overview

This will be a full video but in the current state I felt it was important to make a temporary pastebin to help newcomers decide which route to start with as there is no real general answer that works best for everyone.

I will default tell people that the updated beginner 2020 guide is the best resource to start with, but that depends on you and what you want to do with speedrunning and pokemon red. If a runner new to red wants to gets 1:46 or below, I honestly (and nobody truly can) can't tell you what route will get you there 'best.' So this will lay out your options, and hopefully give you enough info to start learning best for you.

A) 2020 beginner route (https://pokemon-speedrunning.github.io/speedrun-routes/#/gen-1/red-blue/main-glitchless/beginner-route/)

This is a safe route designed to balance safety, speed and 'similarity' to the current optimal route. The goal of this route is to have revives for the later half of the run and cut out a bad fight in mount moon. This moon route fight is 18% to die if you play everything optimally and is very frustrating as it follows the mount moon manip. This route will instead have Nidoking for moon rocket which makes the fight (basically) free.

Pros:
- Safest planned route
- Gets on more runs compared to the 2019 beginner route

Cons:
- The full mount moon manip for no encounter + paras is DIFFERENT from optimal route
- Fights an extra trainer on route 3 and a random encounter.
- This route loses about 20 seconds on average to the 2019 beginner route.

B) 2019 beginner route (https://pastebin.com/7HRZxXKS)

This is a slightly less safe route but is very similar to the 2020 route, but it is more optimal and is designed to be closer to the optimal route. This encourages you to use the optimal mount moon manip so it is closer to the optimal route. This route matches the 2020 route EXACTLY after Misty.

Pros:
- Encourages the most optimal mount moon manip
- Slightly more optimal than the 2020 beginner route (~20 seconds)

Cons:
- The mount moon rocket fight (~18% to die when played perfectly and that fight has a few 'variables')

C) Optimal route (https://pastebin.com/6zyj3eXT)

This is a very optimal route that focuses speed and little else, but as a runner you can always save for safety instead of using a guide designed to be safer. The route will also likely change slightly (sometimes greatly) when optimizations are found. As a beginner it is TOTALLY FINE, to start with this route. BUT getting the most out of this route as a beginner requires more work outside of just doing runs. Practice for manips and non-manips are CRUCIAL if you are going to be running a less safe route. The beginner guides will net more runs finished mixing in the practice so to speak, this optimal route will NOT give that same benefit. Practice Practice Practice

Pros:
- Fastest Route
- No switching routes or relearning is required

Cons:
- Risky and more likely to die (saving can always be used to mitigate the risks)
- Updated frequently

D) A baby moon manip route (Example: https://www.speedrun.com/pkmnredblue/guide/f12zu)

These are older routes, which doesn't make them BAD, but they will be less optimal and harder to switch to more recent strats when you eventually decide to update routes. The major upside though is there is no full mount moon manip in this route, and the two smaller manips in mount moon are very easy in comparison to the full manips.

Pros:
- No full mount moon manip

Cons:
- Outdated
- Slower (mostly)
- Getting help on these routes is harder
- Mount moon is much slower
- Mixes less well with instant text as many of these routes were when instant text wasn't allowed.

All questions on routes can be asked in the red discord channel.