Uploaded March 2013 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Still planning some ways to speedrun this game -- fastest ways to kill bosses or just some observations to affect standard play. Oddly enough, I believe this may be one of the easiest levels in a run, but there are the random elements that can wreck you pretty badly.

My main recommendation is using the Chainsaw and the Laser Rifle, since the Chainsaw is the highest damage weapon next to S-rank White, and the Laser Rifle allows you to shoot through obstacles that would normally block you.

First, I wanted to illustrate that you don't need to freak out against the Laser Bots -- at least on Normal -- because the blue bots don't fire the same beam as the red one. If you get a pattern where a blue bot is positioned on the ground about to shoot horizontally, you don't actually need to jump or dodge the laser because its hitbox is much smaller than normal. This means if the red bot is in one of the upper corners, you just need to walk to the side, but keep in mind that this strategy doesn't apply if the red bot is firing horizontally. Its beam is larger in addition to the red bot angling toward you, so you won't avoid it.

Immediately afterward, the segment where you dodge the Mirror Core's energy balls is simple on Normal. Again, the hitboxes aren't large enough to hit you if you stand far enough forward on the platform, but only if you shrink them down using the Chainsaw. You still need to jump over a few, but the pattern is always the same.


The Mirror Core is dirt simple if you have the Chainsaw. I actually suggest dashing behind it and Chainsawing it while dashing above the ground. Once you run out of the dashes, just tank the damage from the floor to get them back, and continue attacking. This lets you dodge all of its attacks, but you'll take more damage from the ground if the Mirror Core decides to dash forward. Still, you hurt it so quickly that it's finished in about 7.5 seconds, and if you're lucky with the pattern, you'll only get hurt twice which won't matter for the next boss.


The same strategy applies to Battalion, but you have to depend on its rocket form to be fully effective. Since the rocket moves slow, you can remove about 2/5 of its health with the Chainsaw. You're likely to take a fair bit of damage doing this if you can't find the balance between "close enough to Chainsaw" and "far enough to not get hurt."

When waiting through its other forms, the Laser Rifle works about as good as a weapon can, since it can shoot through the projectiles Battalion fires off. This helps you waste less shots. But depending on your preferences, the Dual Pistols might deal more damage since it can more effectively use Battalion's vulnerable phase, instead of firing every .8 seconds and hoping he doesn't switch forms before you get the shot off.