Bastion/NG Any% Route

This is a description of the Any% route for both New Game and New Game+. Every core and a shard that is picked up must be duplicated(but if a dupe is missed, backup strategies exist in the form an additional level that has a core, usually Mount Zand or Melting Pot).

Level Order

1. Wharf District
2. Workmen Ward
3. Hanging Gardens
4. Cinderbrick Fort
5. Roathus Lagoon
6. Colford Cauldron
7. Burstone Quarry

Doing these levels is the fastest way to acquire 14 cores/shards. Wharf District is unskippable. Workmen Ward, Hanging Gardens, Cinderbrick Fort, Roathus Lagoon and Colford Cauldron are all the five fastest levels that have a core or a shard. Burstone Quarry is faster than the other available options(the Melting Pot or doing Prosper Bluff to unlock and do Wild Outskirts) thanks to, mostly, the Ura Invasion Skip.

Bastion Interludes

After Wharf District

Store the first core. As soon as you can, before the camera centers back on the Kid - this is important - interact with the Monument again to store the second one. This way, you will be able to move immediately even though the camera should be locked(this is actually a trivial instance of the camera glitch). Go to the middle left building slot which will soon become available, and build a Distillery. Move slowly up to wait for Rucks to finish saying "only fair he decides what we build next". If you did this correctly, as you get close to the Skyway, Rucks will say "Kid don't know what's out there...". Quickly open the Skyway to use this text to get the narration skip for this interlude. Be very careful here - don't mash enter immediately after opening this Skyway, as this WILL cause you to fly back to the Bastion, thus closing the Skyway and wasting time. Instead click on the Workmen Ward on the map and THEN press enter(or Fly on the right side of the screen, which is slower).

NG+ - in NG+ you don't have to worry about the order of buildings, as long as the second one(before going to the the Hanging Gardens) is an Arsenal.