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

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.

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". The reason for this is that as you get close to the Skyway, Rucks will say "Kid don't know what's out there...", but only if you weren't moving too fast. Quickly open the Skyway to use this text to get the narration skip for this map. 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).

After Workmen Ward

Store both cores. Build the Arsenal in the top left slot, right after Rucks finishes saying "The Kid ponders what to build.", open the Arsenal, immediately close it(press Escape), then go towards the Skyway and use it. This will let you get the text skip thanks to the narration that starts when you open the Arsenal(usually "The Bastion's a place of peace...", sometimes Rucks will say something about your weapons instead, based on how early you opened the Arsenal).

After Hanging Gardens

Store the cores, build whatever in the middle right slot and leave for Cinderbrick Fort. There is no text to be skipped here.

After Cinderbrick Fort

Right as the Kid gets up, roll DIRECTLY left in order to fall AND trigger the "Seems the only thing the Calamity saved for Zulf was his smoking pipe." text. You should be able to move while Rucks is saying that - immediately roll twice towards the top right corner of the Monument and roll your scroll wheel until Rucks says "That's it. Few more Shards like that, and we'll be back in business.". A second later you will regain control of the Kid. Move towards the top left building slot, immediately build whatever, and try to reach the Skyway and as fast as you can.

If you executed this entire sequence correctly, you should be capable of moving while Rucks says "That's it...", and you will get the text skip at the Skyway.

If you messed anything up, you might have to first upgrade the middle right building and then build something in the top right slot in order to be able to use the Skyway. You will also not get the text skip.

Watch out, as you roll right at the start, you NEED to fall - otherwise your camera will get locked and you will have to watch the smoke pipe cutscene. Falling here triggers the camera glitch which will in turn glitch the first cutscene for storing the Core, which is why even though the second Core that was duped in the Cinderbrick Fort became a Shard, you won't have to upgrade a building, only build one, and why you don't have to watch both Monument cutscenes in this interlude.

After Roathus Lagoon

This one is slightly less eventful than the post-CF interlude. Store both Shards, upgrade the top right building(or the top left one, if you do you will have to upgrade the top right one in the next interlude) and leave for Colford Cauldron. The Skyway text is skipped with the building upgrade narration.

After Colford Cauldron

Store the shards, upgrade the remaining top slot building, and go to the Skyway to fly to the Burstone Quarry. Again, the upgrade gives you the text skip.

After Burstone Quarry

When you use the Skyway in Burstone Quarry, you will be transported to an alternative version of the Bastion, and will be attacked by the Ura. You have to perform the Ura Invasion Skip, explained on the Burstone Quarry Individual Level Page.

After landing in the normal version of the Bastion, store both Shards. You will be transported to the Heart of the Bastion. Walk up to Zia and Rucks(in any order), open their dialogues, close them(press Escape, but not immediately - lead below) walk up to the Monument and select the Restoration ending(Evacuation will be unavailable).

Don't talk to strangers. - DO NOT select any options in Zia's and Rucks' text boxes! This will force you to watch a long and pointless cutscene. Don't press your mouse at all when these windows are open, no matter where the cursor is on the screen.

Menuing in the Heart of the Bastion - Watch out while closing Zia's and Rucks' dialogues and when selecting the ending. If you do either of these things too quickly, your input will get eaten and you nothing will happen. Don't mash Escape either, as that will pause the game. You need to be very careful.