Launch Tutorials(including SL and DL)
The fewer shrines you achieve, the more useful it is. (Warping is faster in some places or cases.)
Basic Techniques and Tips(For the button setting like: B button→Run; X button→Jump）
Cut with two-handed sword→Spin Cancel→Stasis→2-hit Spin Attack→Spin Cancel→Launch Angling→Facing Angling
「Spin Cancel」： Pressing B button when holding Y button can cancel two-handed-sword spin attack so as to save time.
There are only 10 seconds on the stasised object. We'll waste time thumping down unless we don't cancel the spin attack.
"Holding Y+B" and "tapping Y+X" can cancel attack-stun.
「Facing Angling」： Scope(R stick), throwing weapons(Holding R→B), and pulling arrows(Holding R2→B) can let Link face the direction he's aiming at.
Link sometimes faces another direction even if we push L stick to move him forwards after storing the momentum.
On these 3 ways, you can turn Link to the same direction as that which the object will launch.
「Lock Hop」：ZL+X+L stick forwards or backwards. Holding ZL when jumping can fix the direction.
In order to get hit by the launching object, fixing the hop direction can help it pull off smoothly.
If you feel like launching with back hop, it's the same timing as forward hop by pulling out the bow first or holding R or ZR while jumping.
"Jump attack with 2-handed sword" and backflips are also doable, but the timing is sort of different from that of hops.
「7th fast beep」： in order to get hit by the stasised object, hopping at the seventh fast beep is common
You can also adjust this standard timing according to the angle that the object will launch.
After tons of practice, it becomes a kind of feeling or muscle memory when you master it.
「Launch Angling」： you can angle the object with a bomb, arrows, or throwing a weapon.
Where the stasised object will launch towards depends on the final hit, so we can give a shot or explosion to change its launch angle.
Bombs are always used for chaning the launch direction upwards.
【Tip】Sometimes Link is squeezed by the object when cronching and shooting. In this situation, we can move back first, and press R stick→B so that Link will stand up quickly.
「Bomb Camera Forcing」： placing a cubic bomb behind Link and crouching aiming upwards. The camera will be forcing to zoom in and it's convenient to shoot the upside of the stasised tree.
It's a common trick in RTA. It's necessary for Grounded Height Launch as well. If there's no object behind Link, a cubic bomb is available.
A falled tree is too short to adjust its angle upwards. Placing a bomb behind Link and crouch shooting upwards, the view will be zoom in and be possible to shoot the stasised object.
「Ragdoll State Canceling」： unequipping the shield in mid-air when doing shield surf jump spawns a glitched state, which is falling in place even if getting damage.
Using up horse's stamina to fall down removes the glitched state.
"unequipping the shield when hitting the ground" and "getting damage" also remove the glitched state.
Mid-air ragdoll is also a way to cancel the glitched without using the durability. Equipping the shield again when skew happens, Link will fall over in mid-air.
Stasis Launch
I personally (not RTA players) classified them to 3 categories, which are "boosting", "ragdolled", and "attached".
There are also launches without stasis, so I picked them out of stasis launches.
In RTA, it's a very common trick, which is launching a stasis-able object with Stasis and letting it hit Link to fly faster.
Metal crates (→ specific timing)
Pushrocks
Stones
Wooden boxs (→specific timing)
Metal chests
And trees. Then, let me introduce some tree launch tricks that are often used.
「Tree Launch」
Based on the direction between the launch and the tree, there are also some players classifying it to GTL, VTL and HTL.
In short, basically, stasis a tree, hop and get hit by the launching tree with enough momentum to fly fast.
The setup and keypoints are shown in the last chapter.
「Plank Height Launch(PHL)」： Height Launch means launching angled upwards by arrows.
According to the direction and the terrain where you start launching, there are broken down into 4 categories, such as PHL, GHL, VHL, and HHL.
PHL would mean shooting the plank upwards in front of the stasised tree to launch Link not only fast but high as well.
Now PHL specifically means all the launches except GHL. However, VHL is more useful than PHL.
「Grounded Height Launch(GHL)」
Cut down and place the tree to the flatter ground and stasis launch upwards with this fallen tree.
Because of the height of the view/camera, it's impossible to shoot on the tree upwards without an object behind Link. We can place a bomb or utilize its root to force camera to zoom in.
It's the merit of GHLthat it's easy to give the tree hits and we don't have to stasis falling trees at the specific timing.
In accordance with the direction beween the tree and the launch, some players also break it down into VGHL and HGHL.
HGHL is also called Perpendicular Height Launch by some players.
The setup was just shown. Place a cubic bomb behind, and crouch shooting the tree upwards to launch Link.
｢Vertical Height Launch(VHL)｣
It's different from PHL. In VHL, we have to cut the tree as a rocket, and let Link hit at the top of the tree to launch.
Because the tree turn slanted, it's convenient for us to crouch shooting in place without moving too much.
Hop forwards from the top of the tree to launch Link higher.
Horizontal Height Launch(HHL)
Due to the slanted or strange terrain, it's sometimes hard to give damage to the stasised object. In this situation, we can hit the tree perpendicularly to store momentum smoothly.
Letting the tree completely parallel to the horizon is not required as long as Link can be hit surely by the launching tree.
Because the direction bewteen the tree and the launch, foothold is sort of limited.
Forward Speed Launch(FSL)
If Link gets hit completely by a forward-launching pushrock or a chest, Link will fly fast.
It's available to hop forwards from the top of the stasised object (the timing is a bit earlier). Hopping in front of the object is easier.
FSL replaces height with speed, so it's more common to use from cliffs or high plateaus.
Rocket Launch(RL)
We can fly with the climbable launching object together by climbing it.
Because of flying together instead of being hit, we'll lose horizontal speed. However, in short distance, we can launch faster towards any direction we want.
We can even fly almost upwards.
Every stasisable and climbable object is available.
Not only arrows but also bombs can adjust the direction of the launching object.
The keypoint of RL is climbing the object and staying on it without moving before launching, or Link will fall.
Surf Launch
It's a trick about standing on the object and flying with the it.
Inertia should be noticed. The reaction triggered by the instant acceleration of the launching object will push Link backwards. Thus standing in the front to keep enough distance is neccessary.
The more horizontal acceleration the object has, the further Link will be pushed back.
Phyically, the larger the angle between the normal vector of the surface and the direction of the launch is, the stronger the reaction is.
Furthermore, Link is free when doing a Surf Launch, so we can cancel the stasis earlier to shorten the cooldown time unless you'd like to use Stasis Reset.
Before obtaining the paraglider, we can also leave the Great Plateau with this method.
However, at a certain distance, Link will fall downwards and be warped to SoR compulsorily.
Stasis Reset
Paradox_gaming discovered "sit by the fire fling" can almost reset the cooldown time of Stasis.
Afterwards, that watching memory, picking up a ??? item, opening the chest, triggering Amiibo window (I called them "the winodow method" or "the cutscene method") can also reset the cooldown time is digged out by players.
Window method: picking up a ??? item, opening a chest, and using Amiibo first time will spawn a window to show what the item is. That can reset the cooldown time of Stasis.
Cutscene method: watching a memory or triggering a cut scene can almost reset the cooldown time. (PS: opening the scope first time without crouching can also reset Link's stamina.)
It's only used in Surf Launch because of Link's freedom.
But over three times, the stasised object tends to hit Link so that Link cannot keep staying on the object.
After resetting stasis, in order to re-stasis the launching object in the air smoothly, using stasis again when the object loses its forwards velocity, or Link will keep launching and leave off the object because of the inertia.
( - Stasis Resets＋Surf Launches - )
( - RECALL： Bow Spin Cancel → B button×2- )
( - Get hit - )
Super Launch／Super Speed Launch(Old)
Then, let me break SL down into 3 parts to introduce, and give some examples for references.
Two runners (RasenUrns and Wolhaiksong) somehow got the fast flying glitch to happen in April.
Since then, the speedrun community had been hard at work trying to figure the principle out, and finally got a setup to make this happen consistently.
This trick was called "Super Speed Launches" in the beginning. In Chinese, I personally translate this trick into "Launch Acceleration" with its principle because it's a glitch to speed up literally instead of a "launch". (We still call it SL.)
As it's shown in the video, the speed of launching and the white wind are faster than general Stasis Launch.
Super Launch v.s. Stasis Launch
Though it's called "launch", it's not a launch trick that happens by itself. It's a technique defined by performing a Stasis Launch then doing some setups to speed up. (That's why I translate it into the word.)
In short, when Link's being in ragdolled state, pulling the paraglider on a lag frame triggers the speed-up.
As you see, "quick menus+pause twice" is often used when doing a SL.
It's not a neccessary setup, but it can make SL easier.
Momentum Storage→Angling→Quick Menus(induce lags)→1st Pause(reset lag cycle)→Check lags→2nd Pause(reset lag cycle and catch the lagframe)
Ragdoll state after getting hiy by the stasised object freezes Link until reaching the vertex of the launching parabola. Thus it's important to induce lags right before the vertex and catch the glider-pulling timing as high as possible.
"Lag Induction": Not all of the areas in the Hyrule map is a laggy area. (The upper： Low FPS、The lower： High FPS)
Before doing a SL, you can check where lags are at the spot by spinning the camera and opening quick menus.
Basically, lags will be induced by bringing high LoD objects into the view in a short time.
For example, at the spot shown in the video, there are tons of details in trees or buildings within a renderble distance, so it causes lots of lags when spinning the camera and opening quick menus.
Then, when we're launching by getting hit, turning the camera to those sides and opening (spaming) quick menus will induce more lagframes.
If lags are hard to checked very clearly,
we can use Reveli Tornato to check lags in the air,
or literally try doing a SL, and notice whether there are lagframes between 2 pauses or not.
If you still fail to pull off SL even though inducing lots of lags,
try SL again and check whether the lagframes have been triggered after the second pause.
Or whether it's too early to induce lags so that Link is still freezed and cannot pull the glider right after the 2nd pause.
"The timing of pulling the paraglider" is also a keypoint.
Just like "No-lock parry", holding Y and tapping A on the next frame, pulling the glider on the next frame(lagframe) after the second pause trigger the speed-up.
In short, "+/B → X", or the framerate will recover to 30fps.
When you pull off SL, you'll hear the double sound of unpausing and pulling the glider at once, and see fast wind around Link.
It can be pulled off with both of the controllers (Joy-con and Pro). I personally prefer Pro because of its big and easy-pressing button.
Then, let me show the setups by PHL.
By the way, the laggy area is on the left side.
Besides, It's hard to pause unless you completely release the button of opening quick menus.
"Overlag"： if there are too many lagframes in a short time when being in the ragdolled state, the speed will sometimes go down to zero and fall in place.
Though it's easier to trigger lags in WiiU, overlag happens more easier in WiiU.
例(Examples)
HL+SL with a metal crate
HL+SL with a wooden box
SL with a chest
PHL+SL
GHL+SL
TL+SL
HHL+SL
TL+SL
TL+Stasis Reset+TL+SL
FSSL
The speed of FSSL is the fastest launch trick.
Daruk Launch／DL
thefropro somehow got the launch glitch to happen with DPP(Daruk Perfect Parry).
I personally want to use it in combat, so I looked into it and figured out the principle and setup of Daruk Launch.
"Moving on a terrain where is a change in slope and triggering Daruk's Protection on the same frame" can launch Link upwards.
Thought the setup was discovered, it's not easy to pull off consistently and not really useful in RTA.
I personally use DL only in some cases, such as no Revali Tornato, being hard to climb because of raining, showing off.