Gloomwood Speedrun Guide: Any% Routes, Movement Tech & Skips

Movement Tech — The Foundation of Any Good Run

Before you even think about routing or skips, you need to get comfortable with Gloomwood's movement system. It's not as floaty as something like Quake, but there's a surprising amount of depth under the hood. The game runs on a modified version of the id Tech engine, and that DNA shows in how momentum works.

Bunny Hopping

Bunny hopping in Gloomwood works differently than in Source engine games. You don't gain speed the same way, but you can maintain it much better. The trick is to jump, then strafe in the air while turning your mouse in the same direction. Rinse and repeat. It takes maybe ten minutes of practice in the Manor's main hall before it clicks. Once you've got it down, you'll move about 30% faster than sprinting — and you won't trigger as many sound alerts since you're not constantly foot-slamming the ground.

Ledge Grab Cancel

This one's a game-changer. When you grab a ledge, there's a brief window where the game registers you as "on the ledge" but hasn't fully pulled you up yet. If you drop immediately (press S or the crouch key), you keep the upward momentum from the grab animation. This lets you reach ledges that would normally require a crate or a specific path. In the Streets section, this skip alone saves about 45 seconds by letting you bypass the entire pharmacy rooftop climb.

Crouch Sliding

Sprint, crouch, and jump in quick succession. You'll slide forward while staying low to the ground. This is useful for two reasons: first, you can slip under obstacles that would normally force you to slow down. Second, you make almost no sound while sliding. It's the quietest way to move at speed, which matters a lot in the Theatre section where enemies have overlapping patrol routes.

Door Kick Optimization

Most players don't realize that kicking a door and interacting with it at the same time opens it faster than either action alone. The timing is tight — you need to press the kick key and interact key within a frame of each other — but it shaves off about half a second per door. Over the course of a full Any% run, that adds up to 15-20 seconds saved.

Any% Route — Current Meta (WR: 12:45)

The current world record for Gloomwood Any% sits at 12 minutes and 45 seconds, held by a runner named VoxelVandal. The route has gone through several iterations since the game's early access launch, and the current meta is pretty well optimized. Here's the breakdown.

Phase 1: The Manor (0:00 – 3:45)

Spawn in, grab the crowbar from the kitchen counter — don't bother with the drawers, they're a trap for new runners. Head straight to the study for the key, but skip the safe. The safe has nothing you need for Any%. The shotgun in the armory is optional but recommended for new runners; top runners skip it entirely to save time.

The big time save here is the second-floor window shortcut. Instead of finding the key for the locked door on the second floor, jump out the window in the master bedroom, grab the ledge, and use the ledge cancel to reach the balcony. From there, you can drop directly into the courtyard. This saves about 90 seconds compared to the intended path.

Skip the basement completely. There's nothing down there that helps with Any%, and the basement layout is a time sink even if you know the route.

Phase 2: The Streets (3:45 – 7:30)

The Streets are where most runs fall apart. The key is to stay on the rooftops as much as possible. Ground level is slower, more dangerous, and has more patrols. The rooftop route requires three specific jumps — practice these in isolation before attempting a full run.

The pharmacy key item can be grabbed through the broken window on the east side. Don't waste time finding the pharmacy key. Just crouch, angle your camera through the broken pane, and interact with the item on the shelf. It takes some fiddling to get the hitbox right, but once you know the exact spot, it's a 30-second save.

There's a chandelier in the tavern that you can use to skip the entire ground floor. Jump onto the chandelier from the second-floor balcony, then use it to swing across to the exit. The timing is tricky — if you jump too early, you'll miss the chandelier entirely. Too late, and you'll hit the wall.

Phase 3: The Escape (7:30 – 12:00)

The final area requires three key items. The optimal order is Church (bell tower key), Theatre (stage key), Docks (boat key). Each location has a skip that bypasses the main puzzle.

Church skip: Instead of solving the bell puzzle, climb the exterior scaffolding on the north side. There's a loose board that lets you enter the bell tower directly. Grab the key and drop down.

Theatre skip: This is the hardest skip in the run. Instead of solving the stage puzzle, jump onto the chandelier from the balcony and use it to reach the upper balcony directly. The chandelier has a specific swing arc — you need to jump when it's at the apex of its swing toward the balcony. Miss it and you're falling into the stage pit, which costs you at least 30 seconds to climb back out.

Docks skip: The boat key is in a locked office. Instead of finding the key, break the window with your crowbar and climb through. The window break animation is faster than unlocking the door.

100% Route — The Marathon (WR: 1:15:00)

100% is a completely different beast. You need all loot, all secrets, and all achievements. The current world record is just over an hour and fifteen minutes, but most runners take closer to two hours on their first successful attempt.

The key to a good 100% run is efficient backtracking. Visit areas in a logical order that minimizes travel time. The Manor should be fully cleared first — every drawer, every cabinet, every hidden compartment. Then the Streets, then the Church/Theatre/Docks in a loop. The loop order matters: Church → Theatre → Docks is the most efficient because of how the areas connect.

There are 47 total lootable containers in the game. Memorize their locations. The most commonly missed ones are in the Manor's attic (three containers behind a false wall) and the Theatre's basement (two containers in a flooded room). Missing even one means you have to backtrack, which can cost 5-10 minutes.

Achievement hunting adds another layer. Some achievements require specific conditions — like completing the game without killing anyone, or never being detected. You can't do these in the same run as a full loot collection, so 100% technically requires multiple playthroughs. Most runners do a "loot run" first, then a "challenge run" for the remaining achievements.

Useful Skips — The Toolbox

Here are the skips that every Gloomwood speedrunner should know, ranked by difficulty.

Easy Skips

• Window Clip (Easy): Sprint into certain windows at a 45-degree angle. If you hit the sweet spot, you'll clip through without needing to open them. Works on about 60% of windows in the game.
• Elevator Skip (Easy): Stand on top of the elevator instead of inside it. When you call the elevator, you ride it up faster than being inside. Saves about 5 seconds per elevator ride.

Medium Skips

• Door Kick Cancel (Medium): Kick a door and immediately interact with it. The door opens faster than the kick animation. Requires precise timing.
• Ledge Boost (Medium): Grab a ledge, drop, and jump immediately. The game registers you as "on ground" for a split second, letting you jump higher than normal.

Hard Skips

• Out of Bounds (Hard): In the Streets, there's a specific corner where you can clip through the map boundary. From there, you can walk along the void to reach the exit area directly. This skip saves about 3 minutes but is extremely inconsistent. Most top runners don't use it in WR attempts because the risk of dying to the void is too high.
• Sequence Break (Hard): By using a specific combination of ledge cancels and crouch slides, you can reach the Docks area before completing the Church. This breaks the intended sequence and can cause issues with key item spawns, but if executed perfectly, it saves about 2 minutes.