Speedrunning Any% — Basic Strategies and Common Mistakes

Speedrunning Minecraft is a discipline that blends knowledge, dexterity, and route planning. Any% runs aim to beat the game as fast as possible with minimal constraints. This guide lays out the baseline strategies and typical errors new runners make.

"Improvement comes from consistent practice and cleaning up mistakes that cost time."

Core concepts

Any% means reach and defeat the Ender Dragon in the shortest time. Runs can be randomized or with seed selection depending on category. Key variables include RNG (stronghold location, village seeds), movement optimization, and strategic resource gathering.

Route planning

• Seeded vs Random: Seeded runs allow pattern learning; random runs require map knowledge and adaptability.
• Nether routing: Build fast portals and prioritize fortress / bastion angle, trading time spent exploring vs searching in the Overworld.

Essential practice drills

1. Movement: sprint-jumping, pearl clutching, and strafing to avoid hits.
2. Combat: dragon fight strategies and end city looting for resources.
3. Portal routing: efficient nether travel and safe bridging.

Common time-wasting mistakes

• Poor inventory management — swapping costs seconds across a run.
• RNG panics — wasting time exploring non-ideal chunks instead of resetting appropriately.
• Poor pearl usage — unnecessary pearls in the Nether can be fatal or costly for time.

Community tools

Use practice seeds, watchers, and timing tools like LiveSplit to track segments. Many speedrunners use Discord communities to share routes and learn new optimizations.

Conclusion

Start with small goals: consistent nether route, clean end fight, and improved movement. Gradual optimization and analyzing your VODs (video recordings) will reveal where you lose the most time. Welcome to the speedrunning community — the leaderboard is a long-term craft.