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From B-Boys to B-Men: Planning Out a Standard Ascension

2024-03-13 // guide

First, you’ll want a resource planning sheet (similar to this one created in March of 2024) that comprehensively lists all available resources. This is helpful to you in several critical ways:

  • It lets you visualize a run in a way that lets you solidify some choices before the run, freeing you from decision paralysis while you're running.
  • It reminds you that resources exist, so you don't forget to use them.
  • It's pretty!

Now that you know all the resources available to you, you need to figure out where to use them in the most efficient manner. That will require answering the questions below.

1. How will you consistently reduce combat rate by at least 25%?

Many quests require finding particular noncombat adventures. Any item or effect that has the enchantment Monsters will be less attracted to you will reduce combat frequency by an additive 5% (up to a soft cap of 25%; after that it will reduce combat frequency by 1%). Perming Smooth Movements and Sonata of Sneakiness will provide 10% in a non-avatar run and, generally speaking, a full set of Standard iotms will be able to provide the rest. If you are not able to guarantee the 25% reduction of combat rate, pulling duonoculars, a red shoe, or a ring of conflict is suggested. Noncombat rolls represent one of the biggest sources of negative RNG in a run, and it's worth doing whatever you can to maximize your chances and minimize the potential for rampant RNG screw. Even when you hit the 25% softcap, it's sometimes worth going out of your way for a bit more on top for particularly annoying NC zones where you can't easily force your noncombats, like the Penultimate Fantasy Airship or the Haunted Ballroom.

2. How will you reach level 11?

When speedrunning, fighting regular monsters with as much monster level that you can survive and boosting stat gains from fights is necessary to level quickly and open up more locations to adventure in. However, that alone is not enough to get to level 11 (this requires 10,816 substats!) as early as you’d like to enable optimal location adventuring. To accomplish this requires committing resources to gain thousands of main stat experience.

In the 2024 meta, this is extremely easy -- if you have it, just use your model train set, as it provides more than enough stats to get you to level 11 as early as you realistically need it. If you don't have the trainset, or if you're reading this post in 2025 and it hasn't been updated yet, you should look at some of the old answers to this from previous metas below!

In previous metas, leveling strategies included:

3. How can you complete each quest with maximum speed?

For each step of a quest, you’ll want to think about how you can complete it in the fewest number of adventures. And there are certainly multiple ways to complete the same step! It might involve summoning or copying monsters, forcing/stealing item drops, duplicating item drops, forcing noncombat adventures, banishing monsters, sniffing monsters, using 11-leaf clovers, unique iotm interactions, etc.

For example:

QuestStepFKFRFNCBSC
Spooky ForestN/AXXX
Typical TavernN/AXX
MacguffinHidden ApartmentXXXXXX

FK → Free Kill
FR → Free Run
FNC → Force Noncombat
B → Banishes
S → Monster Summons
C → Monster Copies

4. How will you complete all quests to maximize resource utilization?

Now that you have brainstormed the various ways all the quests can be completed, you need to decide where you're going to commit each resource. If multiple quest steps can utilize the same resource, use it where you can maximize the turns saved. This aspect often requires significant planning and may evolve as you gain experience with different paths or resources.

As an example, both the Spooky Forest quest and the Macguffin Quest (Hidden Apartment step) can make use of a noncombat forcer. In The Spooky Forest, that saves an average of 2.5 turns if you are reducing the combat rate by 25%, while in The Hidden Apartment, it can save up to 8 turns! You may end up having enough noncombat forcers that the Spooky Forest is still a feasible option, but it's important to list out your priority targets, figure out the best ones, and lock them in before you count out your "marginal" ones that may get used on some of those lesser options.

5. Are you generating the needed turns for your run? Are you hitting your desired daycount?

You’ll probably need to complete a few ascensions before you can answer this one, but if you're unable to generate sufficient turns to finish your run in the desired amount of days, identify resources that can be repurposed for turn generation rather than turn reduction -- after all, a 3-day 600 turn run is technically faster than a 4-day 300 turn run!

6. Can you optimize turns outside of quests?

It is worth warning you that thinking this way is a gateway drug to attempting sicko mode in ascensions. But, it's beneficial to consider how you can reduce turn count in ways that aren't directly related to quests.

Some examples:

  • Free-killing shadow slabs with goose drones while item drop is over 500% is a way to (statistically) save more than 1 turn per summoned slab through shadow brick drops.
  • Stealing tattered scraps of paper from bookbats as an early source of Everything Looks Green.
  • Summoning, using Spooky VHS Tapes, and Yellow Raying Green Ops Soldiers for 2 green smoke bomb drops. Consider adding item duplication methods.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For the first and only time in my life, I will follow BurningBman's lead and type the words that my ACC heart can barely stand: "Go Clemson." Thanks for the great guide, B-man!

Article contributed by BurningBman