Is anyone else out there interested in or currently speed running SotFS?

So here is what I have for a Scholar of the First Sin Any% Route. I have not run this route yet, this is all theory. The majority of this is still the Any% Current Patch route from Dark Souls 2 vanilla, in fact once you get to the 2nd Rotten fight, the runs are again identical with exception of one item pickup before Velstadt.

The obstacles that SotFS presents that were not an issue in DaS2 are:

  • You now require 4 Fragrant Branches instead of 1 due to increased amount of petrified NPCs blocking the way in Lost Bastille, Dragon Aerie and Black Gulch.

  • Going into the Sunken King DLC is imo no longer effective in this run. To enter the DLC you now need to collect the Dragon Talon from the Forgotten Door down the Mejula well. To open that door you need the Forgotten Key obtained from killing one of the giants underneath Black Gulch. I don't believe that's feasible in the run, especially considering how early you are expected to kill giants. A result of not entering the DLC means you are at a 22,000 soul deficit off the 1 million necessary to enter the Shrine of Winter. You are also short one of the necessary Bonfire Acetics and will never acquire Flynn's Ring - so reduced damage.

So the changes I made from the Any% Current Patch DaS2 Vanilla run are:

  • Pick up extra branches - 2 in The Gutter, 1 in The Lost Bastille and 1 before Velstadt.

  • Kill Najka and The Congregation. This will make up the soul deficit. In fact, after killing these two bosses and using their souls you end up at about a 14,000 soul surplus. There is also a Bonfire Acetic above The Congregation fight.

  • Removed a couple soul pickups from the vanilla run to use up some of our soul surplus.

  • Slightly altered the route once you get to the Forked Road to accompany our trip to Najka/Congregation.

  • We now purchase an extra Gold Pine Resin from Vengarl for use on Najka.

Alright so here's the run below. Would love any feedback/criticisms/suggestions. I am certain this is not even close to optimized.

Scholar of the First Sin Any%

  • Start Explorer, Bonfire Ascetic
  • Kill Maughlin with witching urns
  • Pickup the soul next to the blacksmith
  • Light Bonfire, talk to Herald
  • Pickup the homeward bone in the water
  • Buy Club, 1 firebomb from Melentia
  • Light bonfire (Don't rest here, you can just avoid the hollow that follows you if you're fast enough)
  • Blow up the wall with a firebomb

Last Giant (Club, Ooze)

  • Homeward bone
  • Pop Last Giant souls
  • Buy 3 brightbugs & Key from Melentia
  • Talk to her for the ring and send her back to Majula

Pursuer (Ballista)

  • Pop Pursuer Soul
  • Light bonfire in Bastille warp back to Majula
  • Level up to 12 DEX, 10 END
  • Pickup Bow next to blacksmith
  • Buy Rapier, 6 shards & 11 Arrows, Upgrade +3 Rapier
  • Buy Catring, 2 bones, rest skulls
  • Drop down the Pit & Kill Lizard on the way down
  • Pickup the two fragrant branches of yore
  • Take bonfire closest to Rotten

Rotten (Rapier, Brightbug, Ooze)

  • Burn Ascetic & Warp back to Lost Bastille
  • Pickup fragrant branch from pursuer room
  • Pickup the soul of a proud knight before the ladder to Sentinels

Sentinels (Rapier, Gold Pine Resin, Brightbug)

  • Pickup the Bonfire Ascetic & Bone back
  • Warp to Majula
  • Level up 30 END, 30 DEX
  • Upgrade Rapier to +4
  • Kill the Blacksmith with Tseldoras Set on
  • Buy 3 brightbugs
  • Kill Melentia with Tseldoras Set on
  • Grab item behind moonsword guy
  • Kill Rosabeth & Basilisk with Tseldoras Set on
  • Grab the RTSR and run back to fork
  • Soul by Vengarl IF NECESSARY
  • Go to Vengarl and buy 11 Resin

Najka (Gold Pine Resin)

  • Run through Doors of Pharos to Brightstone

Congregation

  • Pickup ascetic up ladder
  • Warp to black gulch

Rotten 2 (RTSR, Gold Pine Resin)

Rotten 3 (RTSR, Gold Pine Resin)

Rotten 4 (RTSR, Brightbug, Gold Pine Resin)

  • Pop all the souls & Warp back to Majula
  • Buy 3 brightbugs
  • Kill Melentia with Tseldoras On
  • Level up 40 VGR, 49 END, 40 DEX, 8 STR
  • Warp to Fork Road

Dragonriders (Gold Pine Resin)

  • Grab the Key bone back

Mirror Knight (Ooze)

  • Don't forget to deequip the Flynns Ring so the shrooms don't break it
  • Get RTSR setup from the sorcerers before the froggy frog

Froggy Frog (Gold Pine Resin)

  • Pick up fragrant branch before Velstadt far left chest

Velstadt (Brightbug, Gold Pine Resin)

  • Grab Kings ring, Darksign & Head Towards Aldias Keep
  • Get RTSR setup from the second Vanguard breaking the door

Guardian Dragon (Brightbug, Gold Pine Resin, RTSR)

  • Dragon Aerie jump and then get the thing from Ancient Dragon
  • Warp to Forest of Fallen Giants
  • Do fancy skip here or just run around like a scrub

Giant Lord (Gold Pine Resin)

  • Warp to the Castle
  • Use Brightbug before summoning Benhart

Watcher Defender (Brightbug, Gold Pine Resin)

  • Do the Nashandra glitch with the firebomb you have left if you're pro like Distortion

Nashandra (Gold Pine Resin)

  • Do a fancy dance then celebrate your worldrekkie
/r/DarkSouls2 Thread