SOTN/Alucard Pacifist

Introduction to SOTN Alucard Pacifist

Alucard Pacifist is a challenge category that requires killing Dracula while Alucard has 0 XP and 0 kills (going by the in-game Kill Count). Accomplishing this requires extensive knowledge of glitches and obscure game mechanics, many of which are unique to this category.

One of the unique glitches that is critical to this category is called Revenge Tech, and it allows Alucard to bypass certain bosses and farm certain enemies for drops without it granting him any experience points or increasing his Kill Count.

The leaderboard for Pacifist runs is located at speedrun.com under the Category Extensions page.

Pacifist Route

Slogra and Gaibon

To get past Slogra and Gaibon, you will have to perform the Slogra and Gaibon Revenge Tech. It involves manipulating Slogra and Gaibon into being close together while you perform an upgraded, teleporting Hellfire.

Doppelganger10

To get past Doppelganger10, you will have to perform the Doppelganger10 Revenge Tech. It involves using Stopwatch to freeze Doppelganger10, then taking damage by running into him and quickly killing him.

Shop

The following will need to be purchased from the Shop:

• Jewel of Open
• Elixir
• Manna prism
• 56 x Antivenom
• 2x Fire boomerang
• 2x Buffalo star
• Library card
• Meal ticket
• 97x Flame star
• Duplicator

Karasuman

By standing at a precise position in the room to the right of Karasuman's room and using the Heart Refresh, Alucard can use a Reverse Shift Line to skip past the fight with Karasuman.

During the Heart Refresh animation, there is a visual cue that can help confirm whether or not the correct frame was used. It involves checking if the bottom-most pixel of the Sub-weapon frame is aligned directly above the point of the spear that the statue is holding. While this method is not 100% reliable, it is a fairly strong indicator.

NOTE: If you fail the skip, it is still possible to perform a Revenge Tech on Karasuman using Holy Water and a source of invincibility frames like an Antivenom.

Underground Caverns

At this point in the route, Alucard has the Leap Stone and Soul of Wolf relics, allowing him to perform a Double Jump Reset to clear the gap at the top of the long drop in Underground Caverns.

• Get the Claymore
• Get the Moonstone

To get back across the gap and into the stairwell above, you need to perform a combination of Double Jump Resets and the Thrust Sword special.

Reaching Gravity Boots without Flight

In order to acquire Gravity Boots at this stage of the run, Alucard must perform a very difficult series of tricks.

The first step requires reaching the first ledge in the center path above the Clock Room by Wolf-Thrust Sword rising (which will require refilling mana with Manna Prism to keep going). You can also start off with a Fire Boomerang Super Jump if you prefer.

Once you reach the first ledge, you will then need to perform a Fire Boomerang Super Jump and have Alucard's head collide with the sloped ceiling near the top of the room. Doing so will allow you to jump a second time to position yourself near the exit in the ceiling while you proceed to perform another series of Wolf-Thrust Sword rising to reach the ledge in the next room.

Cerberus

To get past this room without killing Cerberus, you must execute a floor clip, followed by a Reverse Shift Line. Doing this requires that Alucard have a Shield equipped at the start of the room or have some other way of canceling a Dash. You must also have a thrust sword, such as a Claymore, and a Heart Refresh, in your inventory.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/626369936?t=0h32m33s

1. Clip into the floor
   1. Enter the room and walk right until you very nearly walk off the ledge (2-frame window)
   2. Immediately shield dash and then crouch to stop yourself just under the gate as it closes on you (2-frame window)
      • If you start your dash too early, the gate won't close and you can try again
      • If you start your dash too late, Alucard will fall off the ledge and you will have to reload your last save
      • If you crouch at the gate too early, Alucard will be trapped inside the room with Cerberus and you will have to reload your last save
      • If you crouch at the gate too late, Alucard will enter the previous room and you can try again
2. Sword thrust
   1. Equip Claymore
   2. Execute a sword thrust
3. Reverse Shift Line
   1. Equip Heart Refresh
   2. Dive Kick while near the right edge of the screen just before the camera locks, holding RIGHT afterward
   3. Immediately use Heart Refresh (this might be frame perfect), continue holding RIGHT
   4. Transform into Wolf as you travel into the right edge of the screen (10 frame window)
   5. Untransform as you move RIGHT

If successful, you should appear in the next room over and skip the fight with Cerberus.

Farming Venus Weeds for Heart Refresh

To acquire your second Heart Refresh, you will have to farm Venus Weeds repeatedly using the Venus Weed Revenge Tech. It involves using a consumable that grants invincibility frames, a thrown weapon consumable, and Holy Waters at very close range in order to achieve the glitch.

While farming Venus Weeds, you will want to have your LUCK stat as high as possible and have a Ring of Arcana equipped to increase your odds of getting the Heart Refresh rare drop from the Venus Weed. Doing this optimally will require that you unequip your Duplicator, since it both reduces your LUCK stat and takes up a slot needed for another Luck item. Even with all this, the drop rate will still be approximately 1 in 44 or a 2.3% chance. Farming Venus Weeds will usually take somewhere around 15 minutes on average, but can often take much longer than that if you get unlucky.

Simply by leaving the screen and coming back, you can respawn the Venus Weed to farm it over and over until you get the Heart Refresh to drop from it. If during attempts you get low on Hearts, re-equip the Duplicator and Heart Refresh temporarily so that you can activate your Heart Refresh and replenish your hearts. If you get low on consumables, unfortunately you will probably have to reload from the most recent Save Room and return to this area.

If you accidentally kill the Venus Weed and get XP, you must reload from the most recent Save Room and return to this area so as not to invalidate the run. The Venus Weed grants enough XP that a single kill will result in a Level Up, so it will be obvious if you do it.

Lesser Demon/Bat Relic

TODO: Describe how to reach Bat Relic without having to kill Lesser Demon

NOTE: You will start off with a Frontslide.

NOTE: You must have two Heart Refreshes equipped, one in each hand. You will alternate holding the button to activate one while the other's animation is playing.

NOTE: When you have performed enough consecutive Heart Refreshes, hold LEFT and JUMP and wait for Alucard to be pushed into the Bat Relic room.

Medusa

By positioning Alucard between Medusa and the right ledge while poisoned and taking damage, Alucard can use a glitch known as Half-Blood Tech to skip past the fight with Medusa.

Shaft

TODO: Describe how to skip Shaft