Whomp's Fortress

**Whomp's Fortress** is the second course in Super Mario 64. It can be accessed from the painting in the room located in the right side of the lower first floor of Princess Peach's castle. The door leading to it requires at least 1 Power Star to be opened.

## Course Versions

There are three versions of the course that can appear by selecting different stars. Keep in mind that if there are any blue stars (uncollected) present in the star selection menu, then the last version that can be selected is the first blue star and not the stars after it:

* **Version 1**: Accessed by selecting Star 1. This version contains King Whomp at the top of the course.
* **Version 2**: Accessed by selecting Star 2. This version contains a fortress built on top of the course.
* **Version 3**: Accessed by selecting Star 3 through Star 6. Bob-omb buddy is present to open the cannon, and an owl can be summoned from the tree near the starting point.

## A Press Counts

In the A Button Challenge, it takes no A Presses to collect all seven stars, though either the Wing Cap or the Metal Cap needs to be unlocked to complete *To the Top of the Fortress*.

### Entering Whomp's Fortress *(0x)*

This part is easily done without pressing *A* by using a dive recover (press *B* at run speed) and recovering into the painting.

### Chip Off Whomp's Block *(0x)*

*Video: https://youtu.be/7ZwwAemsbYQ*
The trickiest part is collecting the star, since the star is 296 units high, which is too low to be reached by dive recovering. While it might seem impossible to reach the star unless an A press is used to jump, Mario can fortunately collect it by cloning. By bringing a fake cork box up and defeating King Whomp, Pannenkoek is able to clone the star and collect it by holding Vacant Slot 41 (VS41).

### To the Top of the Fortress *(0x)*

*Main article: To the Top of the Fortress*
*Video: https://youtu.be/M4M\_OyUorRQ*
Before entering the stage, the HOLP needs to be set from Bob-omb Battlefield.

Upon entering the stage, Mario starts collecting many coins in order to spawn the 100-coin star at the right moment. The Metal Cap is collected twice to activate the hat-in-hand object displacement glitch. Using the glitch, Mario carries the cork box up the mountain (during which he throws the cork box multiple times and catch it while it is falling down from the HOLP to speed up the process). Using clever tricks, he is then able to pick up the cork box during the time he is ascending from the elevator, and he collects all the coins from the floating island. At this point, Mario has 99 coins. The box is then thrown to appear from the HOLP and break next to the tower, exposing the 100th coin at the desired location. Mario collects it, spawning the star next to one of the tower's steps.

Mario dives down to the lower part of the course, grabbing the second cork box, and bringing it upwards. At the top floor, With precise movements, Mario remotely throws the cork box, stores 26 vertical speed on the elevator by canceling a dive recover on the steep part of it, allowing the cork box to push him off to reactivate the stored speed, ground pounding to gain height next to a platform of the tower (where the 100-coin star is), and then grabbing on the ledge while collecting the 100-coin star using Star Dance Clip. After the collecting the star, Mario then climbs up the rest of the tower and collects *To the Top of the Fortress*.

For both times going up, Mario has to hold a cork box frame-walking up a slope. With very precise movements, Mario can carry the box and bounce on the ground to reach the elevator, instead of having to drop the box at the HOLP and pick it up later on the arrow platform.

### Shoot into the Wild Blue *(0x)*

*Video: https://youtu.be/CA-EZx\_kunY*
The star can be collected by going from the top. Using the secret teleporter at the corner of the platform where the Metal Cap is located, Mario can teleport to a higher floor above where the star is located. Mario then drops down to collect the star.

### Red Coins on the Floating Isle *(0x)*

*Video: https://youtu.be/E6J71oX8o78*
All coins are reachable without pressing A, though getting to the floating islands requires using a Whomp enemy as help to get on the ascending elevator. Using series of diving and dive recovers, with help from the teleporters, Mario is able to get all red coins in the course and collect the star.

### Fall onto the Caged Island *(0x)*

*Video: https://youtu.be/mXy8Wlw3sRU*
This star is done without pressing A by using **Version 1** of the course where King Whomp is present (Chip Off Whomp's Block). By manipulating the location and angle of King Whomp, Mario can land on top of Whomp and perform a slide kick onto the caged platform.

### Blast Away the Wall *(0x)*

*Video: https://youtu.be/CA-EZx\_kunY*
With a ledge-grab glitch very well-known in speedrunning, it is already known that using the cannon to shoot open the wall is completely unnecessary. All Mario has to do is grabbing the ledge where the star is located using a specific angle.

### WF 100 Coins *(0x)*

*Video: https://youtu.be/anKoV6eZBi8*
In a full game run of 120 stars, this star will already be collected while doing *To the Top of the Fortress*. That being said, the star can still be collected without pressing A when done in isolation, with no difficult tricks required.

## Other Challenges

In a CCC Challenge, excluding coin missions, all stars can be collected, with *Blast Away the Wall* completed less conventionally by using a precise ledge grab in order to avoid the use of cannon.

In a No Buttons Allowed challenge, *Find the 8 Red Coins* and *Behind Chain Chomp's Gate* can be collected using only the joystick and the C buttons (to turn the camera).

In a No Joystick Allowed challenge, *Chip Off Whomp's Block*, *To the Top of the Fortress*, *Red Coins on the Floating Isle* and *100 coins star* can be collected without using the joystick.

## References

1. ↑ SM64 120 Star ABC Route: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wVD60DYcPPjWmfObqwV-1Kb0ic478dsL9znCMqM2X4M/edit?usp=sharing
2. ↑ Star Height: https://youtu.be/xE7hrQ8sHhU?t=2m15s
3. ↑ WF Top of Fortress 0x Faster Strat to Bring Up Box: https://youtu.be/r\_AKMelAQBY
4. ↑ No Buttons Allowed: https://youtu.be/hUIYR4PssIY, https://youtu.be/Nlxvh0ldfs8
5. ↑ No Joystick Allowed: https://youtu.be/75ihh8bFXPM, https://youtu.be/hD9nuRU1Jfc, https://youtu.be/B4IgwsRnNis, https://youtu.be/6AAbHJ-BrLQ

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