Kungkobra has cemented himself as one of the most skilled Fallout: New Vegas speedrunners, holding records across categories. But it‘s his 11 minute 26 second Any% run that continues to inspire awe years later for its technical mastery. Let‘s break down the key elements that set his run apart.
Understanding Speedrunning
For the uninitiated, speedrunning involves playing through a video game as fast as possible by utilizing glitches, optimal routing, and sheer skill. The most common category is Any%, where the only requirement is reaching the end credits quickly by any means necessary.
It takes the average player 27-40 hours to complete Fallout: New Vegas. Yet world-class speedrunners have trimmed that down to under 12 minutes through precision and exploitation of programming quirks. Watching speedruns offers a unique thrill – seeing experts bend games in unintended ways to achieve the impossible.
Introducing Master Runner Kungkobra
Kungkobra commandeered Fallout: NV, conquering records across categories since taking up speedrunning in 2013. What sets him apart is his methodical style – eschewing risky maneuvers in favor of consistent, mistake-free runs.
This calculated approach paid off with his current best 11:26 Any% run. Across 3 flawless attempts, he homed in on an optimal route and executed it to perfection. We‘ll analyze exactly what makes this run so special shortly.
First, let‘s examine Kungkobra‘s journey to reach gaming greatness.
The Path to Perfection
While a relative newcomer compared to 10+ year veterans, Kungkobra quickly rose up the Fallout leaderboards in his first years speedrunning. Early on, he traded world records with Tomatoanus in hotly contested rivalries that repeatedly one-upped each other by mere seconds.
Ultimately though, Kungkobra’s careful and consistent style allowed him to come out on top more often than not. Proof lies in the stats:
| Year | Total Fallout Records Held | Personal Best Time | Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 | 16:58 | #8 |
| 2017 | 5 | 14:03 | #5 |
| 2018 | 11 | 12:01 | #3 |
| 2019 | 13 | 11:32 | #2 |
| 2020 | 7 | 11:26 | #11 |
After setting his coveted sub-12 minute record in 2018, Kungkobra continued honing with tiny optimizations. He managed to shave off another 6 seconds in 2019.
But unable to best the explosive emergence of a new generation of runners, he saw his rank finally fall from the coveted top spot in 2020. Still, his legacy remains strong holding 7 former world records. Let’s examine his magnum opus from 2019 frame-by-frame to understand why his run stood unchallenged for so long.
Minute-by-Minute: Inside the Record Run
While rival runs like Tomatoanus’ excelled through risky maneuvering, Kungkobra deliberately tuned his run to minimize chances of failure.
Playing as a gun-focused build, his route relies on quickly amassing a powerful arsenal while preserving health and supplies for upcoming battles.
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0:00 Kicks off at character creation. Chooses the Gun Runners‘ Arsenal DLC for unique weapons along with skilled perks like Finesse that raise critical hit chances.
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1:37 Exits Doc Mitchell’s house. Experts here will bash the Vigor Tester machine to fail the test which skips unnecessary dialog. Collects Turbo chem for a burst of speed early on.
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2:22 Enters Chet’s general store and sells off worthless loot to buy Stimpaks, the main healing item. Uses bunny hopping to maintain momentum. This inventory prepares him equipment-wise for the next sections.
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3:28 Departs Goodsprings into the Mojave wasteland towards New Vegas. Purposefully bumps into wandering merchants to trigger key quest flags which unlock shortcuts.
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5:54 Arrives at hidden supply cache in abandoned building. This clever detour grabs essential high-DPS guns like the 25mm Grenade APW along with ammo to breeze through upcoming fights.
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6:29 Approaches Vegas city gate trigger to update quests. Enters and steals private keycard which grants access to the Lucky 38 casino tower.
By grabbing this now, it ensures entering the tower finale automatically skips long dialog later with NPC Mr. House. This trick highlights Kungkobra’s intricate knowledge of behind-the-scenes flags that impact time.
Masterful Precision Under Pressure
Having built up an impressive arsenal, Kungkobra next faces a gauntlet of required story bosses guarding the Lucky 38 strip entrance:
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7:12 Confronts Benny outside Tops Casino. Quickly shreds him and his bodyguards with 25mm explosive rounds by executing a precise hit on the center mass. This preserves ammo for later.
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7:27 Rushes to Omerta thugs behind Gomorrah club. Rapid quickscope headshots combined with Turbo speed burst makes short work of the goons.
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7:55 Interacts with Yes Man in bunker to progress main questline. On exit gets ambushed by patrolling Legion squad. Unfazed, strafes while hip firing shots into the pack.
By stacking rapid movement perks, Kungkobra effortlessly kites enemies while unleashing sustained heavy fire. Where other runners get cornered, he remains composed by using the terrain to break line-of-sight from melee attackers.
While these combat heavy chapters leave rivals depleted in health, ammo, or chem supplies, Kungkobra’s prudent preparations ensure he emerges unscathed. This mastery under pressure is a hallmark of his success.
The Final Countdown
In the home stretch, only a scripted fight against robotic security force stands between victory.
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8:22 Enters Lucky 38 tower to face final boss. Places turrets as distractions while shredding Securitrons at close range using encumbrance glitch for faster movement speed.
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9:12 Securitron gatekeeper destroyed. Ascends elevator into Penthouse level.
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10:18 Bypasses dialog with Mr. House using stolen keycard from earlier. Initiates terminal to self-destruct the tower.
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11:26 Questline complete as credits roll. Time: 11:26. Category: Owned.
Through encyclopedic game knowledge and marathon runner fortitude in high leverage situations, Kungkobra firmly cemented his legend in this classic run.
Carrying the Torch
Since 2020, a new generation of runners led by WaveClipping and Sharo have continued pushing the limits – breaking the 11 minute barrier in Any% runs.
Yet leaderboards only tell part of the story. Kungkobra‘s clever routing innovations, technical precision, and grace under fire created a blueprint that today‘s runners still closely follow. The torch has been passed, but his legend remains bright.
So while the records may fall, excellence endures. And Kungkobra delivered a masterclass in excellence.
