The Gold Split - A Speedrunning Newsletter - Week #46
Week #46 (June 26): Melee; HELLDIVERS 2; Payday 2; Minecraft; Event News; New Records: Mario Sunshine, The Messenger, Skyrim, Uncharted, LEGO Star Wars
Happy Week #46!
The formula that defines this issue is:
Busy Week + Five Days in Amsterdam = Short(er) Newsletter
Nevertheless, I’m happy that this is the kind of quality I’ll always be able to provide, unless I’m actually just taking the full time off. Enjoy!
Contents
I encourage you to think about what happened recently in the communities you are a part of. If there are any stories, articles, glitches, events, or other topics I should cover, go ahead and submit them here or in the Gold Split Discord! 📨
Up to Speed ⚡️
📣 Big changes for the HELLDIVERS 2 Leaderboards (3-minute read)
The changes include a new default view, a reorganisation for difficulty settings, new category on the main HELLDIVERS 2 leaderboards as well as the category extensions and a new requirement to show the game version in speedrun recordings. Further explanations, justification and links to guides are available in the news post.
🆕 Minecraft’s speedrunning rules updated to version 4 (1-minute read)
Following the update, many exploits are now formally banned, while others have been allowed in glitchless runs. The changes also include many clarifications and updates to which tools and textures are permitted. Additional modification rule updates are listed separately.
🎯 Super Smash Bros. Melee: The Quest to “Break the Targets” in under three minutes (48-minute video)
Everybody's favourite speedrunning chronicler Summoning Salt has targeted Super Smash Bros. Melee for his latest history piece; more specifically, the quest to achieve a total time under three minutes in "Break the Targets." As always, the narrative captures all the key moments and protagonists along the way, highlighting just how far collaboration can push a community.
Briefly
💥 Payday 2’s speedrunning mod gets a new elaborate update (4-minute read)
The update improves consistency, adds options for cooperative runs and mandates the use of the modification going forward.🗡️ Shadow of the Ninja leaderboards change timing method (1-minute read)
From now on, the first fade frame will mark the beginning and the final hit on the boss will mark the end of the run.🌸 Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Switch 2 run handling (1-minute read)
With an expansion and new game version on the way, runs done on the Nintendo Switch 2 will be relegated to the category extension leaderboard for now.
Event News 📅
🏁 Finished
Speedromizer VII raised CAD$1,631 for QMUNITY
SpeedDogs aka SableAid raised $2,315 for community member SableDragonRook
🔜 Upcoming
Starts Today: Nostalgiathon: Anniversary Edition (Schedule), benefiting St. Jude
Starts June 27th: Derpathon II (Schedule)
Starts June 27th: Licenseathon 2025 (Schedule), benefiting the Transgender Law Center
Starts June 28th: ESA Summer 2025 (Schedule), benefiting Alzheimerfonden
This Week’s Top Times 🏆
🥇 First Place
Super Mario Sunshine (Any%: GCN, No ACE) in 01:12:41.000 by inkstar
Video • Twitch • YouTubeThe Messenger (8-Bit: No OoB, New Game) in 00:28:49.250 by SortofAlpha
Video • Twitch • YouTubeLEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (PC/Console) (Any%: PC, Solo) in 02:17:53.000 by Frost_Byte
Video • Twitch • YouTubeThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Main Quest: PC) in 00:21:05.673 by DankSlushie (He/Him)
Video • Twitch • YouTubeUnturned (Tutorial% : No Cheats, Before) in 00:00:19.533 by Zeroker91 (Any/All, They/Them)
Video • YouTubeUncharted: Drake's Fortune (Any% No Airwalk: No Launches) in 00:37:17.000 by Melon10900 (He/Him)
Video • Twitch • YouTubeShadow of the Ninja (Any%) in 00:10:35.783 by Xray662
Video • TwitchThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Any%: PC) in 00:04:49.230 by MikeWave (He/Him)
Video • Twitch • YouTube
🥈 Second Place
Celeste (Any%) in 00:25:09.787 by P3RL (Any/All)
Video • TwitchCrash Team Racing (Any% (No Major Glitches): Disc) in 00:49:15.000 by -Galaxian- (He/Him)
Video • Twitch • YouTubeGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas (No Major Glitches: Without 3rd-party caps) in 04:35:29.000 by PaschalBrush260 (He/Him)
Video • Twitch • YouTubeGet to Work. (Top Grabs) in 00:08:28.000 by IvyCide (She/Her)
Video
🥉 Third Place
Hades (Any Heat: Unseeded, v1.37+, Unmodded) in 00:05:21.000 by OckE (He/Him)
VideoKingdom Hearts Final Mix (Any%: PS4/PS5, Beginner) in 02:09:24.000 by soulofbandityoshi (She/Her)
Video • Twitch • YouTubeSuper Metroid (GT Code: Classic) in 00:32:32.000 by ShinyZeni
Video • Twitch • YouTubeBanjo-Kazooie (Nintendo 64: 100% No FFM) in 02:00:45.000 by Funderful
Video • Twitch • YouTube
Fun Fact of the Week 📈
The document detailing all the rules for speedrunning Minecraft: Java Edition is a whopping 62 pages long. That’s it. That’s the fact. It’s very long.
Social Choice 🔝
The r/speedrun choice of the week is… this thread about games in which the speedrunning community is less knowledgable than the game’s other serious and dedicated players. I always struggle with these generalisations, but the thread is really new and there’s already several interesting takes.
👋🏻 And that’s it for this week! See you next Thursday, July 3rd 2025. 👋🏻
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Thanks for reading.