SMB3 Warpless Beginner Route

World 2

fight only the HB carrying the hammer if possible (offscreen in the overworld at the start of w2, visible one is music box)

  • play 2-5 & not 2-4

World 3

if you fight both HBs before 3-6 and don’t die, you can cloud over 3-6 and play 3-8. it’s really important to not die in 3-8 after doing that though. if the bridge is up and you can’t cloud to 3-8 (if for some reason you died once, or if you fought only one HB because the other one went far right in the overworld), just play 3-6 even if it’s a semi long autoscroller. you’ll use the cloud somewhere else (like 8-f or something)

  • play 3-4 & not 3-5

World 4

among the three HBs, you at least want the cloud (first HB) and the pwing (one of the two HBs at the left) -> use hammer after 4-3 to skip 4-f1

  • play 4-6

World 5

at the bottom of the world, you at least want the pwing HB. if you managed to skip the music box HB in w2, fight the music box HB in the upper part of the sky. if you got the music box in w2, try to skip this one.

  • play 5-f1 (& not 5-3)
  • play 5-7
  • cloud 5-9 (autoscroller)

World 6

For the two HBs at the right, you want to fight at least the cloud HB

  • take the pipe at the start of the world, use hammer at the exit (then fight the HB and get a hammer back)
  • pwing 6-5 (stage where you have to carry the shell to the top)
  • grab a hammer suit in the mushroom house above 6-5 if you’re confident about getting through bowser castle without getting hit
  • hammer in the overworld to skip 6-7
  • pwing 6-9 (fly over the stage)

World 7

  • learn the 7-1 zip, it’s easy & worth it
  • pwing 7-2
  • cloud 7-4
  • pwing 7-f1
  • pwing 7-6 (fly over at the start)
  • star 7-8, play 7-7 if you’re not confident about 7-8 (can be a rough stage if you don’t know what to do)
  • cloud 7-f2 (play 7-9 contrarily to record route)
  • put the plant after 7-f2 to sleep with a music box

World 8

  • star 8-f
  • hammer suit bowser castle if you got it in w6
    depending on how many extra stars you have (optional HB fights), you can use them to make some stages easier like 4-3, 5-tower, 8-1, bowser castle…