• Skip (Start) Cutscene
• Attempt to open the cell door - ideally with the Double Handle Grab
• Fast forward (Triangle) Text
• Skip Text
• Enter the crawl space below the bed and follow it to the right
• Get up as you exit the space beneath the bed (don't hold X, tap it) and pick up the Mk22
• Skip Text
• Skip Cutscene
• Fast forward Text
• Head to the door on your left
• Fast forward Text
• Go inside the main building and roll into prone position to pass the gate
• Knock out the guard in front of you with a Roll-Knockdown (RKD) towards the right
• Run straight, roll uphill, follow the left path and roll into the Advance Point (AP)

You can skip one of the cell door handle grab animations here. In order to do that, you need to run towards the door's handle in a way that places yourself just out of range to normally initiate the door opening animation when pressing the action button.
If properly executed, this precise trick makes one handle grab count as two or more and therefore advances Snake straight to the text box. The skip was discovered by Pythonicus during his first full speedrun!

• Fast forward Text
• Go around the iron fence and roll past the gap
• Enter the main building through the red door on the east side
• Open the next door and step into the AP
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Skip Cutscene

• Skip Cutscene
• Take a few steps towards the west
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Roll right through the Text Trigger north of you
• Skip Text
• Roll down to the lower area
• Climb the following staircase and position yourself in front of the next lower area
• Equip your Mk22 and tranquilize the guard with a headshot
• Roll diagonally over the gap onto the path next to the building
• Head inside and do a RKD past the officer into the Secret Document
• Fast forward Codec Call

Cutscene or Text Triggers like the one here temporarily block you from moving. If you enter the trigger area with a roll, your animation will carry you a bit further.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• In front of you, climb up one box and roll onto the concrete
• Walk alongside the building, towards the soldier guarding the entrance (Jonathan)
• Perform a quick CQC slam before he calls in an Alert
• Pick up the TNT next to the ramp, inside
• Pick up and drag Jonathan to the stacked boxes and enter First Person View mode (FPV)
• Turn towards the southwest and drop him
• Drop down yourself and continue dragging Jonathan to the back of the truck
• Skip Cutscene

If you find yourself accidentally picking up unnecessary items such as the 9mm T Ammo dropped by Jonathan here, make sure to throw it away (Inventory, Drop [L]) or replace it at the next opportunity.
Inventory bloat can be a real hindrance so it's best to proactively prevent it from occuring.

Make sure to not drag soldiers too close to the truck's rear. Snake will always go towards a fixed spot, which is a certain distance behind the truck.
If you entered the trigger zone from an unfavorable position, you could lose valuable seconds due to longer animations.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Run straight into the central building via the western red door
• Go through the next two doors to your front, left and into the AP
• Fast forward Codec Call

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Approach the gap of the wall in front of you with a roll into prone position
• Pass the gap and follow along the right, around the central building
• Perform a 180°-Bump-Grab (180-BG) and choke the approaching guard unconscious
• Pause and change your active member to Snake
• Get to this spot as Snake, then drag & drop the future Recruit within Jonathan's box' range
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Keep going and enter the northwestern building
• Roll up the staircase and finish off by entering the AP inside the second, rightmost room
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Skip Cutscene

While it is technically possible to finish the run without any additional recruitments, the impact it would have on Spy Report RNG is huge. The chance of saving time by skipping this Recruit and relying on amazing Spy Report luck seemingly lingers in the one digit range (x%).

The soldier obtained after Jonathan (Recruit) will always have the Deliveryman skill.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Follow the path until you reach the upward slope
• Start walking up and once you're out of the guard's sight, roll up the remainder
• From the top, head north then east onto the next slope
• Keep rolling to the top, turn around and roll into the AP
• Skip Cutscene
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Roll straight down to the door to enter the building
• Take a right and roll into the final AP
• Skip Cutscene

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Climb a box and roll onto the concrete, then go through the small building
• Perform a RKD on the guard while heading inside of the main building
• Run towards the back and roll onto the crates in the corner to obtain the Secret Document
• Fast forward Codec Call

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Go east and roll into the AP in front of the Rail Bridge
• Skip Cutscene
• Fast forward Codec Call

For the TNT-blowup missions (9-A, 9-B, 9-C[, 9-D]) the order in which you read the Spy Reports does not make a difference. However, the order in which you do the missions can positively affect your chances of receiving further Reports.
Doing Supply Depot first, then Research Lab followed by Soviet Patrol Base generally gets you better chances of getting the remaining Spy Reports earlier. Additionally, this lets you skip some pre-deployment dialogue.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Run south towards the target truck while sticking close to the walls
• Plant the TNT behind the truck and immediately blow it up
• Fast forward Codec Call

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Follow along the route and ascend the slopes with no more than a single roll up (up to 3 at night)
• Enter the main building through the southern entrance
• Inside, bump into the guard blocking the path and quickly enter the room on your right
• Plant the TNT closely in front of the generator and trigger the detonation
• Fast forward Codec Call

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Head south and cross the lower level by rolling onto the strapped container and staircase
• Continue southeast and let yourself be noticed by the soldier guarding the armoury to lure him away
• Pass the red containers from the opposite side and head into the armoury
• Plant and detonate the TNT

There is one more location in which you could perform a Diversionary operation; Town! However, since it has by far the slowest route it is in no way viable for the run.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Run onto the bridge and distract the shield-guard with a quick auto-aimed Mk22 shot
• Stick to the left while crossing the bridge, then perform a RKD on the patrol and into the AP
• Fast forward Codec Call

At this point of the run, you have to decide between one of two different paths to stick to for the remainder of the run.
Either you pick up your trusty Cardboard Box in the next mission (Harbor), therefore embarking upon the Box Route or you skip it altogether, thus following the Naked Route.
The Naked Route is the faster option of the two, while the Box Route is more suited for beginners. You can find a more detailed breakdown of route differences here.
First assembled in June 2020 by MarlonH8, the Boxless Naked Route has yet to be completed in a full run setting, over 2 years later!

<html> <span style=“color:Lime”><b>Minimum 24s timesave compared to the fastest Box Route</b></span> <br> <br> <span style=“color:Yellow”>Less backup options when things don't go as planned</span> <br> <span style=“color:Orange”>Generally more difficult and precise strategies</span> <br> </html>

<html> <span style=“color:Lime”><b>Generally easier and more lenient strategies</b></span> <br> <br> <span style=“color:GreenYellow”>The C Box can provide additional cover and help conceal yourself if things go wrong</span> <br> <span style=“color:Red”>Minimum 24s timeloss compared to the fastest Naked Route</span> <br> </html>

Continue with [NR-II] if you are attempting the Naked Route!
Skip to [BR-II] if you are starting out with the Box Route!

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Hurry to the ladder south of you to climb up the hut and get the M63
• Roll west off of the roof and approach the bridge
• Prepare to tranq the guard, but only shoot once he has reached the halfway point
• Roll up and go past the bridge, then perform a RKD past the next guard and into the ship
• Roll over the railing to drop onto the cutscene trigger below
• Skip Cutscene
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Climb and roll past the crates towards the east into the text trigger
• Fast forward Text
• Roll further eastwards onto the floor and into the call trigger in front of the tarped crate
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Fast forward Codec Call

Unlike on PAL, the cutscene trigger won’t save you from taking fall damage in the NTSC releases.

Skipping the M63 as well and instead relying on the RPG-7 for Cunningham used to provide a minor, but also more risky timesave. That was before we discovered how useful the M63 & Stun Gs would prove against Null and Cunningham. With current strats it'd be a 21+s timeloss.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Equip your Mk22 and head east until you reach a gap
• From here, auto-aim onto and shoot the patrol to make him notice and go investigate your position
• Roll past the gap while the guard is distracted and enter the main building through the door in front of you
• Perform a RKD on the FOX soldier while heading towards the staircase around the left corner
• While running up the first flight of stairs, shoot at the wall to spook nearby guards
• Roll up the next flight and RKD past the guard towards the sliding door on your left
• Pick up the Secret Document inside of the room with a roll

A completely useless route variation.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Enter the door into the passageway
• Follow along into the room at the end while staying on the right half to get the right guard cycle
• Fast forward Text
• Once inside of the hall, head left and roll into prone in front of the sensors by the officer
• Crawl below the lasers, stand up and get the Mosin Nagant at the passage’s end
• Return and before arriving at the lasers, roll into prone again
• Evade the officer, pass the sensors, stand up and climb the ladder on your left
• Enter the right hallway and up at the next ramp, roll through the door to the right into the text trigger
• Fast forward Text
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Roll over the railing onto the cage and another time to drop down a level
• Exit through the western door, roll up the ramp and head down into the next room
• With your TNT equipped, roll into the Advance Point
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Try to plant the TNT
• Skip Cutscene

• Equip your Mosin Nagant and quickly land a no-scoped shot at Python as he charges at you
• After landing a shot, look straight down at the ground with your Mosin equipped/in FPV to dodge Python’s retaliatory burst-fire
• Once his invincibility-frames from your last hit have worn off, land another shot
• Repeat the last two steps until his Stamina Gauge is fully drained (2 headshots + 2 body shots)
• Skip Cutscene

Looking down while in FPV mode prevents most enemies' incoming fire from hitting you, This works, because looking down in FPV seems to turn your plane of a hurtbox parallel to the ground. Since this strategy was discovered in 2017 by MarlonH8 it fundamentally made the game much easier than it was before - from both a speedrun and casual perspective.

Python will react differently to incoming damage. Ideally, you'd want to see his long recovery animation that barely leaves any room for him to retaliate, but this is rarely the case.

If you get on top of one of the metal cages you'll have a much safer, but also much slower time taking out Python.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Enter the terminal area through the door in front of you
• Roll behind the desk and pause the game to perform a member change
• Assign Snake to “Point 1” (behind the wall) and swap to Jonathan
• Pause the game once more to swap right back to Snake
• Equip your Mk22, approach the ramp in front of you and roll upwards twice
• While running, shoot into the western wall at the ramp's summit to spook the guard above
• Head across the room and once again perform two rolls to ascend into the control room
• Approach the politician in the northwest corner while starting to sneak 3 floor patterns behind him
• Grab him and start the interrogation
• Fast forward Codec Call

Depending on when and where you shoot to spook the upper soldier he may switch his position to either next to the terminals or the northern, eastern or southern side of the pillar to call for backup. A quick hold up while passing by helps elminate the possibility of him spotting you.

You can lure the topmost guard outside - opening the ID-locked door for you. It's a minimum of 18s slower than the “swap-strat”.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Equip your Mk22 and follow the alternating path to the top with two rolls
• Shoot the containers while heading to the west, past the now distracted guard
• Quickly roll over the rails to rech the bottom
• Roll up the building’s ramp in the front and then over the wall, right behind the patrol
• Perform a RKD past the soldier's right and run between the crates & building
• Around the corner, climb up the ladder to the western building’s roof and pick up the Stun G & RPG-7
• Roll down over the bridge’s left side and while sticking below the bridge, roll into the Mission Square
• Skip Cutscene

After getting your desired weapons and rolling off of the bridge, make sure to stick close below it before rolling into the AP. On good pace, the guard above is checking the northern area right as you are below him.

• Equip your M63 and go into the prone position to face Null
• Aim at Null's lower legs and start firing
• After landing a hit, wait for the i-frames to wear off and repeat
• Skip Cutscene

27+s are saved by using the M63 over the RPG-7 for both Null fights.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Again, ascend the alternating ramps with two rolls
• Make sure to stick to the very right at the top to avoid the FOX soldier's line of sight
• Approach him and perform a CQC hold up (CQC slam, equip AK-47, hold up)
• Swing yourself over the railing and drop to the pipe below
• Move left and drop onto the crates leading into the tunnel
• Follow the path and start sneaking once you get to the big crate
• Sneak towards the officer, then grab and interrogate him (don't let go!)
• Fast forward Codec Call
• Skip Cutscene

If you opted for a simple roll or slam into the FOX soldier to deal with him more quickly, he will report to HQ after you drop down. This causes a unique problem.
While you'd be interrogating the officer the ongoing dialogue between the FOX soldier and HQ would prevent most interrogations from going through.

• Run straight into the western building and pass through the room to your right
• RKD past the officer and into the Secret Doc
• Skip Codec Call
• Skip Cutscene

Here, we are performing a sequence break - accidentally discovered by miniomegaking. While watching one of mini's Rail Bridge route videos, MarlonH8 noticed that the guard patterns were different. Originally assumed to be either regional differences, the oddity was shortly thereafter explained by the fact that mini forgot to place spies in the area to notify him of the report and therefore skipped one step ahead.
Immediately afterwards, we tried to find similar spy report skips, but didn't have much luck. MarlonH8 did find another one for the Town Diversionary Op., which unfortunately is the slowest of the “TNT-missions” and therefore not part of the run.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Go down and follow along the alleyway to your north-west
• Turn left and stick to the building's wall until you reach the metal door
• Enter the door and follow the path downwards
• Roll into the AP around the right corner
• Skip Cutscene

Snake will be fully healed after being rescued.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• Head southwest between the two buildings until the patrol on your level starts noticing you for the second time
• Equip your Mk22 and enter FPV to land a shot onto the wall right next to the guard
• Quickly start running towards the soldiers and around the corner on the left
• Follow along the hangar wall until you can roll into the AP
• Skip Cutscene

Right after you land a distracting shot, the guards will start running towards the nearest form of cover to report to their HQ. During this run, they are not able to see anything, which gives you perfect opportunity to perform strategies like the ones used here. They also won't hear you during that time.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

Originally, we also used to damage RAXA's legs with TNT. At that time, we were still using the RPG-7 vs. Null and therefore entered this fight with little to no ammo.

Jonathan’s items do NOT get lost after his sacrifice. You will be able to reequip them if so desired.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

At the cost of a few seconds the fall damage of the Standard Route can be mitigated by rolling over the railing earlier.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

Text.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

Text.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

Text.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

Text.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

Arguably the biggest version difference is right here. On NTSC versions you can not drag any soldier in front of the lower door to open it.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

You can cancel most reload animations and still have your ammo refilled. You do this by moving close enough to any kind of barrier for it to block you from aiming your weapon. This works especially well in FPV-mode, but even here in TPV the railings make this strategy work like a charm with the MK22 and auto-aim!

As with most weapons, firing while crouched significantly increases the player's accuracy. This is especially useful for the M63 strategies here.

• Fast forward Codec Call
• x
• y
• z

If you get the positioning just right, you can stop Gene's Psychic Phase in one shot.

On PPSSPP versions prior to 1.4 Gene dashing towards the Northern & Southern terminals would cause the emulator to crash!

• Fast forward Codec Call

Unlike on PAL, the cutscene trigger won’t save you from taking fall damage in the NTSC releases.

Skipping the M63 here and instead relying on the RPG-7 for Cunningham used to provide a minor, but also more risky timesave.
That was before we discovered how useful the M63 & Stun Gs would prove against Null and Cunningham respectively. With current strats it'd be a 21+s timeloss.