Express Darkness Achievement

This is a simple guide, containing all the necessary bits of info you'll need to get this achievement.

Introduction

There are various topics on forums (including mine) and comments with bits of info in other guides, I just brought them all together here with some additional quicky walkthrough.

The guide expects you to be at least familiar with the game before attempting this. Completing it at least once, preferably several times is mandatory. As well as important to memorize (or write down) the locations of potions, enemies and traps.

Oh yeah, and it also will feature a wall of text and tons of lists. I just hope you're patient enough.

Conditions

• Complete the game - obviosly. Both endings are eligible, you can save some time and stress and avoid runes altogether or go challenge mode, up to you.
  
• In 8 hours - the timer starts when you launch the application. Yep, saw that "Play" button in your Steam Library? When you pressed it - it started. Going into menu won't pause the timer either.
  
• In one sitting - you can't exit the game. Mostly because exiting deletes the autosave and with it - all your progress.
  
• Without saving - you can't manually save the game. You can die and reload your autosave at the beginning of current level.
  IMPORTANT - If you accidentally reload some random save from another playthrough instead of your current autosave - the game will make another autosave, at the start of the level you just loaded in. Which means it just deleted the previous one, it can't be recovered and you lost your progress. If you died and going to load game - don't rush it, load the correct save file.

Just to share my own result - I've completed the run in 4 hours and died 3 times, all of them - because of tank controls, which caused my character to make a random jump into lava\abyss. I barely skipped any enemies (mostly at last level when exp didn't matter) and played normally, without min-maxing or optimizing anything. As you can see - there is plenty room for error and lots of time to spare.

Character and Equipment

Since you actually have quite a lot of time, you can do it with any character, some people claimed to do it with Barbarian, handicapped pseudo-chad who can't dodge at all.

Yet personally I'm heavily recommending Zoe, The Amazon. And there are plenty of reasons for that.

-Speed. She's fast, runs faster than any other character. Even with weapon drawn - she runs at the same speed, which is extremely handy. Even with random item in hand, like that Al Farum staff, ironically she runs even faster. Also because of that - has good side-step, can circle around enemies without catching random hits.
-Dodge. She has unique "roll-dodge", which allows her quickly roll away from the enemy swing. Sometimes into nearest lava pit. It takes some time to get used to, but it's extremely handy as well and adds a lot to survival potential.
-Weapons. Has plenty of good weapons, with relatively easy combos. Different people used different weapons (and found them pretty useful), I used just three. She really don't need anything else.

Overall playing as her feels much more smooth and faster than with any other character. Even replaying a level is easier because you've spent less time before dying and will spend even less time now. Before dying.

As for her weapons, mine were these:

-Axe Spear - Available at Tombs of Ephyra. At the very beginning just climb the wall to the left and to the second floor above the entrance. This weapon can single-handedly carry you through the game. Its special attack is easy to perform and it's a wide two-hit swing, which often hits several enemies or some quick one, who thought he was so smart and side-stepped to avoid being hit. He didn't. Axe Spear simply deletes all orcs, skeletons, trolls and minotaurs, slashing through shields like there is no tomorrow. Very satisfying weapon to play with.
-Crush Bo - Available at Gorge of Orlok. If you'll just run forward from the beginning, you'll reach the dead end - closed gates with some zombies coming from the snow, the weapon will be on the ground. It's a good blunt weapon, which special attack (a forward hit) actually hits in a wider area than it looks, often reaching enemies on your sides. Very useful against late-game Death Knights.
-Broad Spear - Available at Tower of Dal Gurak (last level), in the Armory. You'll need to go right at the beginning, jump into the cave, then cross the acid pool and kill the Death Knights on your way, the key to the Armory is on one of them. This weapon replaces Axe Spear and is needed for few last fights. It's normal fast attack kills demons (fast jumping guy with hook-hand) in 3 hits, just run at them and bonk-bonk-bonk. It's special attack not only is fast, it basically deletes both Meskalamdug and Dal Gurak, leaving them with few scraps of HP.
-And a bow, duh. It's more of a tool for solving puzzles than a weapon.

You won't need neither elemental weapons nor The Sword of Ianna.

Dangers or what to be afraid of

• Speed and roll-dodges. Ironically they help her a lot and can harm her a lot. Because of her high speed she often loses traction and flies away from every stairs or platform. It's always better to stop and walk slowly for 10-20 seconds than die and waste 10-20 mins replaying the level.
  As for roll-dodges - because of the distance she makes while rolling it's extremely unsafe to fight on any ledges and it's better to eat a sword hit than try to roll away to your death. It's especially noticeable with Death Knights when locked on them, because of their constant side-stepping in different directions if you roll backwards - you won't always roll directly backwards, but rather to the side a little, which may easily throw you from a ledge. Also from time to time she makes a weird "roll around" roll, literally rolling around the enemy instead of any other direction. Also unsafe, who would've thought.
  
• Ledges - as well as walkways or any potential fall leading to your death, for the reasons stated above. Its almost always possible to lure the enemy away from it, or at least closer to some safer place. Solid walls are your best friends.
  
• Elevators and doors - not all elevator platforms in the game will be on your level when you meet them, some will come down from above and can crush your character leading to a loading screen. You can also crush yourself at ceiling if positioned awkwardly on ascending elevator platform. Also game devs thought it would be funny to make some doors dramatically fall down just behind you when you enter the room with mini-boss. Which leads to a situation where if you stop in a doorway - you'll be killed by door. No jokes. There are several such doors in Dal Gurak Tower, avoid it and don't stop in doorways.
  
• Being stuck in enemies - it's very often when you kill an enemy, it enters into "dying" animation, while you being stuck in their body for a few seconds, before it falls down and let you go. If you try to run for a few seconds the game will randomly teleport you few meters away. The most notable case of this happened with me at Meskalamdug fight, where the game teleported my character outside the room, with it's doors being permanently shut without being able to proceed at all. Which will require either a load game (not an option) or restarting the whole level, while being one step away from the victory.
  
• Crashes - yes, they present in this game. They are very rare, it happened twice in my 5 playthroughs, but can happen nonetheless, destroying your run. Be ready to lose progress for reasons not related to you at all, just in case.
  
• Losing concentration - this achievement is an endurance test and over time, due to stress, you'll start losing focus, which may cause you to do irrational or stupid things. For example I, for no reasons at all, pressed C, opened item menu and used Full Health Potion, while having 95% hp. I had no need to use any items at all, just caught a brain freeze and lost a valuable item. Don't be like that.

Level Overview

Just to point some things out. You're extremely fragile at the beginning, but you'll have good weapons soon enough, just play carefully and kill everything to get all the exp you can. Do know that at start you'll have negative defence (and will receive more damage as well) from your weapons, that is okay, but again - just play safe, don't dive into enemies, bait their attack and counter with your weapon.

-Marakamda. Study the level before attempting the run, it's easy, but features several one-shot traps. Beat the first zombies with your starting Bo, yes it's slow, but they'll give exp too. Replace it with Boathook after first troll(big orc) and replace Boathook with Spear at last key. When boss spawns - ignore his attacks, just run at him and spam quick attack, he'll die fast.
-Fortress of Tell Halaf. Grab Naginata (replace the Spear) in the very first tower. Open the Rune door and grab Trident before exitting the level.
-Mines of Kelbegen. Annoying level, lots of places to fall down. When coming from Blue Gem location there will be a troll behind the ledge, forcing you to go back and fight him here, just run past him and fight in a more comfortable cave. Don't forget Power Potion from spider cave, keep it for later.
-Tombs of Ephyra. Grab Axe Spear at the beginning, proceed until zombie knights and do your best to kill them all, without letting any one of them to finish the other, they give a lot of exp, around 1.5 levels in total. If you did everything correctly you'll get Level 11 and Axe Spear combo ability after killing Burning Skeleton, then proceed to delete everything you see.
-Island of Karum. If you missed Power Potion or used it - there is one in Rune Room under lava and one at the bottom of Vampire Tower. Use this potion in vampire boss fight, combo-break his shield then just spam with quick attack until he dies.
-Shalatuwar Fortress. Simple and linear level, don't forget to grab that Light Armor upgrade.
-Fortress of Nemrut. Very first Death Knight will have Full Health Potion, another one will be just further ahead in a room with broken window pass Palace Door, inside the chest.
-Gorge of Orlok. Grab Crush Bo at the beginning, then just finish the level, fast and simple.
-Oasis of Nejeb. It's heavily recommended to actually go for Rune on this level, it's much faster and easier than going the normal way. Also the switches you'll need to shoot will become active once you've stepped on the middle platform and you'll have like 4-5 seconds before traps activate too, thus gaining a headstart. Also 2nd vampire fight is much easier since you're stronger and he has twice less HP, really easy to just spam him to death ignoring all incoming damage at all.
-Temple of Al Farum. Long level, but nothing special on it. Endure and keep going.
-Forge of Xshathra. THE most annoying level in the game. Lots of places to fall. Amazingly annoying place with three stones in lava, where you can easily miss your jump or just slide from them into lava. Heavily recommended to practice this place while doing normal playthrough with saves.
-Temple of Ianna. Simple and easy level, ignore the archers and just kill everything else (including Minotaur in Power Potion room).
-Tower of Dal Gurak. If you collected enough exp on previous levels you'll be around Lvl 19.5 when starting this one. This will give you a LvlUp in the middle of this level and free heal with it.
At start choose the right way, jump into Acid Cave, get the Armory Key from Death Knights and proceed. Get Broad Spear in Armory. Burning Skeletons in a room with fire pits and Crown - can be skipped. In Meskalamdug fight stay some distance away while circling him, when he starts breathing fire in a line - run at him and do Broad Spear combo, it will remove around 90% of his HP, then finish him off.

Be very careful at the beginning of Dal Gurak fight, these skeletons have vampire shields and they reflect damage. And yes, this can kill your character if you do Broad Spear combo on them, so better hit them with quick slash in the middle of their 3-hit combo. Dal Gurak himself is a baby, just stay few meters away, bait his sword throw, hit him with 1-2 quick hits and roll away, repeat until he dies. Or try a combo on him as well. Done.

Wrap Up

Before starting this achievement run I've completed the game with all characters 4 times in total to get their respective achievements, with Amazon being the last one, to have fresh memories of her combo timings. Since I've played it so much I remembered all the enemies and most of the potions around, which also helped a lot.
To what degree follow this example and if to follow it at all - is up to you.

It was not hard at all, just tedious and required a lot of patience.
There is a reason it's currently at 1.8% Steam completion rate.
Will you get it and raise this rate? Well, if some average player like me did this then you'll be able as well.
Godspeed.

[Kasiornis]

Zoe is simply a character superior in every way. She's faster in running, faster in evading, her weapons have wide reach and hit so hard, that one of her starting weapons (Axe Spear) can easily carry your whole run.

By all means, other people for the sake of the challenge did the speedruns with other characters, but that's just making things harder for yourself for no reason, but challenge itself.
As someone who played every character - yes, I heavily recommending Zoe.

[Smoke]

4 hours, the bad ending with zoe, so much faster than the other characters, a friend of mine didn't get the achievement, maybe because he has not finished the game with the rest of the characters.
Very good guide, cheers!

[Naismith]

To whom it may concern - all suggestions in this guide are correct. Just to add one note on the burning skeletons room at Tower of Dal Gurak. I would strongly advise you do pick up the Crown.
It makes you completely immune to Meskalamdug's fire damage, saving you some potions (although he's pretty easy as is. Still, something worth noting.

[smiling senshi]

5 hours with Zoe, Thanks for the tips

[s3rv0]

You can add that Pausing the game doesn't stop the timer.

[Kasiornis]

Yep, pretty much this. Zoe just feels she does everything a bit faster, like 10% up in speed for everything. And her Axe Spear combo has huge AoE with good damage, basically a weapon which carries you 50% of the game alone.

Apart from this, basic game knowledge - how to fight, where to fight, enemy weaknesses - and it's much easier than it seems to be.

[Fix]

This is a really under-rated guide, well done OP - awarded. It helped me with a Zoe run to finish the game in about 4 hours.

It was not so much all the mechanics of the game (like the dodgy rolls, weapon locations etc) it was the whole timer starting as soon as you launch and the way the saves work that helped me the most.

A few points from me;

- The bad ending counts to this achievement, making it quicker to obtain.
- You can die, I died many times - so long as you restart the level you're good.
- Zoe is by far the character to do this run with.
- I kited A LOT of enemies, saves you a lot of time (my run was probably 3 hours)
- Steam's timer overlay is a nice addition to this, I just set a 7.5 hour timer overlay running while I played and it helped me get some context of how long levels were taking and what was left to do.

[[‡]=Storky=[‡]]

Well, I failed like 3 runs for the Knight. Last one I did many things perfec, ingored many enemies but it took me 4 hours to rach the Temple of Ioanna, then I got dead bred/tired and alt+f4
Then another time I tried Zoe run, it took less then 3:10 hours (bad ending), besides i restarted a level 5 times (3 for Forge of Xshathra).
I don't know how is Zoe so much faster than Sargon. Encouraged to do more even runs to compare them, it is going more like no glitch speedrun.

Cheers for the great guide man, all your advices are legit!

[Kasiornis]

Well, in general it's up to do you what you think is best. It is, indeed, true, that some cheap enemies won't make much difference in the end, when you're close to max level anyway and you can definitely skip some enemies on your way. As I mentioned above - I've completed the run in 4h with some mistakes and by killing pretty much everything I could.
So there is definitely both room for error and for improvement as well, in case one cares about better results.

[[‡]=Storky=[‡]]

I am rethinking about not killing all cheap enemies, especially boring skeletons. You will get a tiny bit less exp in the long run. Ideally better to level up somewhere in the middle of a level.
Meskalamdug bug is funny, yeah