Speedrunners have smashed the world record for Titanfall 2‘s infamous Gauntlet course twice in the span of two weeks. The former world record of 11.7 seconds was set back in 2019 by speedrunner Cash Mayo .
Though better known for its massively popular battle-royale title Apex Legends, developer Respawn Entertainment released the beloved kinetic FPS Titanfall 2 back in 2016 alongside that year’s Call of Duty and Battlefield installments at the behest of publisher Electronic Arts. As a result, the game did not achieve the commercial success it otherwise might have. Titanfall 2‘s tight and fast-paced gunplay has garnered it a respectable following since then, particularly among speedrunners. The first mission of the game, The Pilot’s Gauntlet, features a daunting training course where players can time how fast they can complete a target course while maintaining momentum with precise jumps and wall-runs.
Back in 2019, speedrunner Cash Mayo set the definitive record for the Gauntlet course at 11.7 seconds – an extraordinary accomplishment that seemed unbeatable. However, after one and a half years of dominance, the record fell to a staggering 11.2 seconds in a single run posted on speedrunner WhateverShoe’s YouTube channel on April 22. Cash Mayo began doing daily runs to reclaim the record, slowly grinding his time down. On May 1, less than two weeks after WhateverShoe became the new Gauntlet champion, Cash Mayo uploaded a video of their new world record: 11.1 seconds. Videos of the two world records can be found below.
The runs are so fast and so kinetic that it’s hard to distinguish how Cash Mayo made up the 0.1-second difference. Both runners begin by building incredible momentum with precise grenade placements and jumps far behind the initial starting room. What follows is a series of exceptionally precise and perfectly-timed jumps, wall-runs, shots, and grenade placements that allow the runners to maintain their momentum throughout the course while also hitting every enemy to avoid time penalties. Though Cash Mayo does not specify what strategy is specifically used, the runner does state in the description of the video, “Has a new strat, so it’s a little bit rough around the edges for a PB. And especially for a WR. But that’s alright. It will improve in time. Probably to sub 11, even if I’m not the first to get there.”
The return of speedrunners competitively grinding for the Gauntlet record correlates directly with Titanfall 2‘s recent resurgence as a consequence of Apex Legends‘ Titanfall-related content this season. Indeed, Cash Mayo achieved the new world record during the game’s free weekend on Steam, which was meant to bolster the influx of new players. It remains to be seen what (if anything) this recent demand means for the broader Titanfall 2 player base moving forward. Regardless, the Titanfall 2 Gauntlet speedrunning scene is certainly revitalized.
