Laser Stairs
- Previous Map Laser Intro
- File Name sp_a2_laser_stairs
- Appearance The Cold Boot
- Native to Challenge Mode Yes
- World Record loading...
- Least Portals loading...
- Next Map Dual Lasers
Contents
Overview
The General Route for Laser Stairs is good enough for a Challenge Mode time if done quickly. But there are small improvements to be made if you want to get to the flags as fast as possible.
General Route
The general route for Laser Stairs is fairly straightforward, but takes some time to get used to doing the route quickly. Getting out of the elevator with a Circle Jump, and wall-running up the stairs is the most common way of doing the start. The door opens quickly, but not quick enough for standard Stair Hops to get you through the door. So wall-running, and coming out of that wall-run into a jump is typically seen as the best way of starting the level. Take some time to figure out the timing on this jump.
Once you're through the door, hop down the hallway and place two portals to your right quickly after passing the trigger at the end of the hallway (pictured below). The trigger will drop the cube, and so you have time to go through a portal at your level on the wall, through a portal above that, and shoot a portal on the surface by the button at the end of the chamber. This is typically done while jumping out of the portal. After that, you have some time to move over to where the floor under you is portalable. You want to shoot the portal you did not place at the end of the level under the cube that is coming, or came out of the dropper. Ensure that the cube falls through the portal, and then quickly replace that same portal under you, so that you and the cube are both at the end of the level.
The most common issue most encounter with this route when learning it is that the cube will go flying away from you when you follow it through the portal. This can typically be helped by changing the timing you shoot under you. You most likely are shooting too late, and hitting the cube as you enter the portal.
When you come out of this portal, you want to grab the cube and get it onto the button as soon as possible. For full game, even if your initial placement isn't good enough, it activates dialogue that you will need to wait for to get a good Elevator Fade, in Challenge Mode, you want it to be on the button quickly so you can get through the door fast.
The location of the trigger to drop the cube.
The general placement for the two portals on the left wall.
The area you want to aim at for this general route (more specific positioning for a faster time in Challenge Mode)
Challenge Mode Specific
World Record run by Zypeh
Zypeh's WR at 25% speed
For optimizations in Challenge mode, you want to make sure to get to the floor where you can portal faster than the cube can hit the ground. So the sequence of shooting up to the end of the level, and coming back down needs to happen fairly quickly.
The first big improvement comes with your portal placement up by the ending. The ideal placement should be in between the door and the button. This is a relatively tight placement, as shooting too close to the button will have the portal place underneath the clip brush of the button and make it impossible for the cube to enter the portal. Alternatively, you could place it too close to the door, and spend too much time getting the cube onto the button, as well as potentially block yourself from entering the door.
The speed at which you get the cube can be greatly increased by shooting directly under the cube. Then timing your shot underneath yourself so that you shoot as soon as the cube starts going through the portal. quickly shoot your own portal and press +use immediately. This will allow you to grab the cube the quickest also ensures you can drop it quickly, as it helps with the object grabbing delay in Portal 2.
If you use these two route improvements together, grabbing the cube as soon as you go through the portal, and having good portal placement, you will need to get the cube onto the button, and get through the door as fast as possible. This is where the route gets more uncomfortable, and practice becomes important. As soon as you have the cube, flick down towards where the button will be, and release. Doing the flick quickly is important, because at the same time, you want to press +back and +left (a and s) to start moving away from the portal, and to not fall back through it. Once you have the cube on the button, transition into holding your left strafe only, and get to the door as it opens.
This route is tricky to understand, so I have the world record run by Zypeh recorded at 25% speed, with inputs showing linked for you to watch.
(Important Note: Demo recordings aren't perfect, especially when slowed down, so don't attempt to duplicate the timing of when he shoots after the cube falls. The representation of physics objects moving in demos is not entirely accurate, especially when the speed is changed.)
This takes a good amount of practice, and isn't necessary, but you can also place the portal so that the cube will hit the side of it, and fall onto the button. This isn't faster, but if you're willing to put up with a little more randomness, it can be a quick way to move up ranks without learning to do the other route well.
Full Game Specific
Example during a Full Game run by Can't Even
Full Game Dialogue
The optimal dialogue for the Elevator Fade is entering the elevator when GLaDOS says horrible for the second time.
"I'm serious, that's what it says: A HORRIBLE person."