Ever looked at the world and thought, "You know, it could all go just a *little* bit faster"? That's precisely the thought that led me down the rabbit hole of speedrunning Plague Inc.. It’s a game that, on the surface, seems like a complex simulator, but beneath the veneer of scientific strategy lies a playground for absolute, unadulterated chaos. My journey into its speedrunning scene wasn't about saving humanity; it was about mastering the art of its swift, efficient, and frankly, glorious destruction. This isn't your typical "how-to" guide, but rather a deep dive into the mindset and the sometimes morally questionable, always exhilarating, tactics required to achieve world-ending supremacy in record time.
Table of Contents
The Allure of Annihilation
Speedrunning, at its core, is about mastery. It’s about pushing a game to its absolute limits, discovering every exploit, optimizing every movement, and executing with flawless precision. In Plague Inc., this translates into a race against time – not to cure the world, but to infect it into oblivion. The appeal lies in the sheer power fantasy, the ability to orchestrate a global catastrophe with frightening efficiency. It's a testament to the game's design that such dark objectives can be framed as a competitive challenge.
The title itself, "I tried speedrunning Plague Inc and committed glorious crimes against humanity," isn't hyperbole. It's a literal description of the process. You're not playing a hero; you're playing a force of nature, a biological agent that must evolve, spread, and adapt faster than humanity can react. The "crimes" are the millions, then billions, of lives extinguished on your path to victory. The "glorious" part? That comes from the impeccable execution of a perfect run, shaving off precious seconds with every strategic decision. It's a dark, twisted form of achievement, and one that the speedrunning community embraces with gusto.
In the realm of speedrunning, Plague Inc. offers a unique challenge: the objective isn't to preserve, but to annihilate, and to do it faster than anyone else.
Unlike traditional speedruns that might focus on defeating bosses or collecting items, a Plague Inc. speedrun is about exponential growth and strategic incapacitation. You're managing variables like infectivity, severity, and lethality, all while racing against the game's AI and its attempts to develop cures. It’s a constant dance between spreading your influence and developing the right traits to overcome global resistance. The goal is to achieve 100% infection and then wipe out the population before the cure percentage gets too high. This delicate balance makes every run a high-stakes gamble.
Choosing Your Weapon of Mass Destruction
The first critical decision in any Plague Inc. speedrun is selecting your plague type. Each offers a distinct starting point and challenges, influencing your entire strategy. For rapid global eradication, certain plagues are far superior to others. The sheer variety of these 'weapons' is staggering, from the common Bacterial and Viral strains to more exotic ones like Parasites, Fungi, and even the infamous Prions.
- Virus: Often considered a balanced starting point. Viruses can evolve quickly and are good at adapting to early game resistances. They offer a solid foundation for many speedrunning strategies.
- Bacteria: Slower to evolve initially but can become incredibly potent. Bacteria are known for their high infectivity early on, which is crucial for quick spread.
- Fungus: Unique transmission mechanics make fungi challenging but rewarding. They are resistant to cold, which can be a significant advantage in certain climates.
- Parasite: Slow transmission but can be devastating once established. Their ability to evolve stealthily is key to avoiding early detection.
- Prion: Known for their ability to spread through brain-related symptoms, making them tricky to control but powerful in later stages.
- Bio-Weapon: Starts with potent symptoms and abilities, ideal for aggressive early-game plays.
- Necroa Virus: A fan favorite for speedruns due to its unique mechanics involving zombie workers. This adds a fascinating layer to the strategic approach.
For breaking speedrun records, the Bio-Weapon and certain highly aggressive Virus strains are often the go-to choices. Their inherent ability to pack a punch early on allows for a faster initial spread and quicker development of debilitating symptoms. A well-executed Bio-Weapon run can see global infection within days, paving the way for rapid population extinction. The key is identifying the plague that best suits your chosen route and the specific RNG you encounter.
The Speedrunner's Toolkit: Evolutions and Abilities
Mastering Plague Inc. speedruns is all about understanding the intricate web of evolutions and abilities. These are your tools, your arsenal in the war against humanity. Each trait you select must serve the ultimate goal: speed. This means prioritizing infectivity, then developing symptoms that cause widespread panic and lethality, all while managing the cure's progress.
Early game is all about global spread. You'll want to invest heavily in transmission abilities like Air 1/2 and Water 1/2, ensuring your plague reaches every corner of the globe with minimal resistance. The goal is to get as many countries infected as possible before the cure research becomes a significant threat.
Once global infection is achieved (or nearly so), the focus shifts. This is where you unleash the "glorious crimes." You'll need to evolve symptoms that inflict severe damage and, crucially, drain the cure meter. Abilities like Insomnia, Total-Body Paralysis, and eventually, the devastating Organ Failure or Total Coma, are essential. The trick is to evolve these symptoms strategically, often in clusters, to maximize their impact and minimize the time humanity has to react.
RNG Manipulation (Random Number Generator) plays a massive role here. The game throws random events at you, like drug resistance spikes or sudden cure advancements. A good speedrunner learns to mitigate bad RNG and capitalize on good RNG. For example, if a country suddenly develops extreme drug resistance, you might need to adapt your evolution path. Conversely, if a cure progress stalls, you can afford to invest more into aggressive symptom evolution.
In speedrunning Plague Inc., 'evolve' isn't just a game mechanic; it's your primary strategy for overwhelming humanity before they can even grasp the scale of the disaster.
Don't underestimate the power of abilities like Genetic Reshuffle. This can completely change your evolutionary trajectory mid-run, allowing you to adapt to unexpected challenges or to pivot towards a faster kill strategy. Knowing when and how to use these abilities is what separates a good run from a world-record attempt. Understanding the exact requirements for specific evolutions, like the gene slots needed for certain symptom combinations, is vital.
Navigating the RNG Minefield
Anyone who has delved deep into Plague Inc. speedrunning knows the terror and thrill of RNG. Random Number Generator events can make or break a run. You might start with perfect transmission routes, only for a sudden Drug Resistance 3 to pop up in a key nation, throwing your meticulously planned strategy into disarray. Conversely, a lucky streak of no cure advancements can give you the breathing room needed for a perfect kill.
The key to speedrunning is not to eliminate RNG, but to manage it. This involves:
- Scouting Early: Immediately after starting, observe which countries are isolated and which have strong travel links. This informs your initial transmission choices.
- Prioritizing Key Evolutions: Certain evolutions are non-negotiable for speed. Air 1 and Water 1 are almost always the first steps.
- Adapting on the Fly: If a country resists your plague or a cure advances rapidly, be prepared to deviate from your planned evolution path. This might involve sacrificing a less crucial symptom to invest in a gene that counters resistance.
- Understanding Symptom Synergy: Certain symptom combinations work better together. For example, symptoms that cause severe symptoms and transmission are often prioritized in tandem.
- Knowing When to Go Lethal: The hardest part is timing the shift from pure infection to total annihilation. Evolving lethality too early can slow down spread, while evolving too late lets the cure win.
Watching world-record runs by players like EazySpeezy is an education in itself. You can see how they react to unexpected events, how they adapt their strategies mid-game, and how they leverage every bit of luck. It's a masterclass in calculated risk-taking.
Committing Glorious Crimes: Speedrun Strategies
When aiming for a world record in Plague Inc., every second counts. This requires highly optimized routes and precise execution of specific strategies. There isn't one single "best" strategy, as it often depends on the starting plague, the selected difficulty, and the RNG. However, several common approaches are favored by top speedrunners.
- The "Fast Kill" Strategy: This is the most direct approach. Focus on rapid transmission early on (e.g., Air 1/2, Water 1/2), then quickly evolve a set of highly lethal and disabling symptoms (e.g., Total-Body Paralysis, Insomnia, Organ Failure). The goal is to spread the plague globally, then trigger a rapid extinction event before the cure can be developed significantly. This often involves using Genetic Reshuffle to pivot to a lethal build once transmission is complete.
- The "Stealthy Annihilation" Strategy: This strategy prioritizes infecting the entire world with minimal symptoms before the cure becomes a major threat. Once 99%+ infection is achieved, you then unleash a devastating set of symptoms that cause death without necessarily being highly infectious themselves, thus negating any further cure research. This is particularly effective with plagues that have innate stealth or resistance mechanics.
- The "Necroa Zombie" Strategy: For the Necroa Virus, the strategy revolves around its unique zombie mechanics. Speedrunners leverage the zombie outbreaks to spread the virus and then evolve symptoms that kill the infected population, creating a constant cycle of re-infection and death. This often involves precise timing of symptom evolutions to maximize zombie production and subsequent population collapse.
A particularly interesting strategy involves what can be considered "glorious crimes against humanity" in the speedrunning context. For instance, certain evolutions might intentionally cause governments to shut down borders or develop cures faster, but these are calculated risks. A speedrunner might choose to evolve a symptom that causes extreme discomfort but low infectivity early on, *precisely* to avoid detection by more developed nations, only to unleash a devastating cocktail of lethal symptoms later when the world is ripe for the picking. This is the essence of Plague Inc. speedrunning: a complex interplay of scientific understanding, strategic foresight, and a willingness to embrace the darkest of paths for the sake of a faster time.
The 'glorious crimes' in Plague Inc. speedrunning aren't about sadism; they're about ruthless efficiency and exploiting game mechanics to their absolute extreme for the sake of a world record.
The community constantly explores new routes and glitches. For example, understanding how certain countries react to specific symptoms, or how to exploit the AI's pathfinding for infected individuals, can shave crucial seconds. It's a continuous process of discovery and optimization, much like finding the fastest route in a Minecraft speedrun or discovering a new skip in Super Mario 64.
Plague Inc. Speedrun FAQs
What is the fastest plague type for speedrunning Plague Inc.?
The Bio-Weapon is often considered the fastest for speedrunning due to its aggressive starting symptoms and high potential for rapid global infection and extinction. However, highly optimized Virus strains can also achieve incredible times.
How important is RNG in Plague Inc. speedruns?
RNG (Random Number Generator) is extremely important. Events like cure advancements, country border closures, and symptom resistance can significantly impact a run. Skilled speedrunners learn to manage and adapt to RNG rather than being completely derailed by it.
What are the key evolutions for a speedrun?
Early game focuses on transmission (Air, Water). Mid-game transitions to symptoms that cause severe illness and panic (e.g., Insomnia, Total-Body Paralysis). Late-game prioritizes lethal symptoms that drain cure progress (e.g., Organ Failure, Total Coma).
Can I use cheats or mods for speedruns?
Official speedrun leaderboards, like those on speedrun.com, typically require runs to be on specific difficulties and without any form of cheating or significant mods that alter core gameplay. Some community categories might exist for modded runs, but they are usually separate.
What is the difference between Any% and 100% in Plague Inc. speedruns?
In Plague Inc., the most common speedrun category is effectively an "Any%" equivalent, aiming for the fastest possible eradication of humanity. A true "100%" run would be more about achieving specific in-game feats or objectives in the shortest time, which is less common for competitive speedrunning in this title.
Embarking on a Plague Inc. speedrun is an exercise in extreme strategy, calculated chaos, and a dark appreciation for the game's mechanics. It’s about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible within the game's systems to achieve a singular, devastating goal as quickly as possible. The "crimes against humanity" aren't personal, but they are the necessary steps on the path to a world record. It's a testament to the depth of strategy and the thrill of mastery that games like Plague Inc. offer to the speedrunning community.
What are your thoughts on the ethical implications of speedrunning games like Plague Inc.? Share your fastest times or your favorite extinction strategies in the comments below! And if you’re looking to dive deeper into other speedrunning challenges, check out our guides on Halo 2 or Oblivion!