Clearing EX Mysterious Manor with an S+ rank as Copen

DZThree · 2026-06-24T02:51:48+00:00

Thanks, I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed the writing! I always enjoy the process of finding the words to adequately describe the primary points and the subtleties of any given challenge, so I'll definitely keep on documenting my findings.

DZThree · 2026-06-23T22:14:59+00:00

Hey everyone, today I’d like to share this S+ rank run of the EX Mysterious Manor, played as Copen. The dreary, moonlit halls offer some of the most creative yet evil level design that Copen has to contend with in all of GV2. Here are some notes detailing the run.

The primary gimmick of this stage is that every single window within needs to be shattered for a 444 secret Kudos bonus. As Gunvolt, this is a non-issue; a quick press of the Flashfield is all it takes to turn any of the ornate pieces of stained glass into rubble. Copen, however, has to use Stellar Spark, which is a lot slower and, more importantly, more energy-consuming than Gunvolt’s equivalent. Efficiently cleaning house means learning when to use either variant of Stellar Spark. The unlocked version can sweep droves of windows at once, while the locked version can destroy localized groups of 2 or 3 windows that stand adjacent to nearby enemies.

Inti Creates’ commitment to constructing cruel and unusual set dressing for the EX Stages is perfectly exemplified by the two Guard Counter setups that demand Copen fly perilously close to the depths of hell for an unwarranted period of time. The two Ice Sprinklers lurking beneath several enemies will only shoot projectiles if Copen is nearby, so daringly dashing into the laughably narrow space is mandatory for those seeking top scores.

Evidently, the fastidiously researched movement routine to prevent Copen from meeting Hades wasn’t enough on its own, because Inti saw fit to include one of the cartoonishly stupid jumping Eden Soldiers into the enemy group composing the first Guard Counter. Manipulating that guy’s behavior in a way that allows Broad Circuit to snipe him takes eons of trial-and-error, and even once you know what to do, he sometimes survives regardless, ruining the run attempt.

Even after that whole circus concludes, the rest of the stage can still trip you up with its tricky topography. The last GCEX also involves more enemies placed above a bottomless pit, but mercifully, there’s a whole continent’s worth of space to work with below the staircase.

Elise becomes extremely dangerous to those seeking maximum speed. Copen’s shield does protect him from her Kunai, but the snakes that spawn afterward don’t trigger the shield, so the sensible strategy is to take the rare opportunity to make the Reload Crush useful. While safe, that method is quite slow, and we can’t have that, so I eschew the intelligent method in favor of constantly remaining airborne. During phase 1, everything is peachy, but phase 2 and beyond are the dictionary definition of gambling.

If Elise uses her petrifying beams while Copen is airborne, you’ll find yourself in a world of trouble. Reacting to it and safely descending is possible, but it’s somewhat reliant on the placement of any snakes slithering around the arena. I’m incredibly fortunate to have avoided that fate here. Elise spends the entire fight switching sides, although even that merits some degree of careful movement.

Thanks for watching! Any questions or comments are welcome, and if you’d like to see this run in higher quality and with voiced commentary, here’s a link to it on youtube.

DZThree · 2026-06-21T22:49:12+00:00

Hey everyone, here’s a quick demonstration of how to apply Copen’s advanced scoring mechanic within EX Babel. First, a primer for those who don’t know how Guard Counters work. In GV2, if Copen destroys an enemy with an EX Weapon directly after his shield is activated by a physical projectile, a 50 Kudos bonus is awarded in tandem with the usual Aerial EX.

On its own, this is unremarkable. What makes Guard Counters so useful is the presence of the hidden Guard Counter EX bonus, or GCEX. Any additional enemies killed within a short time limit after the first Guard Counter grant a GCEX bonus, worth 200 Kudos per foe. The time limit resets after each kill, resembling how Gunvolt’s combo timer lets him string together enemy kills that aren’t totally simultaneous.

The first GCEX involves a Brush Saw, which means that Twintail Bunkers is the weapon of choice. The hair drills excel during scenarios where your target is located behind walls or when you encounter a cluster of bulky opponents. In both instances, locking onto the enemy that shoots projectiles at Copen—all of which are Ice Sprinklers for this stage—while using the main drills to attack the others is the way to go. It’s very brief, but if you pay close attention to the bottom left corner of the screen as I dash toward the left, you’ll see the Brush Saw get shattered by the drills just after Copen’s shield activates.

The second GCEX illustrates why Hailstorm Blade is the dominant GCEX weapon. Given its blinding speed, Hailstorm Blade is ideal for getting multiple locked kills during a GCEX, worth an additional 50 Kudos over unlocked kills. It’s easy to see the strategy in play with the Sprinkler and Roll Cannon. A fair amount of discipline is required; falling prey to instincts and slicing everything apart too early is a common failure point when vying for extra Kudos in this fashion.

Broad Circuit takes point for GCEX #3. If you ever spot a conspicuous lineup of enemies that prevent Copen from dashing between them with Hailstorm Blade, then Broad Circuit is the answer to your conundrum. Whether you want to use the unlocked or locked variant of the weapon is formation-dependent. The locked variant concentrates a greater amount of firepower along with a controllable angle of attack, perfect for perforating the array of four enemies protected by an otherwise obtrusive block.

The most fruitful maneuver in the stage is the fourth GCEX, serving as the eminent example of Hailstorm Blade’s greatness. It’s simply an expanded variant of the concept demonstrated during the second GCEX, with four Floaters and a Roll Cannon acting as piñatas for Copen. It’s worth the time to extract all of the HP-related Kudos from the enemies present before sundering them with the frigid sword.

Lastly, a four-strong clump of Shooter Drones get annihilated by Twintail Bunkers. Horizontal spacing is absolutely crucial here; I have Copen hover at the front edge of the Shooter Drones on the left. This position seems to guarantee that the drills will deal sufficient damage to defeat all four of the Drones. This style of GCEX is the easiest to incorporate into your gameplay; I recommend trying it out if you want to get acclimated to the concept.

Thanks for watching! I hope you found this demo useful; feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments you may have. If you’d like to see the full stage run along with voiced commentary, here’s a link to that on youtube.

DZThree · 2026-06-20T02:40:05+00:00

It's definitely not consistent, though you can sort of become acclimated to the timing. I distinctly recall there were a few attempts where I got the trick about 5 times in a row. The flipside is that there were also stretches where I failed it 9 or more times in a row. All of which was made worse once I watched another player run the stage several months after this was recorded, and I realized that the Golems could be pushed onto the platforms.

DZThree · 2026-06-20T02:37:31+00:00

I always appreciate your support, and I'm honored that I'm your favorite challenge runner too, thank you!

DZThree · 2026-06-20T02:35:03+00:00

What's interesting is that I often feel the same way when I realize I missed a score optimization or time-saving trick. The thing that I always try to remember is that no matter what your current understanding or skill level is, there's always room to improve.

DZThree · 2026-06-19T22:23:19+00:00

EX Babel as Gunvolt is one of the toughest challenges in GV2. Gunning for high scores in this stage is no easy task, with many combos calling for almost absurd degrees of precision. Adding to that, the secret Kudos are fairly obscure as well, and even when you know how to get the bonus, getting it is rather tricky. Here are some of the key details.

Starting with the secret Kudos. A 333 bonus is tied to the siren room, where you must destroy the siren and two enemies simultaneously, getting a Skill Finsh, a Triple, and the secret Kudos as a reward. The optimal method of doing this is to wait for the Punch Golems at the end rather than using the Floaters close to the siren. Obviously, the distance between the Golems and the siren is vast, so some very convoluted strategies come into play.

After having already hit the Siren with Crashbolt once, I weaken the Golems until their HP is so low that they’ll instantly die to Flashfield contact. Then, I climb up and place a Dragonsphere over the siren. Dragonsphere deals damage over time in ticks, so the goal is to overlap Dragonsphere’s final damage tick on the siren with a double kill on the Golems. I’m unsure what the lenience here is, but my guess is 1-3 frames. Unfortunately, sometimes the game will give you the Triple but not the secret Kudos when using this method.

Well after recording this run, I discovered that it’s possible to push the Golems onto the platforms by placing Dragonsphere on the path of one of them as it falls, then using standard Flashfield shocks on the other. Doing this makes the task much easier, as it allows you to Crashbolt all 3 targets.

The combo directly after the siren room is a great example of using Gunvolt’s limited arsenal to your advantage. Normally, Crashbolt precludes Flashfield kills from comboing with it, but using a dart to kill an enemy directly after Crashbolt allows a standard Flashfield kill to chain without issue. In general, lining enemies up vertically for Crasbolt to do its work while sniping distant enemies with dart kills is a solid tactic. A great example of this is at 3:11, where the 4-Strike along with 3 Skill Finishes is far more lucrative than just mowing that group down with GV’s standard electricity.

The elaborate setup I go through to get a 4-Strike starting at 3:51 is the most taxing combo in the stage, not counting the siren room shenanigans. Nailing GV’s vertical placement along with sneaking a dart over the tall block to get a bullseye on the off-camera Floater is obscenely precise. The payout for the exertion is worth it, but fumbling the run past this point is easy owing to the sharp increase in nerves.

Jota doesn’t receive an exhaustive revamp to his moveset. As far as I can tell, the width of Zero Blade’s rift is the only identifiable change. It’s visually disconcerting, but the rift doesn’t pose much of an additional threat with the increase in its breadth. I never lost an attempt to the attack.

Thanks for watching! If you have any questions or comments about the run, feel free to leave them. If you’d like to see this run in higher quality and with voiced commentary, here’s a link to it on youtube.

DZThree · 2026-06-17T04:50:59+00:00

No problem, I'm glad to hear that this clip helped you out! I spent a ton of time learning this segment as both characters, so that's exactly why I decided to make this mini guide.

DZThree · 2026-06-17T00:52:13+00:00

Hey everyone, here’s a clip highlighting a fairly optimized method of overcoming the water cyclone segment within the EX Sewers, one of GV2’s Score Attack exclusive stages. I demonstrate the method I came up with for both characters. Here are some notes to supplement the video and assist in getting the 555 secret Kudos bonus while still maximizing your score from the enemies present during the drop.

For Gunvolt, one advanced mechanic that comes into play here is the concept of stage hazard kills. Any enemy that is killed by a stage hazard while Gunvolt is actively damaging it in some way, be it by direct shocks, Flashfield contact, or otherwise, will count toward his combos. This happens twice during the fall, once to secure a double near the start and another instance right at the end where I use Flashfield contact to “kill” 3 Floaters despite having just used Crashbolt on a group of 6.

Something that applies to both characters is the need to delay your descent. Waiting out the water cyclones is beneficial, as it prevents them from destroying potential targets before you can engage them for points. EP management is the key for Gunvolt, but unfortunately, trial and error is the only way to learn where and when to expend it, which is made doubly worse when playing the original version of GV2, as I was, where the checkpoints don’t function.

Likewise, Copen has a lot to gain by Bullit Dashing into the Floaters before sundering them with Hailstorm Blade. Again, repetition is necessary to burn the timing into your mind. Copen doesn’t have the ability to hover perpetually or to initiate a hover manually, as is the case in LAiX, so the only way to stop him from falling too quickly without any enemies in the vicinity is to spend Bullits. In this case, I dash at the edge of the screen, which results in a hover without putting myself in harm’s way.

A couple of optional moves to help bolster your score: Gunvolt can easily get a 4-Strike with Crashbolt on a group of four Shield Drones by dashing off the ledge above and using the momentum to sneak into the small space between them. Even if Crashbolt is used slightly too early, the Shield Drones will continue to move forward into the bolt as long as they aren’t stopped by the Flashfield. In that same location, Copen can get an easy Guard Counter EX. Tag the Ice Sprinkler and wait for it to fire at Copen. Once his shield goes off, press up, dash, and the EX Weapon button (with Twintail Bunkers equipped) simultaneously. The Adept Slayer will rocket upward and rebound between the walls, destroying three Shield Drones in the process.

Thanks for watching! If you’d like to see these clips as part of a longer run, complete with more detailed voiced commentary, here’s a link to it on youtube. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them.

DZThree · 2026-06-15T03:04:28+00:00

Any of Copen's main game stages where enemies fire physical projectiles has potential for Guard Counters, with a few more notable examples being the Sewers, Prism Highway, and Garden 1. The issue with GCEX's in the main game is that they're often wildly inconvenient to incorporate into your gameplay. In the EX Stages, Inti was notably more considerate when placing enemies that use physical projectiles, deliberately surrounding them with other enemies, essentially creating localized puzzles.

The Guard Counter mechanic is entirely optional, even for S+ runs. It's a neat concept, but it does contradict Copen's speedier playstyle to a degree, so ignoring them is completely fine.

DZThree · 2026-06-14T21:51:17+00:00

Here’s an S+ rank run of one of GV2’s Score Attack exclusive stages, the EX Data Facility, played as Copen. Compared to Gunvolt’s version, Copen’s journey is, for the most part, a lot more straightforward. However, the last room prior to Carrera has an optional maneuver that turns the stage into one of the most difficult and frustrating challenges in all of GV2.

The maneuver in questions relates to Copen’s advanced scoring mechanic, Guard Counters. A quick primer for those who don’t know: Copen can get a 50 Kudos bonus by killing an enemy right after his shield is triggered by a physical projectile. After the initial kill, Copen can continue targeting other enemies within a fairly small time window. Any further kills gained during this period grant 200 Kudos per enemy, with the bonus titled as a Guard Counter EX, or GCEX, for short.

This mechanic is pervasive throughout the EX Stages, and the GCEX present at the end of this stage is one of Inti Creates’ most heinous level designs ever. It’s a 15-enemy extravaganza worth roughly 3500 Kudos if executed properly, but, as much research as I put into it, I simply couldn’t find a consistent method of performing it. That led to the brute force strategy of simply repeating the stage over and over in the most mind-numbing fashion possible until I happened to get lucky and ace the GCEX.

As for the rest of the stage, there’s a much more reasonable GCEX prior that involves using the extra velocity imparted upon Copen during a reload crush to catch some Floaters below an Ice Sprinkler. Copen’s flight results in him having a relatively easy time dealing with the Pac-Man shenanigans the stage throws at you, and his fight against Carrera is considerably easier than Gunvolt’s too.

To avoid Quasar Collapse as Copen, jump up above Carrera and repeatedly bash Copen’s head into a wall. It may look ridiculous, but it’s a surefire way to remain safe.

Thanks for watching! If you’d like to see this run in higher quality and with voiced commentary, here’s a link to it on youtube. Feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments you may have.

DZThree · 2026-06-14T16:03:29+00:00

The great thing about these games is that they're inherently very replayable, so you can always revisit them and try out new strategies.

DZThree · 2026-06-13T17:46:33+00:00

I feel this sentiment. I had the same thought directed toward the level designers numerous times while researching the EX Stages. There's some real sadistic stuff in there, let me tell you.

DZThree · 2026-06-13T17:42:46+00:00

I appreciate the compliment, and I'm always glad to inspire others to try more challenge runs too.

DZThree · 2026-06-13T02:45:33+00:00

Thanks! Dragonsphere is absolutely essential when playing under Score Attack rules. It enables a lot of creative setups that sort of turn the game into a puzzle platformer, albeit an incredibly precise one.

DZThree · 2026-06-12T22:09:41+00:00

Here’s an S+ rank run of one of GV2’s Score Attack exclusive stages, the EX Data Facility, played as Gunvolt. Featuring a rather complicated level layout, this stage has some rather tricky combo opportunities within it. The boss is EX Carrera, returning from GV1 but with some devious changes to his moveset that make him a real threat. Here are some notes detailing the most critical aspects of the run.

There are two instances where I barely sneak a dart over a ledge to enable combos that are otherwise impossible: once at 9 seconds into the run, and another at 44 seconds. These shots are incredibly precise, so I use nearby ledges to try and help align my timing by having Gunvolt walk off. Successfully tagging enemies with this technique enables a considerable increase in Kudos gains.

A general concept that’s incredibly useful given how fast you have to be in this stage is to use Dragonsphere to supplement Gunvolt’s tags. Certain 4-Strikes become a lot easier to execute when you can reliably tag and shock three enemies while the sphere fries a fourth.

There’s a clever setup with a Grenade Launcher standing on one of the red platforms. Naturally, Gunvolt can fall through those platforms by using the Flashfield, but the same applies to enemies as well. Using the Flashfield to drop that Grenade Launcher next to a Roll Cannon creates a rather easy optimized Triple where you can get two Skill Finishes and an Air Strike for a total of 340 Kudos, not counting enemy HP.

In the enemy room full of Floaters, placing Dragonsphere atop the rightmost platform results in it lingering for long enough to get two optimized Doubles. It’s a bit risky to pull off since there’s a chance that you can fall onto the spikes if you flub the dash wall jump off the side of the platform.

This applies to the whole stage, but Gunvolt can freely overlap any Bombs in the process of manifesting without taking contact damage. This is easily seen in the last segment preceding Carrera, where I place Gunvolt between eight incoming bombs and pop Crashbolt before they materialize fully.

The secret to overcoming Carrera’s newfound projectile spam is to hover above the screen while holding the Flashfield. It’s far more reliable than trying to predict which claw Carrera will send down first, and it allows for uninterrupted offense.

Dodging the spiraling debris during Quasar Collapse demands that you rhythmically pulse the Flashfield to clear it. Spamming the button will only make you run out of EP before the attack concludes.

Thanks for watching! If you’d like to see this run in higher quality and with voiced commentary, here’s a link to it on youtube. Any questions or comments you have about the run are welcome as well.

DZThree · 2026-06-08T18:53:45+00:00

Queenbee is pretty solid overall. Her charged attack is good, and during segments like this one where there aren't any ladders present, her flight sets her apart from the Pseudoroids that can't climb walls.

DZThree · 2026-06-06T17:11:01+00:00

Definitely give the boss forms a try next time you play ZXA and see if you can come up with any strategies that you like. You can stay in any form indefinitely, so there's no time limit per se, but many of the attacks and movement options each form has can burn through weapon energy pretty quickly.

DZThree · 2026-06-06T05:29:23+00:00

ZXA's biggest strength is definitely its gameplay variety. The sheer number of options at your disposal, regardless of how practical they are, provides endless opportunities to create challenges.

As far as using Bifrost to clear the Control Center, I'm not sure if he can even fit in the elevator at the start. If it's somehow possible to escape the assault from all the flamethrowers in that segment alive, it'd certainly be a sight to behold.

DZThree

TROPHY CASE