Fall Guys' Infallible achievement is undoubtedly the most challenging to unlock. Winning five matches in a row is a steep task in any battle royale, particularly one as chaotic and unpredictable as Mediatonic's new hit. While there were a few moments where I audibly gasped and squeaked as xQc battled his way to his fifth consecutive win, his recent achievement was by no means just 'lucky'.
Many of Fall Guys' levels are a boisterous bundle as players bowl over one another to race to the end, clumsily complete a team task, or simply survive long enough to make it to the next round. While getting prematurely knocked off a platform feels like an unlucky mishap, there are a few levels that are actually skill-based. Some players have already discovered the most optimal routes through these maps to maximise their chances of qualifying first.
Whether it's expertly cutting corners, or perfectly timing a collision with one of the level's obstacles, these exploits can propel you to the finish line in record times, providing you nail the technique. There's little room for error, and one poorly-timed jump can send you spiralling over the edge. I mean, it serves you right for trying your luck, but if you're curious as to how to up your game, here are a few levels you can work on.
Beating the crowd in Slime Climb
Getting bumped off Slime Climb's narrow course is one of the more infuriating ways to lose in Fall Guys. I personally struggle to balance across those yellow beams towards the end of the level as it's so easy to bounce straight off them if you happen to so much as brush shoulders with another player.
As skilled streamer boxbox shows us, there's a knack to tearing through its treacherous incline. In fact, the best route isn't even that difficult to find, once you have a good feel for your character's movement options. The level's zig-zag ramps make it easy to cut corners, and there are several walls that are low enough to jump onto the next level.
Now the real challenge is getting ahead of the crowd of jelly beans that are all trying to take the same 'quick' route. In this clip you can see at least eight others attempt to take a similar shortcut to boxbox. While their positioning and jumps are roughly on point, they manage to slow each other down by forcing their way through. Even if you're able to perform every jump perfectly, your diligence may not pay off as others are now wise to this technique, too.
Obstacles become aids on The Whirlygig
The Whirlygig map features a set of spinning beams and turbines that have players jumping, or more likely, tripping their way to the end. But as Distortion2 demonstrates, there's a way you can let the level do most of the heavy lifting.
Similar to how you'd set up a smoke in CS:GO, standing in a specific spot on the first hazard sees the pink arm launch your bean across the first section of the level. It's then a case of patiently diving through the turbines, before hitting the final spinning arm at the right time to propel to the finishing line. This strategy was likely born from being accidentally swept across a portion of the level, but many streamers have now mastered the technique to secure their spot in the next round with time to spare.
Griefers just want to keep you down, especially in team-based levels
There are jerks in every online game but Fall Guys' trolls are a special strain of evil. You know the ones I'm talking about. The jokers that race to the end of a level, high on the thought of hanging out around the finish line to grab or block other players. Sometimes they'll even wait until there's one spot left to qualify, just to snag the opportunity away from an approaching bean.
Targeting a specific team is widely accepted in rounds like Egg Scramble and Rock 'N' Roll, though. While the Fall Guys Twitter account loves ripping on the yellow team, any side can fall victim to the other teams ganging up on them. It's commonplace to pick on the team that's already falling behind, just to ensure there's no way they can pose a threat to your team qualifying. It's a bit mean, but that's just how it works.
YoooooAlex just said he would delete the yellow team if we can get 1 million retweets1 RT = 1 Millioneth of a delete pic.twitter.com/3D9YqdPi3RAugust 18, 2020
A balancing act of chaos and skill
As a result of the above strategies, the community is already debating how far this negatively impacts the game. To some extent, it was an intentional decision from the developer. In an interview with MinnMaxShow, senior designer Joe Walsh outlines that the maps that made the cut were "about 50:50 chaos and skill". While Walsh was surprised to see these tight strategies emerge as quickly as they have, he mentions that "the best version of Fall Guys is a game that has a way to play it for everybody". Going on to say that the team is "looking into ways that we can give those more competitive players something to compete over, without necessarily ruining the experience for people who do enjoy team games and stuff like that".
Coming back to xQc, he's a professional former OWL player that's already streamed over 60 hours of Fall Guys, and he just bagged the Infallible achievement this week. While the skill-based levels are clearly worth practicing if you're serious about racking up wins, they don't automatically seal your victory, either.
As a player that loves playing competitive battle royales, I'm still mostly happy with Fall Guys' maps. I appreciate that there are some levels where I'm rewarded for my skills, but it's the silly moments when I'm playing with friends that I have the most fun. It's nice to play a battle royale that's more casual, and while I'm guilty of whining when I spawn on the back row on the SeeSaw level, I'm always up for bumping my way through Fall Guys' maps.
- Fall Guys patch notes: Latest update info
