Plan a first clear or all 96 exits.
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96 exits
The 96 counted exits comprise 72 ordinary exits and 24 secret exits. Check the ordinary goals in Star World and the 
Forest Ghost House loop even when they open no new route.
Beginner route
Follow the ordinary paths through Iggy, Morton and Lemmy. From Twin Bridges reach Ludwig, then use Forest of Illusion 3’s secret exit to reach Roy. Continue through Chocolate Island and the 
Sunken Ghost Ship to the Valley. The ordinary 
Valley of Bowser 4 exit opens Larry and the 
Front Door; the 
Valley of Bowser 2 secret route and 
Valley Fortress open the shorter 
Back Door. Activate accessible Switch Palaces and use 
Top Secret Area to restock.
Speedrun practice
A short Star Road practice route goes through 
Yoshi’s Island 2, 3 and 4 and Iggy’s Castle, then takes the secret exits of 
Donut Plains 1, 
Donut Secret 1 and 
Donut Secret House. The last opens 
Star World 1. Take the secret exits in Star Worlds 1 through 4, use the Valley connection to the Front Door, and defeat 
Bowser. A cape makes several segments easier; practice each exit and the final fight separately. Rules and precise routes depend on category and version.
Versions
The GBA remake has a Select-button exit checklist and tracks five Dragon Coins per eligible course. Its separate all-coins reward changes Dragon Coins to Princess Coins; clearing all 96 exits triggers the autumn palette. In SNES, clearing Special Zone triggers that palette.
Bowser
For the Front Door, choose one of doors 1–4 and one of doors 5–8; door 2 uses fences and door 5 has falling pillars. The Back Door skips these rooms. In the boss fight, stomp and throw Mechakoopas upward into Bowser twice per phase. Avoid falling fire between phases; Peach provides a mushroom. In later phases dodge the heavy balls and bouncing clown car before throwing again.