Iron Blight Red Express: Under 2 Hours

Red Express requires completing Iron Blight in under two hours according to the Steam community walkthrough. Build the attempt around progression tools and puzzle solutions, and skip collection detours such as the MP5. A separate Patch 1.05 player route reports using a Chapter 2 start on low difficulty; choose your start method before practicing, because that older shortcut has not been reproduced here on the October 17 build.

Choose the run you want to practice

For a first timed attempt, pursue Red Express alone. Adding Ironman turns one combat mistake into a more expensive setback. Alma's combined-run guide is useful route evidence, but its suggestion to delete the save directory is not needed to learn this route. Keep existing progress and verify the selected settings when beginning a new attempt.

Mandatory route checklist

The apartment guide, factory walkthrough and boat repair guide give the detailed checks. Learn their door and pickup transitions before starting the clock.

Cut backtracking before trying to run faster

• Carry the next route tool. Check the objective and inventory together before leaving an area. A forgotten key can cost more time than several careful fights.
• Commit to a small working loadout. Pick up ammunition for it on the route; skip optional guns and attachments that would require a separate return trip.
• Skip the MP5 collection detour. Save Soviet Steel and weapon collection for another run.
• Fight enemies that control the route. A fast pursuer or blocked doorway can make bypassing combat slower than dealing with the threat in a clear area. Avoid repeated shots at enemies you can safely leave behind.
• Check the Blowtorch before the next transition. This short pickup check prevents a much longer recovery problem.

Track time without guessing how the game counts pauses

Use an external stopwatch from your chosen start to the campaign ending, including menus and loads. This is a conservative practice measure, not a claim about Iron Blight's internal achievement timer. If the whole attempt stays below two hours, you do not need to assume pausing or reloading removes time.

During rehearsal, write down your elapsed time at the apartment exit, factory exit and Police Station exit. Calculate 120 minutes minus elapsed time at each point. Compare the remaining budget with how long the remaining sections took in your practice run. This makes a missed key or prolonged fight visible before the ending, without inventing universal split times for every player.

Changes that matter after October 17

Prasnova's accidental quick save/load was removed, so a Patch 1.05 route's saving habits may no longer apply. The Epilogue log escape was also closed: finish by the intended route rather than practicing an out-of-bounds shortcut. Check the current update notes and use the save options actually offered by your chosen mode.

If the run finishes below your external two-hour target without unlocking, preserve the result and record the start chapter, difficulty, modifiers and installed build. Use the achievement troubleshooting checklist to distinguish timing, eligibility and an award failure before repeating the same setup.

Requirement and route sources

Reviewed October 19, 2026. The under-two-hour requirement is community-documented; Steam's public list keeps Red Express hidden. Alma's route was updated October 11 and identifies Patch 1.05 as its baseline. This wiki has not performed a current-build Red Express unlock. The route checkpoints, detour choices and practice timing method above are an editorial plan built from the linked route evidence, not a claimed speedrun record.