In Super Mario 3D World, finishing the ultimate hardest and the final level, Champion's Road, can't be avoided if players are looking for 100 percent completion of the game. However, with the right guidance, a lot of patience, and practice, it is manageable, and within a few hours, Champion's Road can be scratched off your "to-do" list.
It's important to catch the momentum of the level and seize the ideal opportunity to run ahead, despite the obstacles, which sounds quite easy, but in reality, it can be a real nightmare. Requirements for completing Champion's Road are to get familiar with short hops (tap on A/B), long jumps (while running press ZL), wall jumps (jump in mid-air near any wall and press B), ground pounds (while in mid-air, press ZL) and spin jumps (while spinning press B).
Warm-Up
Make sure to enter the first couple of playthroughs without frustration or attempts to succeed and try to memorize as many of the tricky obstacles as possible.
Don's stress if you end up dying over and over again, it is all part of the learning experience, just focus on using the right movement in a "sticky situation." Take as much time as needed to practice and warm up.
Stock Up On Extra Lives
Use the "infinite" lives hack for practicing. In World 1-2 Koopa Troopa Cave, get Koopa's shell and aim it at the purple wall, let go of it and jump back to get tons of extra lives.
If the gathered amount somehow isn't enough, players are allowed to come back as many times as they want and repeat the same trick and stock up on endless lives.
The Ideal Setup
One option is to use Rosalina with the Tanooki Suit and without any power-up. The Tanooki Suit prevents enemies from doing any damage if used at the right time. The tail can hit obstacles and makes Rosalina float, so for example, if players are found in a situation where depth and perspective have betrayed them yet again, using the Suit can help her float back onto the platform.
The second recommendation is to get the Cat Suit. It lets Rosalia take more damage without dying, which can be quite useful at the very end of the run when all intensifies.
Keep Running
While most of the level is just running, be sure to adjust to this pace and only stop when trying to find that millisecond of relief. After that, continue to run and use the Cat Suit or the Tanooki to prevent damage or float back onto the intended spot.
It's important to stay focused and keep up with the pace, because once you lose concentration and patience, it's more likely to get your character killed, and then it's back to the start all over again.
The Beep Boxes
This might be the hardest part of the level, therefore, focus on the timing and be sure to jump a little before the boxes appear. That way it's secured that the boxes will be there once Rosalina makes the jump. The first part is very straightforward, simply jump on the boxes.
In the second part, try jumping onto the wireframe to ensure that the boxes will appear beneath. After that, two spins will bring Rosalina to the pipe.
The Piranha Plants
Good timing is crucial in this section of the world. By holding the jump while in the air, and holding it again once jumping left to right on the piranha plants, players can climb to the top.
Jump on the piranha plant and move left to right, rather than holding the button for running, since that won't accomplish the same trick.
The Spike Blocks
Keep it steady and really learn the path all the way through. The only way to get through the spinning spike blocks is to know the route and how blocks move. Be careful once reaching the end and wait for the water to move to the right, don't swim too low or too high.
Once the spinning spike block moves to the right, use that chance and swim to the top left and down into the pipe without taking any damage.
The Lasers
Collect all five keys by going in a circle to every corner. With the benefit of the Cat Suit, Rosalina can take a few hits and still survive the damage. It's useful to save up on lives up to this point because it can become chaotic with all the lasers cutting the way.
Players should be able to make it to the final block using long or short jumps, depending on how many laser lights are coming their way, and with that, the Champion's Road is completed.
Don't Give Up!
Keep in mind that practice makes perfect and Champion's Road is one of the hardest if not the hardest level to beat in Super Mario 3D World. Focus on getting good at using the momentum to your advantage and the effort will eventually pay off.
Don't forget to take breaks every once in a while and regroup all you have learned, since there are tons of obstacles and enemies that need to be memorized in order to avoid them and save lives for dealing with the lasers at the end.