Setup Overview

Before diving right into meta it's important to outline the differences in versions and how mutation sets are obtained.

The best option to play is on Steam on Update 100 or NTT v100, which are the latest versions that includes far less lag in later loops and many bugfixes.
All content changes can be found on the versions page, notably including updated key rebindings.
Important bugfixes to meta includes SPC damage and chain explosions which are explained on the next meta page for Survival.

Update 100 also tweaks some character mechanics making them more forgiving to play in deeploop.

• Rogue's Blast Armor & SBA Ultra will no longer trigger IDPD grenades.
• Horror's Stalker will no longer trigger IDPD grenades.
• Skeleton's Blood Gamble will no longer consume rads on ultra weapons, such as Ultra Crossbow.
• Chicken's weapon being erased if it is thrown when a portal opens will no longer happen.
• Plant's TB will cause enemies to die at 33.33% or below, raised from 33%.

Be aware that fresh builds may have game-breaking bugs, which are reported through the NT Discord or the Steam forums.

All other consoles/PC versions of the game are pre-u100 and do not yet have these new fixes/mechanics. Xbox version is on a later u99r2 build which includes some new changes.

The other part of setup is considering which method will be used to obtain a mutation set:

Method 1: Grillskills
This NTT mod completely removes mutation RNG and is allowed on most leaderboards. It became popular during 2021 and is the preferred mode of play to most meta players now.

Method 2: Daily Sheet
Daily runs are seeded, meaning that mutation information from other players can be used to find the best set available. Some set mechanics are particularly advanced/convoluted, so be warned.

Method 3: Setgrinding
Historically players would repeatedly grind out a mutation set to see if they have a viable set, restarting the run if not. Many really old records use this method, but this fell out of popularity as it is very time consuming.

Custom Mode is a new feature in update 100 that can also remove mutation RNG to a certain extent among other game modifiers. As it is a new feature, how it fits into the meta community will take time to figure out.

Tools

A list of record sheets that are actively updated can be found here. Most sheets have different rulesets.

For video evidence any recording software works, OBS is the go-to choice here. Even if a run is not worth publicly posting, it can be used to review deaths and learn from mistakes.

NTT can be used for more than just runs as there are mods for testing. The debug mod is great for going to specific areas and spawning in enemies/bosses. There is also a practice mod available in the NT Discord to start on Loop 6 with ultra.

Record eligible runs for NTT v9940 will require explofix mod as explosions are broken on this version. Download is only available through the NT Discord currently.

Record eligible runs for NTT v9944 will require vanfix mod as Van collisions are bugged on this version.