To start a Blindfolded run you need to have a precise picture of every area including map layouts, guards' pathing, ammunition spawns etc. While playing you have to constantly keep track of your position and you can do that using buffers of any kind, but most of all the main tool is flatting on the walls and knocking on them because they do distinctive sounds. If you get lost, improvise based on the situation and develop your own backup strategies. If you can't really understand what is going on or where you are, suicide and restart from the checkpoint. If you are afraid of softlocking, make a save and softreset if needed.
I'm going to assume you already know the layout of the levels, so I'm not gonna explain anything that is not essential towards the end of each area or I would need to make a gigantic wall of text and nobody really wants to read that. The movements indicated for each area are built up for consistency, therefore can be easily changed towards speed or personal preference.
Knowing how to equip items and weapons is essential, so memorize the rules and remember them at all times.
Weapons will be always in this order: Socom, Famas, Granades, Nikita, Stinger, Claymores, C4, Stuns, Chaffs, PSG1.
You should also always remember that if you have a weapon equipped there will always be an empty slot below it. If you are unsure about your current weapon, remember that you can use the Socom as a test by trying to equip it and aim.
Item menus are pretty strange and the empty slots can change position depending on what you equipped before. Always remember that the card will always be 1 slot below if you don't have it equipped and that the last item equipped (besides the card) will always be 1 slot above the card.
If you need to equip Rations but you're not sure where they are you can cicle all the items and press Circle on each one, the Ration (besides the Ketchup) is the only consumable in the game and will always make a very unique sound, but if you lack even a tiny amount of health you will use it so be careful. You can also tell if you have a Box equipped or not if you can move but cannot use any weapon.
There are a lot of unexpected corners that can trap you in a blindfolded run, be sure to practice them a lot because you probably never noticed them before by playing the game normally.
KEY WORDS:
“PPK” = Punch Punch Kick
“X until Y” = Do a specific action/movement until a precise sound plays or object is reached.
“X into Y” = Start doing a specific action/movement and quickly change to the second one. Usually used for corners.
“Semi-run animation” = Animation where Snake starts running, but stops right afterwards. Happens only in very small corners, usually door ones.
Left until wall, Up until wall, Crawl while holding up, Mash X until stand up, PPK buffer, Up for 1 second, Right until wall, Tap Up, Up until puddle noise (the guard on the right should be investigating it), Left/down-left until wall (if you flat too early you are in the wrong wall), Up until wall, Flat on it and push up-left until corner, 6 single punches facing down, Reposition right, Wait for yawn, Right until wall (if the yawn comes too late it means you lured out the wrong guard before), Wait until the guard on the right gets away, Up until wall (use soundtrack as audio cue to start moving up, as long you don't get discovered and don't lure the guard on the left side you're fine), Tap left, 10 single punches facing left, Check if you are in the right position by flatting on the walls above and below you, Tap left and wait for the elevator to touch the ground, Left into Up-left until elevator.
Mash the first and second codec sequences with X, use the background wind noises and the sound the codec does when changing interlocutor to understand when the third codec sequence is playing. At that point finish mashing that one with the O button, so you don't skip it immediately and end up crouching. When you hear footsteps, skip the cutscene and get ready to move.
As soon you skip the cutscene: Up-right into Up for 3s (9 steps), wait for 4s, Up-left for 4s (10 steps), Up until cutscene, skip cutscene and then Up until “!” sound, crouch while holding Up.
Up for 4s, Turn Right for 1,5s, Up until codec, Mash it out, Up through water, Up until rats don't make any more alert sounds, Turn left for 1,5s, Up until rats don't make any more alert sounds, Turn left for 1,5s, Mash X while getting out the vent, Up-right until wall, Left until wall, Up-right into Up until wall, Left until wall, 2 steps down (0,5s), 4 steps left (1s), Up until wall, Right until wall, Tap Up and call elevator, Up-left until semi-run animation/wall, Down until panel, B1 Floor.
Down until wall, Right until wall, Up for 1s, 0 button.
Up for 1s, turn left for 1,5s, Up until you feel safe enough to be on the corner (30s are more than enough), Turn left for 1,5s, Up until codec sound cue, so mash O button until cutscene, skip everything, take Ration under the bed if needed, L2 + 1 tap down (Ration), Down until cutscene.
After the alert sirens: Left into Down-left until Socom + ammo pickup, R2 + 1 tap Down or Up, Aim Up and shoot until reload, Left until wall, Shoot down the second wave, Grab dropped Socom ammo by going right for 0,5s and Up until corner, Shoot down next wave, Grab dropped Socom ammo by going down for 0,5s and Left until wall, Repeat the process until the end of the fight, Use Ration, L2 + Tap Up (Keycard).
Skip both cutscene and codec call, Up until panel and call elevator, Up-left until semi-run animation, Down until panel, B2 Floor.
Down until wall, 4 steps Left (1s), 8 steps Down (2s), 4 steps Right (1s), Up until door and then wall, Left until wall and Right until wall (double C4 pickup), Down until wall (door opening sound should trigger), Left into Down until wall, Up-left for about 3s, Up until wall, 2 steps Left, Up until wall and knock on it to check if it's fake, R2 + 1 Tap Down (C4), Plant C4, Up-right until semi-run animation (Stun pickup), Left until wall (Chaff pickup), Right until wall, Down until wall, Left into Down-left for about 3s, Down-right to allineate with the wall, Down until wall, Up-right until corner, Left into Up (double Nade pickup), Down until door and then wall, Right until wall, Up into right into Down until Door sound, Up until wall, Right into Up-left until wall, Right until wall (double Socom ammo pickup), Left until wall, Down until wall, Right into Down until wall, Left until Wall and Door sound, Up into left until wall, Down until wall, Place C4, Right for about 2s, Detonate, Left into Down-left until loading zone.
5s Down, Right until wall, Check it by knocking on it (if you have the C4, you have to unequip it), Left until wall, Detonate, 5s Right, Up until wall, Check it by knocking on it, Right until wall, Equip the Socom (2 slots up) and Rations (1 slot up), Up-Left until loading zone.
OCELOT: Stand still for the entire fight, Aim with the Socom and wait until he shoots you, then fire once you hear his bullet connecting to the wall behind you. Keep doing it until he's finished.
Equip the Chaffs (1 slot down), Tap down, hold Down until wall, Up into Left until wall, Right into Up until loading zone. Up until wall (ajdust with a single tap on the right), 1s Down-Right, 1s Right, Up-Right until wall, Left into Up (use elevator), Up-Left until Semi-Run Animation, Down until panel, 2 slots down.
5 steps Down, Right until door (Equip the Card to open it, 1 slot down), 2 steps Right, Down until wall, Right until wall, 2 tap Up (Suppressor Pickup), Left until Door, 4 steps Left, 4 steps down, Right until wall, Up until wall, 3 steps down, crouch and move Right (if the music changes, you're positioned good), get out by holding Down until music changes, get up, Flat on the wall on the Right, crouch and lay down to the Left, hold right for half a second then perform a vent glitch (Go in FPV, hold Up and press X after releasing the FPV), if you can move to the right, you got the glitch (if you can't, set up the whole positioning again). Up-Right until you hear the guard sleeping, Up-Left until loading zone.
Left until wall, Up until loading zone.
(Video Required)
Equip Chaffs, Up until wall, Crawl Up, Mash the codec, Left until wall, Up-Left until wall (Silence footsteps by mashing R1), Down-Left until Nade pickup (should also get the Chaff pickup while doing it), Up until wall, Right-Up until wall, Left into Up (use elevator), Up-Left until Semi-Run Animation, Down until panel, B1 (1 slot down).
Down until door sound, Up-Right until wall, Tap Down, 6 steps Down, Equip Socom and kill the guard, Right until Nikita pickup (2 steps), Up until wall, Right and Left until double ammo pickup, Down until wall, Left until wall, Up until wall, Left into Up until wall, Right into Up into Circle (Elevator call).
Down until wall, Down-Left until loading zone, skip cutscene and mash codec, Equip Nikita,
To be Continued.
Right until wall, Up-Left until loading zone, Up until cutscene, skip cutscene, Up-Left until cutscene.