Mina the Hollower – How to Beat Blaise’s Races and Claim the Best Trinket

Guide Background

Blaise is the small red ghost who challenges Mina to three races. Each win gives a different reward: bones for the first victory, a keir for the second, and the Bellows Bustle trinket after the third and final race.

The catch is that these races come with strict rules. Fast travel is not allowed during the race, and Mina cannot touch stairs. Every stair set has to be jumped over, avoided, or bypassed with another movement option.

Operation Steps

Step 1: Reach Blaise in Western Osex

To find Blaise for the first race, enter Osex from the western entrance.

Start by heading south from the South Gate, then go west and move up toward the occupied bridge area of the Western Wilds. In this area, burrow to make a small trough that guides lava into the rocks so they break.

After that, continue through the Molten Forge and clear the debris leading to the upper level of Western Osex. Blaise is east of the train station.

His first challenge sends Mina to the Osex Central Fountain, just before the entrance to the Radiant Manor where Lino lives.

Step 2: Win the First Race to the Osex Central Fountain

The first race is the simplest, but the stair rule matters immediately. Jump over every set of stairs, including the ones directly in front of Blaise when the race begins.

The main problem is the large staircase in front of the trinket shop. Mina cannot simply jump down it, and a burrow jump will not clear it either. The easiest solution is to use the Deflector Parasol sidearm.

Holding a Deflector Parasol lets Mina glide a little farther than a normal jump. If you do not already have one, there is one hidden in a candelabra in the Night’s Rest section of Mourner’s Mile, just east of Osex.

Grab the parasol before attempting the leap near the trinket shop. Glide over the staircase, keep watching for the other stairs along the route, then continue up to the Osex Central Fountain to win the first race and earn the bones reward.

Step 3: Find Blaise for the Second Race Near the Occupied Bridge

The second race begins west of Osex, on the way to Septemburg, in the occupied bridge area. Blaise is reached by leaping down from the bridge.

Before starting the race, clear out the enemies in the area. Leaving them alive can slow Mina down once the race begins, which makes the route more annoying than it needs to be.

Step 4: Win the Second Race and Earn the Keir

For the second race, drop down from the south ledge and keep heading south into the area with the small lava pits. Continue east past the Ganon-like enemies until you reach the stair sets.

The stair sequence here needs specific movement:

• Use a burrow jump to clear the first set of stairs.
• Use a regular jump for the next one.
• Use another burrow jump after that.

To make the final burrow jump cleaner, build speed by coming up the stairs from the left before attempting it.

From there, the route matches the first race. Use the Deflector Parasol again to clear the stairs south of the trinket shop, then head north to the Osex Central Fountain. Winning this second race rewards a keir.

Step 5: Prepare for the Third Race on the Way to Bone Beach

The third race is harder and is not available until the route toward Bone Beach.

Before looking for Blaise again, pick up the Brisk Brew trinket from the Osex Trinket Shop if you do not already have it. Its small speed boost helps a lot in this race.

To reach the Bone Beach region, use one of the purple bouncy flowers in the southern part of the Southern Outskirts, south of Osex, to jump up to the ledge. This route takes Mina through the Mining Passage and out into the Sifted Sands.

Before going after Blaise, head up the nearby stairs and open the shortcut back to the Southern Outskirts. This shortcut matters for the race route.

Step 6: Reveal the Route to Blaise in the Sifted Sands

In the southeast corner of the Sifted Sands, use a bomb to reveal the path to Blaise.

Take the bomb from the ledge and rush it over to the small platform with the carts of dynamite. After opening the way, burrow through the small tunnels.

Blaise waits at the top of some stairs near the Bone Beach Train. If the train is unlocked, this also gives a convenient return point if the race goes wrong closer to Osex.

Step 7: Win the Third Race and Get the Bellows Bustle

Start the third race and head north, following the tunnels back toward the shortcut to the Southern Outskirts.

At the rope, climb it to avoid the stairs. This keeps the run legal without losing too much time.

The next area with the floating purple bouncy flowers is the hardest part of the race. Aim to land this section on the first attempt, because mistakes here cost a lot of time.

After clearing that section, look for the ledge to the north near the shortcut that leads down to the moon-tanning guy. Blaise continues north, but do not follow him. Instead, jump over the stairs to the west into the Southern Outskirts, then continue onward toward the Osex front gate.

With the speed-boosting brew trinket equipped, Mina should have enough pace to beat Blaise while running up through Osex. Keep avoiding every staircase on the way.

Winning the final race rewards the Bellows Bustle. This trinket gives Mina an air maneuver, and when combined with Burrow Jump, it lets her clear many difficult leaps while also giving much better control in platforming sections.

Important Items

Deflector Parasol

The Deflector Parasol is the simplest way to handle the large staircase south of the trinket shop during the first and second races. Holding it lets Mina glide farther than a normal jump.

One can be found hidden in a candelabra in the Night’s Rest area of Mourner’s Mile, east of Osex.

Brisk Brew

Brisk Brew is sold in the Osex Trinket Shop. Its small speed boost is especially useful for the third Blaise race, where the route is longer and the purple bouncy flower section leaves less room for error.

Bellows Bustle

Bellows Bustle is the reward for beating Blaise’s third race. It gives Mina an air maneuver and pairs very well with Burrow Jump, making difficult leaps and platforming sections much easier to handle.

Summary

Blaise’s races are less about raw speed and more about knowing the legal route. Avoid every staircase, use the Deflector Parasol for the awkward trinket shop jump, clear enemies before the second race, open the Southern Outskirts shortcut before the third, and equip Brisk Brew before the final run. The payoff is Bellows Bustle, one of the strongest movement trinkets in Mina the Hollower.