The 'proving FF13 fanboys are full of crap' challenge!

[Tea]

last third of the game being completely non-linear,

Safe the first and last dungeon of this segment, it's completely optional! Just like FF6, come to think of it. That's why it's really enjoyable, it's adventure time! With good rewards, too. Only real guide-dang-it in FFV is Genji armour, and maybe Brave Blade/Chicken Knife.

[DaveSW]

As for items, I am not using any, ever.
Only inns and the like.  And running is allowed.

I don't see how the second half of disc one in FF9 will be doable...

As for FF13, the game isn't hard.  Hard implies that skill would make the game easier.  This is not the case with 13.  Many battles are random, and others are rigged against you.  The amount of choices you have in 13 are extremely limited, and picking the arbitrarily determined 'wrong answer' often leads to instant death.  Some battles, like the last boss, involve enemies spamming death spells.  There is no immunity to death in FF13, so no matter how strong you are, or how well you are doing, the last boss can just instantly cause a game over.  That is not challenging, it is random.  Otherwise, the last boss is so easy, (spam poison) that my son, before he turned 1, was able to win the battle.  All he did was slap the controller...

[Dokurider]

There is no immunity to death in FF13

Actually, there is a way to become immune to instant death, but it's still complete bullshit thanks to losing when your leader dies (something that was never in any previous FF) and you're still right on the money on all accounts. I didn't even need to be in the room in order to win until I got to Gran Pulse, and that's because I refused to grind and do missions and went straight on through it. FF13 is the board game of FFs; Linear, pretty to look at, and no skill required.

[DaveSW]

The best death protection item in FF13 grants around 60% resistance to death... Does stacking them increase it to 100%?

[Dokurider]

Does it only go up to 60%? I just had it to like 40% or something because I didn't want to grind.

[DaveSW]

Yeah, all status res. items in FF13 cap at around 60%.  I had one on Lighting during my first play through, and still was one-shotted 15 times in row against the last boss.  Bad luck.  Asher crawls over the controller and starts smacking it.  A few minutes later, viola, last boss dead.  All that was left was the gimme fight at the end.

[Dokurider]

Then I stand corrected.

I was right all along when I was playing this game. You may as well not even bother upgrading the damn things when it comes to statuses.

[Celdia]

While I'm amused by the prospect of this challenge...why are we trying to prove the fanboys right by beating those games using only Cure and Fight? Just curious what the motivation there is other than "Hey! A challenge!"

On that note, I'm going to attempt FF1. ^_^ I would feel things are somehow amiss if I didn't at least give it a go.

[Celdia]

I just spent the better part of 4 hours doing this run. I didn't make any video for it or anything because most of it was me badly blazing through fights or just running away mixed in with occasional grinding in the first hour. Inside the spoiler below is a general account of my thoughts while playing and a rough description of the order of events I did. Sad to say, FF1 definitely fits into the Fight and Cure Only category with ease. I even did it without using any consumable items. Just the Fight command, Cure spells (all out of battle when I finally did resort to using them) and Inns. If you're interested in more detail than that, then by all means, read on.

spoiler: Giant Wall of Text

Alright, so...I hope no one calls foul on me with this but since I decided to abuse the 'Enemies run from high level characters' aspect of the game, I started off the game using the Level Up After Every Battle GG code just to get up to level 49. I figured I'd see if I ever got enough EXP to make 50 before the end of the game though I highly doubt it.

The plus side of this is obvious: Everything runs away which means I have to fight very little.
The down side of this I didn't account for at the start: If you don't kill shit, you have no money to buy those ever useful Cure spells.

My team consists of one Black Belt and three White Mages which I intend to upgrade to a Master and White Wizard just for shits and giggles. I will make this a "Fight Command and Cure Spell Only" run. No consumable items of any kind will be used. No save states will be used and no other luck manipulation will be applied after my party is up to level 49. Since I intend to do this pretty much over the course of the day, I'll probably just make this one post detailing anything I think is noteworthy during my playthrough.

Started out just grinding up some levels real quick. Bought my WMs each Cure with the starting G and Iron Hammers and Cloth Armor because it felt wrong sending them out in the world naked. Fuck the BB though. He won't see any equipment until I get  Ribbon and then only maybe.

I was probably level 15+ when I finally decided to go crush Garland. That was fun but not very satisfying. Hooray for a bridge and a LUTE.

The pirates in Provoka took a little longer (because I'm running this with massive frameskip but I'm not bothering to spread out my attacks any.) 9 rounds of combat later and I've got a SHIP.

Get to Elfland and realize for the first time my error in overleveling as a tactic here. Time for a quick stop at the Peninsula of Power for monsters that give some decent G before they all run away. A few battles later and I've got everyone at level 49 (except one WM that died in my last fight before I turned off the GG code - so one is at 48. Not a big deal, really.) as well as having enough G for CUR2's around the team. Time for the Marsh Cave!

Marsh Cave was the apogee of hilarity. I had originally expected it to be a problem with paralyzing and poisoning enemies everywhere but since they all run away (frequently before I can even act) it was smooth sailing. The Wizards guarding the CROWN all ran away before I could kill them as well. Took some time to loot the place so I could get my WMs some Silver Bracelets in the near future.

Astos took one hit to kill. Something like 1800+ damage. CRYSTAL is mine so its time to cash in on my fetch quests. After a little bit of running around, Nerrick has his TNT, I have a canal to sail through and the real game can begin.

I sell off my excess goods in Melmond, purchase a couple of Silver Bracelets for my WMs (A quick pit stop back in the Marsh Cave got me my first one for free - gotta conserve that G) and I'm good to go. The Earth Cave and a very arrogant Vampire await! I grab some CUR3 spells for my mages (have I mentioned that I'm yet to actually CAST one of these spells? Because I haven't needed to yet.)

1800+ damage in one attack later and I've got myself a delectable RUBY treat for my friend the Titan. A hop, skip and a jump past the tunnel to Sarda's cave and I'm back on track to light the first orb!

Lich put up about as much resistance as the Vampire. I'll note that I did give him a round where I did nothing to see if he would run away from me but he decided to at least go down kicking...or rather ICE2-ing. 1480 damage from my BB later and the first orb is lit!

Sailing off to Crescent Lake, I collect my ever-important canoe from Lukahn and his circle of old fogies and skip over the Volcano and head straight for the Ice Cave and the super-important FLOATER. Again, where I had originally felt apprehension I now expected a bit of ease ahead of me since everyone and everything runs away...

...everything except for the third group of Sorcerers I encountered. Two ran, one of them took a cheap shot at one of my White Mages and one-shotted her with his special ability to do that on a basic attack. Kinda sucks but since I still haven't needed to cast a single Cure spell and I had two more WMs in reserve, I pressed onward. The monster guarding the FLOATER didn't run but of course it didn't put up any real resistance either. AIRSHIP here I come!

One flying speed machine later and I head to Gaia to pick up Prorings for my White Mages. I don't want another incedent like the Ice Cave setting me back. Sadly my limited funds mean those CUR4 spells will have to wait a while. I decide to take the time here to take on the Castle of Ordeals. This will sadly be the last time I use my SHIP. You served me well old girl, but after this last run its time to head to drydock.

I do get into a battle outside of the Castle and it seems I could have just taken the AIRSHIP here and gone overland since monsters are still running away from me. Regardless, its certainly faster to just take the boat since I only hit one battle on the ocean.

Rule of thumb in the Castle: To proceed, always choose the Southernmost teleport pillar. Also, I have never picked up the Zeus Gauntlet with the sole intent to SELL it. God this is a weird playthrough. Same for the Heal Staff. Didn't get to find out if the Nightmares on the spiked tile would run away because I killed them too fast for them to try. Found out Medusas don't like to run away. Thankfully no one get petrified. Mostly faced a lot of Sorcerers, many more than I'm used to seeing here. Did about 20 fights with the Zombie Dragon(s) at the end of the Castle and they never ran away. I thought about using a Cure spell here but with 350+ HP on my most damaged unit I decided why spoil a perfect record. Got a Gold Bracelet here as a free upgrade for a Silver. That was a nice bonus. One stinky rat's TAIL later and I'm on my way to draconic advancement. Oh Bahaaaamuuuut~!

Ran into a couple monsters while looting the Cardia Islands. Manticores run, Saurias do not. Since the latter have the GLANCE attack which I believe can petrify, they will be something to look out for later. A quick chat with Bahamut and my Black Belt, now Master, looks a lot more like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Look out Kary, the Terminator is coming for you!

Volcano Time! Oh wait...forgot to hit the Inn...loot the 2nd floor time! Back to town and selling off some stuff, now I've got enough for those CUR4 spells I won't cast. Actually, I may in here. Between lava and R. Hydras burning my team for 50 damage each per round.

I did take the time to loot the next-to-bottom floor completely but I only grabbed the Flame Armor on the very bottom floor. One of my White Wizards was down to about 300 HP from lava and random attacks that happened and I figured I'd see how long I could manage the no spellcasting for. Kary takes 1959 damage and drops like a red hot stone. Two orbs lit. Onrac here we come.

Gah! I forgot that fairy BOTTLE cost 50,000 G. There goes most of my savings again. Looks like the other Gold Bracelets are going to have to wait. At least there's the freebie Opal Bracelet in the Sea Shrine. One quick trip to Gaia for some OXYALE and I'm headed for Kraken's lair.

Wait, I lied. Stopped at the Waterfall to get the CUBE and a Ribbon. For the record, Nightmares don't run away. Neither do Wizard Mummies. Now to decide if status immunity is worth losing 48 points of Absorb...

So this was a humbling start. Got into a battle with four Ghosts and tried to just turbo A-button my way through them like everything else. Ghosts don't like to run and my Master has no Absorb rating with that Ribbon equipped. Diagnosis: Near total party wipe. Also it doesn't appear that I can run from them. I may just take off that Ribbon until I run into enemies that are killing my Master with OHKO moves or petrify status.

...took the Ribbon off, so no difference when fighting Ghosts. Looks like I'll have to finally start casting spells here. Oh well. It was a good run.

Hello mermaids. Hello Opal Bracelet. Hello SLAB. Time to head to the bottom. Found out that Lobsters don't run and they come in packs of 7. Annoying but manageable. Since enemies aren't running from me anymore I've found myself with funds in excess of 200,000 G and an inventory full of Opal armor that I'll be selling. I guess I can stop looting now.

1643 damage to Kraken and the Orb of Water is restored. Time to play fetch-quest delivery one last time to learn Lefeinish, get the CHIME and go knocking on heaven's door. Sky Temple, here we come.

Grabbed one last Gold Bracelet for my last White Wizard before heading over to Lefein. Quick list of Things About This Run That Feel Particularly Strange: Walking out of dungeons instead of using EXIT, not buying LIF2 or NUKE, selling all the gear I would normally hold onto for the entire game to use in battle.

Grabbed Thor's Hammer just because its equippable and I realized my WW in the last position still have an Iron Hammer equipped. I may go find her a Silver Hammer just for the sake of not having a first-shop weapon equipped. Then again, that would take effort. Mirage Tower is full of enemies that won't run away but I did finally see a Wizard Mummy run.

Got poisoned in the Sky Temple. Since I'm trying for no items and since staying at the Inn doesn't fix bad status in FF1, that's a potential reset since I don't want to be wasting time and effort casting Cure on a WW for the rest of the game. Maybe I'll let her die and just revive her later to clear the status. I went out of my way to get the White Shirt and then remembered its no better than a Gold Bracelet (1% of Evade worse actually). So sad not having Use items. Another thing to the weird list: Not getting ADAMANT or the Xcalber. Got a 2nd Ribbon for another White Wizard. One more and I can stop worrying about Poison on them. I did snag a Procape because the Absorb/Evade trade off is a decent one.

Whew. I got across the bridge without running into WarMECH. I don't know that thing would have been worth the effort of fighting and I'm rather glad I didn't have to find out. Tiamat is another one hit wonder. 1407 damage from a single attack. So far Ghosts and Rock Golems have proved to be the biggest roadblocks for me, what with the latter coming in groups of 4 and casting SLOW on my entire party before I can kill them all off...and then it just takes a bit longer. Oh, and I did just let my poisoned WW die off. 40 G at the Clinic in Corneria and she's good to go.

Temple of the Fiends Revisited first thought: Fuck Gas Dragons. Running from Green Medusas works like a charm. Fuck Frost Wolves.

Lich Take 2: 1572 damage, one hit. Next fiend please.
Kary Take 2: 1476 damage, one hit. Next fiend please.
Kraken Take 2: 1692 damage, one hit. Aren't you guys supposed to be STRONGER in the past? God damn. Time to grab the best weapon in the game and give it to a White Wizard. I do still have that Iron Hammer if anyone was curious. I also haven't healed since I ran afoul of the Gas Dragons on floor 1.
Tiamat Take 2: 1076 damage, one hit. An Iron Golem I ran into on this floor took less damage from my Master. Also I got ganged up on by a rather large mixed group of Vampires and more than a few fights with Worms. Had to drop a few CUR4's here.

Chaos: First hit: 967 Damage. 190 from the Masmune wielding WW. He's still standing, and here I thought he only had 1000 HP for some reason. Okay, you're the boss of the game. You can have two rounds of combat. 1069 damage later and the Time-Loop is broken! Hooray Light Warriors!

May the Orbs always shine!! THE END!

[EmmaNigma]

I don't see how the second half of disc one in FF9 will be doable...

Chocobo Hot and Cold. It seriously breaks the game. You get incredibly advanced equipment, even the limited amount of treasures on Disc 1, that the game is never really a challenge. Plus, on Disc 1, you can catch 99 frogs and fight Quale and get the best Fork in the game, which is good because you're stuck with Quina for a huge chunk of the game. It would just suck to fight Quale on Disc 1 on this challenge. Then it's smooth sailing. Possibly a problem in the section where you send some people to that one place while others stay in Kuja's whatever.

Note that the only reason I'm posting this is because celly just now brought it up in chat

[Mobius]

I believe a "Cure-n-fight" gameplay style is more engaging to the player as well as requiring more brain processing than the "mash A button repeatedly and win" mechanic of FFXIII, which sucks testicles as well as the whole game, in my most humblest opinion.


The only good thing I find about FFXIII is the music.