Wait...

[Martyr]

Has anybody beat this game on lowest level possible?

I want to try it, but it's kind of intimidating. I mean, Magic early in the game is entirely out of the question, there's no money until earth cave treasure chests, and then only the ones that aren't guarded by Earths.

I'm guessing that the party faces Wizards at level... 3?!

Who's done it? What party?

I want to try it with my favorite speed party, F/F/T/RM. But maybe F/F/F/F is all I really want, since magic is a waste, and the Thief's running, though imperative, probably isn't more imperative than the Fighters HP.

NOTE:
I am referring to the NES version. Not GBA or Origins Easy or any other such ridiculous nonsense.

[Sidderz]

I'm afraid I can't say nowt as I've never played 1. ^_^;

[FF1BlackMage14]

I think I've mentioned before that when my dad, my sister, and I would play this when I was a little kid, we would always enter dungeons at the lowest possible level. The game is so much more fun that way, because it is so much more difficult. It actually took us an entire summer to beat it. If it weren't for that, if we had just constantly leveled up forever, I don't think that I would have liked the game as much because it wouldn't have been quite as exciting.
I think the lowest we got through Chaos with was Level 20 or 22 with the classic Knight/Ninja/WhiteW/BlackW.

[Nominus Experse]

My conjecture would be that a party of Fighter/Fighter/Thief/Red Mage could possibly make it at around level 18.

Though Fighter/Fighter/Fighter/Fighter may be able to win at even lower levels due to their HP and attacks. The greatest issue - I would think - would be money.

[Martyr]

I've been at the doorstep to the ToF with F/F/T/RM at "Lowest Level I Have The Patience For" at lv. 12.
By the time I hit Chaos, though, I ended up in so many "no run" fights that I was at lv. 15.

But I want to know if it's possible to NOT level before the Marsh cave, restart the Earth and Ice Cave if I run into Wizards (no run), and likewise in any scenario.

You see, once you hit class change, you're gold. 2 Knights have powerful enough equipment that the levels are completely irrelevant.
The problem is: What party is capable of killing 2-5 Wizards without good equipment and at low levels. (I think lv. 3)
Pirates + Garland + 400 is about 1000G.
-30 about twice for the Inn at Coneria after Garland and the Pirates.
If I try to kill Garland with no armor, then it might help to get two Short Swords as fast as possible. But that's is nobody has to go to the clinic. Maybe. I can't do all the math in my head. After 2 Inns and 4 rapiers: 240+390+300. That isn't 1100. Unless Garland pays more, but I think it's only 240 or 260.
There's a copper bracelet and iron armor in the marsh cave. Also some gold, I think, if the north rooms aren't locked. I don't remember. I never go there. There might be a free short sword there though... But I think that one's locked. I'll check.
I don't know how lucky I'd have to be to raid Marsh cave chests, buy items, heal at the inn, and then return to the cave... I mean, the INN is expensive. I'd have to rely on monstrous luck for nobody to die with no armor, no healing, no tents or whatever.

It just sounds hard, but doable, and I want to know if it's been done.

Of course, once Astos is dead I can sell the power Staff and get White Magic and Silver Swords etc. Then the game is a matter of running to good equipment and praying against Wizards, Zombulls, Gas Dragons and Worms, primarilly. Bleah, and Ghosts and Waters.

But I gotta start by killing Wizards.

But I beat it solo Thief, this has GOT to be easier.

[Dr Unne]

I'd guess F/F/F/RM would be easier than F/F/F/F. You get at least a bit of magic that way.

I think the NES version gives you money for beating the mini-game, right? Not tens of thousands of GP like the remakes, but a bit. You could fund yourself that way.

[Martyr]

I think it's 50G one time.
Don't sound like much, but you never know what finaly seals the deal.

Good advice, thanks.

[Martyr]

Double Posting Because This Is MY Thread, And I Do With It What I Choose. Somebody Try And Stop Me

:

This challenge is a horrible idea. It took me countless tries to get in and out of the Earth Cave with the Ruby. Not because it's hard! Not by a long shot. The problem is that, especially now, i just don't know if it's possible to make it to Lich without getting into an encounter with these freaking Wizards!
I'm about to quit. The challenge, obviously, isn't much of a challenge on the fighting front. I made it past Astos, getting the right treasure, playng the mini game 3 times (I think I made 100, Then 80 then 90? Or maybe the amount goes down from 100 every time? I don't recall...) to make extra cash, and getting the tools to hit Melmond at lv 4.
Note: The secret to killing Astos is Magic. Invest in Ice and Fire, because swords and axes do almost nothing. I NEVER made a critical hit, which is a hint into the nature of the crit. It must have something to do with the level of your character vs. the level of the opponent, since my solo thief made mad criticals at lv. 18-21. It'd be iompossible to beat Astos with a Thief otherwise.)

The only big challenge that remains is probably making 50,000G for the Fairy. But I remember that I get a gold bracelet in the Castle of Ordeals, I have 8K now, and the Volcano is loaded with treasure. I can sell the Fire and Ice Armor for a total of 30K more if I have to. So it isn't like that's a problem. The ONLY problem that this game brings to the table is the difficulty of running away from enemies all over the place, and as much as I want to show you a screenshot of my lv. 8/9/10 - whatever the lowest level is - Knight with a Masmune, it isn't worth walking through the Earth Cave one more time and crashing into Wizards. Then finding them again in the Ice cave(not to mention the occasional Frost Giant). Then Ghosts and Waters (two different non-run parties in the water temple), and, of course, the Worms, Z.Dragons and Steel Golems and Earths and Gas Dragons and Waters in the ToF.

Screw it.

If anybody else has succeeded in this challenge or would like to post relevant information about it, feel free to use this thread.

[Martyr]

Ok, I quit quit.


I'm at lv. 8. ToF revisited.

It is absolutely impossible to make it through without hitting inescapable enemies.

I mean, I thought that the Sea Shrine was impossible.... no.

I succumbed to save states, and that got me to Lich. Lich puts you at lv. 9.

But the few times I made it to Lich without running into Earths... I'd hit Fires in the next room.
And I have no doubt that I'd hi Waters in the Water room. Worms in Wind. I mean, I have to walk ALL the way to the Masmune and back.

This is all assuming I don't hit Gas D, Zombie D or Worms in the first rooms...

There is no way. The exorbitant amount of luck I'd need outweights everything unless...

Unless I started over and played F/F/T/Rm instead of F/F/F/Rm

Having a Thief instead of a fighter would greatly impair my ability to overcome Astos and the wizards in the early game, but the Thief just might be able to run from Fires.

But is it worth it to replay this horrible game just so I could savestate through the ToF until I hit Waters and then give up again? No.

No, this time it is final.I made it to ToF. I have no doubts that I would make it through, were the enemies runnable, and so I am satisfied with this.

Perhaps I shall impress you by killing a fighter, killing monsters all the way to the masmune, levelling up, casting life on the lv.9 Fighter when I get to the Masmune, and then giving you a fraudulent screenshot of the lv.9 Fighter with the Masmune.

But I don't have it in me to do that.

Slain.

Martyr Thread Perished.

[aquatius]

I'm not familiar with Golden sun... I'm pretty old school when it comes to video games.

For FF1, I have attached the information I used to figure out my strategy for winning at level 9. The .txt file has EVERYTHING about how the game works and the .doc file is my pared down version of what you really need for this challenge.

Good luck!
That's how some other guy beat the game at a low level, get the file from this thread: http://forums.eyesonff.com/showthread.php?t=95281

[Martyr]

Oh yeah. I made myself look like a jackass in that thread. Thanks for bringing it up!
And I can't get those files to open properly on my comp.

But nah. I know that all the battles are programed.
That was another savestate technique I tried to use.
The irony of the game is that, in most cases, an inescapable fight in one room is escapable in the other. So, if I can hang by a staircase and fight through the mess, I can manage to force my way through a room, knowing that I won't hit an inescapable enemy.

If that makes any kind of sense. You see, Savestate after every fight, and I can try to make it through a room. If I can't, then I can go back and get through random battles - usually 4-6 of them is what I have to do - and then try to walk through the room again.

The problem is that the FIENDS guard the stairways after the Earth room!
I would have to chill at the stairway before in front of the Earth room and try to exhaust these options so that I could get through the Earth, Fire, and water room ALL without an inescapable encounter.

And let me tell you something: I can't run from Earth's. Fires may be escapable with a Thief, but I don't have one, and maybe they're inescapable anyway, I'm not sure anymore, and Waters cannot be run from at all. And my experience is taht you get elementals about 1 in 4 fights there. Not to mention that the Water room has Wz Sahag combos for me to deal with.

If that is anything like the 256 move that cannercoop used to win the game, then I'm still not equipped with the patience to do this.

[ljkkjlcm9]

see that doesn't seem fun, that just seems annoying, especially being the type of person who never runs from battles. Typically this also means I never have to do any extra leveling on a first run through.

THE JACKEL

[Martyr]

Challenges aren't about fun.

They're about determination. The blood, sweat, and tears poured into an insubstantial substance for the sake of personal satisfaction above and beyond work and play alike.

The reward of success is not happiness. It is not real world experience. It is hardly worth a shred for the improvement of character or personal skill. It is merely what it is. It is victory over an obstacle. And it is up to you to determine whether victory as its own reward is reward enough for you to kill yourself.

[ljkkjlcm9]

Challenges aren't about fun.

They're about determination. The blood, sweat, and tears poured into an insubstantial substance for the sake of personal satisfaction above and beyond work and play alike.

The reward of success is not happiness. It is not real world experience. It is hardly worth a shred for the improvement of character or personal skill. It is merely what it is. It is victory over an obstacle. And it is up to you to determine whether victory as its own reward is reward enough for you to kill yourself.
I'd rather do real world things that actually make me bleed, and push my physical limitations, sorry. Or even push my mental capicity. This is just tedious.

THE JACKEL

[Martyr]

Challenges aren't about fun.

They're about determination. The blood, sweat, and tears poured into an insubstantial substance for the sake of personal satisfaction above and beyond work and play alike.

The reward of success is not happiness. It is not real world experience. It is hardly worth a shred for the improvement of character or personal skill. It is merely what it is. It is victory over an obstacle. And it is up to you to determine whether victory as its own reward is reward enough for you to kill yourself.
I'd rather do real world things that actually make me bleed, and push my physical limitations, sorry. Or even push my mental capicity. This is just tedious.

THE JACKAL

I do enough real world stuff that pushes my mind to the limit. I think it's very nice at times to just let my mind chill the heck out for a few hours.

But that isn't here nor there.

If you think it's a boring challenge, you're right. But it is a FF1 challenge that I've yet to complete, and I play FF1 and FF1 challenges. It makes up for all the time not spent on other FF games since I never bought a Playstation.

[Neofrodo]

I remember doing this once. Made it to the Ice cave. ran into sorcerors at least once every time I went in. I gave up. :(