Strategy guide-less?

[some fat guy with cheese]

Has anyone here played this game through and completed a major chunk of the sidequests, hunts and other "additional content" without consulting a strategy guide, gamefaqs or other such external reference? If so, how many hours have you put into the game and how much have you completed?

This game seems to be so huge that to complete the game on your own without any help must take well over 200 hours, if for not other reason than theh mindless wandering you would do to spawn some of the rarer hunts in the various locales around the world.

[Quindiana Jones]

Renmiri has put roughly 15 lifetimes into this game, so I can't wait for her response. :D

[Renmiri]

Yup did most of it without a guide. Of Course I didn't complete my bestiary or things like that but the game and most of the hunts is pretty straight through.

[Shin Gouken]

I did my first playthrough without a guide. Most of the marks aren't too difficult to spawn. I wasted quite alot of time on Lindwyrm i remember because the gentlemen who posts the bill tells you to look in the the Highlands but he appears in the garden of lifes circle which was pretty misleading. Maralith was a bitch to spawn too. I got most of the marks but didn't beat Omega, Ultima Hell Wyrm, Yiazmat and maybe some others. I knocked the :bou::bou::bou::bou: out of Zodiark though.

I think playing without a guide is the best way to enjoy the game. There's so much to discover