No Crystarium Challenge

[No.78]

People are always doing challenges for Final Fantasy, so what could XIII's be? I was thinking No-Crystarium, but is that even possible?

Shall we give it a shot?

[demondude]

I think it's impossible to get past chapter 10 from what I've read. :( Could always try it though!

[No.78]

I think I will, just for giggles. On FFX I got all the way to the second Seymour fight without the Sphere Grid or a guide... So, if I can get to chapter 10 I'll be happy. :P

[Madame Adequate]

Oh man, given the sorts of things people have done in other FFs, I've little doubt they will get through this one with insane conditions. FFX for instance: No Sphere Grid, Summons, Overdrive, or Customization. Actually idk if they've finished it but there it is!

[demondude]

Usually they use items a lot though, but that's not the case so much with this game.

[Rad Bromance]

I seriously doubt that's even possible.

But someone's bound to try it and prove me wrong.

[Mo-Nercy]

You'd get wasted by Chapter 10, if not by various Eidolon battles before that.

Maybe a 'No Paradigm Shift' game is more doable. Just play in the paradigm that you get defaulted with whenever the game gives you a party or after you switch members.

[Goldenboko]

Maybe a 'No Paradigm Shift' game is more doable. Just play in the paradigm that you get defaulted with whenever the game gives you a party or after you switch members.

This seems possible, however a No Crystarium challenge cannot be possible. I doubt you could defeat many of the Eidolons, let alone the fact that in chapter 12 you need to be be able to beat one of those large turtles, which would stop on the ground once and instantly kill you.

In a game like this, the numbers don't add up for this to be possible.

[arcanedude34]

I was thinking the other day, a decent challenge would be no paradigm adjustment. You could shift during battle and all, but you have to use the three default paradigms they stick you with for each party setup.

Maybe not as restrictive as no crystarium, but I think it'd be more enjoyable, at least =p

[Mo-Nercy]

I was thinking the other day, a decent challenge would be no paradigm adjustment. You could shift during battle and all, but you have to use the three default paradigms they stick you with for each party setup.

Maybe not as restrictive as no crystarium, but I think it'd be more enjoyable, at least =p


Maybe a 'No Paradigm Shift' game is more doable. Just play in the paradigm that you get defaulted with whenever the game gives you a party or after you switch members.
Yeah. We think along the same lines.

But I've thought about it a bit more and I've realised that there's nothing stopping the player attempting these No Shift challenges from just power levelling their characters in that one class of the Crystarium.

[arcanedude34]

Well a no crystarium would probably be all but impossible unless you spend forever leveling up accessories or avoid all mooks and spam eidolons every chance you get, and I doubt even that would be enough to make up for it, since I think without it you can only equip one accessory. FFXIII kinda defies these challenges, huh =p

No Medic or Sentinel? Healing via items only? I dunno, never really been one for challenges anyway.

[Goldenboko]

You could have a "restricted gameplay challenge".

No Techs, no items, no custom paradigms, no character unique attacks. Like FFX's crap to make the game a fuck ton more challenging.

[Loony BoB]

"Fixed job system" - ie, each character only uses one of the roles available to them.
"No upgrades" - simple, no weapon upgrades.
"No upgrades, no accessories" - obvious enough.

Unfortunately I think a lot of the things revolving around "no paradigm shifts" would be too difficult to pull off for some battles.

I also can't think of any way for people to prove what they've done.

[finalblackmage]

I think the problem that a lot of people would run into is when the bosses start casting doom after you take too long.

[Sephiroth]

Some guys in one of my german forums and some japanese guys are doing a No Crystarium Run right now. They stuck at Barthandelus in chapter 11.

I know it is possible to get that far without Crystarium because I did this in my japanese version. Unfortunately my PS III is broken so I cannot try to continue with chapter 12.

LoonyBob, why can't you think of a way to prove it? People just need to make a video of their empty crystarium while in chapter 11, 12, 13, whatever.

[arcanedude34]

"Fixed job system" - ie, each character only uses one of the roles available to them.
I did that one without the intent of it being a challenge. I just didn't want to spend absurd amount of CP to open up jobs that each character is not suited for. =p

[Loony BoB]

Some guys in one of my german forums and some japanese guys are doing a No Crystarium Run right now. They stuck at Barthandelus in chapter 11.

I know it is possible to get that far without Crystarium because I did this in my japanese version. Unfortunately my PS III is broken so I cannot try to continue with chapter 12.

LoonyBob, why can't you think of a way to prove it? People just need to make a video of their empty crystarium while in chapter 11, 12, 13, whatever.
Aren't there certain battles that require you to have certain spells in order to get through?

EDIT: Ohhhh, I see how it's done after looking at YouTube. Looks like there are videos for as far as Cid.

[theundeadhero]

I was going to say ignore this and go for it, you never know what's possible until you try. Then I saw the thing about them being stuck in chapter 11.

Go for it anyway! Maybe you'll get it where they don't. Ignore everyone saying it can't be done. I'm sure the same was said for a single WM party in FFI and that's possible.

[arcanedude34]

But the thing is, you actually have a defense stat in FFI which can be boosted without leveling up, whereas in FFXIII, the only thing preventing later bosses from killing you is just huge amounts of HP, which no accessory can adequately give you, if I recall correctly.

[Hollycat]

No crystarium, no magic, it is possible, oh or no summons

[Mo-Nercy]

No crystarium, no magic, it is possible, oh or no summons
No magic? So everyone's either Commando or a Sentinel? I can't see that being possible at all.

[Loony BoB]

Yeah, you'd be pretty screwed the moment you start using Vanille and Hope.

[Goldenboko]

Solution: Hack the game so Hope and Vanille never existed. Come on, it would make things better.

[demondude]

Yeah, you'd be pretty screwed the moment you start using Vanille and Hope.

You can attack at that point of the game.

[Loony BoB]

Sorry - the moment you start using Vanille and Hope once they are l'Cie.

[Hollycat]

I take it back, the last fight is pretty damn tuff without magic

[Karifean]

Sorry - the moment you start using Vanille and Hope once they are l'Cie.

I suppose you'd be screwed at Lightning's and Sazh's Eidolon fights if not way earlier. Oh, and AFAIK it isn't even possible to keep Vanille and Hope from casting magic when they aren't the leader (pre-post-game), but I guess that doesn't count.

[Mo-Nercy]

Sorry - the moment you start using Vanille and Hope once they are l'Cie.

I suppose you'd be screwed at Lightning's and Sazh's Eidolon fights if not way earlier. Oh, and AFAIK it isn't even possible to keep Vanille and Hope from casting magic when they aren't the leader (pre-post-game), but I guess that doesn't count.
In Chapter 1 or 2, you only have Vanille and Hope in the party so that's when the challenge is all over, I think. xD

[Slothy]

I really don't think a no Crystarium challenge would be possible given how restrictive the customization is in this battle system. But then, I wouldn't have thought you could get to chapter 11, so who knows.

[Karifean]

Sorry - the moment you start using Vanille and Hope once they are l'Cie.

I suppose you'd be screwed at Lightning's and Sazh's Eidolon fights if not way earlier. Oh, and AFAIK it isn't even possible to keep Vanille and Hope from casting magic when they aren't the leader (pre-post-game), but I guess that doesn't count.
In Chapter 1 or 2, you only have Vanille and Hope in the party so that's when the challenge is all over, I think. xD

Actually no, cause that's before they meet the Fal'Cie -> they can still attack normally and you are not able to cast magic.

[Mo-Nercy]

Sorry - the moment you start using Vanille and Hope once they are l'Cie.

I suppose you'd be screwed at Lightning's and Sazh's Eidolon fights if not way earlier. Oh, and AFAIK it isn't even possible to keep Vanille and Hope from casting magic when they aren't the leader (pre-post-game), but I guess that doesn't count.
In Chapter 1 or 2, you only have Vanille and Hope in the party so that's when the challenge is all over, I think. xD

Actually no, cause that's before they meet the Fal'Cie -> they can still attack normally and you are not able to cast magic.
Oh yeah. That's right. I'm forgetting details of a game I haven't even finished yet. =S

[Necronopticous]

FFX for instance: No Sphere Grid, Summons, Overdrive, or Customization. Actually idk if they've finished it but there it is!
I don't think anyone has ever even seriously attempted that. As far as I know I'm the only person who attempted to put the No Sphere Grid and Initial Equipment/No Customization challenge together, and even just those two turn out to be impossible.

[espritduo]

NCU (no crystarium challenge) has been completed in Japan, and it was recently completed with the english version as well.

Here's a link to the gameFAQ's thread and page at the point where the game was actually beaten without using the crystarium:

NCU United 3 - Final Fantasy XIII Message Board for PlayStation 3 - GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=928790&topic=54359860&page=13)

And here's the youtube vid of him beating the final phase of the final boss:

YouTube - Final Fantasy XIII [ENG - No Crystarium Usage] Final Boss 3/3: Orphan 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKaDtdimc2A)

[Madame Adequate]

FFX for instance: No Sphere Grid, Summons, Overdrive, or Customization. Actually idk if they've finished it but there it is!
I don't think anyone has ever even seriously attempted that. As far as I know I'm the only person who attempted to put the No Sphere Grid and Initial Equipment/No Customization challenge together, and even just those two turn out to be impossible.

I think it's initial equipment part. I've never seen that be possible. But with that criteria absent I've seen damned near everything else mentioned and this (http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/197344/41101) looks a bit elaborate for a hoax! It basically relies on ridiculous item spamming.

[Ultima Shadow]

FFX for instance: No Sphere Grid, Summons, Overdrive, or Customization. Actually idk if they've finished it but there it is!
I don't think anyone has ever even seriously attempted that. As far as I know I'm the only person who attempted to put the No Sphere Grid and Initial Equipment/No Customization challenge together, and even just those two turn out to be impossible.
You did make it pretty darn far though - beyond a part that was thought to be impossible. Almost to the very end of the game.

I have yet to even play FFXIII myself, but the Doom-thing (which, from what I've understood, results in a Game Over when the time runs out) sounds like biggest issue.

I suppose a FFXIII challenge would have to require a handicap that doesn't make your offensive capabilities suffer too much, in order to get past some of the Doom-bosses in time.

Edit:


NCU (no crystarium challenge) has been completed in Japan, and it was recently completed with the english version as well.

Here's a link to the gameFAQ's thread and page at the point where the game was actually beaten without using the crystarium:

NCU United 3 - Final Fantasy XIII Message Board for PlayStation 3 - GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=928790&topic=54359860&page=13)

And here's the youtube vid of him beating the final phase of the final boss:

YouTube - Final Fantasy XIII [ENG - No Crystarium Usage] Final Boss 3/3: Orphan 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKaDtdimc2A)
Good news. (Though I won't watch the videos myself yet, as I haven't even played FFXIII normally). >_>