I did it! Hard challenge!

First of all

good to see this forum is alive and well. This was one of my top 2 favorite FF7 forums(i think the best =).
I started working this challenge on my psx some 3-4 years ago, but didnt have time to finish(and also cheated a little through Midgard).

Now i got myself a Gamepark Caanoo =D and have finally done it! With savestates i admit, but now i know how to do it, and even slightly better, so the psx should not be a problem. And by the way, if you didnt know:

The random battles, are not random =)
Neither are the fights for that matter.

Once i load a savestate, the exact same sequence of events happens, so i didnt cheat much, tho i wouldnt if i could either. If youre really tough at grinding, you could save and reset the psx/hanheld and hope for an easy battle with little dmg to your team, for some xp.

My challenge is

* No use of materia/magick
* No items
* No inn's or sidequest's (as in sector 7 where you can get a nights rest in a sidequest)
* Only starter weapons

So i got out of midgard last night :love: and i know i'll get to the boss fight at Gi cave in Cosmo Canyon.
Last time that long legged spider you have to fight before the boss battle killed me proper. But now i have metior rain limit. Also i think i will get my team a couple of levels harder, but i do not know if the Gi boss is possible to beat...

I can post a guide of you are interested :)

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Originally Posted by squiike

The random battles, are not random =)
Neither are the fights for that matter.

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It is a dated encounter system but it is called "Random Battles" because normally you run around not knowing when you are dragged into the battle dimension, so randomly since enemies normally don't appear on the map and all random battles have a programed probability.

Good luck with your challenge. I recommend you to do an Enemy Skill only challenge (once you get the Materia). I did that and it was one of the coolest challenges for me.

How did you cheat?

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How did you cheat?

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The first time those 3-4 years ago, that elevator fight got to hard so i threw a few grenades. I think i also used Nanaki's fire magick.

So you did the same thing, no sleeps, items, materia until you got the enemy skill?

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Originally Posted by squiike

So you did the same thing, no sleeps, items, materia until you got the enemy skill?

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I used normal weapons and LIMIT Breaks, I think. It was a long time ago. It is a short time anyway, so actually it does not matter what you do until then since it is only about Enemy Skills and what you do before depends on you. And there was an exception, I used "Manipulate" - however only for learning Big Guard, White Wind, et cetera.

Defeat Ruby WEAPON only with Enemy Skill - that is so awesome, I tell you.

wait you guys
how are you healing if you're not using items?
i did get out of midgar without using the materia screen once upon a time but i still used potions a lot

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Originally Posted by krissy

wait you guys
how are you healing if you're not using items?
i did get out of midgar without using the materia screen once upon a time but i still used potions a lot

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Aerith for example has pretty much the most powerful LIMIT Breaks. And Yuffie also has one. Yuffie's is often used in an Emerald WEAPON no Materia challenge.

Limit Break points are calculated thusly:

(300 x Damage / Max HP) x 256 x Status Multiplier / Limit Level Modifier

A "full" Limit Bar is reached at 255.


So, we'll use Aeris. Her level 1 Limit Healing Wind heals for 50% of a character's max HP, and has a Limit Level Modifier of 200.

So, calculating it out... Aeris needs to lose 66.4% of her maximum health in order to trigger her Limit. Which is less than it heals. Or, half that in Fury status, which makes it a managable 33.2% of max health lost.


So, it's doable. Provided you never use anything but Aeris's Level 1 Limits (she doesn't get a healing limit at Level 2, and Level 3 require more than 100% of health lost unless in Fury status, where it still works out to the majority of your health). It's possible. But you'd have no healing at all in sections where you don't have Aeris in your team, and effectively no healing before Aeris gets put in Fury. Oh, which you can't control, because items are forbidden. You'd also have to somehow guarantee that Aeris is attacked more than anyone else. Even Cover wouldn't do that.

Aerith does not only have one LIMIT like you say. And using them or defeating enemies with her like I did are worth what you get (faster LIMITs, seal enemies when you need them), the priorities are different depending on what the challenge is like, like the How to get MP is important when fighting Ruby with ES only. Then there is still Yuffie, very well used for Emerald, and depending on the challenge several other methods. Some people also use Inns. There is a great variety of what a challenge can look like and how you keep your HP up or to help your stat otherwise.

The thread starter for example did not use items. I don't know if he used armor and accessory. They are also items in a way but they can be very useful in case you decide to use them.

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Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Aerith does not only have one LIMIT like you say. And using them or defeating enemies with her like I did are worth what you get, the priorities are different depending on what the challenge is like, llike the How to get MP is important when fighting Ruby with ES only. Then there is still Yuffie and depending on the challenge several other methods. Some people also use Inns.

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She only has one limit you can use. Since she is your only source of healing until you get Yuffie, it would be absolutely impossible to do this if you used any Limit except Healing Wind. Period. If you switched to Level 2 Limits, you would have no healing, and would definitely die before you could get to Level 3, not to mention that her Level 3 Limit Break requires that she lose more than her maximum health to activate it.

Not to mention I was being generous, since I was assuming that she was in normal status, when it is far more likely that after leaving Kalm she'll be in Sad status, as the number of Sad causing enemies just skyrocket, which would mean that it would take 132.8% of her max health to trigger a single Healing Wind.

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

... Since she is your only source of healing until you get Yuffie ...

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There are several events where several characters have their HP healed and which must be done so I don't know how you can call her the ony source. You only need to know how to time things. Meaning you very well can time to use her LIMITs.

Post edited.

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Originally Posted by Sephiroth

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

... Since she is your only source of healing until you get Yuffie ...

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There are several events where several characters have their HP healed and which must be done so I don't know how you can call her the ony source. You only need to know how to time things. Meaning you very well can time to use her LIMITs.

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

Not to mention I was being generous, since I was assuming that she was in normal status, when it is far more likely that after leaving Kalm she'll be in Sad status, as the number of Sad causing enemies just skyrocket, which would mean that it would take 132.8% of her max health to trigger a single Healing Wind.

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Unlike Fury which has a double advantage for LIMITs, Sadness has NO advantage for them. If you are in Sadness your LIMIT does not grow at all. Fury: Faster LIMIT bar and more damage so you will also get it faster, meaning it has a double advantage, Sadness, you get less damage, but it does not grow at all, not just less, not at all. Sadness is not good at all when you want to use LIMITs.

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Oh, that's going to be enough to save this run. Those events are very few and far between.

Your Limit Breaks do too grow while in Sad status. Half as fast, but they do grow. Check your sources, buddy.

Post edited.

Correction, it was getting less damage so you get less LIMIT Bar growing + less LIMIT Bar growing as second effect. That is what it was like.

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Originally Posted by Sephiroth

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

Your Limit Breaks do too grow while in Sad status. Half as fast, but they do grow. Check your sources, buddy.

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They don't do, "Buddy". And I don't care what GameFAQs tells you. I am not the only one who experiments with such things, knows the programs, bugs, glitches and all. And my main source is the game itself, unlike yours.

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I own four different copies of the game. I've never had my Limits cease to grow while under Sad status.

Before you come back to this thread, do this. Boot up the game. Use a handful of Tranquilizers on your party. Read a book for a few minutes, then check your Limit Gauges.

I just did that on two different versions of the game (PC version and PSP/PSN version), and on both copies, my Limit Gauge increased.


You do take less damage from attacks, and you have a lessened Limit Multiplier (amount of damage done increases your Limit Gauge by half the amount), so it slows it considerable. But it does increase.

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

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Originally Posted by Sephiroth

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

Your Limit Breaks do too grow while in Sad status. Half as fast, but they do grow. Check your sources, buddy.

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They don't do, "Buddy". And I don't care what GameFAQs tells you. I am not the only one who experiments with such things, knows the programs, bugs, glitches and all. And my main source is the game itself, unlike yours.

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I own four different copies of the game. I've never had my Limits cease to grow while under Sad status.

Before you come back to this thread, do this. Boot up the game. Use a handful of Tranquilizers on your party. Read a book for a few minutes, then check your Limit Gauges.

I just did that on two different versions of the game (PC version and PSP/PSN version), and on both copies, my Limit Gauge increased.

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And I have the JAP NTSC version, the American NTSC version, the German PAL first edition, the German PAL Plat edition and the German PC version. That is why I did not expect it to be different. But check my post above. I confused it, it is an extremely low growing of the LIMIT bar, it is my fault, I treat it like nothing.

Now I wish you would also understand that the story is how the main aspects of the game, interviews and the Ultimania desribes it so you can enjoy the complete story of the Compilation more. It is worth it.

No biggy.

The main point is, however, that this challenge is nearly impossible, if not completely so.

The only usable healing abilities you have are Yuffie's and Aeris's healing Limits. Both have the same requirements in terms of HP loss required to Trigger (66.4% of max HP). After Aeris dies, Yuffie is your only source of healing. If she isn't in Fury status, her healing won't be able to keep up with the damage the party takes. If any other party member is attacked more than her, they'll die and won't be revived until an in-game event.

If it is possible, it's just a question of luck, nothing more. It's a rush through to the game until you can find an enemy who puts you in Fury status, and then it's just a question of grinding and resetting if the wrong character is attacked or your healer is knocked out of Fury status (or any character takes too much damage in a single hit).

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

No biggy.

The main point is, however, that this challenge is nearly impossible, if not completely so.

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If it is possible, it's just a question of luck, nothing more. It's a rush through to the game until you can find an enemy who puts you in Fury status, and then it's just a question of grinding and resetting if the wrong character is attacked or your healer is knocked out of Fury status (or any character takes too much damage in a single hit).

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Well, I did a challenge like that. It did not look completely like the thread starter's setup but it was very similiar as far as I remember. And reloading in Final Fantasy is nothing new for a challenge, if you know what I mean. That's why I post here. I have done some challenges for like all Final Fantasys and there were some amusing and some that needed more effort and time than they were worth.

I'll go to bed. It's 6 AM.

Does anyone know the first enemy who can inflict you with Fury?

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Originally Posted by Skyblade

Does anyone know the first enemy who can inflict you with Fury?

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On the world map? That bird, the Levrikon. You have the chance to get hit by a Fury move before, however.

Good night.

So, uh, how's the playthrough going? :p

Sounds like quite an interesting challenge. Must admit, I've never gone in for challenges as I think I'd find the game less fun but I do like reading about other people who clearly have more willpower than me!

Yep, i think it is impossible to complete the game. But it is fun to see how far you can get. I would guess it stops at cosmo canyon, but we will see.

No weapons accessories, only what you start with as you enter team
No materia
No items
and ONLY in game heals.

Examples where there is hp recovery, is after the first mission, just before Cloud meets Aeris, he's hp is recovered.
When they rest at Aeris' and Cloud sneaks out to continue alone.
When they depart, after they sit on the toy thing and Aeris runs off to the mart.
Etc.

As of now i am lvl'ing outside Kalm.