Reading these threads makes me feel lame! ;_;

[Melissaur]

So I got a DS for christmas and so I decided to get myself FFIV and frankly I really suck at it.
I've been reading all the other help threads and people make it so far then get stuck but I haven't even made it anywhere. I'm trying to level up bit by bit before I make it too far but the problem I'm having is that, one, I have no potions and when I try to go to the next little place to get some they are so much, and two I keep fighting those bird thing that stone my people and I can't afford to buy the item that cures that. But when I try to get more money I either die cause I can't cure or i get turned into stone. So did I miss like a stash in the castle? or do I really just suck at life??

Oh and I'm like at the point right between the start and that first little town.

[Wolf Kanno]

Don't worry, the birds really caught me off guard as well. Either stick to forest cause you usually only fight Goblins and the Porcupine monsters or find the Chocobo forest in the southwest forest and then ride it to the Mist Cave. You don't have to fight the Eagles in there so you can get some real levels and gil for stuff. Once you get a few levels on your belt its' easier to deal with the birds cause your party isn't so slow that gradual petrify only allows you one turn.

Just stick to it and stay optimistic, eventually only the bosses become issues until you get to the final dungeon.

[Melissaur]

OMG! Thank you! Imma so try that right now!

[Saber]

I'm not too far from the start as it is now. Although I've already beaten the game before. One thing I'll tell you is that it takes a lot of level grinding if your like me playing the ps version. I'm not sure if they did the same thing in the new DS remake but every new character starts at such a low level. Anyways I hope you enjoy the game as its a lot of fun.

[Roogle]

So did I miss like a stash in the castle? or do I really just suck at life??

There are some treasures in Baron at the start of the game that you may have missed that might assist you.

The entry for Final Fantasy IV at GameFAQs has a number of walkthroughs and maps that will help you out at the start until you get accustomed to the game. This game is surprisingly difficult when you have only one or two characters in the party because of the debilitating status effects like Petrify or Paralysis.

I recommend setting the battle speed in the Configuration to its lowest setting and setting the Active Time Battle to Wait so that you can maximize your time while in a battle.

[VeloZer0]

There are some treasures in Baron at the start of the game that you may have missed that might assist you.

I just started another playthrough of the DS version, and I was in a rush to save right after I started so I b-lined it right out of the castle not knowing I couldn't get in again. It really gimped me right at the beginning. (No potions and no money to buy them...)

[Melissaur]

Wait, so I can't even get back in the Castle?! *sobs*

[Wolf Kanno]

No, but you can get back to the city to buy stuff. Baron Castle doesn't open up again for awhile I'm afraid.

[Roogle]

What you may not know about Final Fantasy IV is that you will never be able to choose your party like in the later games in the Final Fantasy series.

It is not necessary to level up Cecil and Kain at the beginning of the game, nor is it necessary to level up Cecil until after a significant event early in the game. Make sure that you only stop to level if you feel like you're having a lot of problems in the current area; the battles that you fight in exploring and adventuring should be enough to keep you at the appropriate level provided that you do not run away.

[Saber]

There are some treasures in Baron at the start of the game that you may have missed that might assist you.

I just started another playthrough of the DS version, and I was in a rush to save right after I started so I b-lined it right out of the castle not knowing I couldn't get in again. It really gimped me right at the beginning. (No potions and no money to buy them...)

You can get back in the castle and even explore more areas later in the game. So don't worry about that, but if you do, since your at such an early state you could always do a re-start.