Thie is Hardcore

[blim]

[quote=Paul;2071032]

it's great watching the series evolve and noting what ways each game has added to the ideas of the last.

Except in 2 where they decided not to keep

Stats changing according to action in battle
Inns charging pro rata according to how healthy you are
Level up system for spells
Stats permanently going down after battle
Nearly everything else

yes but FF2 did introduce:
cid
chocobos
leviathan
beavers (precursor to moogles?)
an actually interesting story that unfolds as you play
amongst other things... okay yeah it changed a lot that people liked, but if it wasn't for FF2, final fantasy may never have gone on to include a real story, which is arguably one of its most important aspects. FF3's story was certainly a lot less interesting. so was FF5's.

Not sure whats happened here but that quote was not me

[Martyr]

Yeah... The Defense is too cool for school.

I used it in the first 5 turns against Kraken, but I only needed to use it 3 times. I was only hit by crits, and the tentacle beast was whacked shortly thereafter.

I've come to level 41, so I hit 4 times and have infinite HP with Defense and Heal Staff, so the levelling is over with.

Now that our multi-armed friends are gone, I must face the Queen of Multi herself, the many headed dragon, Tiamat. Poor thing, she don't realize I'm carrying a Dragon Sword in one hand and a Bane Sword in the other.

(SPOILER)What? The Dragon Sword doesn't do extra damage against dragons? Well now, I never said it did. I was simply implying that that girl BETTER be scared, because whether or not it's got special abilities, it's the second most powerful sword in the entire game!

Also, on the issue of storing items- I don't care about your "game making provisions for solo" ... whatever.
Taking on the "Solo" challenge means that, whether or not the game allows extra slots, you must resist the urge to use them. The same way you resist the urge to revive the characters. Putting weapons and armor on the bodies of the deceased, as though you're dragging all them along with you, with your weapons, isn't real, it isn't what the solo is about. None of that makes sense. None of that is real. The solo means you're a lone character. You get 4 weapons and 4 armors for equipment. If you need different ones throughout the game, make sure you pick them up at the right time because if you got 5 armors, one has to go. If not, you're breaking the rules. Unless, of course, you think you're playing DoS. But, as DarkLadyNyara has shown to us, a Solo WM can beat DoS on a lowest level possible challenge (Lowest Level Possible Challenge: No levelling at all! If you level because of inescapable boss fights, then that's a shame. If you run into a pack of zombulls or wizards and can't run, Reset!)

And so the DoS isn't even applicable.

But anyway, that's how I see it. I'm looking at from a realistic and real challengy point of view. I guess it isn't any super big deal if you fill up the dead slots with weapons and armor. It isn't lioke they can ALL be used during battle. It simply makes things more convenient, which you may desire, and which I think is something (convenience) that ought to be absent from a challenge game.

But whatever. I'm going to drop my mage staff and Zeus Gauntlets, pick up the Black Shirt and Bane Sword, put an end to Tiamat.
Then I'm going to go back in time 2000 years, slay Chaos before the time loop maintains Garland's everlasting life, and call this game completed. I can almost taste victory, and it is sweet. Like sugar.
The only thing that scares me is Da Macster's trip through the game.

But I got news for you, Mac, you seem to have been whining about the Ribbon not protecting you from RUB magics. Now I haven't gotten there yet, but I'll bet cash that you weren't wearing a ProRing!!! Because Ribbons don't protect you from RUB, only elemental magic. ProRing would've saved you a thousand resets at the Phantom (I think)

I may be wrong though. I don't think so. I'll see. I'll see soon enough.

[ReloadPsi]

The Ribbon does prevent RUB and similar spells, just not very well. It also prevents BANE. Open the ROM in FFHackster and you can see all these things.

The ProRing, so far as I can tell, works on RUB spells but not BANE; it wouldn't surprise me if the effect were cumulative though.

Anyway, why the Black Shirt? I thought only a Black Wizard could wear that...

And thanks for that post dammit, now I feel like I gotta redo my solo Fighter after I'm done with my White Mages.

[Martyr]

Update Time!!!
(SPOILER)Yeah... Like anybody cares.

Lv. 50.
Waxed Timat with the Bane Sword (First Time I've ever done it, actually. I feel like a cheater. But I have got him with BRAK, so what's the difference.)

Anyway... My attack is at 43, Evade at 95%. I'm kind of like a lv. 16 Fighter with a Silver Sword. (By my guess)

Weapons: Dragon Sword, Heal Staff, Defense, Bane Sword
Armor: Opal Bracelet, ProRing, ProCape, Ribbon

As I enter the ToF, 2000 years in the past, i can't help but wonder whether or not it's worth it to trade out my ProCape for the Black Shirt.

ProCape provides about 10 defense. I really kinda need it.

Black Shirt is ICE2, which gives me an edge gainst Gas Dragons (if I don't just reset), both the Fire and Water rooms, and any other enemy that I want to mass attack.

And if you know me, I'm very much "Best Defense is a good offense"

In fact, i've jus convinced myself to do it because I can actually get a ProCape back if I don't think the Black Shirt is necessary (It's in a chest in the Kary's Room, strangely enough)

I have considered dropping the Bane Sword in exchange for the Thor Hammer, but ICE2 is still so much better, and the Bane Sword is fun to use.
Also, the Power Gauntlets are a consideration, but, since I'm already going to be wasting turns buffing with the Defense, I don't think I need to spend anymore turns on attack buffs with that.
Although it might be a spectacular help against Chaos (Since I'd rather kill Chaos fast than defend against what physical attacks he's got. Spending 2 turns to nearly double my damage with the Masmune more than makes up for defending against the off chance of his physical attacks as opposed to his many spells which my ribbon naturally protects me from. Although getting slapped by Chaos hurts like the Warmech...)

So...

Here I am, ready to finish.

I'll tell you this:
Up until I defeated Astos, it was Hell!

But after that, it was a blast and a really fun, really challenging game.

Because it's SO much trouble, I can't recommend it over Solo Fighter or RM or BM, but it's fun.

When I kill Chaos, I think I'll class change and beat the ToF with a Ninja.

[Martyr]

Chaos is Terminated.

Shattered into a million tiny pieces, which then dissolved into nothingness so thoroughly that nothing remained. Not Chaos, not the Temple, not even the Time Loop.
(SPOILER)Maybe I'll post a screenshot later, if I feel like it

But I come to spread the news of this legend. The tale of the Solo Thief who rescued a princess, saved an elven kingdom and returned sight to a witch, reunited the people of the Aldi Sea with the rest of the world, faced the undead to savce the earth and it's farmers from rot and decay, traveled the crescent lake into the depths of a volcano to save a peaceful circle of old men from fiery destruction, brought back the legendary Airship of the Sky Warriors, long buried under the sands of the desert, saved a fairy, helping a family with their 50,000 G debt, saved the mermaids and restored the sanctity of the water shrine, tread through the Castle of Ordeals, like a Lone Ranger, not receiving the honor bestowed upon those who succeed the trial, helped Dr. Unne to decipher the ancient language of the Leifenish, cleared out the Sky Castle of the minions of the fiend who started the storms that destroyed the northern civilization in the first place, and revived the power or the orbs.

Equipment:
I used the same equipment I had in the previous post.

1. Never got the Black Shirt. Apparently, I didn't need it.
2. Power Gauntlet sucked and did nothing for me. I think it lowered my attack instead of raising it!

3. Masmune...

The Masmune was interesting to me because it brought me to a funnny revelation the moment I picked it up.

That revelation was that my Thief was suddenly equivalent in power to a Ninja (minus spells, which is a pretty big deal for 1 MASSIVE reason, which I'll briefly touch on later).

This is when I fully realized the extent of the importance of items in this game.
You see, Final Fantasy is a game about getting equipment. Every game is. You get money, you discover secrets, you murder coutless identical enemies in search of drops, you quest and conquer all to GET COOL EQUIPMENT! In 5 and 6, there are entire sidequests about acquiring legendary equipment, and, usually, the fully equipped will win the game very easily. Look at this FFVI (SPOILER)Quick+Economizer+Gem Box! I mean, Kefka Dies without hitting you once.

Point? I could've probably made it through the ToF and the entire game at lv. 10 if I'd begun with a Defense and a Heal Staff. It took patience to use the staff to heal myself, but there's plenty of time after a few shots of Ruse from the Defence.
NOBODY hit me, exceppt before my turn and on crit hits.
I passed through the first rooms of the ToF without a problem, except for some malicious critting Zombie Dragons. Gas Dragons, Woprms, Frost Dragons, Badmen, Fighter/Mage- I killed them all, and they didn't touch me.

Kary was easy, Kraken whacked me once, but I came back, and the most annoying fiend was Lich, but Lich never killed me. Just made me waste Heal Staff turns against Grey Worms and Fires.

And so I entered the Wind Room (Where enemies ran from me, I might add. A funny thing to note: In the beginning, enemies ALWAYS got the first attack. At lv. 50, I almost ALWAYS strike first. And then I run. If I don't, it's often a battle between who can run away the fastest. HAHAHA!) - Whatever- I entered the Wind Room and grabbed the Masmune and sliced up Timat for over 500 Damage and walked into Chaos and suddenly had a realization:

I'm not a Solo Thief anymore. I'm an unhittable, fast healing, highest damage dealing LIGHT WARRIOR. I sill have 46 heals left, and my HPs are maxed before Chaos. I don't get that in 4 player games. And it's not because of who I am. It's because of my awesome equipment.

Can I equip the Defense, Healing Staff, or Power Gauntlet? No. Can I equip the Masmune? Sure, but anybody can. It's a gratituous everyman weapon in the last monster dungeon of the game.
That's definitive of a Thief. *sarcasm*

No... No. The only honest way to beat this game is to slay Chaos without the Masmune. At least! But to teach him the same lesson that everybody else learned. With a Dragon Sword. Like a Thief. Not like a Light Warrior. I ain't one yet. Chaos lives. The world is yet to be unveiled of darkness.

Since I came this far with the Defense and Heal Staff, and since I don't think I can seriously beat the game without those tools. Not without extroardinary critical hit luck in nearly every fight, which is too impossible for me to comprehend or bother with, I decided to continue using them.
I turned around and refought Timat without the Masmune. (I didn't drop the Dragon Sword when I picked up the Masmune. How horrible and against the rules...)

Then I went at Garland born again, Dragon Sword blazing.
And here, my friends, I finally learned the truth.

And the truth is: SLO2

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. In a second, my Thief loses his intelligence. My 30 Damage turns to 1 or miss instantly.
I get Power Gauntlets, which I never used in pervious games, and tested them in similar conditions against Rock Golems, but I deemed that crap useless.
I returned to Chaos, ripped out a Masmune, SLO2! SLO2! SLO2!
And finally, Mr. 3000 HP Chaos (He never once failed to use CUR4 after taking about 1000 damage) casts SLO2, and it is ineffective!
And he finally died.

Will I return and try again with the Dragon Sword? Maybe, but probably not, since SLO2 is such a bitch.
Will I upgrade to a Ninja, get FAST, and then try with a Dragon Sword, since FAST is the only counter for SLO2 and, provided I only used it for that scenario, there would be no difference between a Thief winning with a D. Sword and a Ninja except that Chaos' SLO2 is nullified? Maybe. But I have a feeling that class change will leave me with no spell points since I'm already at lv. 50. I actually don't know. I'll edit this post when I find out.

Anyway... Yeah, I won. Any 300 HP monkey with a Masmune, a Defense, and a Heal Staff could do the same. (Actually, high Evade is probably a super important factor in using RUSE. So that ain't entirely true. But I have been using the Defense effectively since levels like 30. But, again, 30 isi usually more than a high enough level for 4 characters to win, and, therefore, already a high evade #, even though it's low level for a Solo Thief.)
(SPOILER)Monkeys have high evade anyway

So... That's it.
-Solo Thief.
-No more than 4 Armor and 4 Weapons in the inventory at any time (Except when picking up equipment out of a chest and deciding whether or not to keep it or discard it on some occasions. I ought to know what treasure chest holds what, really.)
-No Class Change (Obviously)
-No Save States
-No Masmune(SPOILER)Next Challenge

And... That's all I have to say. I hope I've inspired you all. If not, piss off. play a solo WM No-Class-Change game.

EDIT:
Class changing to Ninja at lv. 50 allows me to load up with lv.1-4 black magic, but I'm afraid my MP is terminally at zero. So... Alas, I will not bother beating the game solo Ninja.